Benny

Hatem Ben Arfa will not change his philosophy even if it means spending more time on the bench at Newcastle United, the French forward says. "[My philosophy] is to play football, a game made up of movement and passes," he said in an interview with French sports daily L'Equipe. "The coach [Alan Pardew] likes long, direct football. 'Send crosses into the box', he often says. But I totally respect his philosophy. I will not clash with him."

think this has been said before but im a bit worried if he feels like this he might leave to play somewhere else because of pardews insistence to play hoof ball up to shola :/ he's a talent we cant afford to lose !

 

I don't think it should be too much of a problem at the moment, I can see us ending the season playing hoofball but by the summer I think we'd have 3 or 4 new signings and we'll be playing much better football which will suit him, you can see with the players Pardew is signing he want's to play passing football but you haven't got much chance of that with Best & Ameobi up front.

 

Not so sure, his efforts yesterday showed that he is willing to work for the team, he WILL learn to pass more and if we improve (as we should do with higher league positions tempting better players) they'll be more opportunities for him to pass!

 

I agree with Benni to be honest. I think Pardew is getting it wrong and then having to correct it in the game. I understand why, he is just erring on the side of caution. He has started for weeks now playing hoofball and it just doesn't suit us and is not effective in the main. The only time it has worked is when we played Man U because they are **** defensively in the air, and have no holding midfielder to pick up the scraps. Plus they were really subdued that day. The crazy thing about yesterday is the formation we played once Cabaye went off is tailor made for Benni. But filling the role Best did, with Best taking the Sholas. Best played like an advanced left forward, with very few defensive responsibilty. Obviously that wasn't really an option as the change was forced upon him.

Hopefully Pardew is just finding his way with these things, but I do think he'll lose Benni long term if he doesn't use him.

 

Look at the players we're trying to sign, or at least linked with. You don't play long ball to Erdinc. I reckon Pardew's just playing to the current side's strengths. We have a fair few hoof ball players: Simpson, Ryan Taylor, Shola, Best, Guthrie (and formerly Nolan and Barton) are all players who either lump the ball in or get on the end of it (Players like Guthrie can play either way to be fair). But the more players like Tiote, Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Santon etc. we sign, the better our football becomes. People forget how direct we were under Chris Hughton and early Pardew.

 

What the **** is Pardew playing at with all this hoof ball? What happened to the entertaining attacking football he kept harping on about?

He really pisses me off sometimes.

 

really think we need a pacey sinclairesc striker because everyone we have is a big lump it up there forward (in build that is i know ba and best have some decent teckers) maybe erdinc if that deal is still alive

 

Its bizarre, i'm sure we didn't do it at all until the Stoke game. I considered it to be a masterstroke by Pardew to stuff Stoke at their own game but ever since then it's almost like he got a taste for it and has tried using it several times more.

 

exactly its like the easy way out all our good form at the beginning of the season came from good football ! but it seems he lost faith in it when we lost to man city and Chelsea and stopped playing benny

 

That's the point though, he isn't playing to his sides strengths! Best is much better when you play football. Guthrie, Ryan Taylor prefer footballing sides. Fair enough Simpson can be a bit long at times but then we should be training that out of him. The vast majoirty of the team are suited to passing football. The only one it suits is Shola because he doesn't like running about! As for Barton/Nolan being long ball players I ust don't get this. they are the ones who tried to get us to play football. I can see it a little with Nolan when you pay him as a 2nd striker. He is a good reader of big man flicks. But Barton always tries to play football properly. Indeed he is often described as a ball playing midfielder (personally I think he is a right midfielder)

The proof is in the pudding at the end of the day. Hoofball worked against Stoke and Man U. Everyone else has lapped it up and handed our arse to us until we've changed things. The hoofball should be our secondary option not the way we start. Earlier in the season we were dominating possession every game with passing football. Lets go back to that. Putting aside that long ball doesn't suit us, its ****ing horrible to watch.

 

Relax. The hoofball isn't to Shola as can't jump. It's to Ba.

 

As soon as Ben Arfa came on yesterday we started playing much better football.

 

tbh he looked like our main threat to score except best even santon looked more likely to score than shola !

 

That is because he has got an eye on his place.

http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport/ne...ts-on-being-a-success-at-nufc-79310-30123616/

 

I am frustrated Pardew is not starting Ben Arfa I want us to play Ben Arfa & Cabaye football philosophy and not rubbish hoofball.

Hatem Ben Arfa the club's continental scout.
http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-n...newcastle-planning-increase-french-contingent

 

give the lad a shot i say!

 

he seems to be bloody good at that could be carrs assistant when he retires!

 

I agree that come summer and the start of next season we'll have a completely different style of play.

Pardew has only been here just over a year and has already overseen many sweeping changes to the playing squad, but it won't change over night. With a first choice XI available, and potential new signings, we'll have a squad capable of keeping it on the deck all the time. But needs must at the moment, and it's working.

 

It wouldn't just be Ben Arfa concerned about it. Canaye only joined us if we played a passing game. Hoofball is needed in some games, eg the man Utd one, but generally it will only cost you possession and the game.
I don't get pardews tactics at times.

This bollocks I've heard recently about him always wanting it crossed into the box, where's that came from? He played Obertan and Gutierrez for ages on the wings... They're hardly renowned for their crossing ability!

 

HBA isn't actually saying Pardew wants us to play hoofball. We play with 2 wingers and Pardew is saying cross the ball into the box, more than enough people complain about Obertan & Jonas's decision making & Pardew is telling them to cross it, exactly what we say week in week out on here.