Ask any Newcastle fan about that
I did ask 'any' Newcastle fan at the time we bought him.
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"Far too inconsistent and scarily devoid of end product for anything like that cash . You've got a great athlete and box to box midfielder with very average assists and goals."
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"Awful player, you only have to look at his stats for us over the past three seasons to see that. Can't pass, shoot or dribble. He gets by on his pace and strength alone which he only demonstrates when he can be bothered."
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"Wouldn't be surprised to see the lad get tackled by a cone."
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"He might play very well for you guys. When we were playing well in the past, he was always up there. But when the match isn't going your way and you need a player to really get the team going, it should be Sissoko but it never is. He's powerful, but he desperately lacks any control of the ball. He dribbles like we all did when we played at school i.e. kick it as hard as possible and chase after it. He gets through one on one with the keeper a lot, but I don't think I've ever seen him score that way.
I think £30m is at least £10m more than he's worth, but who knows which version of Sissoko you'll end up with?"
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"An absolute force on his day, but that day doesn't come round very often. Doesn't score or create many, but we've been s**** for the last few years so I'll be interested to see how he fairs in your team. When he was here he had the luxury of knowing he could be a lazy bastard and still play every week. He won't get that luxury at Spurs i doubt. Make sure you play him when the Sky cameras are there tho as that's when he ups his game.
It might sound like a lot of sour grapes, but Townsend probably contributed more than Sissoko last season and he only signed in January and was one of the few who genuinely seemed to be trying to pull us out of the hole we were in. Really would've liked him to stay."
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"He was without doubt one of the biggest reasons we got relegated last year. His return of goals and assists from such an attacking position (he doesn't do tracking back) was pathetic. He's powerful and fast and that's about it really. He'll muscle past two or three players then fluff a shot or hit the first man with a s**** cross. That sort of player."
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"He's not as bad as this thread or the most extreme Newcastle fan comments will suggest. His best performance was in his first match with us, against Chelsea and he bossed the match, was the best athlete on the pitch, and finished goals with confidence. He's not good enough to consistently replicate his peak performance, which is why we were even able to buy him for cheap in the first place. Subsequently, he's a very frustrating player because once every month or two you can see him be the game-changing midfielder you know he's capable of, but the rest of the time he's only mediocre, and if there's a type of player fans hate more than an outright bad footballer, it's one who teases you with ability but fails to deliver consistently, leaving you questioning their focus/drive/commitment/whatever.
He specifically makes it worse by clearly remembering how great he can be, wanting a move to a club where only on his best days he's good enough, while doing nothing to improve his consistency."
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"It is his attitude rather than his lack of consistency that annoys me about him."
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"If I was to give a brief summary of him it would be, poor attitude, often doesn't put in the required effort and awful end product.
On his day he can deliver but his day is only about 5 games out of 38 and that's probably being kind to him.
He's got the raw attributes to be a good player but he needs to work on his final delivery or shot. Most of all though he needs to address his application or rather lack if it."
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"Won't lie, was laughing last night when we got £30m. Sissoko and us were not the right fit. We were always a struggling side and he wanted no part of it. He turned it on against the bigger clubs but failed when our backs were up against the wall, which was often. He undoubtedly has talent but he thinks he doesn't have to put in the effort.
At Spurs you'll more be the dominant team more often than not so he'll be called upon less. Main thing is his attitude. He is a classic 'le strop' and if he isn't happy his unprofessionalism shines through. I guess the biggest alarm bell for you was is his attitude yesterday when he wouldn't answer the phone to Everton."
pretty much what you'd expect from a fan forum.