When Ben Arfa first arrived at Newcastle airport in August of 2010, just after we had been promoted after a terrific season in the Championship that saw us get a massive 102 points and come straight back up under then manager Chris Hughton, we had a young 23 year-old mercurial French international travel to Newcastle to try to force through a move to the club he wanted to play for – Newcastle United – while he was still on the books at Marseilles.
Ben Arfa – was once flying at Newcastle United
Ben Arfa knew all about the great French players of the past, who had played on Tyneside, for former great Newcastle sides, and he wanted to do the same thing.
And while his career at Newcastle didn’t get off to a good start, and he broke his leg in two places at the Etihad Stadium in October 2010, he recovered from that terrible injury, and he was ready and started to play again in the following season, during our American tour.
And Ben Arfa played very well for Newcastle in the second half of the 2011-2012 season, and finally nailed down a starting place at the beginning of 2012, after he stepped up to the plate and did a lot more work than he had been used to in France, and we finished in 5th place in the Premier League – the best league finish since 2004 under Sir Bobby Robson.
And in that season, Ben Arfa graced St. James Park with some unbelievable individual goals, like those two efforts against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup and Bolton in the league, which Alan Pardew said at the time were two of the best individual goals ever seen at St. James’ Park, and he was right about that.
But fast forward two years and after two poor seasons, when we have been on some terrible runs in the league – we lost 10 of 13 league games in the 2012-2013 season, and in the season just finished we lost six in a row for the first time ever in the Premier League, and we lost eight of our last ten league games we played. 🙁
And Ben Arfa rarely played this year, and in the final games of the season he wasn’t even on the bench, as the relationship between Ben Arfa and manager Alan Pardew seemed to sink to new lows.
No one person is to blame for this situation – Ben Arfa has to take responsibility for not working hard enough on the field when he did get a chance, and presumably not following the instructions he was given when he did come on.
Alan Pardew has to take responsibility because here is a mercurial winger, blessed with terrific skills, whom the Newcastle fans love, and we have simply been unable to get the best out of the player.
And now because we are more of a grafting side these days and cannot be accused of being successful, it’s hard for the present day Newcastle side to support a player like Ben Arfa – since everybody needs to work their socks off just to be in the side.
And nobody is a winner if Ben Arfa does leave in the summer, which now looks to be almost certain.
Ben Arfa failed at Newcastle, and Alan Pardew and the club failed to get the best out of a very good player who first arrived at Newcastle, even though he had a reputation at the time for being hard to manage.
We’d still love to see Ben Arfa stay on Tyneside for next season, even though he will be in the final year of his five year contract, and maybe also Sylvain Marveaux, who we haven’t seen the best of in his three years on Tyneside – but he’s another good player with good skills.
But it’s very likely that both players will leave the club this summer and everybody will lose – the player(s), the manager, the club and the Newcastle fans.
And we still think if Ben Arfa does leave, he will be picked up by a Champions League club – and that’s a statement in itself.
Comments welcome.
117 comments so far
beermonkey
Jun 1, 2014 at 9:35 PM
Comment #81torres lol
he already plays like he has been pardewed
cyprus
Jun 1, 2014 at 9:35 PM
Comment #82I read you. Unlucky that, regarding prof. football. I never got that close, but I was pretty amazing 🙂
This Newcastle team doesn’t inspire much anymore 🙁
And I think it narrows down to the manager, although I have nothing against the guy as a person, not even the ‘head butt’.
Anyway, off for now…
cyprus
Jun 1, 2014 at 9:38 PM
Comment #83Graeme,
great area, that. Make sure you buy Turkish Cypriot property rather than Greek Cypriot. Hoping for a solution soon and you may end up empty handed.
scout
Jun 1, 2014 at 9:41 PM
Comment #84Remember my parents buying a yorkshire terrier from Walker the bloke was mad on the toon it was about 25 year ago
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Jun 1, 2014 at 9:50 PM
Comment #85Cyprus…take care mate
Jail for Ashley
Jun 1, 2014 at 9:58 PM
Comment #86scout,
What’s your point ?
welshgeordie9
Jun 1, 2014 at 10:03 PM
Comment #87Can anybody come up with 2 different songs that ends in the same tune
Rolf harries sun arise
Christmas song winter wonderland
God I’m so talented
scout
Jun 1, 2014 at 10:03 PM
Comment #88People from Walker generally good eggs haha
rowly
Jun 1, 2014 at 10:06 PM
Comment #89My feelings are that creative players like Ben arfa and marveaux are gold dust and usually cost a lot of money. Who ever picks these two up have got a fantastic bargain. We need to find a system that can incorporate players like this or we won’t have a chance of breaking teams down. You can’t score goals with a team of work horses as we proved at the end of last season. Look at the best players, silva, mata, hazard, messi all have one thing in common – they aren’t expected to get back behind the ball
Shot Bru
Jun 1, 2014 at 11:32 PM
Comment #90Born Wallsend…Lived away in Africa and Oz most my life…spend a fortune every season coming back to watch the Toon..
Not next season though…exasperated at what is happening…2 signings a year with the holes filled by loans…I feel no more connection to the club I love…
We will finish bottom next season!!!!
ToonMobile
Jun 2, 2014 at 12:19 AM
Comment #91I guess I am missing some obvious reference here or something but did anyone else see on nufc.com the line – “PS: we can also confirm that Alan Pardew has now definitely vacated the home dugout…” under the report on the gig last night? What am I missing?
jimmysmith
Jun 2, 2014 at 1:06 AM
Comment #92Can’t see us finishing bottom 3 in this league, with so many duff sides around, unless the relationship between Pardew and Ashley has become entirely dysfunctional, and out of sheer bloody minded ness Ashley refuses to sack him because he doesn’t want to compensate him, or something equally hopeless.
I don’t see any real evidence of that, so mid table, or best of the rest if Ashley is true to his word and puts the profits back in, but moreover, so long as it’s done in a thoughtful and timely manner, which too often hasn’t been the case up to now, I’m afraid. So optimistically 7th or 8th, less so, anywhere from there to 15th.
jimmysmith
Jun 2, 2014 at 1:41 AM
Comment #93Hoping Woy throws caution somewhat to the wind and picks this side for the Ist match.
…………………..Hart
……….Jagielka……..Cahill
Johnson………………………..Baines
…………………….Gerrard
……………..Wilshere
Sterling……………………..Lallana
………………..Rooney
……………….Sturridge
Toon-Prodigy
Jun 2, 2014 at 2:05 AM
Comment #94What is wrong with the blog? No comments since 4:34pm???? No new articles??
Toon-Prodigy
Jun 2, 2014 at 2:06 AM
Comment #95Ahh there they are, my browswer is playing up!
Toon-Prodigy
Jun 2, 2014 at 2:12 AM
Comment #96Good to see some Walker lads in, born and bread also
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Jun 2, 2014 at 5:34 AM
Comment #97Prodigy…I find the refresh button very helpful as well 😀
nut meg
Jun 2, 2014 at 6:28 AM
Comment #98Aye,i’m a walker lad also.
Lilongwe Geordie
Jun 2, 2014 at 6:40 AM
Comment #99Gosforth born and bred, although now exiled to beautiful Lilongwe.
Jimmysmith,
I’d agree with that starting 11 although I’d have Rooney and Sterling either side of Sturridge with Wilshere and Lallana as a central 2 behind and Gerrard sitting deeper.
Lilongwe Geordie
Jun 2, 2014 at 6:44 AM
Comment #100Probably a load of betty swallow given it is from the Mail, but
‘Swansea captain Ashley Williams is ready to leave the Liberty Stadium for newly promoted QPR in a £4m deal.’ Daily Mail
I’d take Williams for £4million. Although probably couldn’t match the amount ‘Arry drops off in some dogs bank account for him.
Lilongwe Geordie
Jun 2, 2014 at 6:45 AM
Comment #101swallow=swallox should have known auto correct would do that!
Toon-Prodigy
Jun 2, 2014 at 7:04 AM
Comment #102Jesper,
Very funny! 🙂 haha
These comps at work need updated! Get nothing but trouble going online now. Not that I should be online anyway like
maikelw
Jun 2, 2014 at 7:06 AM
Comment #103Yes ben arfa is a good player but also has a louzy mentality. Any great player would prove his coach/manager wrong. I did not get that impression from him. It is better to cut him loose and build up again and make sure nufc is not depending to much on one single player like for last 2 seasons with cabaye.
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Jun 2, 2014 at 7:16 AM
Comment #104Prodigy…with that freedom comes great responsibility 😉
…some smoke some check nufcblog!
Toon-Prodigy
Jun 2, 2014 at 7:21 AM
Comment #105Hahaha!
Lets see what articles Ed has in store for everyone today.
Hopefully good news on the horizon? But I very much doubt it! More of the same no doubt coming out of NUFC.
Nout.
firebug666
Jun 2, 2014 at 7:22 AM
Comment #106Ben Arfa did not help himself towards the end of last season performance wise, but he is an attacking player who was being forced to play from a defensive position. The whole team under Pardrew was forced to sit back.
Benny is the sort of player who should be playing further up the pitch to offer an outlet for the team out of defence. When making his runs forward with the ball none of our players got into the box for a cross until Benny run at their defence.
It was all to easy for opposition defenders to crowd Benny with 3 or 4 players simply because none of his team mates were there to pull defenders away.
I’m not saying that Benny is not blameless, but he has been totally Pardrewed, in that he lost the will, the passion, and motivation to drive on. Then to be singled out and blamed for the Man Utd defeat was diabolical.
Benny may well have been a poor player last season, but so was the whole team, and that is Pardrew’s fault.
Toon-Prodigy
Jun 2, 2014 at 7:26 AM
Comment #107Firebug,
I think everyone is accountable for blame on some level, the club is a shambles from top to bottom.
The board, the coaching staff and the players also.
firebug666
Jun 2, 2014 at 7:31 AM
Comment #108Toon-Prodigy
There is no doubt about that marra, and already the same pattern we have seen in previous transfer windows is being woven again.
The staff may have changed but the clubs policy and excuses stay the same.
I have never worried more for our club than I do now.
Ben3arfa
Jun 2, 2014 at 7:46 AM
Comment #109Well what do you know , all the teams around us are making in-roads on transfers whilst Charnley haggles fruitlessly with Montpellier.
Stoke City making a move for Diego Capel and Swansea agreeing a fee for Castaignos are two deals we could have completed ourselves
firebug666
Jun 2, 2014 at 8:04 AM
Comment #110This Cabella saga looks to be the one to drag on for a good while until he signs for someone else, Then the club will blame their failure on everyone or anyone but themselves.
Same old; same old.
Jail for Ashley
Jun 2, 2014 at 8:07 AM
Comment #111Hopefully FIFA will get found out for what it is and that ridiculous decision to give Qatar the WC reversed.
Blofal
Jun 2, 2014 at 8:10 AM
Comment #112Is it going to be like a few windows ago qhen they announced 5 transfers at once?
Or is it going to beclike other windows where no senior players are bought in.
Im starting to get a bit worried. I don’t care about haggling for Cabella. I worry about the 3 strikers we NEED and no real news about us in advanced negotiations for any.
Jail for Ashley
Jun 2, 2014 at 8:10 AM
Comment #113Firebug,
They’ll wait until next season if need be unless of course we look like we’re in trouble in January, it is deemed unnecessary to spend excess on a tenth place finish.
Blofal
Jun 2, 2014 at 8:11 AM
Comment #114Jail Blatter has been stonewalling from the beginning. Until he goes it will be same old. Mind you whoever replaces him will be just as corrupt.
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Jun 2, 2014 at 8:12 AM
Comment #115Pleasant morning on the banks of the Tyne rain has stopped and the sun is breaking through
Lets hope the TOON have a breakthrough on the transfer front today!!!!!????
Blofal
Jun 2, 2014 at 8:13 AM
Comment #116Charlie gimme some of what you just took.
Whumpie
Jun 2, 2014 at 9:47 AM
Comment #117There is no way a CL club will want a fat, inconsistent whiner who clearly doesn’t look after the basics like diet and conditioning. I do think the club failed to get the best out of him but are assuming it would have been worth it? The effort and resources needed coykd be better spent on other players who want to do their bit.
Get rid. £3m tops.