Hatem Ben Arfa

[Mick]

Don't consider Nolan as a midfielder, he's a forward these days and in terms of getting goals for us, over the last 12 months he's been very, very effective.

 

Time to cut the bloke some slack, some folk just aren't happy without a pet scapegoat.

 

I'm not sure he's being used as a scapegoat, I just think we could do better with somebody in his position with some pace.

[Doug]

Hopefully Ben Arfa will replace Nolan successfully.

He cannot run. there is absolutely no room for sentiment and a place in the team for someone who is there because he is a big popular personality. His goals against Villa have bought him a reprieve from the inevitable as he has clearly failed to regain his match fitness.

The fact is that phases of play are disrupted or lost when the ball is in his vicinity too many times because of his immobility and its no use moaning after we have lost to the likes of Sunderland after they have swarmed all over us making us look like we are playing with ten men.

 

[Cajun]

Nolan won't be dropped, he is the captain ©.

[madras]

Nolan won't be dropped, he is the captain ©.

so were smith and butt last season.

[Mick]

i dont think he's very slow, average paced i'd say and i've already said he needs replaced but to hear many on here he cant run, is 20stone and only scores when the ball bounces off his frame and offers nothing to the team in any way.

 

He could probably out-run me but that wouldn't be too difficult.

[madras]

i dont think he's very slow, average paced i'd say and i've already said he needs replaced but to hear many on here he cant run, is 20stone and only scores when the ball bounces off his frame and offers nothing to the team in any way.

 

He could probably out-run me but that wouldn't be too difficult.

after a ball or to the bar ?

[Dave]

Nolan won't be dropped, he is the captain ©.

so were smith and butt last season.

 

Smith wasn't club captain was he? Butt is clearly not comparable because he was on the verge of retirement.

 

Despite what Jon thinks it's a fair concern. Nolan's not only captain, he's supposedly a massive influence in the dressing room and training pitch.

[Lenny]

 

What has the opposition not being weak got to do with Nolan not scoring yesterday, there was no one around him for 2 of his chances and he nearly capitalized on errors for the others. Both volleys, one over and the other at the goal keeper were examples of him being better than the opposition at the time.

 

The opposition being weak has a lot to do with his first goal against Villa, it was because the keeper put the ball straight back onto his head, the second was at the other end of the ground but he did well to get it.  I'm not saying that he's useless but for a lot of the game he isn't involved and we give up posession because good balls are played in for him and he can't reach them. 

 

But on the other side of the coin and for all his faults, he will come up with goals through being in the right place at the right time, which he has done so far this season and all of last season. I'm repeating myself here so I'm gonna stop...

 

Don't get me wrong I think we could do with more pace in our team, but I'd rather have Nolan sticking his chances away than a Utaka type who's fast but can't finish his dinner.

 

 

[Mick]

Nolan won't be dropped, he is the captain ©.

so were smith and butt last season.

 

Straight into his hands. 

[Mick]

after a ball or to the bar ?

 

Probably both.

[Guest malandro]

Hopefully Ben Arfa will replace Nolan successfully.

He cannot run. there is absolutely no room for sentiment and a place in the team for someone who is there because he is a big popular personality. His goals against Villa have bought him a reprieve from the inevitable as he has clearly failed to regain his match fitness.

The fact is that phases of play are disrupted or lost when the ball is in his vicinity too many times because of his immobility and its no use moaning after we have lost to the likes of Sunderland after they have swarmed all over us making us look like we are playing with ten men.

 

And if reports are too believed if Arfa is in the team we’ll be playing with ten men every time we lose possession. 

[Mick]

 

But on the other side of the coin and for all his faults, he will come up with goals through being in the right place at the right time, which he has done so far this season and all of last season. I'm repeating myself here so I'm gonna stop...

 

Don't get me wrong I think we could do with more pace in our team, but I'd rather have Nolan sticking his chances away than a Utaka type who's fast but can't finish his dinner.

 

 

 

I agree with most of that, I just don't think he'll get many goals in this league, time will tell.

[madras]

Nolan won't be dropped, he is the captain ©.

so were smith and butt last season.

 

Smith wasn't club captain was he? Butt is clearly not comparable because he was on the verge of retirement.

 

Despite what Jon thinks it's a fair concern. Nolan's not only captain, he's supposedly a massive influence in the dressing room and training pitch.

either smith,butt or nolan were captain. hughton dropped two of them with good reason.

[Mick]

And if reports are too believed if Arfa is in the team well be playing with ten men every time we lose possession.  

 

I think those reports are a bit one sided, I remember him losing the ball against Norway when he was almost on the right corner flag and he chased back to his own left-back position.  I'm not saying that he'll do it too often but we'll have to wait and see what he's like for us.  Personally I don't want to see him doing that for us as he'll be the ideal person to run with the ball and take some pressure off our defence instead of it coming straight back at us.  I'd rather see Carroll track back as he's got more of a physical presence than Ben Arfa.

[Guest malandro]

Smith wasn’t dropped. He lost his place through injury and suspension.

[Heron]

Nolan is key to a lot of our success imo.

[Lenny]

 

But on the other side of the coin and for all his faults, he will come up with goals through being in the right place at the right time, which he has done so far this season and all of last season. I'm repeating myself here so I'm gonna stop...

 

Don't get me wrong I think we could do with more pace in our team, but I'd rather have Nolan sticking his chances away than a Utaka type who's fast but can't finish his dinner.

 

 

 

I agree with most of that, I just don't think he'll get many goals in this league, time will tell.

 

Well I hope your wrong.... But if it's because he's not seen much game time due to Ben Arfa deservedly keeping him out and scoring goals, then I'll be happy.

[TRon]

i had this debate in the pub after and after watching again it just looks that way with bellamy like speed needed to get some of them. he's not the answer, he certainly needs replaced but the stick he gets from many is pathetic and largely built on myth.

 

What do you think is a myth?  It can't be his lack of pace because it's true, he's very slow. The only thing he's not slow at is when it comes to giving up a chase.  Don't get me wrong, he has a lot of good points, I just think we need somebody who gives the team more over 90 minutes.  I don't think we'll play many teams who defend as badly as Villa did against us so I can't see him having too many games like that where he grabs a couple of goals.  He got into some good positions yesterday and didn't score because the opposition weren't as weak as Villa were when they played us.

i dont think he's very slow, average paced i'd say and i've already said he needs replaced but to hear many on here he cant run, is 20stone and only scores when the ball bounces off his frame and offers nothing to the team in any way.

 

Nolan is very slow. I will agree that he's got plenty of other qualities but he's far slower than average.

He reads the game well though - who was it that said the first yard is in the head?

 

If Arfa’s arrival sees Nolan drop deeper his lack of pace becomes a real issue. He’ll be too far behind play to be the goal threat he is now, and without the goals his contribution to the team isn’t very impressive. It’s a real test of Hughton’s judgement and authority.

 

 

All good points. Ben Arfa is a risk and that's why I admire Hughton for taking the risk. It would be easy for him just to stick with the good lads and settle for becoming Blackburn or Stoke, but he's bought Ben Arfa because he wants to take us to another level. It's what Keegan and Bobby Robson would do as well IMO.

[Cajun]

Nolan's place in the team has been proven justifiable imo and when I have asked for anyone to give reasons why he shouldn't have played it's suddenly gone suspiciously quiet no matter how vocal they were to bemoan his inclusion.

 

I have seen no evidence that Hughton favours anyone other than the best man for the job at the time, so any cliched bollocks to the contrary I have treated as such.

 

When he stubbornly sticks with someone who clearly needs to be dropped and we have an obvious better option, please feel free to bump this but so far he had been constantly proven correct in his selections.

[Mick]

 

Well I hope your wrong.... But if it's because he's not seen much game time due to Ben Arfa deservedly keeping him out and scoring goals, then I'll be happy.

 

I don't care who is wrong as long as whoever plays off Carroll is either scoring or creating goals for others.

[madras]

Nolan's place in the team has been proven justifiable imo and when I have asked for anyone to give reasons why he shouldn't have played it's suddenly gone suspiciously quiet no matter how vocal they were to bemoan his inclusion.

 

I have seen no evidence that Hughton favours anyone other than the best man for the job at the time, so any cliched bollocks to the contrary I have treated as such.

 

When he stubbornly sticks with someone who clearly needs to be dropped and we have an obvious better option, please feel free to bump this but so far he had been constantly proven correct in his selections.

thats better than i'd have put it but exactly what i'd mean.

[Lenny]

 

Well I hope your wrong.... But if it's because he's not seen much game time due to Ben Arfa deservedly keeping him out and scoring goals, then I'll be happy.

 

I don't care who is wrong as long as whoever plays off Carroll is either scoring or creating goals for others.

 

Fair enough.

[Mick]

Nolan's place in the team has been proven justifiable imo and when I have asked for anyone to give reasons why he shouldn't have played it's suddenly gone suspiciously quiet no matter how vocal they were to bemoan his inclusion.

 

I have seen no evidence that Hughton favours anyone other than the best man for the job at the time, so any cliched bollocks to the contrary I have treated as such.

 

When he stubbornly sticks with someone who clearly needs to be dropped and we have an obvious better option, please feel free to bump this but so far he had been constantly proven correct in his selections.

 

I'm not sure he's constantly proven correct in his selection but he does get more than his fair share right.

[Dave]

Nolan's place in the team has been proven justifiable imo and when I have asked for anyone to give reasons why he shouldn't have played it's suddenly gone suspiciously quiet no matter how vocal they were to bemoan his inclusion.

 

I have seen no evidence that Hughton favours anyone other than the best man for the job at the time, so any cliched bollocks to the contrary I have treated as such.

 

When he stubbornly sticks with someone who clearly needs to be dropped and we have an obvious better option, please feel free to bump this but so far he had been constantly proven correct in his selections.

 

The question wouldn't have arisen had we not gone to such lengths to sign Ben Arfa and apparently promised him lots of games in the position Nolan currently holds.

[Guest Pedro_de_geordieo]

I agree Nolan's a concern I thought he was outstanding in the Championship but i'm not convinced about the prem.