Hatem Ben Arfa (still a free agent)

[James]

In that era between 1994 and 1997 the best players were distributed wider and more fairly across clubs but we rose to being one of the worlds top ten clubs. Of course Lee was bloody brilliant but we had other players too who were better than anything we’ve had post Ashley like Warren Barton, David Batty, Keith Gillespie

[triggs]

I get the whole eras are different thing, but if you think about it, if you put a player from whenever into a team now they'd just adapt to the increased pace, better diet etc, and I think the same goes for players now playing back then. Imo aside from the players who were/are a product of their era, e.g. Billy Bremner, or, I dunno, Joe Allen then it probably evens itself out.

 

Rob Lee's definitely in that category for me, purely because he was good at just about every side of the game. Fairly quick, a good passer, good finisher, good from distance, fairly two-footed, decent tackler, very good in the air, strong, good control, good dribbler, intelligent. If he was on PES he'd have almost a perfect hexagon.

Its not even the eras being different. Its that there wasn’t as many foreign players in England back then and the top players were more spread out across different teams and leagues so English players and the foreign players that were in England perhaps appeared better than they actually were if you compare them to today’s standards

 

Like for example didn’t Pallister and Bruce get fuck all/no England caps while they were winning leagues at Man Utd? These days I don’t think that could happen

[Optimistic Nut]

I made that point during the World Cup when we glorified the quality of English strikers in the mid 90s. Collymore, Sutton, etc. If they were against more of the world's best centre-backs and the league had more of the world's best centre-forwards like today, would they have seemed as good?

 

England were shite 91-95 for instance when a lot of these were in their prime.

[Dinho lad]

Cabaye better than Lee...? Fuck off... pretty much sums it up on here.

[Guest firetotheworks]

 

 

I get the whole eras are different thing, but if you think about it, if you put a player from whenever into a team now they'd just adapt to the increased pace, better diet etc, and I think the same goes for players now playing back then. Imo aside from the players who were/are a product of their era, e.g. Billy Bremner, or, I dunno, Joe Allen then it probably evens itself out.

 

Rob Lee's definitely in that category for me, purely because he was good at just about every side of the game. Fairly quick, a good passer, good finisher, good from distance, fairly two-footed, decent tackler, very good in the air, strong, good control, good dribbler, intelligent. If he was on PES he'd have almost a perfect hexagon.

Its not even the eras being different. Its that there wasn’t as many foreign players in England back then and the top players were more spread out across different teams and leagues so English players and the foreign players that were in England perhaps appeared better than they actually were if you compare them to today’s standards

 

Like for example didn’t Pallister and Bruce get fuck all/no England caps while they were winning leagues at Man Utd? These days I don’t think that could happen

 

Overall perhaps. Rob Lee wouldn't fall into that category though, particularly considering how good he still was when we played in Europe and how good (and underrated) he was when he played for England.

[Toon No9]

Really liked the partnership of Rob Lee and David Batty in central midfield.

Best I've ever seen!

[Infinitely Content]

Really liked the partnership of Rob Lee and David Batty in central midfield.

Best I've ever seen!

 

Guthrie / Perch imo.

[Guest firetotheworks]

Did Butt and Smith regularly play together? I mean aside from in my nightmares.

[summerof69]

Watching a yt compilation of him now. i'll never forgive pardew

[triggs]

 

 

I get the whole eras are different thing, but if you think about it, if you put a player from whenever into a team now they'd just adapt to the increased pace, better diet etc, and I think the same goes for players now playing back then. Imo aside from the players who were/are a product of their era, e.g. Billy Bremner, or, I dunno, Joe Allen then it probably evens itself out.

 

Rob Lee's definitely in that category for me, purely because he was good at just about every side of the game. Fairly quick, a good passer, good finisher, good from distance, fairly two-footed, decent tackler, very good in the air, strong, good control, good dribbler, intelligent. If he was on PES he'd have almost a perfect hexagon.

Its not even the eras being different. Its that there wasn’t as many foreign players in England back then and the top players were more spread out across different teams and leagues so English players and the foreign players that were in England perhaps appeared better than they actually were if you compare them to today’s standards

 

Like for example didn’t Pallister and Bruce get fuck all/no England caps while they were winning leagues at Man Utd? These days I don’t think that could happen

 

Overall perhaps. Rob Lee wouldn't fall into that category though, particularly considering how good he still was when we played in Europe and how good (and underrated) he was when he played for England.

As I said, didn’t see him play so cant comment on him individually

[Guest firetotheworks]

 

 

I made that point during the World Cup when we glorified the quality of English strikers in the mid 90s. Collymore, Sutton, etc. If they were against more of the world's best centre-backs and the league had more of the world's best centre-forwards like today, would they have seemed as good?

 

England were shite 91-95 for instance when a lot of these were in their prime.

 

I think that's selective bias there considering it was much more 95-00 when the players normally mentioned - Cole, Ferdinand, Fowler, Le Tissier, Wright (not really seen Sutton and Collymore included in the list like) were at their best, England were pretty good, and we had teams doing well in Europe pretty quickly following the ban.

[Guest firetotheworks]

 

 

I get the whole eras are different thing, but if you think about it, if you put a player from whenever into a team now they'd just adapt to the increased pace, better diet etc, and I think the same goes for players now playing back then. Imo aside from the players who were/are a product of their era, e.g. Billy Bremner, or, I dunno, Joe Allen then it probably evens itself out.

 

Rob Lee's definitely in that category for me, purely because he was good at just about every side of the game. Fairly quick, a good passer, good finisher, good from distance, fairly two-footed, decent tackler, very good in the air, strong, good control, good dribbler, intelligent. If he was on PES he'd have almost a perfect hexagon.

Its not even the eras being different. Its that there wasn’t as many foreign players in England back then and the top players were more spread out across different teams and leagues so English players and the foreign players that were in England perhaps appeared better than they actually were if you compare them to today’s standards

 

Like for example didn’t Pallister and Bruce get fuck all/no England caps while they were winning leagues at Man Utd? These days I don’t think that could happen

 

Overall perhaps. Rob Lee wouldn't fall into that category though, particularly considering how good he still was when we played in Europe and how good (and underrated) he was when he played for England.

As I said, didn’t see him play so cant comment on him individually

I reckon you'd have liked him. Just a really good all rounder. Plenty of stuff with him in on YT as well.

[Optimistic Nut]

 

 

I made that point during the World Cup when we glorified the quality of English strikers in the mid 90s. Collymore, Sutton, etc. If they were against more of the world's best centre-backs and the league had more of the world's best centre-forwards like today, would they have seemed as good?

 

England were shite 91-95 for instance when a lot of these were in their prime.

 

I think that's selective bias there considering it was much more 95-00 when the players normally mentioned - Cole, Ferdinand, Fowler, Le Tissier, Wright (not really seen Sutton and Collymore included in the list like) were at their best, England were pretty good, and we had teams doing well in Europe pretty quickly following the ban.

 

Once clubs started getting more money though, the top clubs mainly went abroad so they could compete with the elite financially (Cole being phased out for van Nistelrooy for instance, Arsenal getting Henry rather than an English forward), then as we move through the 2000s Chelsea's money went and got the likes of Crespo & Drogba, Liverpool going big on Fernando Torres...). Same applied to defenders (Chelsea starting the trend with Desailly & Leboeuf, Liverpool with Hyypia, Man Utd with Jaap Stam).

 

Today, apart from the uber-elite like Neymar, Ronaldo & Messi, Premier League clubs have pretty much the pick of everyone in world football.

 

If the football landscape was the same as then where say Serie A was the 'go-to' league for the world's best, what's to say people like Welbeck and what we'd consider average English strikers wouldn't score 20-25 a season like those in the 90s?

 

The best they'd be up against most weeks would be the likes of Cahill, Jones, Smalling, Lascelles, Maguire...they'd be at the top English clubs (and the main defenders rather than squad players like they are today), other average British & Irish defenders (I'm thinking the likes of Mee, Gibson, Keane...even Clark here) would be regulars further up the league, and we'd more than likely see our own English strikers being more prolific due to the quality they're up against.

[Optimistic Nut]

Rob Lee was fucking class by the way.

[Conjo]

How anyone can watch "Hatem Ben Arfa - In My Prime - Newcastle United" and not think that he would be a club legend besides the likes of Shearer, Beardsley, Gazza etc. by now if it wasn't for Pardew and Ashley is beyond me. He was absolutely mesmerizing to watch. More natural talent and flair than Ginola.

[DJ_NUFC]

Benafri. Kebab. Insomnia.

[Infinitely Content]

How anyone can watch "Hatem Ben Arfa - In My Prime - Newcastle United" and not think that he would be a club legend besides the likes of Shearer, Beardsley, Gazza etc. by now if it wasn't for Pardew and Ashley is beyond me. He was absolutely mesmerizing to watch. More natural talent and flair than Ginola.

 

[Conjo]

Watched it four times in a row now Love the crowd as soon as he turns the first Bolton player. They are already on their feet at that point, cheering him on. 

[Amir_9]

Mad this thread still gets regularly bumped to this day

 

Was amazed when this chap signed for us and he really produced some magnificent moments of thrill and skill. I don't really know what his ability is like these days but if he's anything like he still was on a good day, he would make an impact for most clubs in this league.

 

Was nice to bump into him at Newcastle Airport once during his injury, seemed a decent lad.

[gazza ladra]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/01/1409601384282_wps_2_Newcastle_United_s_suppor.jpg

[Dinho lad]

Nope.

[Guest firetotheworks]

[loki679]

Another 4 pages of Dinho vs KI coming up. 

 

Cool.

[Dinho lad]

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8raPeyXcg6M/U1NQsPMsetI/AAAAAAAABc0/bVsFHSrFTQQ/s1600/Lazy+Nope.gif

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

If he doesn't sign with a new club in the next 14 days I'll presume he's retiring. He's a free agent now so why would clubs wait until the transfer window closes to sign him?