Hatem Ben Arfa

[Mick]

 

I'm more worried about his relationship with his team-mates. He seems very immature. Hopefully the language barrier will mean he won't get into verbal confrontations sooner than he can suss out where he fits in.

 

His statement 'I can't wait to show the fans what I can do' was a bit naive. He needs to show his team mates what he can contribute to them, if this is going to work.

 

I don't agree, if he gets the fans on his side then everything else will be easier for him.

[Guest Pedro_de_geordieo]

Sounds like Ginola when he first arrived if he lost the ball he'd just stop and Robert too.

[ohmelads]

For years we've been in need of a a creative player who can run at defences as well as unlock them. Since the Robson era with Bellamy, Dyer, Robert and Solano we've not really had anyone since. Duff was meant to bring it but he didn't, Luque was a failure, Gutierrez has qualities but well known limitations. We've been bereft of any flair for a while now and with that came mediocrity and eventually relegation. Viduka, Emre and Martins provided it once in a while when they were fit to play and in form, but how often was that?

 

We're crying out for a crowd pleaser, a flair player and everything I read about this guy it seems like he is looking for a stage to perform, a place where he'll be loved by the fans and can be the main man. It may just turn out to be a perfect match. We have plenty of hard workers and a good team work ethic, we need a player who is hungry for the ball and will take people on.

 

Looking forward to seeing him play and really hope he is what we've been looking for since the Robson era.

[ohmelads]

 

His statement 'I can't wait to show the fans what I can do' was a bit naive. He needs to show his team mates what he can contribute to them, if this is going to work.

 

Some players play to the fans, and historically those kinds of players have done well at Newcastle.

 

I'm optimistic about this one. This lad wants to be the centre of attention and he's come to a team lacking in flair and a fanbase craving it. He's got a perfect stage to show off if he has the hunger. As Mick points out, Robert and Ginola were the same and both were a success.

[Mick]

 

Some players play to the fans, and historically those kinds of players have done well at Newcastle.

 

I'm optimistic about this one. This lad wants to be the centre of attention and he's come to a team lacking in flair and a fanbase craving it. He's got a perfect stage to show off if he has the hunger. As Mick points out, Robert and Ginola were the same and both were a success.

 

Some players can't handle the pressure that we put them under, Jenas and his "Goldfish Bowl" comments spring to mind.  Others love the attention that they get and thrive on it, you’ve mentioned two.  Both of those knew that the fans wanted them to do certain things and they would try things which others either couldn’t or wouldn’t. 

 

Some players need the confidence of knowing that they have the fans behind them because not everything that they will try is going to come off, Coloccini might be an example of that.  We groan when he does something wrong but he knows that we’re on his side because the next time he does something the crowd will be signing his song.  Enrique also keeps banging on about the crowd so we’re also important to him and I think he plays better for it.

 

Footballers usually play better when they are happy and confident, having players who appreciate the limelight is always going to give them a head start.

 

[Lucifer]

Inneresting...

 

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=819121&sec=england&root=england&cc=3888&cc=5901

 

Most transfer sagas, like soap operas, stretch themselves out to a ludicrous degree before finally reaching a thoroughly predictable conclusion. But Hatem Ben Arfa is a master of the unexpected on every level, and his long-awaited transfer to the Premier League has been to a surprise destination.

 

Hatem Ben Arfa celebrates a goal for France

 

GettyImages

 

Hatem Ben Arfa celebrates a goal for France

 

Many believe that the arrival of the French international heralds a marriage made in hell, the combination of a temperamental overseas player and a club only recently delivered from perpetual melodrama by the steady hand of phlegmatic head coach Chris Hughton. What is clear is that this unlikely alliance promises to evolve into one of the more intriguing subplots of the English season.

 

The foundations of Ben Arfa's enfant terrible reputation were laid in 2002's A La Clairefontaine, a fly-on-the-wall documentary about the young prospects coming up through France's fabled national academy. The precocious youngster, the junior in his age group, was shown rowing with Abou Diaby in one ugly scene.

 

It didn't seem to harm his considerable self-regard. In fact, the perception in France was that that the national television exposure had only inflated his burgeoning ego. After leaving Clairefontaine and joining Lyon's youth system, he remained the centre of attention - this time, for his extraordinary talent.

 

His pace, balance and ability to weave around defenders at will saw Jose Mourinho make extensive efforts to persuade the 17-year-old Ben Arfa into becoming one of his first signings for Chelsea before he finally inked his maiden professional contract for the then-French champions.

 

Ben Arfa made his debut for the first-team shortly after, on the first day of the 2004-05 season, but despite sporadically participating at Ligue 1 and Champions League level didn't become a regular until some three years later. Along with fellow youth-team prospect Karim Benzema, Ben Arfa suffered in the Gerard Houllier reign (2005-07) from the former Liverpool coach's reluctance to trust the club's youngsters.

 

Questions about his demeanour became commonplace as he established himself under Alain Perrin in 2007-08 (on the left side of a front three), especially as the relationship between Ben Arfa and Benzema came under increasingly close scrutiny with the team now revolving around them.

 

The pair had played together for years, both having had important roles in France's 2004 European Under-17 Championship victory. As they enjoyed an excellent technical understanding on the field and were both from north African families, nobody (outside the club, at any rate) had really considered that these two divergent personalities didn't really get on off the pitch.

 

They never had clicked on a personal level. Ben Arfa had crossed words with Benzema's mother at a youth team game at Lyon, and the temperature between the two seldom rose above frosty in the subsequent years.

 

When Benzema failed to shake hands with Ben Arfa as the latter replaced the former as substitute in a match against Lille in March 2008, the speculation hit fever pitch. It was suggested that this shared enmity authored Ben Arfa's Lyon exit, with Benzema indispensable and thus the clear winner in a straight-up choice between the two.

 

In fact, Ben Arfa had sealed his own fate. Encouraged by Perrin, he had made fine strides over the early part of the campaign and his useful contributions included a stylish brace in the Champions League against Stuttgart and six league goals. But even Perrin became exasperated with him in the second half of the season, feeling that he wasn't pulling his weight, and Ben Arfa didn't start a game after February. A dressing-room punch-up with Sebastien Squillaci after training one day in April signalled the end.

 

Rumours of interest from Real Madrid and Arsenal morphed into the reality - a move within Ligue 1 to Marseille, with Ben Arfa requiring the assistance of the league's board to finalise an acrimonious departure. He was soon up to his old tricks, scrapping with Djibril Cisse in training before the season had even begun, but started the season strongly, scoring a flurry of goals and pulling the strings from a more central position.

 

Hatem Ben Arfa and Karim Benzema didn't always see eye to eye

 

GettyImages

 

Hatem Ben Arfa and Karim Benzema didn't always see eye to eye at Lyon

 

However, Ben Arfa yet again failed to continue a promising beginning, incensing coach Eric Gerets when he refused to come on as substitute in a match against Paris Saint-Germain and failing to score at all after November. He almost came to blows with a team-mate again, this time with Modeste M'Bami during the warm-up for a crucial Champions League clash with Liverpool.

 

Gerets' successor Didier Deschamps never really took to Ben Arfa, and tried to ditch him during the winter 2009-10 transfer window. With Deschamps unsuccessful, Ben Arfa (along with fellow persona non grata, Mathieu Valbuena) came back to figure heavily in Marseille's late season surge to a first league title in 18 years.

 

He has the support of his national coach, at least. Laurent Blanc selected Ben Arfa for his first match in charge of France, against Norway in Oslo, and the 23-year-old responded by scoring a stupendous long-ranger within minutes of coming on as substitute. Blanc has also made it clear that he has only left Ben Arfa out of the squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifying games because of his lack of training during his bitter dispute with Marseille.

 

The pattern of his problems - and his triumphs - suggests that Ben Arfa responds best when he is made to feel important and loved; the brash exterior masks a degree of insecurity. Feeling unwanted is what made his final fallout with Marseille so irreversible, and prompted him to go on strike to force a move.

 

He could well find his perfect match with Newcastle, and Hughton. The coach has promised to build his team around Ben Arfa, who should occupy a central playmaker's role in an area where an admirable but essentially limited team lack pace and guile. The player himself has already shown on the south coast of France he can handle the expectations of a football-obsessed city.

 

Newcastle aren't renowned for picking up bargains on the continental market, but if they can coax anywhere near Ben Arfa's best out of him, they will have hit the jackpot. And he will find the respect he has always craved.

[henke]

From an OM fan on TT, worth a read:

 

"(To understand his strange personnality you have to know that when he was a teenager he was already a star because he has been taking part in a TV programme following young football players in the Academy of Clairefontaine (the most prestigious academy for young players).

In this TV show all the players were born in the same year, except Ben Arfa, he was the youngest because he was too good for the child in his category.

(One of the other teenager in this program was Abou Diaby of Arsenal FC)

The problem is, being so good, he did not learn to work hard and believed he could become Maradona just playing like he used to play in the street.

And the TV programme did not help him because when TV viewers saw his magic skills he became instantly a star and the most promising french player . He was only 12 years old in the first season of the TV programme.

In the programme, we also saw Jean-Michel Aulas (awful chairman of Olympique de Lyon) coming in Clairefontaine to sign him a great contract to incorporate the Academy of Lyon. He was sure to be rich before the beginning of his career ! He was only 15 years old !!!

 

He was european champion with France U17 in 2004. This same year he played 9 matches with professional team of Lyon. he had his first selection for french national team (don't laugh, we were all victims of Domenech) when he was only 20 years old. First selection and first goal, in 2007. Elected best young player in 2008.

With Lyon he won the french championship 4 times ! And in 2010 with OM off course.

 

All was easy for him and he did not need to work. This is why he's different of other players and why he fails to become like a Cristiano Ronaldo or a Lionel Messi : he did'nt learn to work hard.

Now he has understood that he had to make efforts but he lacks of tactical knowledge : he did not learn during his formation because he just had to play as he played in the street to win, to score, to be a star and to win money.

Now he has grown up and he knows that he needs training and learning but he will always have lacks in tactic).

 

The other problem for him in France is that he was so expected, when he fails to dribble someone or when he plays bad in a match everybody criticize immoderatly. it's excessive, he does not have right to fail, when he fails a pass it's "the end of the world" for the journalists. They want him to be the best and don't understand that he's just a football player, not a God. I think playing in an other country will be good for him because he will be like a normal player, with the same judgements than other players.)"

 

 

Excellent read, that.

 

To me it sounds like ben arfa could need us as much as we need him. We're a clean slate for him, there's no pressure for us to win trophies, and if he helps us stay up he'l be adored again. Personally i can't wait to see this kid play.

[Dave]

He's been interviewed in L'Equipe today.

 

Couple of select comments:

 

At no time did I figure I had done something stupid.

 

The decision to possibly spend a year without playing, I took myself. I have a strong mind, you know. I'm not a kid, I'm twenty-three years. The decisions come from me and only me. I am not manipulated by anyone.

 

I have a country to conquer. It is a great challenge.

 

The article also says that he hopes to play his first game in two weeks. That's Blackpool.

[Skirge]

That was a great read and does enlighten us as to how be came to be a bit of a knob... if what Jose says is true then with Hughton HBA will learn about tactics. I cannot wait to see him play.... when is the press conference ? today was it not ?

[Ketsbaia]

Every time he causes trouble, we can just threaten to send him back to Marseille. Easy.

[TaylorJ_01]

Every time he causes trouble, we can just threaten to send him back to Marseille. Easy.

 

Or lock him in a room with Tiote and throw in some raw steaks.

[Guest jonnyameobi]

he makes us sing, he makes us dance, he plays for the toon he plays for france, benjamin arfa la la la la la

[Peppe]

Nolan is probably my 2nd favourite player at the club,

 

How come? Genuine question

[Mick]

he makes us sing, he makes us dance, he plays for the toon he plays for france, benjamin arfa la la la la la

 

He's not called Benjamin.

[Skirge]

PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY ?

[Guest jonnyameobi]

PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY ?

 

there was meant to be, but nothing confirmed

[Skirge]

PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY ?

 

there was meant to be, but nothing confirmed

Cheers... will just have to wait and see then

[Keefaz]

He's gonna be fucking mint!

[Dave]

Training with the squad today apparently.

[BONTEMPI]

He's gonna be fucking mint!

 

Fucking menthol if  you ask me!

[Dave]

"I could have great fun in that team. I am feeling like starting again from scratch. I have a whole country to conquer. It is a beautiful challenge. When I saw the atmosphere in Wolverhampton's stands, I had shivers at kick-off."

 

[Cronky]

He's been interviewed in L'Equipe today.

 

Couple of select comments:

 

At no time did I figure I had done something stupid.

 

The decision to possibly spend a year without playing, I took myself. I have a strong mind, you know. I'm not a kid, I'm twenty-three years. The decisions come from me and only me. I am not manipulated by anyone.

 

I have a country to conquer. It is a great challenge.

 

The article also says that he hopes to play his first game in two weeks. That's Blackpool.

 

Hummmm...... there's a lot of 'I's and 'me's in those statements.

 

The ending of that soccer net article sums up why Ben Arfa has chosen us, and why it might work. What Ben Arfa needs to realise though is that it's not just a matter of him finding the right club. He needs to adjust his own behaviour and attitudes a bit.

 

He may find out the hard way. There's some genuine hard nuts in our dressing room and it may not end just with someone waving a fist in his face.

[Skirge]

"I could have great fun in that team. I am feeling like starting again from scratch. I have a whole country to conquer. It is a beautiful challenge. When I saw the atmosphere in Wolverhampton's stands, I had shivers at kick-off."

 

CANNOT FUCKING WAIT!!!!

[Greg]

Training with the squad today apparently.

 

Where did you hear this?

 

First team squad have the day off apparently. Probably training with reserves or just doing loads of fitness work as he hasn't trained for a while.

[Guest jonnyameobi]

"I could have great fun in that team. I am feeling like starting again from scratch. I have a whole country to conquer. It is a beautiful challenge. When I saw the atmosphere in Wolverhampton's stands, I had shivers at kick-off."

 

I love this kid already