Hatem Ben Arfa (still a free agent)

[Wallace]

The Guardian's version

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/30/hatem-ben-arfa-newcastle-alan-pardew?

[Jordan]

Makes the Ben Arfa is right, Pardew is shite chant on monday seem more fitting these interviews.

[Ryan_Taylor]

 

If he's gonna be offloaded in the summer, hopefully teams will be put off signing him on a permanent deal and just look for a loan deal.

 

You have to think Pardew will be gone early next season when we are hovering near/in the bottom 3 and you would hope any new manager would want him to stick around.

same difference his contracts up at the end of next season anyway and I thought it was clear by now the managers opinion is irrelevant to whats done with transfers in and out

If a new manager came in and wanted him to stay or had a say in whether he could stay or not, it sounds clear from the interview quotes he would be

open to staying for whatever crazy reason.

 

He deserves so much better than this.

whomevers in charge won't have a say we all know this. Even if its a new manager (which I consider very unlikely) it will be some guy who will be grateful for the job and will just go along with ashleys decisions.

 

Nah, can't see any manager. Even a yes man coming and a just happily waving goodbye to a player like Hatem. Why would you?

[Rich]

He'll not play for the club again. He'll be moved on in the summer regardless of who is manager.

 

That's the whack. Done.

bingo.

 

The frustration is if our fanbase were more united we'd have a lot of control over Ashley's decisions. He gets away with this stuff only because he thinks he can without it coming back on him. This whole "Ashley doesnt care" thing is a bluff, he uses it to keep control. His actions & whole persona are not that of someone who doesnt care.

I highly doubt even a completely united fanbase (which is unlikely at the best of times) it would make that much difference. He's never going to start basing decisions on what the crowd want it will be based on £££ nothing more nothing less.

 

Logic like that is why he is where he is. "We can't really do anything".

 

The fans clearly affect the team & the teams performance controls the worth of Mike Ashleys asset. Why do you think they continually try to keep fans onside?

Season ticket sales, and most of that is centered around price rather than any attempt to keep the fans onside.

 

Well thats still keeping fans onside isn't it? You can't say hes not worried about fan opinion, yet really wants to sell season tickets.

 

Anyway beyond that you an go back to the Keegan trial when it came out that they lied to us. The stadium renaming was explained away as much as possible to be for the club. They changed it back with Wonga to get people onside about that. The accounts are constantly used to keep the fanbase happy. Pardew is quite clearly continually lowering expectation, excusing Ashley & trying to keep fans onside.

 

Its all over the place. Yet people still come out with "He doesnt care about the fans". If he didn't we'd not have heard half the BS we've had to.

 

He absolutely cares. Mick will tell you as well, having heard it from as good as the horse's mouth.

 

The whole reason they shut the singing section down was because they were singing nasty songs about him.

[maybe_next_year]

Someone just made the point on twitter that if Hatem leaves we basically gave Ranger more of a chance than him.

 

At least he has footballing talent of some sort, was just an absolute cunt and threw This chance away, but dan fucking gosling man, we've actually managed to find (and employ) the one man on this earth who'd choose a midfield of Hayden Mullins and Gosling, over Mascherano and Ben Arfa. Jesus wept

[jdckelly]

He'll not play for the club again. He'll be moved on in the summer regardless of who is manager.

 

That's the whack. Done.

bingo.

 

The frustration is if our fanbase were more united we'd have a lot of control over Ashley's decisions. He gets away with this stuff only because he thinks he can without it coming back on him. This whole "Ashley doesnt care" thing is a bluff, he uses it to keep control. His actions & whole persona are not that of someone who doesnt care.

I highly doubt even a completely united fanbase (which is unlikely at the best of times) it would make that much difference. He's never going to start basing decisions on what the crowd want it will be based on £££ nothing more nothing less.

 

Logic like that is why he is where he is. "We can't really do anything".

 

The fans clearly affect the team & the teams performance controls the worth of Mike Ashleys asset. Why do you think they continually try to keep fans onside?

Season ticket sales, and most of that is centered around price rather than any attempt to keep the fans onside.

 

Well thats still keeping fans onside isn't it? You can't say hes not worried about fan opinion, yet really wants to sell season tickets.

 

Anyway beyond that you an go back to the Keegan trial when it came out that they lied to us. The stadium renaming was explained away as much as possible to be for the club. They changed it back with Wonga to get people onside about that. The accounts are constantly used to keep the fanbase happy. Pardew is quite clearly continually lowering expectation, excusing Ashley & trying to keep fans onside.

 

Its all over the place. Yet people still come out with "He doesnt care about the fans". If he didn't we'd not have heard half the BS we've had to.

he hasn't been in the slightest bit popular since the keegan debacle, had some signs of recovery in levels of tolerance but whenever he was on such a path he made some other decision like renaming SJP or Wonga, these are not decisions of someone who is that bothered about public opinion of him. I'm sure he'd like to be popular, who wouldn't? But his decision making isn't based on populism. It often isn't based in logic either but thats a separate point altogether.

Now a collective complete boycott of season tickets and matchs in general might make some difference (as it would hit in the pocket) but the probability of that is next to nil and my suspicion is it wouldn't cause a turnaround in policy but more price cuts for tickets and a cut in the budget.

[Chris_R]

Like how when he's questioned about some of the players not liking him, he says that he has good relationships with all of the decent ones.

 

I take it to mean that the only ones that don't like him are the plodding no-marks who are sucking Pardew's hoop for continued undeserved game time.

[Tiotes Witch Doctor]

Like how when he's questioned about some of the players not liking him, he says that he has good relationships with all of the decent ones.

 

I take it to mean that the only ones that don't like him are the plodding no-marks who are sucking Pardew's hoop for continued undeserved game time.

 

I honestly think this is where the biggest problem lies and why there is seemingly no harmony in the dressing room or on the pitch.

[Jayson]

He'll not play for the club again. He'll be moved on in the summer regardless of who is manager.

 

That's the whack. Done.

bingo.

 

The frustration is if our fanbase were more united we'd have a lot of control over Ashley's decisions. He gets away with this stuff only because he thinks he can without it coming back on him. This whole "Ashley doesnt care" thing is a bluff, he uses it to keep control. His actions & whole persona are not that of someone who doesnt care.

I highly doubt even a completely united fanbase (which is unlikely at the best of times) it would make that much difference. He's never going to start basing decisions on what the crowd want it will be based on £££ nothing more nothing less.

 

Logic like that is why he is where he is. "We can't really do anything".

 

The fans clearly affect the team & the teams performance controls the worth of Mike Ashleys asset. Why do you think they continually try to keep fans onside?

Season ticket sales, and most of that is centered around price rather than any attempt to keep the fans onside.

 

Well thats still keeping fans onside isn't it? You can't say hes not worried about fan opinion, yet really wants to sell season tickets.

 

Anyway beyond that you an go back to the Keegan trial when it came out that they lied to us. The stadium renaming was explained away as much as possible to be for the club. They changed it back with Wonga to get people onside about that. The accounts are constantly used to keep the fanbase happy. Pardew is quite clearly continually lowering expectation, excusing Ashley & trying to keep fans onside.

 

Its all over the place. Yet people still come out with "He doesnt care about the fans". If he didn't we'd not have heard half the BS we've had to.

he hasn't been in the slightest bit popular since the keegan debacle, had some signs of recovery in levels of tolerance but whenever he was on such a path he made some other decision like renaming SJP or Wonga, these are not decisions of someone who is that bothered about public opinion of him. I'm sure he'd like to be popular, who wouldn't? But his decision making isn't based on populism. It often isn't based in logic either but thats a separate point altogether.

Now a collective complete boycott of season tickets and matchs in general might make some difference (as it would hit in the pocket) but the probability of that is next to nil and my suspicion is it wouldn't cause a turnaround in policy but more price cuts for tickets and a cut in the budget.

 

They're decisions of someone who's willing to push the boundaries, if he wasnt bothered about public opinion he wouldnt try to excuse them would he? He'd say, "this is how it is, deal with it" Vincent Tan style. He comes out with explanations all the time, people do things for a reason.

 

As i said before, the fans can affect the team. The whole environment the side plays in, the level of pressure. The performance of Mike Ashleys asset is directly connected to the happyness of us as fans. It will not perform well if we are not on side & he will not want to lose money or the exposure Newcastle gives him. Our biggest issue is the fans who are remaining happy, the ones who aren't are already having an effect.

[Chris_R]

Like how when he's questioned about some of the players not liking him, he says that he has good relationships with all of the decent ones.

 

I take it to mean that the only ones that don't like him are the plodding no-marks who are sucking Pardew's hoop for continued undeserved game time.

 

I honestly think this is where the biggest problem lies and why there is seemingly no harmony in the dressing room or on the pitch.

 

Indeed.

 

The good players all hate Pardew, and the shit ones are desperate for him to stay or they'll be shipped off to Barnsley where they belong. No offence to Barnsley.

 

With what Ben Arfa said in reply to that question, and indeed in anyone's replies to any questions, its often not what you say but what you don't say. I'd have been astonished if he'd said how great he got on with lumps like Gosling, Shola and Rob Elliott, and guess what? He didn't.

 

I actually think Ben Arfa has been really restrained and mature in what he's said. Completely flies in the face of all the "Prima-donna" baggage that he arrived here with. He's been calm, rational, and clever in how he's handled this, and Pardew comes out of it looking like (even more of) an utter clown.

[Robbo]

Dunno about you but I'd touch his cock tbh

[Robbo]

if it made him stay of course *

[Mike]

[DJ_NUFC]

By far the most heartbreaking shit under Pardew's tenure, and I'm including the seasonal dumps he let's Sunderland take on us.

 

I mean, I really didn't think there was a point in life where I could love HBA more and hate Pardew even more than I already did. This has proved me wrong.

 

Someone needs to push Pardew out of Newcastle physically.

[LRD]

By far the most heartbreaking s*** under Pardew's tenure, and I'm including the seasonal dumps he let's Sunderland take on us.

 

I mean, I really didn't think there was a point in life where I could love HBA more and hate Pardew even more than I already did. This has proved me wrong.

 

Someone needs to push Pardew out of Newcastle physically.

 

If by 'push' you meant headbutt.

[Chris_R]

And if by "out of Newcastle" you mean "under a speeding Metro".

[AlanSkÃrare]

One of the most heartbreaking interviews I've ever read. Everything I stand for and hope for and ask for as a Newcastle supporter summarized by our most gifted player, the fucking hero that he is, in an interview designed to illustrate the meaning of football in contrast to our pointless shit approach,

 

Hatem Ben Arfa just reached another level. What a hero.

[LRD]

And if by "out of Newcastle" you mean "under a speeding Metro".

 

Headbutting him under a speeding Metro doesn't seem workable though.

[mrmojorisin75]

ah man a huge ben arfa face on a flag at the next home game would have been amazing

[Carlito]

ah man a huge ben arfa face on a flag at the next home game would have been amazing

 

 

Would be a brilliant picture to see all of the fans wearing Ben Arfa masks in the 10th minute and chanting his name

[Guest chopey]

A standing ovation on 10 minutes would be easily started

[Hhtoon]

Like how when he's questioned about some of the players not liking him, he says that he has good relationships with all of the decent ones.

 

I take it to mean that the only ones that don't like him are the plodding no-marks who are sucking Pardew's hoop for continued undeserved game time.

 

Too true, the guys who would actually benefit by having him playing next to or behind them. Must be frustrating having the ball lobbed over your head!

[Hhtoon]

 

More immediately, Ben Arfa would welcome increased tactical subtlety on Pardew's part and clearly believes Newcastle have become overly direct.

 

"I like playing football but it's the manager's decision," he says. "Sometimes he says to us play football and sometimes he says to kick it. Before Yohan left we were very good but afterwards we didn't play any more and it's hard to win that way.

 

 

My favourite bit from the guardian...

 

If he did get fined by the club for an unauthorised interview, would be brilliant to get a donation from the fans to pay for it. Say £10k fine, £1 donation.....surely he has enough backers for that!

[Ikon]

I've always loved Hatem, but damn i fucking love him even more now. I read one of the quotes where he mentioned that he had no confidence and that he'd need a few games to try and build it up. Exactly what many of us have been saying over and over again on here. Of course he's not gonna have any confidence "just like that". He need games to find form and happiness.

 

Yes, he does a bit too much at times, but that's 99% because he wants too much, he fucking wants to show what he can do and create, and when you´re out of confidence it just doesn't work easily, not for Hatem or any other player no matter what level. He can't change his "natural" playing style, it's in his DNA. Most of us know that when he's had a few games in a row and finds form, and has belief in him he does evaluate play much much better and releases the ball quicker and all that. And most of all when there's a team trying to play football on the deck with a lot of movement.

 

It's fucking sad comparing Hatem's vision and dreams to fucking Pardews. What a disgusting man and manager..

[Wallace]

The reason he does too much is because he tries to do something whereas most of the others are afraid to make a mistake so play it safe.