Hatem Ben Arfa

[Yorkie]

Absolutely beyond me how anyone would be happy to move him on for anything resembling a vaguely decent price. I haven't seen as many as most, but he's the best player I've ever seen in the flesh. Phenomenal player and, seeing as I wasn't really aware of the Beardsley days, the type of player I've never really seen for us. He's just about the only 'match-winner' in our squad, too.

[LiquidAK]

Stick him on the right in a fluid 4-3-3 (something we've played with this squad, but without some of our better players) and he'll be incredible again. Don't sell him for any price imo, too special.

[Yorkie]

Stick him on the right in a fluid 4-3-3 (something we've played with this squad, but without some of our better players) and he'll be incredible again. Don't sell him for any price imo, too special.

 

Exactly. Such a waste having him so deep. It's counter-productive too because he still wants to play his game, and he's more liable for error with so many more players in front of him. He always seems to be collecting the ball in a 5x5 area just over the half-way line, with loads of opposition players around him. Aye, he's great at beating players so he manages to get away and release the ball sometimes, but it would be nice to have him collect the ball with some space to run into for a change.

[Lotus]

He is one of the best at NOT losing the ball in our own half. He tends to lose if further upfield as he tries something.

[mrmojorisin75]

Stick him on the right in a fluid 4-3-3 (something we've played with this squad, but without some of our better players) and he'll be incredible again. Don't sell him for any price imo, too special.

 

Exactly. Such a waste having him so deep. It's counter-productive too because he still wants to play his game, and he's more liable for error with so many more players in front of him. He always seems to be collecting the ball in a 5x5 area just over the half-way line, with loads of opposition players around him. Aye, he's great at beating players so he manages to get away and release the ball sometimes, but it would be nice to have him collect the ball with some space to run into for a change.

 

he's just a selfish cunt tbh

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

Is this thread still going?

[Guest neesy111]

We need players available for most of a season, not 15 games which is his average for us.

An average slightly skewed by the fact he missed a year with a broken leg?

 

He missed just about half of last season, and a 1/3 of the season before.  Injury Proned.

[Ryan]

We need players available for most of a season, not 15 games which is his average for us.

An average slightly skewed by the fact he missed a year with a broken leg?

 

He missed just about half of last season, and a 1/3 of the season before.  Injury Proned.

 

Broken ankle the season before wasn't it?

[LiquidAK]

We need players available for most of a season, not 15 games which is his average for us.

An average slightly skewed by the fact he missed a year with a broken leg?

 

He missed just about half of last season, and a 1/3 of the season before.  Injury Proned.

 

He's had one muscle injury that's never been given time to heal. It's not like he's constantly picking up little twinges, everything has been impact injuries bar the hamstring which was clearly mismanaged (either by Pardew, our medical team or the one at Clairfontaine). To say he's injury prone is a bit much, he very well might be, but there's no real evidence for it yet.

[Teasy]

Is this what this club has reduced fans to? We're stuck with Pardew so let's sell Cisse and Ben Arfa and buy Etherington and Carlton Cole

 

Not quite, but we need width and he doesn't provide it, and under the current manager we need players that will suit his style ultimately. I think a few people need to take their blinkers off regarding Ben Arfa, I don't think he does anywhere near enough over 90 minutes with or without the ball

 

That's the last thing we need.  We need Pardew to adapt to the players he has not adapt our squad to a shit manager.

 

If he can't adapt then ultimately he'll be sacked, and because we didn't give him control over player recruitment we'll still have good players at the club for the next man who comes in.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Is this what this club has reduced fans to? We're stuck with Pardew so let's sell Cisse and Ben Arfa and buy Etherington and Carlton Cole

 

Not quite, but we need width and he doesn't provide it, and under the current manager we need players that will suit his style ultimately. I think a few people need to take their blinkers off regarding Ben Arfa, I don't think he does anywhere near enough over 90 minutes with or without the ball

 

That's the last thing we need.  We need Pardew to adapt to the players he has not adapt our squad to a shit manager.

 

If he can't adapt then ultimately he'll be sacked, and because we didn't give him control over player recruitment we'll still have good players at the club for the next man who comes in.

 

This is definitely what will happen, for good or bad. There's absolutely no chance that Ashley will change our recruitment policy to suit Pardew. No chance at all.

[Skirge]

Selling Benny would rip the soul out of our fans, losing such an amazing talent, our only real crowd lifter. I don't care if its £30m + ON;Y way we sell is if he demands to go, no reason to have him jumping on planes and legging it. He says he wants to stay then shop shut on Benny as any price.

[BottledDog]

Selling Benny would rip the soul out of our fans, losing such an amazing talent, our only real crowd lifter. I don't care if its £30m + ON;Y way we sell is if he demands to go, no reason to have him jumping on planes and legging it. He says he wants to stay then shop shut on Benny as any price.

 

Amen.

[Jack Flash]

If he doesn't sign a new contract this summer I think he'll be leaving at some point. There's 2 years left now so it's an ideal time to sort one out.

[NUFC_Sam]

So many people have been brainwashed by Pardew and the management in this thread. Unbelievable.

 

This s*** is absolutely f***ing tragic. Honestly, just the worst. Cannot stand this line.

 

It is a fact. Anyone contemplating selling this guy is deluded. He is our most technically gifted player and it would destroy us to lose our best player. If someone can name a more influential player in our squad then go ahead but it ain't happening. Seriously, what is the point in selling our best player? The money isn't going to be reinvested into the playing squad and as I said, we won't be able to attract anyone with the same amount of influence and flair this guy has.

[Guest icemanblue]

They may very well be deluded, I wouldn't argue with that. That doesn't mean they've been brainwashed. It's not a fact.

[NUFC_Sam]

They may very well be deluded, I wouldn't argue with that. That doesn't mean they've been brainwashed. It's not a fact.

 

Slight exaggeration, but if it wasn't for Pardew's constant "we won't be able to hold off offers from big clubs" people wouldn't be deliberating it as if it is a viable solution to cash in on our best player.

[Disco]

Right bunch of Freddy Shepherds in here...

[Guest icemanblue]

They may very well be deluded, I wouldn't argue with that. That doesn't mean they've been brainwashed. It's not a fact.

 

Slight exaggeration, but if it wasn't for Pardew's constant "we won't be able to hold off offers from big clubs" people wouldn't be deliberating it as if it is a viable solution to cash in on our best player.

 

That's just reality, though. If a bigger club does come in, the player wants to go, and they offer enough cash, he'll go. We can try to squeeze every penny out of them in the process, but it'll not change the final outcome. It's just how it works.

[NUFC_Sam]

They may very well be deluded, I wouldn't argue with that. That doesn't mean they've been brainwashed. It's not a fact.

 

Slight exaggeration, but if it wasn't for Pardew's constant "we won't be able to hold off offers from big clubs" people wouldn't be deliberating it as if it is a viable solution to cash in on our best player.

 

That's just reality, though. If a bigger club does come in, the player wants to go, and they offer enough cash, he'll go. We can try to squeeze every penny out of them in the process, but it'll not change the final outcome. It's just how it works.

 

I don't understand your point in context of the discussion. Of course if he wanted to go then he could go. All we know at the moment is that Monaco are interested and people are deliberating as to whether we should cash in on him and what I am saying is that we should try our best to hold onto our best player. If he wanted to go then that is a different story.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

They may very well be deluded, I wouldn't argue with that. That doesn't mean they've been brainwashed. It's not a fact.

 

Slight exaggeration, but if it wasn't for Pardew's constant "we won't be able to hold off offers from big clubs" people wouldn't be deliberating it as if it is a viable solution to cash in on our best player.

 

That's just reality, though. If a bigger club does come in, the player wants to go, and they offer enough cash, he'll go. We can try to squeeze every penny out of them in the process, but it'll not change the final outcome. It's just how it works.

 

I don't understand your point in context of the discussion. Of course if he wanted to go then he could go. All we know at the moment is that Monaco are interested and people are deliberating as to whether we should cash in on him and what I am saying is that we should try our best to hold onto our best player. If he wanted to go then that is a different story.

 

Do we know this? I've missed it.

[Guest icemanblue]

They may very well be deluded, I wouldn't argue with that. That doesn't mean they've been brainwashed. It's not a fact.

 

Slight exaggeration, but if it wasn't for Pardew's constant "we won't be able to hold off offers from big clubs" people wouldn't be deliberating it as if it is a viable solution to cash in on our best player.

 

That's just reality, though. If a bigger club does come in, the player wants to go, and they offer enough cash, he'll go. We can try to squeeze every penny out of them in the process, but it'll not change the final outcome. It's just how it works.

 

I don't understand your point in context of the discussion. Of course if he wanted to go then he could go. All we know at the moment is that Monaco are interested and people are deliberating as to whether we should cash in on him and what I am saying is that we should try our best to hold onto our best player. If he wanted to go then that is a different story.

 

My point was that no one is brainwashed. Not by the board, Pardew, or anyone else. It's just an acceptance of how modern transfers work. Digressed a little since then, admittedly.

[Stuy_O]

Give him good teammates and a good manager, then see if people would sell him.

 

He has 7 or 8 French, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Argentina, Dutch internationals around him, what more does he need?

 

He looked so unfit at back end of season and overweight, just generally had enough. Think he produces mint youtube clips but having watched every game he has played for us I don't see enough on a regular basis

 

In fairness at the start of the season he was the only player who looked bothered and the only player playing with any sort of conviction. He got injured in a match he really shouldn't have been playing in and then we shoddily attempted to rush him back to fitness, first vs Fulham and second vs Anzhi on a prosthetic pitch. Since his knock it's gone downhill but it's not reason for us all to say we should just get rid.

 

Wasn't long ago we were witnessing him rip into teams on a weekly basis, and its not hard to see we create absolutely nothing when he's not playing. He is by far and away our best player and selling him even for 25mil makes a statement imo.

[Newcastle Fan]

Even at his worst he played a massive part in saving us from relegation.

[Raconteur]

I'd say that acceptance of Pardew's continued status as manager leading to some posters suggesting getting rid our most exciting players on the grounds that he doesn't fit into Pardew's "tactics" is pretty much brainwashing.

 

It means that the Ashley model has become so ingrained that fans' expectations are so low and twisted that selling off a flair player who doesn't "fit" is anything other than a horrible idea.

 

That's not accepting the way modern transfers work. That's accepting the reality of the Ashley model of buy low, sell high for players; and hire and persist with cheap managers. And THAT'S brainwashing.