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The No. 10.


Park Life
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pardew's played a blinder with ben arfa. as frustrating as it's been this season seeing ben arfa in and out and the side, i can't help but think he has got ben arfa determined to prove his worth to the manager and the fans.

 

it must be motivating him to put in shifts like we saw yesterday to cement his place, keeping him hungry. then pardew talks him up in the press and talks of an international call up, of him being our best player after he does do the business. rewarding him for a good performance and incentivising him to put in another shift like that against liverpool. good management.

Edited by Dr Gloom
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Five things we learned....

 

5) Ben Arfa finds his stride

 

As individual performances go, it would be hard to find one as impressive as Hatem Ben Arfa's display for Newcastle in their victory at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. True, Roy Hodgson's side did little to stifle the France international and there seemed to be a permanent chasm between West Brom's midfield and defence which Ben Arfa gleefully exploited almost every time he got the ball. But, regardless of these allowances, the 25-year-old produced a stunning performance of creativity, guile and invention.

 

For various reasons – most notably serious injury and a loss of form after joining Marseille – Ben Arfa had threatened to be one of those players who promise much but ultimately deliver little in their career. What Newcastle now have on their hands is a playmaker that every side in the Premier League would like to get their hands on and there are already murmurs of a switch to Arsenal. Ben Arfa would be best off staying put. His career has had too many false starts to risk another now when things are starting to look so good. EF

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Five things we learned....

 

5) Ben Arfa finds his stride

 

As individual performances go, it would be hard to find one as impressive as Hatem Ben Arfa's display for Newcastle in their victory at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. True, Roy Hodgson's side did little to stifle the France international and there seemed to be a permanent chasm between West Brom's midfield and defence which Ben Arfa gleefully exploited almost every time he got the ball. But, regardless of these allowances, the 25-year-old produced a stunning performance of creativity, guile and invention.

 

For various reasons – most notably serious injury and a loss of form after joining Marseille – Ben Arfa had threatened to be one of those players who promise much but ultimately deliver little in their career. What Newcastle now have on their hands is a playmaker that every side in the Premier League would like to get their hands on and there are already murmurs of a switch to Arsenal. Ben Arfa would be best off staying put. His career has had too many false starts to risk another now when things are starting to look so good. EF

 

Which the reporter has just made up.

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i loved the way every time ben arfa layed the ball off, he'd sprint forward looking for a return pass, then pick it up and run with it at pace with tight close control - a defender's nightmare.

 

got to say i thought jonas looked very much at home in as one of the three central midfielders. he's got the work ethic to play that position plus his through balls were more dangerous than his crossing from wide areas often is.

 

either way, he's had a class season (despite what CT reckons). it was nice to see him given the skipper's armband after colo went off - he's earned it.

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if he keeps putting performances like that in, then you have to say pardew has handled him very well.

 

though that performance, i think, had a lot to do with the move to 433. ben arfa is wasted out wide in a 442 if he's being asked to track back all game. we don't want to overload him with defensive duties. he has to press when we don't have the ball but playing him as one of a front three means he can concentrate on expressing himself, and winning matches.

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So now he's playing well and putting the work in when we don't have the ball...

 

Was it good man management or bad man management from Pardew?

 

He's come on leaps and bounds from his sporadic form earlier.

 

Looks like he's regained that yard of pace he was missing - can only assume he's now fully fit and it means he's less liable to run it out of possession. He was a different class against WBA, just the sort of performance on the day that no-one can play against.

 

If he can do it against the Scousers then I think we could be looking at an 11 point gap!

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I think since he was given the 'ball winning' role against Blackburn & a couple of other games he's been brilliant and he's looking a lot more confident, it's reflecting in his performances at full back and centre back.

 

Now Williamson is the worry for most.

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To be fair to Perch, who I think I've variously called the worst player I've seen in a Newcastle shirt, a complete defensive liability, worse than me and a bag of shite since he arrived at the club, he's been fantastic in the last few games. Fact remains, however, that he ain't a centre back and will get found out playing there. I'm more than happy to see him play at full back however.

 

Not sure if we have any other choice at centre back, though. Is Santon any good there? He's big and strong anyway. Tiote if he's fit?

 

With regards Ben Arfa, he was absolutely brilliant yesterday. We really saw some bloody fantastic quality on the break. His goal where it comes to Ben Arfa, he knocks it first time to Cabaye who then plays a first time return pass is beautiful. He had the ball control, the pace and the finish yesterday - just hope he can continue now. Oh, and 4-3-3 looked a very good bet too

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got to say i thought jonas looked very much at home in as one of the three central midfielders. he's got the work ethic to play that position plus his through balls were more dangerous than his crossing from wide areas often is.

 

That's always been the way with Jonas. He's at his best with short passes on the deck, when it comes time to cross he doesn't get the pace or movement on the ball that is required for them to be dangerous - particularly off his left foot.

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To be fair to Perch, who I think I've variously called the worst player I've seen in a Newcastle shirt, a complete defensive liability, worse than me and a bag of shite since he arrived at the club, he's been fantastic in the last few games. Fact remains, however, that he ain't a centre back and will get found out playing there. I'm more than happy to see him play at full back however.

 

I'm not. He cannot mark. He didn't have to do any marking against West Brom. When he played fullback for us previously he was so often ccaught well out of position as he pushes high up the pitch even when he's not going to get the ball. No doubt he could be coached to be better than he has been in the past, but it just isn't worth it.

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