Sagbo might be able to do a job if he comes on to try and hold a one goal lead for twenty minutes, but if we end up with him having to start games, then we really are ****ed.
we signed 9 or 10 players in the summer and for one reason or another only Dawson and Hernandez featured at the start - i tried not to include Livermore in those figures Dawson - Started Hernandez - Started Robertson - used sub Diame - injured Snoddy - injured Ince - loaned out McGuire - needs loaning out Ramirez - suspended ? Lenihan - needs loaning out Ben Arfa - deceased Livermore - started , but not a new signing as such.
good strikers don't often appear on loan in jan & papa alam ain't gonna let bruce spend another £10m for me, the key is how soon can we get diamé back? plus why not put Huddlestone forward again and put Meyler in the DM I think they're the wrong way round Meyler can't hurt defences & Thud can"t shot long range as often from DM our AM players don't get into the box and support enough
We need to re-consider Ben Arfa's potential value to our team, which could, if the team is set up correctly, be immense. Bruce's current treatment of him is akin to buying a kitten and then getting annoyed with it because it won't bark.
Maybe we shouldn't be so hasty in calling for Ramirez to be sent back too. Until that very small act of petulance against Spurs, i thought he looked our best player, and it's unlikely he's going to get himself sent off every week. Bruce himself said it was very out of character for him.
I've wanted us to sign Deeney for years and I definitely still would, but we need to sort out the shower of ****e behind the strikers first, Bruce really needs to turn show his worth and get us playing again before he should be trusted with more money.
When things are going wring for a club then there is usually always a scapegoat and it's pretty unfair to make Be Arfa it when the majority of the squad this season has been s**te. Ben Arfa has only started 3 games this season and 2 of them we got draws against Arsenal and Liverpool not to mention like so many other players, he hasn't been played in his right position yet or been given a consistent run. In hindsight I would have perhaps preferred us signing Rhodes or Deeney to Hernandez. At least they are more intune with the English game.
Ben Arfa is an enormous talent, better than anything this club has ever had. Having a top class talent in his prime age here is a privilege we may not be afforded again for some time, if ever. The team should be built around a player like this, specially at our level. If there's any animosity between them and in January a situation arises where it's either Steve Bruce or Ben Arfa, we must ask ourselves who is worth more to us. A manager who has spent tens of millions on players he can't get the best out of, or a top class talent who if used correctly is capable of winning us enough points on his own to keep us up. Both of their contracts finish at the end of June.
I fail to see why some have a love in with BA, what has he actually produced, he had a decent 45 mins against west brom in carling cup, other then that he`s done absolutely jack ****, he promises a bit now and again but has consistently failed to deliver, and if he aint puttin in a shift either then what do you include him in the team for, Brucie has it spot on, the lad needs to wake up and smell the roses, he`s got a chance here, but isn`t taking it
I would say that being played out of position, mostly in a formation alien to him, with little to no support or licence to attack is not much of a chance at all.
He hasn't done much for us yet, but he was good against Spurs, he's a far better right wing option than Meyler, though so is Elmo.
so is his best position behind the striker, on the wing, up front next to the main striker or what.... because from what i`ve seen he`s been played in all three positions here and done fk all in all three, good players, the quality players take the game by the scruff of the neck, and put their mark on it, he certainly hasn`t done that. His best performances for newcastle came when playing wide right then being allowed to cut in. For me he isn`t worth the shirt, as for no licence to attack what a crock of sh1t that is,
not saying that he is but what has BA produced here that would suggest he is the solution ! i`ve been advocating a right side of rosie and elmo for a while now, and tbh that`s what i`d have gone for, but not BA.
I'd have gone Rosie and Elmo, but Ben Arfa was good there against Spurs and is obviously in a different class to Meyler in that position, we're simply not setting up to get the best out of our players.
I know Bruce was trying to reward the players that played well against Everton, but the team yesterday was team you'd pick against the top 6 away.
