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Hatem Ben Arfa (now retired?)


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Perez making those turns in the middle of the pitch fooling everyone before he feeds the ball to Ben Arfa in an even more offensive position out on the right hand side. Benny is running against an all alone fullback at full speed. Before Benny gets too close the fullback panics and lays himself on the pitch and acts dead before our Prince nutmegs the keeper twice and gives Mitrovic the ball who then scores by screaming at the ball.

 

Like fan fiction. Dirty football romance novel type shit.

 

God damn it he should still be our #10

 

I remember the amount of fans who said he can't play through the middle. It was so weird, knowing his technical capabilities

 

More or less saying our #10 shirt, wor Hatem versus the position.

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With Hatem performing so well for his club and getting called up to France, Pardew has played this one to perfection. Really had his eye on the long term goals there.

 

Pardew fucking left and we could have kept Hatem here. Charnley and Carver decided to boot him.

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Guest Howaythetoon

Easily my fave player of the last 8 years or so. Him under Bobby or KK man and even Hughton. Outrageous talent and even though his time here was brief and full of controversy, he lit that pitch up more than anyone. That goal against Bolton man!

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God damn it he should still be our #10

 

I remember the amount of fans who said he can't play through the middle. It was so weird, knowing his technical capabilities

 

Anyone who wanted him RW (like myself) was probably basing it on the fact that all of his best games for us came in that position. On the right there was nothing defenders could do with him. Through the middle he tended to be nullified far more easily.

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God damn it he should still be our #10

 

I remember the amount of fans who said he can't play through the middle. It was so weird, knowing his technical capabilities

 

Anyone who wanted him RW (like myself) was probably basing it on the fact that all of his best games for us came in that position. On the right there was nothing defenders could do with him. Through the middle he tended to be nullified far more easily.

 

I get that, but I think that can be negated by the style of football under Hoofdew...it just wasn't possible for him to succeed at #10 with hit and hope football. It may be an inferior league, but the way that he's destroying backlines through the middle shows he's pretty damn comfortable there.

 

In an ideal scenario, I would have liked to have seen him used flexibly in all 3 positions behind the striker (as I mentioned at the time), running at full backs at RW/LW and also looking to play between the lines at #10. A player that oozes that much class and footballing ability can be used more than in one way.

 

I miss him.

 

 

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Easily my fave player of the last 8 years or so. Him under Bobby or KK man and even Hughton. Outrageous talent and even though his time here was brief and full of controversy, he lit that pitch up more than anyone. That goal against Bolton man!

 

:thup:

 

 

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God damn it he should still be our #10

 

I remember the amount of fans who said he can't play through the middle. It was so weird, knowing his technical capabilities

 

Anyone who wanted him RW (like myself) was probably basing it on the fact that all of his best games for us came in that position. On the right there was nothing defenders could do with him. Through the middle he tended to be nullified far more easily.

 

this is true like, he never seemed to do well on the middle. he was outrageous at times on the right. the kid he murdered that villa full back was hilarious

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He's massively improved his right foot and the thing he's doing now is shooting with his right which is not normal for him as he'd always be trying to get on his left peg. His style of play when he's running at players with pace is just incredible to watch, some of the stuff he can do with the ball when he's on full sprint is world class.

 

At his best, on form, he's unplayable IMO.

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He's massively improved his right foot and the thing he's doing now is shooting with his right which is not normal for him as he'd always be trying to get on his left peg. His style of play when he's running at players with pace is just incredible to watch, some of the stuff he can do with the ball when he's on full sprint is world class.

 

At his best, on form, he's unplayable IMO.

His right was pretty decent when he was here, to be fair. Dat goal vs Villa. :megusta:

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God damn it he should still be our #10

 

I remember the amount of fans who said he can't play through the middle. It was so weird, knowing his technical capabilities

 

Anyone who wanted him RW (like myself) was probably basing it on the fact that all of his best games for us came in that position. On the right there was nothing defenders could do with him. Through the middle he tended to be nullified far more easily.

 

:thup:

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God damn it he should still be our #10

 

I remember the amount of fans who said he can't play through the middle. It was so weird, knowing his technical capabilities

 

Anyone who wanted him RW (like myself) was probably basing it on the fact that all of his best games for us came in that position. On the right there was nothing defenders could do with him. Through the middle he tended to be nullified far more easily.

 

this is true like, he never seemed to do well on the middle. he was outrageous at times on the right. the kid he murdered that villa full back was hilarious

 

I always put this down to Pardew having his team set up like a fussball board with rigid lines and no forward movement from midfield. He was too isolated the few times he played 10 for this reason and never had support.

 

Drop him in Perez's spot now with Sissoko and Wijnaldum breaking etc and it would be a different story imo.

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