A number of our readers were not too happy that 24 year-old Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa did not get a run-out on Saturday.
Ben Arfa – can still make it big at Newcastle
And Alan Pardew seemed to pick up on that fact that Newcastle fans were a little mystified about why the skillful and creative player was not allowed a chance against Swansea to open up their defense.
That’s when Newcastle were finding it very difficult to get that one goal that would have given the Magpies a very welcome 3 points, against a middle of the table side.
Alan addressed the concerns of not playing Ben Arfa a little bit yesterday, and he talked again today to the local press about the matter:
“Sometimes you’ve got to fuel your players, and the disappointment he had about not getting on might fuel him for Wednesday night.”
“When you get a 0-0, you always think of something else.” “A couple of times I thought about bringing on Hatem.”
“But I just felt they were so deep, with so many numbers back, that I did not think he would find any space, if I asm honest.”
“He looks for pockets, and there weren’t any.”
We still don’t fully understand why Ben Arfa didn’t come on, because when you think of doing something different – that’s just exactly what Hatem Ben Arfa can do – and you just don’t know what that will be in advance.
And neither does Ben Arfa – such is the definition of creativity – but maybe a 30 yard bullet like he produced at Everton last year would have been on the menu.
We feel almost certain that Ben Arfa will now play some part in the WBA game on Wednesday evening, when Newcastle badly need to secure all 3 points, and the French International could even get a start in that game.
And Ben Arfa will certainly be very motivated to show both Alan Pardew and the Newcastle fans what he can do for the Newcastle side.
We’ve seen a few articles questioning whether Ben Arfa was the force he was, and whether Newcastle may even sell the player.
But that kind of talk is very premature, and even unfair to the 24 year-old, who still possesses great ability and all he needs is a run in the first team, to show what he can do for Newcastle, following his terrible double leg fracture of last year.
We still think Ben Arfa will make it big at Newcastle, and maybe a goal on Wednesday will be on the cards.
Comments welcome.
107 comments so far
AP's Black & White Army
Dec 19, 2011 at 2:48 PM
Comment #41Erm, Pardew, it doesn’t take a brain box to recognise, that to ‘make pockets’ you have to draw and beat players either by skipping past them or quick inter-play, one of HBAs main attributes.
If he doesn’t think he’s applying himself in training (no reason to leave him out in my opinion), just say that, because the reason given is total rubbish and makes you sound daft.
We needed a different approach, instead we became less threatening as the game wore on, because fundamentally nothing changed in our approach, they had us sussed.
That’s the crux of it.
I point you to 1:24 of this video, how HBA, Ba and Cabaye linked up to carve open the best (in this clip deep-lying) defence in the league, that’s the type of play we needed. Instead we just hoofed and hoped for the best.
http://youtu.be/44dMqpKO3oA
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 2:49 PM
Comment #42wynsleap there is no man bigger than Nufc, if Pards decides to leave HBA on the bench for the rest of the season that would be his call (exaggerative point I know but it is to prove that Pards calls the shots and not ben Arfa.)
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 2:50 PM
Comment #43AP’s Black and White Army…the best defence in the league is Liverpool 😛
davo
Dec 19, 2011 at 2:53 PM
Comment #44Hatem should be a guaranteed starter every game for the rest of the season.We have to give him a continuos run in the team and he will be immense.Infuriating seeing him sat on the bench with Shola and Vuckic coming on.
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 2:56 PM
Comment #45You know what I’m not going to constantly disagree with people, HBA is a very good player, exceptional even, when he is on form. There is no player who should be considered a guaranteed starter and that is all I am going to say haha
planb
Dec 19, 2011 at 2:57 PM
Comment #46I wonder which game Pardew was at if he thinks being encamped in swanseas half for most of the match is classed as sitting too deep. Ben arfa will only come good for NUFC once Pardews gone so that means ben arfas gone!
thebionicMAG
Dec 19, 2011 at 2:59 PM
Comment #47“Sometimes you’ve got to fuel your players, and the disappointment he had about not getting on might fuel him for Wednesday night.”
Sorry Alan sometimes you just have to WIN some games. Particularly when you’ve only earned 1 point from a possible 12 in the last 4 games. If you want to risk a result for the want of ‘fueling’ a player then I’m afraid im starting to lose confidence in your judgement.
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 2:59 PM
Comment #48He meant Swansea were playing deep…as for the rest of your comment. All can say is…wow.
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:01 PM
Comment #49BionicMAG the players that we had on were more than capable of winning the game, they just didn’t take their chances. Some people here are putting way too much emphasis on HBA, which in turn is heaping a hell of a lot of pressure on the guy to perform. I reckon that the people that were desperate for HBA to be playing are the same people who were desperately critical of his first few performances when he returned.
planb
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:02 PM
Comment #50Perch,obertan,simpson and pardew heedless chickens!
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:03 PM
Comment #51Nonsensical gibberish.
Dannyo
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:04 PM
Comment #52@WWJBD
Oh i think HBA can adapt to the middle indeed, but i think he dislikes going deep to get the ball, and his “mind” is a bit more settled than perhaps Vuckic.
Vuckic is still young, and probs more adaptable, also he seems like a very humble and nice lad, he’ll do whatever the gaffer says. HBA, despite him being as good as a lamb, i think he’s allot more selfish and knows what he wants.
Otherwise, HBA is still the more skillfull player.
On another hand, some interesting comments from Pardew on the presser. Saying HBA is still recovering and is far from his best yet. I think we all know that?
planb
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:07 PM
Comment #53A good optican can cure that nonsensical gibberish but alas the Pardew problem is another thing altogether!
thebionicMAG
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:07 PM
Comment #54Ruddy
Everyone keeps saying that Ben Arfa needs to sharpen and find form, that will only happen when he gets games. The guy is so exciting but he’s not being used, Who do we see week in week out though? Bloody Raylor and Obertan. It just doesn’t make sense. That is why so many fans are pssed off. Not that they think he’s bigger than the club far from it, its that he just isnt starting games!
Dannyo
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Comment #55Zaha signed a new 5 1/2 year contract. That’s him out of the running.
sweendog
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:10 PM
Comment #56Glad Pardew addressed it .. he has worked wonders with our season so far so you’ve got to give him benefit for knowing something .. as for Arfa .. if he gets a few games under his belt, him and Cabaye partnership will be immense ..
Dannyo
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:11 PM
Comment #57@sweendog
I have to admit, Cabaye linking up with HBA is probably what i’m looking forward to the most, i think they can draw great benefit from eachother, they’d be immense.
colwell
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:14 PM
Comment #58Surely HBA was a better bet than Sammy to come on? Pards continues to play Oba when he is good or bad to build his confidence so why not for HBA?
Pards has too see HBA is better coming in off the wing its too compact in the middle and for what he wants to do he can’t as theres 3/4 players around him.
I like Sammy but FFS he should’t be getting in over HBA no way.
stestickle
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:18 PM
Comment #59pardew done the same with teves at west ham kept him on the bench
IPToon
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:21 PM
Comment #60we have a team full of players who are confident on the ball, even starting fron the back in Coloccini and Santon who arent your traditional defenders, they just want to play, none of this safety first hoooof suff !!! so lets actually play more passing and moving and less long balls. We have the team for it, the only think stopping us from doing it is playing Best/Ameobi up front instead of Ben Arfa in behind Ba. I like Best before anyone moans but we will play better football with Ben Arfa.
WWJBD
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:22 PM
Comment #61Dannyo
Yeah all fair points mate I conceed u are probably correct I would only have HBA over Vuckic and Abied because I think he is a lot closer to the first team than either of the young guns but at the same time they need time as well
On the HBA thing everytime he has come on this season he has been worse than who he has replaced imo so I dont see the justification for him being a regular yet
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:25 PM
Comment #62Colwell makes a good point about HBA, Obertan is getting time to build confidence so by the same reckoning HBA should get the same treatment. I would reckon though that Obertan’s in dire need of confidence boosting, and HBA is more confident in his own ability than Obertan is. HBA can step up because he has enough belief in himself to do that. Obertan doesn’t have that, which is why it was necessary to stick with him because if he didn’t Obertan would retreat into himself and we would never ever see any good football from him and believe me he is more than capable of producing the goods. It just might take a bit longer to see the end product from Obertan but it will come. HBA can slot into the team and play like he never was out of it because he has that confidence.
soundoid
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:25 PM
Comment #63Horses for courses chaps. We can’t play the same formation week in week out.
planb
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:25 PM
Comment #64And Macherano the guys a bottler we were 4th now 7th the slides on he’s another steve kean he talks the same patter just pardews had a bit more luck than kean with results but his luck wont last forever as the last two results have proved if West brom get a result the knives will be out!
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:26 PM
Comment #65Planb… an optican?
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:27 PM
Comment #66I will say it again…wow.
Nick Sly
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:27 PM
Comment #67Spot on ED!!
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:27 PM
Comment #68And I suppose Keegan wasn’t a bottler then planb?
thebionicMAG
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:28 PM
Comment #69If Pards is being extra careful with HBA because he knows he’s not 100% then I take back everything I have said. If not why doesnt he give him more of a chance to find form?
Dannyo
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:30 PM
Comment #70@WWJBD
Yup, so very true. If Pardew opts for Shola, Vuckic and Sammy over HBA, he must have a good reason for it. Pardew speaks of HBA as he is the star player of the team, so i don’t think he benches HBA lightly, tbh, i’m only waiting for some sort of outburst soon.
After all, Pardew is the one that sees them day in and day out, we can’t do much but trust his judgement, but he has a tendency to wait too long at times imo, that perhaps reflects in his sometimes late subs and waiting too long to replace underachievers such as Raylor.
It’s so hard to tell, but I, like many others, am longing to see HBA out there on the field on a regular basis. At some point he’ll hit his form, and we’ll be in for a treat.
planb
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:30 PM
Comment #71Dont compare Keegan with this fella we were the man city of the 90s under keegan we cant even beat Norwich and swansea under this oaf
Dannyo
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:38 PM
Comment #72GAH!! I cannot belive this is possible!!
Scott Dann is out with a groin injury, i think many of us knew that. But what’s interesting is……
One of his testicles was ripped off!!!
Oh the humanity…
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:38 PM
Comment #73“I would love it if we beat them, I would love it!!” hmmm sounded like he bottled it, gave up an enormous lead and cost us our first top division league title since 1927…so yeah I don’t think you have to guess that I don’t really feel too fondly for Keegan. Spent shedloads, as you said we were the City of the 90s, and we still failed to win the league. That describes a poor manager who is only fondly remembered because he played entertaining football. I would rather have been remembered for winning the bloody Premier League because as Arsenal have shown, playing pretty football doesn’t get you titles and they play it better than we ever did!
ballerfan2
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:40 PM
Comment #74After a great start to the season we have had a few disappointments and hey ho, suddenly there are those who are having a go at Pardew who has immediately become incompetent. No doubt these are the same (type of) people who drummed SBR out saying he was past it after a poor start to one season – and a year or so later they blamed the chairman for having the gall to sack our revered knight when all Shepherd did was to carry out their wishes.
planb
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:43 PM
Comment #75Keegan signed world class internationals who were proud to come and play for NUFC the clown Pardew scratches round the bargain basements of Europe hoping to get lucky but football doesnt work like that the teams at the top are there because they buy class players.
WWJBD
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:43 PM
Comment #76Dannyo
I agree HBA will be a good player for us hopefully (still dont think he will be Messi like haha) but I think Pards knows what he is doing and the issue is more on HBA side
I very much look forward to seeing Benny play for us when he came on against Blackburn early in the season I was there and him Cabaye and Tiote were great to watch but since then he has been average imo
He is also suffering from being seen as a withdrawn striker as well if I had the choice he would be coming on for Obertan not Best but am not the manager
I also agree that Pards waits too long before using subs sometimes but against the Swans we were on the front foot the entire match, the game plan was working perfectly we just didnt get a goal
ballerfan2
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:44 PM
Comment #77… thats right £35m for Carroll – £50m Torres etc. ……
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:47 PM
Comment #78So what you’re saying is that you want us to sign overpriced Internationals like Michael Owen, Luque and Damien Duff again?
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:48 PM
Comment #79And by my reckoning Cabaye is a World Class International.
ballerfan2
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:52 PM
Comment #80That’s exactly what plan k is saying Ruddy.