Gabriel Obertan’s goal against Leicester City on Saturday gave Alan Pardew a glimmer of hope that he could be on the right track to winning over the fans.
But, as for Obertan, if he had played as good for the rest of his three years at Newcastle ... would we find ourselves in the relegation-threatened position we are in now?
If only we had seen that effort for the past three years
He signed for Newcastle in August 2011 from Manchester United for £3,250,000, after Sir Alex Ferguson proclaimed him as being a "flop".
For three years he has been a 'hate figure' on Tyneside because he has rarely done anything right.
"Flop" isn't the word. Try "disgrace"!
Although his goal eased the pressure on the manager ... many of us hoped we had seen the back of him.
Hatem Ben Arfa and Sylvain Marveaux left in the summer, but it was Gabby who most supporters wanted out the door.
Gabriel Obertan: “I’ve been waiting for a while to score at St James’s.
“It’s been a tough season for me last year, and I’m glad to be back in the team and be useful.
“I kept on working hard.
“It’s easy to train when you’ve got the coaches patting you on the back, but these moments by yourself ... you have to work hard and dig deep.
“I’ve always been confident in my ability. It might be a surprise for some people, but not for me.
“It’s a great feeling at the moment. It’s great – not just for me but for the team.
“I know it’s been quite frustrating for the fans. I hope the first win gives them something to celebrate.
“We needed that win to get the confidence back, and I think we are going in a good direction right now.”
As I said before ... is Obertan the cure for all our ills ... or the cause of many of them?
I have no regrets booing him when he didn't produce (and that has been often).
He still hasn't suddenly become a great player, he just (for once) found the postage stamp in the goal rather that Row ZZ in the back of the Leazes End.