page_title: 2011–12 Newcastle United F.C. season
section_title: Chronological list of events
hierarchical_section_title: 2011–12 Newcastle United F.C. season / Chronological list of events
caption_attribution_description: English: West Ham United's Demba Ba warming-up before their home game against Stoke City. Ba scored the first goal in a 3-0 win.
context_page_description: In the 2011–12 football season, English club Newcastle United competed in the Premier League for the second consecutive season. It was Newcastle United's 119th season of professional football.
  In this season, Newcastle finished in fifth place in the Premier League, thus qualifying for the following season's Europa League. After going through their first 11 games unbeaten, Newcastle then failed to win in six consecutive games in November and December, mainly due to a spate of injuries among key defenders. The team recorded a resounding 3–0 home win over champions Manchester United in January and were hammered 5–0 by Tottenham Hotspur in February. The January transfer window saw the arrival of Senegalese striker Papiss Cissé, who quickly became a core part of the team, scoring 13 goals in 14 appearances.
context_section_description: 25 May 2011: Sol Campbell and Shefki Kuqi are released on a free transfer while Lens youngster Mehdi Abeid agrees a deal to be completed on 1 July.
  27 May 2011: Shane Ferguson is handed a new five-year deal.
  6 June 2011: New contracts are offered to Michael Richardson and Ryan Donaldson, but Paddy McLaughlin, Daniel Leadbitter, Matthew Grieve and Aaron Spear are released at the end of the season.
  10 June 2011: Yohan Cabaye is signed from Lille for an undisclosed fee. The fee though is reported to be £4.3 million by several media outlets.
  16 June 2011: Kevin Nolan's transfer to West Ham United is completed for an undisclosed fee. The fee is believed to be £3 million but could rise to £4 million.
  17 June 2011: West Ham striker Demba Ba signs for Newcastle on a three-year deal on a free transfer.
  18 June 2011: Newcastle agree to sign winger Sylvain Marveaux on a five-year deal on 1 July 2011 when his contract with Rennes expires.
  23 June 2011: Ben Tozer is released and signed by Northampton Town on a two-year deal.
  1 July 2011: Newcastle sign young French midfielder Mehdi Abeid on a five-year deal after his Lens contract expires.
  15 July 2011: Newcastle begin pre-season with a 2–0 win away at Darlington. Newcastle's second goal, scored by Sammy Ameobi, caused a pitch invasion which held up the game for ten minutes.
  16 July 2011: Midfielder Kazenga LuaLua rejoins Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until 15 January 2012.
  21 July 2011: Newcastle begin their pre-season tour of the United States with a 0–0 draw against Sporting Kansas City.
  24 July 2011: The Magpies' second match in the U.S. ends in a 1–0 loss to Orlando City in Orlando, Florida.
  27 July 2011: Alan Pardew's team finish their tour of the U.S. with a 3–0 win over the Columbus Crew with goals from Shola Ameobi, Fabricio Coloccini and Haris Vučkić.
  31 July 2011: Newcastle's first match back in England sees them lose 3–2 to Championship outfit Leeds United at Elland Road, despite goals from Steven Taylor and Haris Vukčić.
  2 August 2011: Newcastle announce that their midfielder Joey Barton has been transfer listed and will be allowed to leave the club on a free transfer.
  4 August 2011: Wayne Routledge completes move to Swansea City.
  5 August 2011: Midfielder Michael Richardson joins Leyton Orient on an initial one-month loan deal.
  6 August 2011: The Magpies's only friendly at St James' Park, against Italian giants Fiorentina, is abandoned after 63 minutes due to players slipping over the pitch because of heavy rain.
  9 August 2011: Newcastle complete the signing of Manchester United midfielder Gabriel Obertan on a five-year deal.
  11 August 2011: Defender James Tavernier joins Carlisle United on an initial one-month loan deal and striker Phil Airey joins Hibernian on a six-month loan deal.
  11 August 2011: Striker Xisco rejoins former club Deportivo de La Coruña on loan until the end of the season.
  12 August 2011: Jose Enrique is signed by Liverpool for a reported £6 million.
  13 August 2011:  The Magpies Start the 2011–12 Premier League season with an impressive 0–0 draw at home to Arsenal, who dominate chances forcing stand-in goalkeeper Tim Krul to make plenty of saves.
  17 August 2011: Goalkeeper Fraser Forster re-joins Celtic on a season-long loan.
  20 August 2011: A free-kick goal from Ryan Taylor gives Newcastle a 1–0 win at local rivals Sunderland, who have Phil Bardsley sent off late on. The win sends Alan Pardew's team top of the Premier League for 45 minutes until Liverpool's shock 2–0 win at Arsenal.
  25 August 2011: In the second round of League Cup, Newcastle come from behind to beat League One side Scunthorpe United 2–1 at Glanford Park with another excellent free-kick from Ryan Taylor as well as Sammy Ameobi's first goal for the club, coming in extra-time.
  26 August 2011: Joey Barton completes a move to Queens Park Rangers on a free transfer.
  28 August 2011: A brace From Leon Best, including a Goal of The Month contender, gives the Tynesiders a 2–1 win over Fulham.
  30 August 2011: Left-back Davide Santon is signed from Inter Milan for an expected fee of £5 millio
caption: New signing Demba Ba became Newcastle's top scorer for the season
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