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Hatem Ben Arfa (now retired?)


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Did he expect the media not to pick this up?  Particularly those with an axe to grind against the club?  I noticed even The Sun have mentioned it which is surprising being the club's mouthpiece and all.

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Tbh, I think much of the defending of HBA is to do with his figure as someone who is clearly against Pardew as we are. He's become a symbol against Pardew and the club. Hence his name being sang at matches and the Che Ben Arfa banner. He's a cause celebre amongst the support.

 

Which I guess explains why he's practically immune to criticism on here. Folk twisting every story that comes out so that Ben Arfa is the hero, the man with morals, the one with the guts to stand up to Pardew because it fits the rationale that Pardew is a f***ing moron. I suspect though that Ben Arfa played more of a part in his downfall than some like to admit, not on the pitch, but off it, especially if his track record/tittle tattle 'gossip' is to be considered.

 

On the contrary, the mistreatment of HBA has been a very consistent theme of the man's management. Personally I was pulling my hair out over it going right back to late 2011, a classic example being when we played Swansea at home, drew 0-0 and he brought the Ameobi Bros and Vuckic off the bench while Ben Arfa stayed on it.

 

This isn't a recent development based on anybody's hatred of the manager, it is in fact one of the biggest reasons for the utter disdain that most of us have for the man.

 

You can't treat a human being the way he has treated HBA and expect positive results. Blamed for things that aren't his fault, held to far higher standards than everybody else, dropped following good performances - if anybody wants to compare to an everyday setting, if you do that consistently with one employee, it's fairly likely they'll tell you to stick your job. A quick peek in the Job Thread will tell you that.

 

Spot on.

 

He'll always blame a sending off for a defeat even if we were looking toothless anyway, just to add to the list.

 

Against Man City last season: "I have to say I thought we gave a good account of ourselves up until the sending off. We'd threatened their goal, but the sending off made it a really difficult night for us and you don't want that on the first day."

 

2-0 after 20 minutes with 11 men and getting absolutely leathered. :lol:

 

Oh and funnily enough, if memory serves.  Most of the 'threat' he speaks of came from Hatem didn't it?

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Was it a surprise that it became a media circus like? I thought that was the point. If anyone thought it was going to be a quiet meeting with some fans they need professional help.

 

 

Nobody thought that. Obviously.

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I don't understand why people even watch football if they don't want him in the team, it's like saying you don't want to be entertained. What goes on through the week shouldn't matter at all to us because it's the managers sole job to get the absolute best out of his squad in those 90 mins and do whatever he can to win the game, as the match at the weekend is the only thing that really matters both to us fans, and in football itself.

 

Then jumped up window cleaners like pardle come along and complicate things.

 

:thup:

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