Hatem "Number 26" Ben Arfa

[Inochi 0]

Nile Ranger?

[Christmas Tree 4821]

The bottom line is Ben Arfas attitude or lack of tracking back wouldn't be an issue if his forward play, scoring and creating goals, was in abundance and constant.

 

His exceptional moments were few and far between. That's down to him trying too much when a simple ball would suffice.

 

Not fit to lace Beardsleys boots.

 

Much prefer having someone. Who can deliver killer crosses regularly.

[PaddockLad 17646]

Reel em in CT

[Christmas Tree 4821]

So it's Paedews fault AND the other 10 on his team. Rightyo.

 

If that logic is right then I'm sure all these quality fillled teams with quality managers will be braying the door in this summer to sign him.

[Tom 14013]

The bottom line is Ben Arfas attitude or lack of tracking back wouldn't be an issue if his forward play, scoring and creating goals, was in abundance and constant.

 

His exceptional moments were few and far between. That's down to him trying too much when a simple ball would suffice.

 

Not fit to lace Beardsleys boots.

 

Much prefer having someone. Who can deliver killer crosses regularly.

 

[Meenzer 15716]

[Happy Face 29]

[Christmas Tree 4821]

[Brock Manson 0]

I don't want an advanced playmaker who tracks back. Do Arsenal insist Ozil tracks back? Do Bayern insist Robben puts in his defensive shift? If you play HBA - compensate defensively in the team selection so he can be given free reign to cause problems in the opposition half.

 

It boils down to the fact we have the wrong manager for this particular type of player and this particular individual, so one of them has to go.

 

Also, there's no point in us playing with wingers when our forwards are so reluctant to occupy the space the wingers are crossing balls into.

[ewerk 31195]

I don't want an advanced playmaker who tracks back. Do Arsenal insist Ozil tracks back?

 

Yes. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2563617/Arsenal-vs-Bayern-Munich-Mathieu-Flamini-confronts-Mesut-Ozil-lack-effort-Champions-League-tie.html

 

Very few teams can afford give any player the luxury of not having to track back, especially not mid-table fodder such as ourselves.

[aimaad22 4222]

Im sure Colback will do a lot of tracking back. Cant wait.

[BLACKANDWHITEGEORDIE 0]

I don't want an advanced playmaker who tracks back. Do Arsenal insist Ozil tracks back? Do Bayern insist Robben puts in his defensive shift? If you play HBA - compensate defensively in the team selection so he can be given free reign to cause problems in the opposition half.

 

It boils down to the fact we have the wrong manager for this particular type of player and this particular individual, so one of them has to go.

 

Also, there's no point in us playing with wingers when our forwards are so reluctant to occupy the space the wingers are crossing balls into.

Agree. Except for free kicks do Ronaldo/Messi chase back. Did Rooney against Italy? You will probably find that those that do are fairly innocuous players. It also gives defenders the opportunity to use them as an excuse when things go pear shaped.

[BLACKANDWHITEGEORDIE 0]

I don't want an advanced playmaker who tracks back. Do Arsenal insist Ozil tracks back? Do Bayern insist Robben puts in his defensive shift? If you play HBA - compensate defensively in the team selection so he can be given free reign to cause problems in the opposition half.

 

It boils down to the fact we have the wrong manager for this particular type of player and this particular individual, so one of them has to go.

 

Also, there's no point in us playing with wingers when our forwards are so reluctant to occupy the space the wingers are crossing balls into.

You're right. Pardew is clueless when it comes to handling any skilful players. He prefers the likes of Gosling, Jonas who don't have a brain cell between them.

[Happy Face 29]

Messi and Ronaldo are 2 of the hardest workers in football.

 

Neymar dispossessed there tonight and chased all the way back to win the ball just outside Brazil's box.

 

Rooney constantly drops deep and pressures opponents.

 

Ben Arfa doesn't need to concentrate on defensive duties. He just needs go get his finger out of his arse when we don't have the ball.

[Happy Face 29]

Tackles Per Game for selected non defenders

 

Ramsey 3.3

McCarthy 3.3

Gerrard 2.9

Cabaye 2.4

Sterling 1.3

Rooney 1.0

Ozil 0.9

Ronaldo 0.6

Messi 0.5

Ben Arfa 0.4

 

Ben Arfa places 249th in the Premier league on this measure. 14 outfield players tackle less than him...

 

Christian Benteke 0.3

Daniel Sturridge 0.3

Wilfried Bony 0.3

Gerard Deulofeu 0.3

Gary Hooper 0.3

Jonathan Walters 0.3

Steven Fletcher 0.3

Rickie Lambert 0.3

Romelu Lukaku 0.3

Carlton Cole 0.2

Demba Ba 0.2

Javier Hernández 0.2

Matej Vydra 0.2

Darren Bent 0.2

 

And most of those are out and out strikers.

[PaddockLad 17646]

. He just needs go get his finger out of his arse when we don't have the ball.

 

 

Football truisms no. 1:

 

 

"What you do when you havent got the ball is just as important as what you do when you do have the ball"

[Gemmill 46027]

It's bordering on idiotic the continued support this lad gets. You can't just accept that you're effectively down to ten men when you don't have the ball, to accommodate one player in the team. Do you realise how much of a disadvantage that puts you at? And all in the hope that you can overcome that disadvantage through a moment of magic (accepting the fact that you'll have the ball less because it's harder to regain possession as you're a man down).

 

It's like believing in fairy tales. No top side carries passengers, because you can't afford to.

[Anorthernsoul 1221]

It's bordering on idiotic the continued support this lad gets. You can't just accept that you're effectively down to ten men when you don't have the ball, to accommodate one player in the team. Do you realise how much of a disadvantage that puts you at? And all in the hope that you can overcome that disadvantage through a moment of magic (accepting the fact that you'll have the ball less because it's harder to regain possession as you're a man down).

 

It's like believing in fairy tales. No top side carries passengers, because you can't afford to.

 

We'll never be a "Top side" under these clowns.

 

[Tom 14013]

It's not ''magic'' though is it? Or anything even out of the blue or unexpected. Give the lad a chance in his best position and he'll deliver. Simple as - but I suppose there's been plenty of times he put chances on a plate for Cisse only for him to muck it up. He's a dangerous player - yet Pardew would rather scapegoat him and start DAN GOSLING - this happened - it was a thing. Pardew wants strung up by the bollocks just for that. We couldn't buy a goal without Remy or Cabaye and Pardew was too much of a coward to use Hatem.

 

Shout at him for not tracking back and give him 10 minutes when we're 2-0 against a superior team and he probably wont.

 

Put it this way - some people on here deserve utterly shit, middle of the road dross. If you think any support of Hatem is disproportionate it reads just as stupid on the other side of the coin.

[Barney 0]

I think Ben Arfa is fucking class. He's also a bit mental. I kept thinking Pardew should just play him no 10. But after hearing Colo and the rest of the squad went mental about him being played, you have to think they have a point.

[Gemmill 46027]

If he's such a sensitive soul that he can't cope with being shouted at for not tracking back, then you need look no further than the player for the root of the problem. Cos there's a very easy way for him to address that - follow the instructions of the manager and put in the same level of effort as your teammates - no one is telling him to rein in his attacking instincts when we have the ball, just to act like he's actually employed by the club when we don't, but it's all too much for him. Extravagant talent doesn't get you a pass on shirking your other duties. Ferguson and Mourinho wouldn't have put up with that shit, so why should anyone expect a manager dramatically less equipped than either of those two to put up with it.

 

It's not just the manager either, you're asking the rest of the team to put in an extra shift, just so that we can accommodate a player who might produce something, might not. The impact that that's gonna have on the squad is pretty self-evident. But all of this is Pardew's fault, Ben Arfa is just the innocent misunderstood kid (27) who isn't getting the right kind of management (mollycoddling) to allow him to shine (do what he wants, when he wants).

 

All of the above is why nobody of note has shown any interest in him since it hit the press that we'd accept £3m to get him off the books. A far cry from some of the "he'll end up at Milan "patter that we got when it first became apparent that he had no future at the club.

[Toonpack 9936]

Your last two posts are about the best summation of HBA I've read Mr G.

[ewerk 31195]

He'll possibly get a move back to France or some other European mid-table team but there'll be no big clubs biting our hand off for him.

[Dr Gloom 22147]

It's bordering on idiotic the continued support this lad gets. You can't just accept that you're effectively down to ten men when you don't have the ball, to accommodate one player in the team. Do you realise how much of a disadvantage that puts you at? And all in the hope that you can overcome that disadvantage through a moment of magic (accepting the fact that you'll have the ball less because it's harder to regain possession as you're a man down).

 

It's like believing in fairy tales. No top side carries passengers, because you can't afford to.

I don't recall Ginola or Robert doing a lot of work off the ball either. We loved them for what they did on the ball.

 

Play Ben Arfa off the striker with two holding players behind him and his off the ball workrate is less of a concern.

 

I'm more concerned about our team of 'grafters' will be able to do on the ball next season.

[Dr Gloom 22147]

Football is a game about players that get you off your feet because they're exciting on the ball and create. Ben Arfa for all his flaws is one of those. They don't grow on trees. Keegan and Sir Bobby both managed similar players effectively. Pardew has failed to do similar with Ben Arfa