Source: Northern_Echo
Xisco is aiming to silence his doubters
WHEN Francisco Jimenez Tejada turned his back on Deportivo La Coruna two years ago he wanted to prove himself on the Premier League stage. Tonight, the man more widely known as Xisco, returns to Riazor with Newcastle United still harbouring hopes of achieving that goal.[LNB] After seven relatively successful years with Deportivo, where he caught the eye of many of Europe's top clubs and was being touted as a future Spanish international, the last 24 months have been fraught and extremely damaging to a player once highly-rated.[LNB] From the moment Newcastle controversially signed the forward for £5.7m on Dennis Wise's recommendation to Kevin Keegan that he should watch footage of the player on YouTube, Xisco found it difficult to make a favourable impression.[LNB] Despite scoring on his first appearance, he effectively became the seventh-choice striker during Newcastle's humiliating relegation campaign before being loaned out for the whole of last season to Racing Santander.[LNB] A failure to conclude a permanent deal back to La Liga, however, has left him back at Newcastle this summer, where he looked refreshed during his substitute's appearance against PSV Eindhoven on Saturday.[LNB] This is a fresh start for me and I feel OK, said Xisco, sporting a smile which hasn't been seen too often on Tyneside. I wanted to go back to Spain last season because my first season here wasn't good for me.[LNB] I wanted to stay close to my family and enjoy playing in La Liga again. I wanted to take stock and I wanted to change everything and come back to Newcastle with my mind fresh.[LNB] Everything's OK now. I'm very happy to be back and I want to stay. It's not my decision, I've got to fight to be part of the team, and then we will see.[LNB] One of the things I want to do is to prove I can play in the Premier League. I went back to Spain last season because I didn't have a chance here to prove I could play.[LNB] In the aftermath of Saturday's 2-2 draw with PSV, while Xisco was on the pitch putting in some extra shooting practice, Chris Hughton was insisting there is a place for the Spaniard at St James' if he can prove he deserves it.[LNB] At the beginning of my Newcastle career, there were five or six games before Joe Kinnear came in, said Xisco. He decided he didn't want me. Why I don't know.[LNB] The two or three months when I didn't play hurt me so much.[LNB] Nobody told me why I wasn't playing. I know I can play in the Premier League.[LNB] That's what I came here for. I feel comfortable and I want to stay and prove to the people that I can be part of the team.[LNB] There will be more than a hint of irony if his Newcastle career turned full circle and he starred at the Riazor, where he was adored as a teenager not too long ago, which would firmly put him back in to Hughton's thoughts ahead of the trip to Manchester United on August 16.[LNB] At this stage Xisco remains down the pecking order, behind Andy Carroll, Peter Lovenkrands, Leon Best and Shola Ameobi in the selection process. His memories of his time at Deportivo, however, remind him he still has the ability to succeed.[LNB] At Deportivo, the games were hard, but I had the confidence of the team and the manager, he said. I can't improve on that if I don't play. I have nothing bad to say about Chris, when I played here the first time, he helped me all the time.[LNB] Now it's up to me to try and repay his confidence on the pitch, in training or wherever.[LNB] Deportivo is my team. It's where my heart is. I came through their academy to the first team and I've got a lot of friends there. It's in my heart. I spent the best years of my life there and all my best memories are from La Coruna.[LNB]
