The number of sitters we miss in that video alone, jesus f***ing christ.
Ben Arfa clearly has his flaws, that's why he's been trouble for a number of managers and why he ended up here in the first place. But with the ball at his feet and in the right mindset he's a magician. It was great to see him dancing past defenders like that when he was here. If he had the workrate of Tevez he'd be a true world beater but he doesn't. Why not try and exploit his strengths instead of moaning about his weaknesses? Keegan would have done that, and so would Robson.
There's far too much money floating about in the top level of the game these days, and as a result over the last decade there's been a bigger and bigger shift towards 'the only thing that matters is the result'. That's why dinosaurs like Allardyce, Pardew and Pulis are still getting Premier League jobs, because they can get results no matter how ugly they come. The money is why too many clubs only care about staying up and remaining on the gravy train. They don't care how it's done, and they don't care about progressing or trying to win things.
Football is so much more than that, that's why we all watch it. If all that matters is the result, why not just check the scores in the paper on a Monday morning? It's because half of the enjoyment is the near misses, the drama, and the skill on show. Seeing someone get skinned is just as thrilling as a good hearty tackle, but somehow people have forgotten about flair in favour of the end result. They've been brainwashed into thinking that sitting through 90mins of utter drivel every week is perfectly fine as long as you score a goal and the opposition doesn't. And they pay more money than ever before for the f***ing privilege.
I find it staggering.
Gan on, Dave.
