Hatem Ben Arfa (now retired?)

[madras]

2 minutes ago, Mike said:

 

Well his reputation was in the gutter via fraud managers that lacked the man management to accommodate his idiosyncrasies because they were protecting their own reputations in order to hide the fact that they were frauds.

 

 

I'm sure the better managers would have seen through the reputation etc, its why they're better managers eh ?

[Mike]

12 minutes ago, madras said:

I'm sure the better managers would have seen through the reputation etc, its why they're better managers eh ?

 

Well no, they likely didn't have the time. They were working on not being frauds.

[madras]

7 minutes ago, Mike said:

 

Well no, they likely didn't have the time. They were working on not being frauds.

Hence why they didn't touch him.

[Mike]

 I'm glad we could agree in the end.

[madras]

17 minutes ago, Mike said:

 I'm glad we could agree in the end.

Yip. We agreed it was due to him not his managers.

 

 

 

Didnt we ?

[Rich]

I’ve found over the years that people’s opinions on HBA are a great barometer for very quickly sussing how much time to invest in talking football with them.

 

Regardless of what they think of his attitude or career, if they can’t/don’t admit he was the most naturally gifted/fun-to-watch player of relatively recent times then you know they’re going to be full of shite on any number of NUFC topics.

[Andy]

3 minutes ago, madras said:

Yip. We agreed it was due to him not his managers.

 

 

It was both. He played for a lot of either shite or pragmatic managers, and he also had his own mentality issues. His best football was at Nice where he was allowed to play in a way that really suited him, he was basically unstoppable that season, and moving to PSG after it was a huge blunder. 

[madras]

3 minutes ago, Rich said:

I’ve found over the years that people’s opinions on HBA are a great barometer for very quickly sussing how much time to invest in talking football with them.

 

Regardless of what they think of his attitude or career, if they can’t/don’t admit he was the most naturally gifted/fun-to-watch player of relatively recent times then you know they’re going to be full of shite on any number of NUFC topics.

He was. Brilliant and infuriating. Its the infuriating part of him why he played here. Like Callum Wilson, who if it weren't for the injuries we wouldn't have had a sniff at.

[Rich]

There we gan. That’s how you know madras is alright really, but then we knew that anyway.

[LFEE]

2 hours ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

I mean, football doesn't admit mavericks, we know and accept this. Probably Cantona with Ferguson is the best example of a manager who was prepared to grant exceptions and special treatment to a player who needed it - but it's extremely rare.

 

I actually think if HBA came through now he might find the football environment a bit easier to operate in. Of course he would have issues with instructions from managers in some circumstances but it would be OK if he wanted to read a book or whatever. 

 

Who knows, I would like to read his autobiography one day and find out what he was really thinking about his career. 

 

Probably that day that @Sempiternal fell down the bank when he went all weak at the knees to try and meet him  

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

I’ve found over the years that people’s opinions on HBA are a great barometer for very quickly sussing how much time to invest in talking football with them.

 

Regardless of what they think of his attitude or career, if they can’t/don’t admit he was the most naturally gifted/fun-to-watch player of relatively recent times then you know they’re going to be full of shite on any number of NUFC topics.

you can say what you want about painting with a broad brush but it’s undeniable you will cover an area quicker with one.

[Mike]

1 hour ago, Andy said:

 

It was both. He played for a lot of either shite or pragmatic managers, and he also had his own mentality issues. His best football was at Nice where he was allowed to play in a way that really suited him, he was basically unstoppable that season, and moving to PSG after it was a huge blunder. 

 

It was obvious the PSG move would be a disaster too.

[Roids]

On 08/09/2025 at 14:15, Rich said:

I’ve found over the years that people’s opinions on HBA are a great barometer for very quickly sussing how much time to invest in talking football with them.

 

Regardless of what they think of his attitude or career, if they can’t/don’t admit he was the most naturally gifted/fun-to-watch player of relatively recent times then you know they’re going to be full of shite on any number of NUFC topics.

best player I've ever seen in the black & white

[duo]

Feel sad he doesn't get recognition for how good he was

[Holloway]

Incredible the amount of fans I've spoken to focus on his lack of effort or selfishness or something similarly negative and see his mind blowing ability on display as some sort of meh afterthought, I'd shove these incredible reels in their faces but doubt it would make a difference

 

 

Edited September 10, 2025 by Holloway

[Gola]

Got a mate who would only talk about how HBA would never make it at thevery top, completely ignoring all the amazing stuff he brought to the pitch. I don't care if he never won anything or was lazy at times. He was just so exciting to watch and made every game a delight just by being on the pitch. And he was ours!

[bowlingcrofty]

Part of what I loved about HBA was that he represented things the club had completely lost back then - joy, will to win, excitement, a release from relentless pragmatism, a reminder that the game can be fun.

He also clearly fucking hated Pardew as well, and even when he left, he fucking hated Bruce as well. Might have been a complete nut job but he had good judgment on shit managers.

[ryanegg]

12 hours ago, Holloway said:

Incredible the amount of fans I've spoken to focus on his lack of effort or selfishness or something similarly negative and see his mind blowing ability on display as some sort of meh afterthought, I'd shove these incredible reels in their faces but doubt it would make a difference

 

 

 

 

It's mainly the ones who lapped up the shite put out to them by Ashley/Pardew. 

 

Never forget that flag with him as Ché Guevara, he really was that beacon of hope in some dire years. Would love for him to do a talk-in of some sorts. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

13 hours ago, Holloway said:

Incredible the amount of fans I've spoken to focus on his lack of effort or selfishness or something similarly negative and see his mind blowing ability on display as some sort of meh afterthought, I'd shove these incredible reels in their faces but doubt it would make a difference

 

 

 

I don’t think lack of effort or selfishness was ever his problem, it was more non-conformism and an inability to just accept whatever football and football people want you to do. Maybe along with artistic or extremely sensitive personality that leads to you being depressed about the state of things, angry when the manager criticises you etc. 

 

I don’t know but I don’t think his on-pitch work was ever really the main problem. 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2025 by AyeDubbleYoo

[Cronky]

Ben Arfa was often at odds with team-mates. It wasn't just managers or authority figures in general.

 

You admirers often seem to have this unnecessarily hostile attitude to his critics. Yes, he was a very talented player, but it's a team game, on and off the field.

 

What I think is sometimes missed is this element of self-sabotage that he showed in his career. Apart from Nice, he seemed to willfully mess up every opportunity he had. Deep down, I don't think he could cope with success and its pressures. It's easier in many ways to stay a rebel.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Basically the same argument I made from a slightly different angle. 

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

His critics have my sympathy, they have an irrevocable wound to their souls. They look upon beauty and obfuscate it with their critiques.

[huss9]

stopped bumping this thread until its been confirmed that we've signed him again.

[LiquidAK]

Anyone who offers even the mildest criticism towards the brightest spark we had amidst a decade or more of abject misery needs their hard-drive checked. If our mod team had the stones they'd be making referrals to the relevant authorities imo.

[NEEJ]

It's worth noting that Cronky lists Hatem, ASM (easier to understand), and Keegan in his thumbs down column.

 

Sammy Ameobi gets a huge thumbs up.