NUFC All-time PL XI

[Holloway]

49 minutes ago, NUFC91 said:

Why are people putting Ben Arfa in for FFS...

Quite simple really, he's the biggest talent I've ever witnessed in the black and white, and worth the entrance fee alone. Not the best player by any means, that accolade goes to Peter Beardsley .

[Keegans Export]

1 minute ago, TheBrownBottle said:

I’d have him in my NUFC PL XI, but like I said I don’t think it’s an unreasonable take to not have him in there.  

All just opinions but not having a guy with a 1-in-2 record across ten seasons and 148 goals is overthinking it imo.

 

Even if he wasn't pre-1997 Shearer, he was still scoring 20+ goals a season on a regular basis. 

[TheBrownBottle]

9 minutes ago, Keegans Export said:

All just opinions but not having a guy with a 1-in-2 record across ten seasons and 148 goals is overthinking it imo.

 

Even if he wasn't pre-1997 Shearer, he was still scoring 20+ goals a season on a regular basis. 

Yeah, I’d have him in.  Isak’s goals to games ratio is better, and I think Isak is probably in the top two or three strikers on the planet at the moment, so I am sympathetic to the idea that he’s a better centre forward.  If someone put a gun to my head and asked who I’d take - prime Shearer or current Isak - I’d probably go Isak.

 

Or more likely I’d play both. 

[KennyUtd]

3 hours ago, Holloway said:

Shearer, Beardsley and Ben Arfa in the same team and I'm happy

Shearer, Beardsley, Ginola. A match made in heaven. Absolutely unplayable at times.

[Keegans Export]

46 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Yeah, I’d have him in.  Isak’s goals to games ratio is better, and I think Isak is probably in the top two or three strikers on the planet at the moment, so I am sympathetic to the idea that he’s a better centre forward.  If someone put a gun to my head and asked who I’d take - prime Shearer or current Isak - I’d probably go Isak.

 

Or more likely I’d play both. 

That's the "right" answer for me, just on the basis that if you're structuring your team that you have to choose between them, you're deciding to have an extra defender, winger etc. rather than having both of them. If someone is either/or, which defender/midfielder are you putting ahead of Isak or Shearer?  

 

 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by Keegans Export

[Yorkie]

2 hours ago, NUFC91 said:

Why are people putting Ben Arfa in for FFS...

 

Cos he was fucking mint. 

[Big River]

imagine not even considering Hatem  you must hate joy.

[Kid Icarus]

1 hour ago, Holloway said:

Quite simple really, he's the biggest talent I've ever witnessed in the black and white, and worth the entrance fee alone. Not the best player by any means, that accolade goes to Peter Beardsley .

Couldn't have put it better myself 

[TheHoob]

Didn't track back though did he lads 

[Collage]

Left back is the one I'm having problems with, we haven't had one REALLY good during my time as a Newcastle fan. Hopefully Hall will become that player.

Given

Trippier
Woodgate
Coloccini 2011-12
Bernard

Solano
Lee

Batty
Ginola

Shearer
Isak

Manager: Can't decide between Keegan and SBR

 

 

Edited 9 hours ago by Collage

[mighty__mag]

6 hours ago, NUFC91 said:

Why are people putting Ben Arfa in for FFS...

 

Although he was technically outstanding, like ASM, I feel those that love him and still talk about him today, perhaps it comes from their main time as a Nufc fan age wise (might be wrong).

 

Most of my heroes were from the 90's, perhaps why I preferred Ginola over HBA. However, contrary to what I'm saying here, I also preferred ASM to HBA, but that would be out wide on the left, I always felt HBA would have been an attacking mid or pushed right up behind the striker, don't think Pardew that had the luxury of having him, ever used him correctly. 

 

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by mighty__mag

[Cronky]

Names I don't like to see with the first XI, no matter what their ability - 

 

Batty - a player who could have been a very good all-round midfielder, but who at one stage in his career, decided to be a clogger and the master of the sideways pass. 

 

Ben Arfa - probably the most skilful player that we've ever had, but he had major psychological problems relating to father-figures / authority. (Well that's what I think). Every time his career looked like it was taking off, he sabotaged it.

 

Any manager other than Eddie Howe. Come on guys, be all in!

[Andy]

I think there's some recency bias in the Isak vs Shearer debate. Until Isak is consistently scoring 20+ goals a season, he can't be considered the better striker, for me. He is a better all round player when he's on the top of his game, but he's also prone to going through spells where he doesn't contribute much at all, such as earlier in the season. 

 

Longevity and consistency are key, for me. Shearer had four 20+ goal seasons for us and his "goals per game" is obviously going to be worse given that he played until the end of his career. Isak has had one 20+ season - hopefully two if maintains his form and stays injury free until the end of this season.

 

If he stays at the club and is consistent for another couple of seasons, I'd be willing to re-evaluate. 

[NUFC91]

3 hours ago, Holloway said:

Quite simple really, he's the biggest talent I've ever witnessed in the black and white, and worth the entrance fee alone. Not the best player by any means, that accolade goes to Peter Beardsley .

 

That's a massive over statement mind, Isak for example has far more talent than Ben Arfa  ever had. 

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by NUFC91

[NUFC91]

2 hours ago, Big River said:

imagine not even considering Hatem  you must hate joy.

Not really, he had a canny season for us and scored 2 worldies but look at his career? ginola Robert Solano etc all had and did far more for us than Ben arfa did...

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by NUFC91

[Holloway]

9 minutes ago, NUFC91 said:

 

That's a massive over statement mind, Isak for example has far more talent than Ben Arfa  ever had. 

 

 

 

Nothing massive about it. It's all about opinions but I'm one of those that thinks he would have been up there with Messi had it not been for his mental frailties and subsequent lack of application. Isak is massively talented,that I agree with 

[Rich]

4 hours ago, NUFC91 said:

Why are people putting Ben Arfa in for FFS...

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

14 minutes ago, NUFC91 said:

 

That's a massive over statement mind, Isak for example has far more talent than Ben Arfa  ever had. 

 

 

 

Not really though. 

[NUFC91]

11 minutes ago, Shays Given Tim Flowers said:

Not really though. 

 

Each to there own, I was a Ben Arfa fan but I don't think he was as talented as Isak, you can argue with Ben Arfa he had 1 good season in his career whereas others we have had were better over a longer period of time.

[Vedder]

Given 

Trippier

Coloccini 

Woodgate

Enrique

Solano

Bruno

Lee

Ginola

Shearer 

Isak

 

Manager: Keegan

 

Some crazy recency bias in some of these posts. Howe has not done enough to be above Keegan or Sir Bobby IMO. Sir Bobby took a team that was rock bottom and took us into the top 4/5 for three seasons running, made it out of the champs league group stage. Keegan took us on a magical ride from almost falling out of the championship to almost winning the league (those days will never be rivalled, even if we win a cup for me - I was the right age to be completely obsessed with football at that time).

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

2 minutes ago, NUFC91 said:

 

Each to there own, I was a Ben Arfa fan but I don't think he was as talented as Isak, you can argue with Ben Arfa he had 1 good season in his career whereas others we have had were better over a longer period of time.

that’s about application, not talent. Raw talent Ben Arfa is as good as you’ll see. 

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

To me. It’s a massively subjective judgement though. 

[Andy]

I loved Ben Arfa but would struggle to put him in a Best XI ahead of the likes of Nobby. He had more talent than any other player I've seen for us, maybe Beardsley aside, but through a combination of shite management and his own personal battles, he wasn't able to deliver on it quite often enough to include him IMO.  

 

While he was excellent for us at times, I've always felt he was a cult hero more for what he should have been allowed to become, rather than what he actually was. Maybe also for what he represented during the Pardew era in general, too. 

[Jonas]

HBA was wasted on that version of NUFC and the ray of sunshine he was also came with that regret. What he was with us was the bare minimum he could have been.  Know the times don't match up but he'd have fit Sir Bobby's team like a glove. Probably wouldn't be an arguement about it but for that.

[mighty__mag]