buzza

LOL... Yep, it's great being able to argue who merits getting in the side. To sum up: I think Ben arfa doesn't need to move and work as hard (as others)in his attacking side of the game because he is so talented. i think he does need to apply himslef more getting back and covering. For those who like close control players and taking other out of the game here is Ronaldinho at his best... kjhkjhkjh

The other downside is that you need players around you capable of putting the ball into your feet or the side of you furthest from the marker... Do we have those? These perhaps contribute to Pards reasoning as well as the aforementioned not so liberal thinking (footballistic terms)..

Ben Arfa is the type of player who doesn't need to be slap bang in between two midfielders to receive the ball, he moves around as much as the others but only a yard or two from the marking players as that is all he needs. when he receives the ball his touch allows him that time other players would have via their "extra" yards of distance from the defender. It is also easier to trick the defender when he comes at you from close range rather than long range, although you do have the counterside of being disspossed more often if they are good defensively... I honestly don't think his perception of the game is equal to other players as he hasn't ever needed to be so "active" due to his skill set. He does, however, need to do more defensively...

some more cockney fun (chelsea):

WE NEED PROPER WING BACKS TO PLAY THOSE FORMATIONS!!!

If we are going to "let our hair down" in white hart lane then that can only mean one thing: The Barf is unleashed... splattering their goal with projectiles, leaving them with a bitter taste in their mouths!!

His technique allows him to receive the ball when shadowed by a defender, his first touch is something shola (who i do like) could only dream of...

I have an opposing opinion there: He doesn't need those extra two-three yards of space to receive the ball and hence isn't always on the move looking for space, he is always looking for the pass and you can see he's dissapointed a lot when he doesn't receive the ball.

If I were pards I would have Cabaye and Tiote in the middle for away games (more steel) and for the home games Danny and Tiote for a bit more attacking onus!

It's hard for us to discuss it properly when we don't know how he is implementing it... we can only suppose he does that logical thing and interprets the good stuff and can excuse some of the other stuff perhaps not highlighted so well from it... Fingers crossed anyway! P.S. At the moment he is winning games so can't be too bad

Remember how he played out on the wing previously? Big no go i think....

A bit odd to name three LB's as examples of better quality right backs, no? It was more to give the feeling of defensive security and players who whilst not outstanding (Cole/Enrique/Bale) would be a huge step up from Danny simpsons constant backing off... He is a decent defender but imagine having another enrique type at Right back, you could fit Ben Arfa on the right wing without any problem and still make him defend but knowing that the risks he takes attacking would be mitigated...

Aye, with a better quality right back (think of Ekkoto, Clichy,Evra,Richards) Ben Arfa wouldn't cuase Pards those headaches...

Will the pro-zone stats be match only or training only or for a mixture of the two? I think that is where he is seeing Ben Arfa lacking in effort, he does not seem to do defensive work at full pace, that said he seems to "glide" past players when attacking so I'm not so sure if we could depend on Pro-zone as surely it can't show poise and technique as a tangible factor???

I would like to see Guthrie and Tiote together, but at the same time we all know the Cabaye/Tiote partnership has gelled really well. Pardew has a dilemma on his hands when Tiote & Cabaye return as Guthrie has been MOM or close to in quite a few of our games recently!

There is nio way Pardew will play a 4231 or 451 when we have the two dembas at our disposal. It would be stupidity to play demba out wide when it is glaringly obvious his best position is playing as a second striker slightly deeper. I agree with what Pardew is doing at the moment i.e. fielding more defensive lineups until Tiote and Cabaye are back in the team. Ben arfa is an unbeleivably talented player but the way he plays i.e. taking people on, attacking first and foremost, means he will leave us exposed on the wing (only place for him in team now) even if he only "attacks" in the last third. The opposing defenders know that he is likely to take them on so they double up and suppose that they can get a quick turnover from him, most teams will train to get the ball off him and turn it to their advantage. We can see that over a few of the games he has played. If we had some more protection to cover those gaps (Tiote & Cabs) then I would be 100% behind having him on the wing. As a side note, I think it must be down to his training application, or lack of it, because in the games he does seem to cover as much as Obertan does for instance???

If he plays like this with Tiote beside him we would have a terrific central partnership.

I knew my idea was class!!!!!

If he keeps scoring the way he does we should offer him both a higher basic plus a higher incentive bonus for every game he plays (taking knee into consideration). Would have thought the team would renegotiate the bonuses for league placement next year as we whould be aiming for minimum top six...

Pardew needs to shore up our midfield tomorrow as that's where Villa's best players are, if Bent is up front on his own then we can have faith in colo. I would go with: ---------------Krul------------- Simpson---Willo---Colo---Santon Taylor----Perch---Guthrie---Jonas -------------Ba------------------ ---------------Cisse------------ I reckon we go with Perch as a DM so that Guthrie can push on a little bit, both Jonas and Taylor will give cover to our full backs and if we play the new boys up front >Villa wouldn't have a clue what to do. The only possible change I would make would be Best for Cisse...

How about singing Papiss Demba Cisse (repeatedly) to the tune of "one nil to the arsenal" (george graham era)

How about singing Papiss Demba Cisse (repeatedly) to the tune of "one nil to the arsenal" (george graham era)

Nice one. Definitely pushing it like...

2600, hehehe. That is unreal! Hope it's true, should make for some good viewing and rofling at half time!!

Why doesn't he just chip in 70 grand of his wage, that would be a much nicer and easier thing to do??