How have you found HBA since you got him on loan from us in Sept? Been trying to keep an eye on his progress but being in Oz the games are on at stupid o clock in the morning and I can only really be arsed to get up to watch the toon. I can get MOTD off the net but it never really shows much of any significance (unless you're one of the top 4 anyways !). Just interested to see how he has settled in and whether or not he is being played where he should be !
Pretty ****e, he's pretty much solely been used in a 5-4-1 playing just in front of the midfield 3 with absolutely no support, no one to work with and left to do everything on his own. Showed brief glimpses of what he's capable of but as he's often the only player even halfway up the pitch, he's shut out by an entire defence before he gets very far. Looked absolutely explosive, if extremely rusty, playing centrally in a 4-5-1 on his debut against WBA in the cup but ever since he's been a victim to an ultra defensive system which really just hasn't let him play at all.
You can see he has quality (at RARE times) it's just a shame our manager refuses to play too his strengths. He's being played in behind the main striker in a supporting role, with NO ONE else around him!! Our managers tactics are so negative its ridiculous.
I can't go along with all these people criticizing Bruce's tactics and team selection. He has a team of advisers with him and together they analyze each game as it comes along and make, what they consider to be, the decisions with which they hope to get a result. To say that he is 'playing someone out of position' is not taking into account the consultation he and his advisers have with the team Captain and the player himself. He doesn't put the team up on the board with McGreggor playing as a Striker for a change (although this might get better results - that's a joke Ethel) without this consultation. Ben Arfa has not fitted into the team imo as he likes to 'go-it-alone' and I think he will be sent back. Rodriguez is another who appears lost to me and I wouldn't be surprised if he is sent back too depending on who is available for loan in January.
Ben Arfa is a class player, but you need to set up your team around him. It doesn't look like we are going to do that. So if it's just an everyday attacking midfielder we want there are much better options.
he has had brief moments of quality - but being generous to him he has been playing with a team with their heads caught in the headlights . A type of football we wasnt playing when he was getting up to match sharpness :/ defo can't put all the blame on him
As the OP suggests, he's a lot better cutting in off the right and his best game was probably against Tottenham where he played on the right of a 4-2-3-1 and we attacked them for 45 minutes. He should have out us 2 up but missed a sitter mind. However, Bruce does have a thing about playing wingers as strikers and that combined with our recent tactic of 'everyone back at all times' thwarts not just Ben Arfa but all of our attacking players.
He played really well against Spurs and even chipped in with defensive duties. A daft red card put paid to that but I've been quietly impressed with his improvement. He was shut out at Newcastle, but the talent he has isn't going to simply disappear, so I think he'd be worth buying in January to free up a loan spot. He was largely anonymous against Man United, but then so was everything else about us that day. If we can get him to his best, play him in his proper position (which I agree is wide right, which is where he played against Spurs I think), City fans will endear themselves to him very quickly.
Shouldn't that be Tickles Down Under? We should send back Rodriguez and Ben Arthur and get that Messi-Ronaldo fella on loan. IMO TWT
I agree with most of the above. Played largely out of position, when he gets moved back to the wing he looks better. Good game against Spurs. Unfortunately I thought he was terrible against Man Utd. To play for Hull City, you have to accept that you need to put a shift in and not just track back every now and then. I read a lot about what Newcastle fans thought of him when we got him, many took it as an opportunity to have a go at Pardew but many seemed to suggest his moments of brilliance were not worth the games he went missing in - we're playing terribly at the moment, but he's been missing a lot. Looking at who he is fighting for position with, on the LW I think Brady easily keeps him out of the team and on the right side, if Elmo isn't playing RB, he'd keep him out of the team. Its a difficult one but he needs to be putting in 100%, we're not good enough to carry someone who isn't. We've also played a lot of the 'top teams' recently, may be someone like Ben Arfa will help us kill of the 'lesser teams' once we hit our stride a bit more?
That's just it. Unfortunately Bruce builds his team around as many defenders as he can cram on the pitch.
On his performance at Old Trafford I wouldn't pay him in washers. I listen to all this 'he's playing out of position.......etc' What if he is ? Is that an excuse not to put a tackle in, break into a sweat, want the ball, look to get into a position to receive a pass, annoy the opposition in some way ? The man has bags of talent, that is not in dispute but his worth as a team member when the chips are down is very questionable. Send him back.
You can't fault him for putting as much effort in as the manager did himself. Bruce probably spent all week on the blower organising a reunion with all his UTD mates, hence the smart clothes he was wearing for the first time ever, and forgot he had a team to pick and orders to deliver.
