Who Can Still Defend Pardew's Substitutions?

Obertan wasnt awful. He was just frustrating. He had the beating of the lb all game long but then decided to cut back on himself rather than cross the ball.

Big mention for Perch today because I thought he had his best game for NUFC. Although having the calming influence of Colo helped.

As for the topic, the substitutions where quite frankly shocking. Shola haters are gonna hate but that performance gives them fuel as apart from his very tame shot after coming on I think he forgot how to play.

As for HBA I am also very confuzzled as to why our potentially best technical player cannot get game time ahead of Sameobi and Vuckic. He will be getting pissed off. I am starting to wonder if hes on a pay as you play deal after his mega injury (I know hes on a good wage I am being merely pessimistic) and wonder what he is doing wrong in training. A simple question could be asked of pardew "Why is HBA not getting game time"?

If its because he is not match fit then he should be getting 25 minutes every game. Jesus, Tiote was clearly not match fit and he played 82 minutes. Also putting subs on at 82 minutes is stupid. The players have no time at all to get up to speed with the game.

 

We'd all do things differently, certainly HBAs absence is baffling. I said so against Norwich also. These were two promoted sides who although good sides, don't have that extra bit of something special. They also don't play particularly physical styles. Far better option than Obertan. We have that bit extra in HBA and I think he would have made the difference. That said we don't know if he is carrying a knock or had his gums bumped on the training ground etc. Pardew has done well and though I wish he would be a bit braver with subs, no sane man would be cribbing too much. I said the same thing with Hughton at times and he showed signs of improving, Pardew like any manager will get better with time. Who knows maybe he was sending a message to Ashley to say I need reinforcements because the youngsters aren't quite ready.

 

It was abysmal. I tried so many times to get the supporters round me, who are usually ok, to sing, but they were pathetic yesterday. One Speed chant, that was it. The Gallowgate end were too busy sipping hot chocolate out of flasks and snuggling into their seat warmers to actively engage in the match.

I'm sorry, but I enjoy the game a lot more when the people around me realise that chanting and atmosphere is part of the experience of being at a football ground. Many fo the people in the ground yesterday would have been better suited, I'm sure, to watching at home on a link or something.

Very poor performance by the crowd, I'd rate us lower than Obertan's effort. At least he tried.

For those who say a team playing shocking is a suitable excuse for us to be withdrawn, f-off and watch F1. The crowd is supposed to lift the players, not flatline with them... Our away contingent is much better.

Too many middle-class morons, in my opinion.

To anybody on here attending the game on wednesday, buck your ideas up, or save yourself some money, don't buy more aero bubbly and watch online please!

 

Obertan is ****ing guff, he played well against Man U, Pancrate scored a screamer, doesn't make him a top player!

He's painfully one footed and doesn't deliver well with his 'good' one. He is rapid, but despite this doesn't attack the bi-line enough, instead trying to take on his man, beat him, pause and wait for the man to catch up, then beat him again...I really don't rate him and would much rather play Ben Arfa on the wing, bring in a better RB who doesn't require as much protection and let Ben Arfa run the show like he did against Everton!

Pardew's subs were terrible yesterday, Ameobi MAY have scored yesterday and yeah I'd have held my hands up and said 'fair play', but Best's hold up play, aerial ability and work rate is 10x better than Ameobi's despite them being a fairly similar player - it would be like Alex Ferguson taking off Hernandez at half time for Michael Owen!

 

Apart from the time when he was MOTM against Everton when playing there (let alone when he has played there for Lyon, Marseille and France...

And as for watching on TV, for some of us, its the only way we can watch the games, though you're right those replays, slowmos and half time analysis is a right bastard.

Perhaps get your facts right before being so condescending!

 

As part of a front three he can play the right hand side, in a 4 4 2 no chance. As derided as Obertan is he does give Simpson some cover, and filled in at right back several times yesterday when Simpson went forward. Ben Arfa would never do that.

 

HBA can play on both wings and in behind the striker. You can argue the No.10 role is his best position all day long, but saying he cant play on the wing (especially when the alternative is Obertan and even the frustrating Jonas) is quite ridiculous.

Someone needs to tell Pardew. Quick.

 

Spot on... People who can afford to go to games are arrogant and have, on the majority, become f-ing useless at chanting... As someone who can afford to go at present, I sit in a sea of middle-class snobs and it's incredibly grating a lot of the time... I'd probably get a better atmosphere at home with my dog snoring in my ear...

Of course people watching the tele get the best perspective of incidents FFS, they have replays etc, so anyone saying they know more because they go to matches is talking bull. The fact is, at a football match you can be screaming your head off about the ref making a horrible decision, then moaning about it later, all the while oblivious to the fact the ref was right until you watch MOTD.

If ticket prices were more affordable, games would have better atmosphere, the mute-business men would be ashamed of mixing with the riff-raff and would stay at home... Life would be better... Sigh.

 

Wouldn't have made a difference. We have 8 clean sheets for a reason.

 

I'm maybe thinking that Pardew is saving HBA for a full 90 mins against West Brom next week. With the games so close together, it would be logical to keep even some of our better players out of this game so they're fit for the next one.

 

Well I'm confused. At first I was going to kick off at your startling generalisation of 50 odd thousand people as arrogant, but then I saw the second bolded bit and am completely lost...

Anyway, TV is great for replays of contentious decisions, but for actually picking up the shape of the game there's nothing like being there. The number of times I've read 'we might as well play Ben Arfa, Obertan doesn't track back' on matchday threads when I've got home has astounded me, he always tracks his fullback and covers for Simpson when he goes forward, but you don't see that if possession isn't lost on the TV.

Finally, I'm a (admittedly low paid) civil servant with a degree, but I always come back from games with a sore throat and my voice gone completely. My brother is a lower paid electrician who never sings. Safe standing would be a great option to improve the atmosphere, removing 'the middle class' is short sighted and a bit sad really.

 

I'll defend them.

Sammy for Obertan: the entire stadium makes a ****ing huge groan whenever Obertan so much as touches the ball, and after a frustrating afternoon we needed to replace him. Sammy is also a winger, and was therefore the only option. Ben Arfa isnt god, he isnt a winger either (in a 4-4-2 [especially in front of Simpson]).

Vuckic for Tiote: Tiote had cramp, could have done with coming off. Vuckic is more attacking than him, very simple.

Shola for Best: Shola is much more likely to score than HBA, just look at their goalscoring records (neither impressive, but Ben Arfa is not a sub who will get you a goal) and Ba was our threat, he plays best behind a big striker (Best/Shola). HBA might have done better, but you can hardly ridicule the manager for not bringing him on, we werent scoring so he changed a striker for another striker.

 

I'm amazed at the amount of people saying "Hatem Ben Arfa isn't a winger".

Why is this? Because Pardew said so?


Did anyone even watch him when at Lyon and Marseille? He played out on the right most of the time.

And was mint.

He should have been on on saturday. Miles better than sammy.

He'll leave.

 

He was a wide forward in a 4-3-3, you cant just put someone who has never had to do any real defensive work as a winger in a 4-4-2, we'd get destroyed down that side.

 

I love how we have a few bad results and the manic depressives come out in force. If we beat West Brom and Bolton everyone will be tripping out and talking of Europe

 

Correct. You wouldn't play him as an orthodox winger, just as you wouldn't with Robben or Ribery.

 

Exactly, I cant believe how many thick people dont understand such basic tactics. Maybe if I put it in FIFA speak: Ben Arfa's a 79 RW but if you put him RM it goes down to 74.

 

Arf. I made a similar FIFA comment in another thread at exactly the same time...

 

Haha, great minds

 

or fools seldom differ