Ba: Fans mocking Gerrard doesn't bother me at all
Demba Ba has told FourFourTwo he's fine with fans mocking Steven Gerrard over his infamous slip against Chelsea last season.
Liverpool, on an 11-match winning run, were closing in on their first league crown since 1990, but were dealt a body blow by the Blues with three games to go.
The Liverpool's skipper's stumble on the stroke of half-time allowed the Senegalese forward to fire Chelsea ahead on their way to a 2-0 triumph at Anfield.
And the Reds would go on to blow a three-goal lead at Crystal Palace in their penutimate outing; Manchester City snacting a second title in three years instead.
Gerrard's mistake has since become the subject of a chant sung wherever Liverpool and their soon-to-be-departing captain play, but Ba says it's all part of the English sense of humour.
Speaking to FFT Turkey, the striker, now on Besiktas' books, said: "It became a common song for almost all the stadiums in England. Chelsea fans sing it, Everton fans sing it, Man United fans sing it...
"They intend to mock Steven, rather than praise me. English people have a great sense of humour. They love doing this and it doesn’t bother me at all.
"We didn’t speak about the slip [after the match] and I’m not planning to do such a thing [in future] either. These kind of things happen in football all the time - there’s no need to exaggerate."
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Ba will get the chance to lock horns with Gerrard again next month as Liverpool face Besiktas in the last 32 of the Europa League.
The 29-year-old has netted 13 goals in 17 games since swapping Stamford Bridge for the Super Lig, and admitted he has mixed feelings about his time at Chelsea.
"I had beautiful, sad, frustrating, and tough moments at Chelsea. But now I’m far away from those days. I try to forget the bad memories and remember good ones."
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.