Bennys not happy

Benny isn't unhappy, he's frustrated. The fact he's not starting is more than likely down to the physios rather than Pardew himself, he sees him as a key player for us. The idea of him handing in a transfer request is crap too, especially after the way he speaks about wanting to repay the fans and how his goal for us made him shed a tear. It's clear he's more than happy here despite playing very little as of yet.

 

No one has an automatic place in our squad, Pardew has watched him train a lot more than any of us, and must have a good reason for not starting him.

 

I honestly don't think Man Us performance or the result had anything to do with conditions. They just lacked spirit for the fight. We turned it into a war last night and they were found wanting. Its probably the oldest adage in football, you have to earn the right to play.

Indeed in the conditions last night, the normal winner in games like this is the team who gets it on the deck first. It should have suited them better as the better passing side with superior technique. They just lacked balls for me.

I don't think Pardew was too concerned with the conditions tactics wise, we'd have been playing long ball regardless of weather last night because of the Blackburn game. Every team will until they get Vidic back because it is obvious they don't deal with aerial balls. I think Pardew deserves credit for last night tactically, because it is one thing watching another team turn Man U over using a specific tactic, and another thing altogether to replicate it, improve it and execute it. I just hope this is not the way we're gonna go permanently because I hate watching long ball.

 

if good results continues, you have to trust pardew in what he is doing......

 

I think its unfair to generalise our play last night as 'long ball'. We definitely capitalised on a few free kicks and goal kicks, but I thought our ball control, passing, and movement was as good as I've seen it all season. I'd be curious to see the passes-completed and turnover statistics (do they even record a turnover statistic?) compared to weeks past.

 

In recent weeks (during our bad run) Pardew has taken some stick on here from posters stating that he doesn't have a Plan B.

Now he is taking stick for altering his tactics (Plan B) because it makes it difficult for a cult hero player to get game time.

Proof positive that football managers have no chance of pleasing everybody all of the time.

 

100% this.

 

Posted this on the eBar but the simple fact is Ba plays Ben Arfa's position better. His best performances have came playing as the number 10 and that's why we have been reluctant to start HBA. Now Ba's gone it's HBA's chance to make the position his own.

 

I see him more as a winger.

 

[TABLE="class: outer_border, width: 720, align: left"]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Opponent
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Possession[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Short Passes[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Long Passes[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Pass Acc.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Pass Acc. Opp. Half[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Crosses[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Cross Success[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Aerial Duels Won[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Man Utd[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]39.7%
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]258[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]68 (20.9%)[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]66.6%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]55.2%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]16[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]31.3%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]57.1%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Liverpool[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]48.6%
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]431[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]54 (11.1%)[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]79.4%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]67.7%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]28.6%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7.7%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bolton[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]45.8%
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]258[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]62 (19.4%)[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]76.6%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]63.5%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]13[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]30.8%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]50%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]West Brom[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]54.9%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]364[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]81 (18.2%)[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]82.2%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]68.9%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]33[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]30.3%[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]54.5%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Average
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]47%
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]314
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]55 (14.9%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]76.2%
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]-
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]17
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]22.7%
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]45.7%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Some of those don't look like what I watched, but it's what Opta has down.

For comparison, Stoke's average this season;

[TABLE="class: outer_border, width: 720"]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Opponent
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Possession[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Short Passes[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Long Passes[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Pass Acc.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Pass Acc. Opp. Half[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Crosses[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Cross Success[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Aerial Duels Won[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Average
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]40%
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]223
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]59 (20.8%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]70.0%
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]-
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]20.4%
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]57.4%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

Interesting we played the most on the floor against the bin dippers and then got turned over...

 

Huh, I'd never have guessed that. Maybe just demonstrates how good defence can make an offence look better? Or better yet, just how meaningless statistics can be.

 

I think everyone just wanted it somewhere in the middle to be honest.

----------------------Krul---------------------
Simpson --- Williamson --- Coloccini --- Santon
-----Raylor --- Cabaye --- Tiote --- Jonas------
--------------------Ben Arfa--------------------
-----------------------Ba----------------------

I know we won and won well, but I still don't think that playing Shola was the right decision. Man Utd badly lacked any pace or agility with players like Ferdinand and Giggs in the side. It was an ideal opportunity for Ben Arfa to run that makeshift defence ragged.

 

I tend to agree, Ba and Santon both made several runs in which they blew past Man U players, often times ending in clumsy or lazy fouls. Shola played his role well last night, and didn't annoy me as much as usual. BUT I certainly wouldn't say we NEEDED his big body, and think Ben Arfa may have done a great (and different) job too.

 

I know Chappaz. My comment was fairly blunt but I was trying to make the point that he is still receiving criticism despite doing what many have wanted, i.e. being prepared to try something different.

I accept that it still leaves him open to criticism about which players he chooses for his new formation. I just find it frustrating that a manager who is over performing for us is criticised so readily.

As far as I am concerned if our manager is doing his job passionately, achieveing at least our basic aims and is successfully guiding our club in the right direction I am not interested in micro-managing or micro-criticising his decisions. He will get some right and some wrong. Make some I agree with and some I won't. But I don't see the point in complaining at every negative. If he stops performing that is the time to start giving him grief and not before.

 

For me, this is more than just yesterdays match. This is about the potential of pissing off Ben Arfa to the point where he wants out, as he's arguably one of the best creative players we've had in years.

I'm not too fussed about minor decisions if we end up winning, but if Pardew ends up pushing HBA out with his baffling decisions then I'm going to be really pissed off.

 

He's going to play on Saturday

 

Well as has been pointed out on here many times (by Overseas most eloquently) we only have The Sun's word for him being pissed off. Two other papers took the same notes and came up with nothing more than frustration.

But I would still stand by my main statement. If Pardew continues to exceed expectations without fully utilising any one player then I can live with that player becoming a prima dona and getting pissed off. I will trust the manager to do his job until results prove that he is not the man for the job and i'm sorry but not picking HBA is not proof that he is doing anything wrong.

I understand your take on this btw. I'm just more interested and concerned with the bigger picture.

 

It's common sense for me. I don't need articles. There is no way on heaven or earth that Ben Arfa, one of Europes leading prospects, a France international and a well-known hothead, will be happy sitting on the bench and getting either a small cameo or absolutely no appearance at all whilst three other players are chosen over him.

It didn't take much for Ben Arfa to kick up a giant fuss to get out of Marseille and imo his time here is gradually being made more and more difficult. We're very lucky to have him and I think he knows it, so if I were Pardew I wouldn't push my luck.

Well I can't live with that happening at all. Getting Ben Arfa was a fantastic coup for us and could be one of the key players to give us performances which get us near the top of the table - like Ba, Krul, Coloccini, Cabaye, Tiote and other quality key players.

Not choosing Ben Arfa is getting to the stage where it's defying simple logic. Why wasn't he selected to square up against a Man Utd side which was lacking pace and agility? Why was Obertan and Best chosen over him in the attacking positions when he's done much more than both of them put together lately? Why is he being given barely any game time despite scoring a goal, where other players who get goals get rewarded with more game time?

Ben Arfa isn't stupid. Whilst he would understand logical decisions, it's getting to the stage where he'll wonder what he has to do to get games. The reward and incentive for any work is slowly fading away, and that can be extremely demoralising for a player.

 

The problem for Benny has been the emergence of Demba because in all their appearances they have simply not clicked. Benny limits Demba somewhat, because a Demba going for high balls is not a Demba scoring goals.

The fact of the matter is that signing him might have been a coup, but we're still 7th in the table! The manager picks the players, that is his JOB. It rather worries me that there must clearly be something behind the scenes, but we're not doing too badly and frankly if Benny leaves I'll get over it. He hasn't even made appearances for the club in double figures yet.