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Hatem Ben Arfa


Guest sicko2ndbest

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It's about having a squad of players who are up to the job and Ben Afra is the sort of player who will jump the queue because of his unique ability. That doesn't mean other players will be frozen out, more that there will be alot of "resting and "rotating". Once injuries kick in we will see the benefit of having a decent squad of players, all pushing for a first team spot.

 

In the end, the result won't be players like Routledge and Jonas being frozen out of the side but the likes of Ryan Taylor who is already on the fringes.

 

 

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Guest MrBrown

Hughton has shown more willingness than any manager in recent memory to do what's best for the team. So many times now, people have made statements along the lines of:

 

- 'he won't drop...'

- 'if I were in charge, I'd have this team, but I know Hughton won't....'

- 'we need to address... but I doubt Hughton will.'

 

Most of the time, he's done just what people have claimed he wouldn't. The times he hasn't, it's often worked out, too

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Hughton has shown more willingness than any manager in recent memory to do what's best for the team. So many times now, people have made statements along the lines of:

 

- 'he won't drop...'

- 'if I were in charge, I'd have this team, but I know Hughton won't....'

- 'we need to address... but I doubt Hughton will.'

 

Most of the time, he's done just what people have claimed he wouldn't. The times he hasn't, it's often worked out, too

 

Aston Villa being a prime example, most of us desperate for Hughton not to play Smith and Nolan but play 442 instead.

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I'll be very disappointed if we see Nolan playing as a CM again.

 

Must be Tiote/Smith alongside Barton. The last two games we've really seen the benefit of having two CM's who actually get involved in the game in the middle of the park. Nolan would be a step backwards in terms of how we play because he doesn't do this.

 

Happy enough with him being in the squad, he's a goal threat in that second striker role, but I'd play Smith ahead of him in CM in all honesty.

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Guest BlacknWhiteArmy

Hughton has shown more willingness than any manager in recent memory to do what's best for the team. So many times now, people have made statements along the lines of:

 

- 'he won't drop...'

- 'if I were in charge, I'd have this team, but I know Hughton won't....'

- 'we need to address... but I doubt Hughton will.'

 

Most of the time, he's done just what people have claimed he wouldn't. The times he hasn't, it's often worked out, too

 

Aston Villa being a prime example, most of us desperate for Hughton not to play Smith and Nolan but play 442 instead.

 

We did play 4-4-2 though.

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Agree. The Ben Arfa business has clouded what's a pretty exciting signing in Tiote. I really, really can't wait to see what he's like. We've been crying out for a player with his (alleged) abilities for years.

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The treatment the in-form Nolan is getting on this forum is quite sad to be honest.

 

I think it's fair. How in-form is he, really? People are thinking long-term. And there's absolutely no doubt that, long-term, Kevin Nolan isn't someone who's gonna comfortably keep our heads above water in this division. He just isn't good enough a midfielder to be anything more than a squad-filler.

 

His flaws are obvious in the same way that Shola's and Smith's are. That's why they're so heavily accentuated on the forum; particularly when he plays in such a crucial position.

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The treatment the in-form Nolan is getting on this forum is quite sad to be honest.

 

I think it's fair. How in-form is he, really? People are thinking long-term. And there's absolutely no doubt that, long-term, Kevin Nolan isn't someone who's gonna comfortably keep our heads above water in this division. He just isn't good enough a midfielder to be anything more than a squad-filler.

 

His flaws are obvious in the same way that Shola's and Smith's are. That's why they're so heavily accentuated on the forum; particularly when he plays in such a crucial position.

 

He has done far, far more for this club than anyone on this forum ever gives him credit for.

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The treatment the in-form Nolan is getting on this forum is quite sad to be honest.

 

I think it's fair. How in-form is he, really? People are thinking long-term. And there's absolutely no doubt that, long-term, Kevin Nolan isn't someone who's gonna comfortably keep our heads above water in this division. He just isn't good enough a midfielder to be anything more than a squad-filler.

 

His flaws are obvious in the same way that Shola's and Smith's are. That's why they're so heavily accentuated on the forum; particularly when he plays in such a crucial position.

 

He has done far, far more for this club than anyone on this forum ever gives him credit for.

 

He's one of the clan that took us down. Everything he provided us with last season he damn well owed tbh, along with the rest of the remaining squad members from 08/09.

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Nolan contributed a lot of goals last season, no doubt he'll get five or six this year as well.

 

The problem is that he doesn't have the attributes to be a premier league midfielder, and he's now filling a position that could be taken by someone significantly better.

 

He's a good lad to have around, and a decent goal scorer when the system is built around him. But IMO his limitations mean we would be better off without him in the team... especially now we have Tiote and Ben Arfa.

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