Hatem "Number 26" Ben Arfa

[ewerk 30610]

 

If the manager has never won anything as a player or manager and is trying to get someone like HBA to abandon what won him medals and his reputation to play like Jonas then no he should just say "fuck off" and i'd be ok with it as clearly that manager hasn't a baldy, he's not some up and coming manager trying something new, or a daring new system, he's been around a while and nothing he's done has got him silverware, and everywhere else but here it was more likely to end in relegation,

if Ginola was asked to do the same or Ronaldo etc you wouldn't expect it and neither did the managers who had them, Every team needs a flair player who gets to have a high attacking work rate and low defensive and ours is HBA

 

fact is, he's clearly a talented technically gifted footballer, in which case why would you play him against his strengths

 

but aye he's stroppy, which we knew when we signed him/barton/whoever else we got on the cheap

 

 

I'm not saying I agree that he should be used defensively or as a work horse but the fact that he has completely ignored what the manager has told him to do is unprofessional and clearly the rest of the team are sick of it too. You can be a gifted flair player and still put a shift in, in fact most of the world's best players will. Regardless of what he or the rest of us thinks of the manager he's still the guy in charge and if you don't do as he asks then he'll find himself on the bench as we've seen this season.

 

Of course if Pardew were a better man-manager and tactician he's get more of out him but that's not what is in question here.

[Dr Gloom 21923]

Load of shite. He's been fat as fuck for ages. The kid is just a prick. I'm not saying Pardew isn't an arsehole, but this is the age old Newcastle fan tendency to completely absolve flair players of any blame.

 

i blame the management for this over the player like, and i don't think that's being too sympathetic to him just because he's a playmaker. the kid's got talent. aye, he's an enigma but at least he's capable of winning matches. look at our alternatives - dan gosling ffs. i'd take hatem over that useless donkey every week, spare tyre or not.

[Dr Gloom 21923]

pardew should just play him up front, with zero defensive duties. it's not like he'll be worse up top than the likes of shola, de jong or cisse

[Gemmill 44879]

I wouldn't pick a fucking fat kid for any more than 20 minutes either. It's ridiculous to say that the blame is 100 percent on Pardew.

 

Requirement number one for a professional sportsman is "don't be a fat cunt".

[trooper 940]

Ben Arfa's probably been told he's got this sudden hip/thigh injury to keep him out the dressing room, to avoid any further conflict in the dressing room.

[PaddockLad 17258]

yes, because they're not shite and make fans happy

remember how happy chez was and how afraid HBA was in "that" photo, just picture poor ben arfa in that situtation now after being pardewed for so long

 

The blame is 100% on Pardew, if he was being played we'd not be in this situation either points wise or fitness wise in his case, happy players don't mope about causing bother and not trying.

 

face it like ya can say yeah he can't be fucked, but week in week out for more than a year he's probably knew "aye 20mins at the weekend for me with these cunts expecting a miracle goal, and i'll be a sub for PlayerX (shola, obertan, marveux)

fuck sake even amatuer players get fucked off if they're sub, imagine being talented and down the pecking order behind obertan early in the season.

 

He came back from his last longish injury lay off at the back end of last season a stone overweight by the looks of it. He's had all last summer and all this season to lose it and he's not bothered. He got a chance of redemption when Cabaye was sold, he's back in the side and didnt really do much. Its difficult to say why he's plainly not that bothered about his condition, his life away from the club is apparently "complex". But it looks like his teamates dont have a lot of time for him either. I imagine its like having a teenage boy as a collegue, and he's got history for hoying the toys out the pram.

 

A change of manager may indeed change his attitude for the better, but the rest of his equally hugely underperforming teamates at least have enough respect for themselves,their careers and the club in general to give themselves the best chance of performing well by not carrying excess weight whilst drawing a huge wage as a professional sportsman.

[trooper 940]

If ever there was any doubt, he'll definitely be away in the summer now.

[Howay 12496]

I blame Pardew for a lot of things but the fact is Ben Arfa is being hugely unprofessional. It's not good enough to come back fat as fuck and use the excuse that the manager is a nob and hasn't won owt.

Pardew of course shoulders blame too but I can't absolve Ben Arfa just because Pardew is a joke. We can't play Ben Arfa for 90 mins with the shape he's in, he's fat as fuck, he struggles against fresh opposition and is better ATM coming on as a sub when his opponents are tired. I'd give him more than 20 mins and that bit is on Pardew.

Pardew clearly doesn't like him or players of his ilk and I'll never agree with Pardew on this, but Ben Arfa is doing fuck all to prove him wrong. Letting himself get so pathetically out of shape helps Pardews argument that Ben Arfa is lazy. Would Pardew pick him if he was in good shape? Who knows, but if that was the case then the blame would solely be on Pardew.

I agree with Ewerk, Gemmill and PL Pardew is a twat but Ben Arfa is acting a right sack too.

[aimaad22 4156]

I can see where you are coming from.

But players like Ben Arfa require a certain type of man management. Something our coaching staff and manager are completely incapable of. Shola and Gosling are about their level.

[PaddockLad 17258]

You cant coach self respect

[Howay 12496]

It still doesn't excuse why a 27/28 year old professional athlete has let himself get into such shit shape. He has responsibility for his own career, if you had a shit boss at work it wouldn't excuse you if you started doing fuck all all day.

I agree he's been poorly managed but he isn't fulfilling the minimum expectation of an athlete. All of this is the reason he's playing for us mind, if he was in great shape all the time and was a hard worker alongside his undoubted talent he'd probably be at a CL club, rather than at a club managed by a tosser like Pardew.

[Tom 14011]

Benny will probably get fit next season when he's playing for a different team who are looking for more that 40 pts or the bare minimum.

[trooper 940]

Benny will probably get fit next season when he's playing for a different team who are looking for more that 40 pts or the bare minimum.

Got to agree Tom 6 weeks hard work in the summer break will sort him but it wont be for our benefit.

[adios 717]

lol so the medal winning international who went through clairfontaine lacks discipline and sets a bad example, he's got french young player of the year various cups and league medals and then moved to newcastle and has been forced to rot, the example is for anyone at the club who isn't brutal is to get out asap to be frank.

 

this is an amazing attitude given the reputation he came to newcastle with.

 

very much agree with your comment about robson and keegan though.

[Tooj 17]

Benny will probably get fit next season when he's playing for a different team who are looking for more that 40 pts or the bare minimum.

 

If he goes to Liverpool he'd tear the league a new one.

[Gemmill 44879]

If he stops here, he'll continue to tear Nando's a new one.

[aimaad22 4156]

Even if its getting fat, at least he's got an aim

[Monroe Transfer 0]

 

If he goes to Liverpool he'd tear the league a new one.

 

What a horrible thought.

[Noelie 103]

Of course BenArfa is a jerk-off, but at worst, is a talented player. It is my honest belief that Pardew has totally mismanaged him when he has been fit and available.

[TheGoslingBeast 0]

Ben Arfa is way too good to be coached by any member of the coaching staff. With no ambition, no inspiration from team mates, an abortion of a manager, this club has simply made Ben Arfa free of fucks to give.

[jonasjuice 0]

As with most things it's somewhere in the middle.

 

A better manager would find a place for him in the team without a doubt and have getting the most out of our most creative player a priority, but while he's a top class dribbler and is good at spotting a dangerous pass/cutting in for ashot, and therefore without a doubt worth a place in a our team, he's not the best at off the ball movement and he's always had problems fitting in, if you believe the rumours of the players not liking him so much.

 

Think in theory if he went to say Liverpool he would be great, carrying the ball forward with genuine danger of a long shot given too much space/skinning people and people moving around him to play the ball to he'd be very, very dangerous.

 

However, there are people with far more knowledge/better judgement than anyone on here making these calls, and if a bigger club doesn't come in for him when he'd obviously be available for a not humongous fee you'd imagine they've either heard credible stories of a poor attitude/inability to get on with teammates or think his talents simply don't outweigh his weakness for a top, top club.

 

If Chelsea are willing to get rid of Mata, I'm not sure they'd fancy Hatem.

 

Having said that, I'd love him to start every game for us and a manager with a passion for more attractive football to take over.

[trooper 940]

http://www.themag.co.uk/the-mag-articles/pardew-claims-hatem-ben-arfa-future-photo-tells-different-story/

Look's like he might have gone already.

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Little surprise the print version of The Mag has ceased to exist if that's what they think constitutes good/worthwhile journalism.

 

From the headline I thought I was going to see a photo of Ben Arfa pissing on the shirt, not a photo of a tired looking man probably irritated by some random taking a photo of him when he's just trying to board a plane at 7am. It's not even taken on a match day - he's injured and not training as far as I know, so what if he's leaving the country?

 

It's old news that he goes home a lot to see his family, and that most of the French players prefer to get rehabilitated at Clairefonetaine rather than via club facilities (which is an issue itself, but not a relevant one to this article).

 

I have a lot of time for The Mag, but whilst I'm as unimpressed with how this season has gone as anyone else, at least I don't seek to twist everything to make things look and seem even worse than they actually are. It's just a cheap shot that makes them look petty and/or desperate for hits.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Monroe Transfer

[ohhh_yeah 2964]

• By Lee Ryder

From hero to near zero - how fortunes of Hatem Ben Arfa have fluctuated while on Tyneside

There was once a time when Alan Pardew was ready to build his Newcastle United team around Hatem Ben Arfa.

In fact, it is understood that, with the funds not forthcoming for the big- name new striker United fans craved, Pardew was ready to hand the Frenchman the No 9 shirt.

The news was an eyebrow- raiser for me but at that stage Ben Arfa still had his best years very much in front of him.

The plan was to use the French ace with the likes of Yohan Cabaye (right), Demba Ba and Sylvain Marveaux, who all came in during the summer of 2011.

However, it never quite worked out that way.

Today, against Swansea City, we could get a glimpse of the future at Newcastle – without Hatem Ben Arfa.

It seems a long time ago since the schemer was potentially spoken about as the chief entertainer at St James’ Park.

Over a pot of tea in a Jesmond coffee shop I asked Ben Arfa what he thought of the idea one day and he responded: “If they had handed me the No 9 shirt, I would have had no problem pulling it on.

“It is a big shirt, but I enjoy the expectation and just want to deliver.”

Of course, Ben Arfa is not the type of prolific forward you would associate with the traditional No 9 at Newcastle.

Nobody needs to be told he is a far cry from the Malcolm MacDonalds, Alan Shearers and Les Ferdinands of the world.

That is why it was a real eyebrow-raiser when I first picked up the news United were toying with the idea of giving him the No 9 shirt.

In the end, he was given the No 10 shirt.

When Ben Arfa has played for the Magpies we have seen glimpses of his immense talent.

He has goals in him, he beats defenders and he creates for others.

Is that only when he wants to?

Is it only when he is in the mood?

Or is this a deeper problem beyond Pardew’s managerial capabilities?

How far should a manager go to give a player special treatment in order to get the best out of him?

Certainly, the decision to let Ben Arfa play against Stoke City just days after a dressing-room bust-up after the Manchester United game did not go down well with some of the senior players at Newcastle.

Fast forward three years from the prospect of him being handheld the No 9 shirt and Pardew’s relationship with Ben Arfa has become strained.

Patience has worn thin and Ben Arfa is more likely to leave this summer then be offered a new contract as it stands.

All of it is a real shame for the supporters who see him as one of the few players left at the club capable of flying the flag for the old Entertainers.

Sadly, that is modern-day Newcastle for you.

Pardew has been unable to come up with a solution which has resulted in Ben Arfa rediscovering match fitness, form and general happiness on the football field - despite the arrival of fitness guru Faye Downey last summer.

However, Pardew is the man responsible for man-mangement when it comes to Ben Arfa.

When Cabaye wanted his move to Arsenal last August, he refused to play in games against Manchester City and West Ham.

The talk from club insiders then was: “He does not want to be here.”

Therefore, I have sympathy for the modern manager.

Quite how much Ben Arfa wants to be here, nobody really knows.

My guess is he wants to be at Newcastle but does not want Pardew to be.

Whether he is taking his chance until the summer and seeing if the Londoner will still be around for pre-season remains to be seen.

The sad thing is, where does Ben Arfa – at 27 – end up next.

He was dubbed one of the best players of his generation by coming through the ranks at Clairefontaine and is on a list of famous graduates like Thierry Henry, Louis Saha, David Trezeguet, Nicolas Anelka, Seb Bassong and Abou Diaby.

Perhaps too often he has been allowed to go back to the famous French technical centre for treatment.

Ben Arfa should be at an age when he should not be running away from his problems and facing the music.

Something just has not been right for Pardew and Ben Arfa this season.Especially in 2014.

When Yohan Cabaye was sold the hope was Ben Arfa would step up to the plate and try to fill the gap in terms of creativity.

That just has not happened - he has been used sparingly and, while he has had the support of the crowd, the deeper problems were at the club’s training ground.

Newcastle are a crazy club in which you cannot rule anything out.

At the moment, though, it feels like the beginning of the end for Hatem Ben Arfa.

 

Edited April 19, 2014 by ohhh_yeah

[Kevin Carr's Gloves 3894]

I saw "by Lee Ryder" and stopped reading.