Alan Pardew & Hatem Ben Arfa.

  • Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
  • Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!
Status
Not open for further replies.
Against QPR I'd play

---------------Krul

Simmo----Willo-----Colo----Santon

HBA-----Cabaye---Abeid---Jonas

--------------Vuckic

-------------Best
 
You can't fail but to be impressed by the management of Alan Pardew on this one.

HBA is looking impressive and obviously fresh after being used sparingly - a master stroke by AP, with Ba & Tiote missing, HBA will now play off Leon Best/Shola and will keep our momentum going.

Transfer business aside, it brilliant management recently from AP.

Deary me, you are a joker aren't you?

If Mancini hadn't played Silva would that be a masterstroke?
If AVB hadn't played Mata would that be a masterstroke?
If Guardiola started using Messi 'sparingly' would that be a masterstroke?

HBA wasn't class vs Blackburn because he has been used sparingly; its because he is just class.

Oh and you're all wrong i'm afraid. Vs QPR its quite clear what our best formation would be:

Krul
Simmo Willo Colo Santon
HBA Cabaye (whoever you like) Jonas
Shola Best

Neither Best or Shola are good enough to play up front alone, but do look not bad together. HBA is the best option for the RW given the options. 4-4-2 is our best formation at home, pretty much proved this season.

This team would smash anything QPR's new boss could come up with.

HTL!
 
How about something crazy like this?

------------------Krul-----------------
Simpson------Willo----Colo------Santon
-------Guthrie---Cabaye---****-------
------Obertan---Ben Arfa---Jonas-------

**** = Either Gosling, Abeid or Vuckic.
 
You can't fail but to be impressed by the management of Alan Pardew on this one.

HBA is looking impressive and obviously fresh after being used sparingly - a master stroke by AP, with Ba & Tiote missing, HBA will now play off Leon Best/Shola and will keep our momentum going.

Transfer business aside, it brilliant management recently from AP.

Deary me, you are a joker aren't you?

If Mancini hadn't played Silva would that be a masterstroke?
If AVB hadn't played Mata would that be a masterstroke?
If Guardiola started using Messi 'sparingly' would that be a masterstroke?

HBA wasn't class vs Blackburn because he has been used sparingly; its because he is just class.

Oh and you're all wrong i'm afraid. Vs QPR its quite clear what our best formation would be:

Krul
Simmo Willo Colo Santon
HBA Cabaye (whoever you like) Jonas
Shola Best

Neither Best or Shola are good enough to play up front alone, but do look not bad together. HBA is the best option for the RW given the options. 4-4-2 is our best formation at home, pretty much proved this season.

This team would smash anything QPR's new boss could come up with.

HTL!

When Man City played us Mancini didn't start Silva, because he wanted to keep him fresh for when he really needed him.

AVB often rotates his squad. You point is completely ill informed. Not to mention the fact that Silva and Messi are fantastic team players who improve the effectiveness of the starting XI exponentially. Ben Arfa is massive talent who plays for himself and needs to learn to pass. You are forgetting two things about yesterday, he was poor, very poor in the first half and we were playing a championship level team - without Hoilett and Samba. Let's not jump the gun with HBA yet, he may not be ready to play on the wing in the system we play when we're up against well organised, quality opposition, and he drops too deep to play off the striker, he left Best far too isolated yesterday.

Let's hope his wonder goal gives him the confidence to push on, but I do worry that forcing out Jonas or Obertan for a player who CAN do amazing things but more often than not doesn't bother to do anything may not be good for the team as a whole. We're a better team with him, without a doubt, but we need to make sure we employ a fully fit and firing HBA correctly in our time or it is a futile exercise. I imagine this is why he has been used sparingly so far this season.
 
When Man City played us Mancini didn't start Silva, because he wanted to keep him fresh for when he really needed him.

AVB often rotates his squad. You point is completely ill informed. Not to mention the fact that Silva and Messi are fantastic team players who improve the effectiveness of the starting XI exponentially. Ben Arfa is massive talent who plays for himself and needs to learn to pass. You are forgetting two things about yesterday, he was poor, very poor in the first half and we were playing a championship level team - without Hoilett and Samba. Let's not jump the gun with HBA yet, he may not be ready to play on the wing in the system we play when we're up against well organised, quality opposition, and he drops too deep to play off the striker, he left Best far too isolated yesterday.

Let's hope his wonder goal gives him the confidence to push on, but I do worry that forcing out Jonas or Obertan for a player who CAN do amazing things but more often than not doesn't bother to do anything may not be good for the team as a whole. We're a better team with him, without a doubt, but we need to make sure we employ a fully fit and firing HBA correctly in our time or it is a futile exercise. I imagine this is why he has been used sparingly so far this season.

Completely, 100% this. I thought he was decent in the first half though.
 
When Man City played us Mancini didn't start Silva, because he wanted to keep him fresh for when he really needed him.

AVB often rotates his squad. You point is completely ill informed. Not to mention the fact that Silva and Messi are fantastic team players who improve the effectiveness of the starting XI exponentially. Ben Arfa is massive talent who plays for himself and needs to learn to pass. You are forgetting two things about yesterday, he was poor, very poor in the first half and we were playing a championship level team - without Hoilett and Samba. Let's not jump the gun with HBA yet, he may not be ready to play on the wing in the system we play when we're up against well organised, quality opposition, and he drops too deep to play off the striker, he left Best far too isolated yesterday.

Let's hope his wonder goal gives him the confidence to push on, but I do worry that forcing out Jonas or Obertan for a player who CAN do amazing things but more often than not doesn't bother to do anything may not be good for the team as a whole. We're a better team with him, without a doubt, but we need to make sure we employ a fully fit and firing HBA correctly in our time or it is a futile exercise. I imagine this is why he has been used sparingly so far this season.

<ok>.
 
When Man City played us Mancini didn't start Silva, because he wanted to keep him fresh for when he really needed him.

AVB often rotates his squad. You point is completely ill informed. Not to mention the fact that Silva and Messi are fantastic team players who improve the effectiveness of the starting XI exponentially. Ben Arfa is massive talent who plays for himself and needs to learn to pass. You are forgetting two things about yesterday, he was poor, very poor in the first half and we were playing a championship level team - without Hoilett and Samba. Let's not jump the gun with HBA yet, he may not be ready to play on the wing in the system we play when we're up against well organised, quality opposition, and he drops too deep to play off the striker, he left Best far too isolated yesterday.

Let's hope his wonder goal gives him the confidence to push on, but I do worry that forcing out Jonas or Obertan for a player who CAN do amazing things but more often than not doesn't bother to do anything may not be good for the team as a whole. We're a better team with him, without a doubt, but we need to make sure we employ a fully fit and firing HBA correctly in our time or it is a futile exercise. I imagine this is why he has been used sparingly so far this season.

Precisely. Ben Arfa is not even slightly as important to us as Silva, Mata and Messi are to their teams, they completely dictate play and the team is built around them whereas Ben Arfa is a player who goes missing for large periods and produces moments of magic on occasion. He may become key to us but he certainly isnt yet.

Not to mention none of the cited examples are just back from horrific double leg breaks.
 
Hopefully it won't be Best playing like. Would much rather have Shola up there even though he ain't great - Best is showing really that he was just a Championship striker on a good bit of form before imo
 
Calm down lads. We could have someone like Luke De Jong in soon so we wont have to worry about the horrible Best/Lover/Shola dilemma

<falsehopesmiley>

Got a feeling we will get a striker, dunno who like. Lover hasn't even been on the bench recently - think he will be gone this month so needs replacing
 
Status
Not open for further replies.