Ben Arfa played for the Newcastle Reserve side this afternoon, and he was in sparkling form and will have given some food for thought to watching manager Alan Pardew and also Managing Director Lee Charnley as the Frenchman scored a great individual goal and had two assists.
Ben Arfa in action this afternoon at Whitley Park
Ben Arfa showed his undoubted class this afternoon, and linked up well with both Adam Armstrong and Sammy Ameobi as the Reserve side beat Reading 5-2, after going behind 2-0.
It was 2-0 until three minutes before the break when 17 year-old Adam Armstrong scored a good goal from the inside right position and then just before the break Ben Arfa put over a fine corner and Sammy Ameobi headed the ball into the back of the net to make it all square at the break.
In the second half it was Adam Armstrong again who burst through, and had the ball in the back of the net to put Newcastle ahead for the first time.
Newcastle were coming forward all the time and then the mercurial one went down the right wing and beat one, two – make that three defenders before hitting the ball past the goalkeeper to make it 4-2.
Just what we needed somebody to do on Saturday at Villa Park.
Ben Arfa ready to take a corner
And then as if to make a point, Ben Arfa set up another goal, when he put the impressive Armstrong through, and the Chapel House youngster scored his hat-trick.
Ben Arfa can play when he’s of the right mind, and we just hope that both Ben Arfa and Alan Pardew will bury the hatchet and/or kiss and make up – whichever is the best way for them to end their feud.
Ben Arfa should be allowed to train again with the first team.
But Hatem Ben Arfa will need to work hard in training, and follow the manager’s instructions on the field, which he hasn’t always done in the past.
That doesn’t seem a very hard thing to do – and after all it’s for the good of Newcastle United – and there’s still time to make it work – and all it really takes is some common sense and some discipline.
Newcastle U21: Jak Alnwick; Greg Olley, Lubo Satka (c), Callum Williams, Macaulay Gillesphey; Gael Bigirimana, Dan Barlaser; Hatem Ben Arfa, Haris Vuckic, Sammy Ameobi; Adam Armstrong
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
Note: Kieron Hubbuck will be participating in the Great North Run this year for the MNDA, the Motor Neurone Disease Association or ALS – which is an incurable disease. Kieron’s Aunt was diagnosed with MNDA some months back, and that’s one reason Kieran is attempting to raise funds.
You can contribute to MNDA on Kieron’s Just Giving page. Thanks.
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306 comments so far
JamesToon
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:02 PM
Comment #281Really hope HBA stays at the toon, cmon parsnip, its clear he wants to stay.
Markaccus
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:04 PM
Comment #282G2
I wonder if MYM started putting out for Pards, maybe he would get a game. :-0
JamesToon
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:07 PM
Comment #283Markaccus,
the game against city convinced me rivvy will come good. He shoved toure and kompany off the ball a few times and showed that he does have some blistering pace.
A partnership of him and ferreyra would be effective i think, but as you said earlier we need to go with a 4-3-3 with a false 9
martoon
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:09 PM
Comment #284Chill G2 it was a joke!
Yohan Kebab
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:10 PM
Comment #285ketsy prices in norway are steeeeeeep youre looking at the equivalent of like 8 quid for a pint
Ketsbaia9
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:12 PM
Comment #286Yeah, we’re thinking of taking some bottles of whisky with us etc.
Mickalonius
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:18 PM
Comment #287So we play ‘containment’ football, that’s funny, at Villa we had 60 % possession and looked for most of the game to be in complete control and but for some poor finishing, we would have won. But some people here do like to moan so don’t let me stop you…
Kris
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:20 PM
Comment #288Ketsbaia9
It’s very expensive in Norway. Think Oslo is the second most expensive city in the world (after Paris).
Average in Olso I think 7 pund (70 NOK) is Average for a pint.
For a steak meal I think you are going to pay about 30-35 pund (300-350 NOK).
I’m not sure about the hotel, I’m not from Oslo. But I can recommend you to visit Vigelandsparken, Aker Brygge and the well-known Opera. That are friendly places 🙂
If you enjoy the country, next time you should consider Bergen 😉
Belfast
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:33 PM
Comment #289Check out emre cans dive at the end. Worst dive ever haha
Ketsbaia9
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:37 PM
Comment #290Thanks for that info. I won’t be eating steaks out there then haha. Yep, I’ve heard that Bergen is a nice place. I’m sure I’ll be going to Norway again.
gaz 44
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:46 PM
Comment #291Well renewed my season ticket again and I feel I’m the only one who visits here who is happy with how first two games have gone.. Been no long ball just decent football, we lost to the Champions having had a vast amount of possession of the ball but was impressed.. We drew with villa away which has never been easy. A lot of our players are getting used to the premiership.. I don’t understand how so many of you can be soo pro yanga mbwia but already decided rivière ain’t gonna cut it give the lad a rest.. As for pardew I don’t think he could of done much more to appease the fans with how he’s set the team up but some just will never be happy.
Newcastle for alltid
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:47 PM
Comment #292Ketsbaia9
Clarion Hotel Royal Christiania is a decent hotel. I stayed there for a couple of days back in May. The rooms differ, a room for two people is of decent size, while of course if you pay more, larger rooms are available. Some of the larger rooms offer a balcony with a nice view of the city centre. Nice if you smoke, even though you`re not really allowed to, I guess.
As for the nightlife, bars etc. there`s quite a few to choose from. I have a tendency not to look at the prices of what I buy when I`m drunk, so can`t say where you can find cheap beer. I would guess student-bars are cheaper at set times of the night (happy hour etc.) Ask around, and you`ll find bars that suit you. I would recommend starting the night at Lekter`n, which is a barge at Aker Brygge where you sit out in the open. If the weather is nice, that is! Relaxed atmosphere, but they`ll throw you if if you`re too drunk. More of a “starting point”. More on that one here: http://www.visitoslo.com/no/spise-og-drikke/bar-pub/?TLp=182953&Lekter-n .I`ve been drinking in Oslo for a couple of times now, but other than Lekter`n my memory deserts me of the names of the rest. 😉
You`ll find most kinds of bars and nightclubs. Just ask around, and people will help. As for daytime activities, I think someone else above somewhere got that covered. Just remember than everything costs a lot in Norway. The steak dinner you plan might cost a small fortune.
Laurent Robert 32
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:47 PM
Comment #293Mick, a bit like Alan’s ban then. But with Alan, you get get record defeats as well. The total package… Of misery.
optimistic prime
Aug 25, 2014 at 10:53 PM
Comment #294Gaz44
A draw at villas good as it’s never a easy place to go ?
I disagree mate villa is the away ground we have taken the most points from, so that doesn’t add up.
Ketsbaia9
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:09 PM
Comment #295Thanks for the info Newcastle for alltid. I’ll just have to research which places are the cheapest etc. What’s the best time to go out? Apparently it doesn’t get busy until 12pm.
Would you recommend their food?
Also need to check which places are open and busy on Sunday.
jimmysmith
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:09 PM
Comment #296Ballottelli to Liverpool, Eto apparently to Everton, Spurs playing as their squad suggests they should, and Man U looking to splash on quality in this final week. We’ll do very well to finish eighth.
Ketsbaia9
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:09 PM
Comment #297Is the gym free to use at Clarion Hotel Royal Christiania?
Ketsbaia9
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:10 PM
Comment #298Man Utd need 9 new players to compete. With the squad they have at the moment, I can’t see them finishing any higher than they are now.
Average_Contents
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:19 PM
Comment #299Mick
Tbh I agree it’s not containment football, no its much worse as there isn’t currently a word in existence that can sufficiently explain what we do its that out of this world!!!!
One word does come close though….shit!
optimistic prime
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:23 PM
Comment #300Hahahaha
Pardew wants some cows on the town moor.
If there was ever a reason to win a cup that’s the best one I’ve heard.
Average_Contents
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:27 PM
Comment #301Where do these pardulites of the religion parduism get their gigs from? Must me their saviour bullshit boy as he seems to wear the same ones. I’d fcuking love a pair….might get to enjoy us play for once and see things that actually never happen like playing on the front foot football or offering a reel fret! Do they sell em on ebay?
Average_Contents
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:33 PM
Comment #302OP
I was on the verge of suicide when I seen that….I could imagine him thinking he’s being funny with that smug smile and he’s endearing himself to the fans when infact what he’s doing is making us cringe in embarrassment, wishing he’d just Fcukoff in the process the egotistical gobshite
Laurent Robert 32
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:39 PM
Comment #303Mick, don’t get me wrong, we have some good players. I like most of them. They are bound to show their individual strengths from time to time, regardless of a doughnut holding an ego prop (notepad) on the sidelines.
Whether that manifests itself in having a bit more possession in our half and in relatively unpressurised areas from the opposition, or tackles won etc. That will naturally occur due to the talent which Carr has managed to identify from the fat controller’s replacement policy and suffocating system, not via the manager.
It is the manager’s job to elevate that base level of skill and blend it to a well rehearsed and cohesive unit. Not to have four years of looking lost and playing on a pass-to-pass basis, because they don’t know what to do next, or more crucially, what to do in the final third.
The same problems are there for all to see. Due to Pardiv wasting some of the more attacking players’ energy by making them to hang back and have bodies behind the ball, the inverted genius also finds that the players are far too distant the front man (AGAIN) when we are generally in possession, thus leading to our forward being hopelessly isolated all by himself. Just like Cisse before Riv. Cue an instant confidence drain. An element of being Pardewed.
It is pretty much the norm that we don’t allow a number of bodies to overlap past and support the forward apart from a few scarce occasions. Hence caution, hence containment. Without the intent to really try and cause damage on a regular basis throughout the match by committing men forward. Even though he feeds his ardent, gargling followers with flat out lies that he plays on the front foot. No, Alan, you don’t.
The correlation between goals scored and abysmal attacking ‘fret’ is blinding. As I say, Pro Pardew dreamers’ wet romance of fifth only provided us with a whopping tally of +5 goal difference. Hardly advocating a game of playing on the ‘front foot’ like Geppetto’s son tells us.
Ironically enough, Pinocchio’s dad, Geppetto, was a poor Woodcarver. Hang on… Wood(man) Carver… Something seems familiar here.
Plus, my, and other like-minded and most excellent bloggers’ ‘moaning’ is for the want of approaching the game in a positive and creative fashion. It’s hardly a negative is it?
Banners out, Pardew out.
Laurent Robert 32
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:40 PM
Comment #304I seem to have written a lot there. Sorry about that.
Newcastle for alltid
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:42 PM
Comment #305Ketsbaia9
The best time to go out depends on how you want to spend the night. If you eat and drink at some restaurant or bar first, you should probably wait until 11-12 to hit the nightclubs, if that`s what you plan. On a saturday, like in most larger cities, you`ll have to be there about 11 if you want to be seated, as they get crowded fast between 11 and 12.
As for the food on the hotel, I can`t say. I didn`t eat a single meal there, but some of my friends said the breakfast at was decent, but no more, if I recall it correctly. As to the gym, I didn`t use it myself while I was there, as it served no point. A weekend with drinks and concerts would make the workout rather pointless for me then. But it`s free, and you use your Room Key to enter. So you can easily get your pump ready before hitting the city. 😉
I`m sorry I can`t be more specific on good restaurants and bars and the like. We just go up there from time to time, mostly connected with a concert, to drink and have fun and not enjoy to much of the sightseeing or fine dining-aspects. It`s different when you come from abroad, and I would do proper research and ask a lot along the way (receptionists are always helpful) to get the maximum out of your visit. It`s a nice city, for sure, but I enjoy the people and nightlife of Bergen more.
jimmysmith
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:43 PM
Comment #306Man U have a clear problem in the middle of the park and at the back, but they still have plenty of quality and a world class coach and money to spend as well as good players coming back from injury. They might struggle to make top 4, but I don’t think they’ll struggle to finish above us. It’d be a pleasant surprise if they did. They might be f@cked in terms of long term success though under the Glazers and with the wealth of City haunting them. Glory, Glory Man Utd might easily be a thing of the past, perhaps for a generation or more.