The No. 10.

[Christmas Tree 3997]

Apparently Barton was never actually offered a deal.

Not sure why his agent would go public and say "the contract that was on offer in January has now been taken off the table", if there was no contract.

[Tom 13807]

So they offered it and retracted the offer?

 

Same thing I suppose - but slightly more insulting.

[Monroe Transfer 0]

 

How did we have no say on Ba or Enrique? Pay them more and they'll stay.

 

Unless we offered them silly, silly money, I really can't agree with you.

 

Surely they left because we couldn't match their ambitions.

[Happy Face 29]

We've sold our player of the season or close candidates for it consistently for 5+ years.....Beye, Bassong, Enrique, Carroll, Nolan, Barton, Ba.

 

By no means am I as worried about selling Ben Arfa as i would be, but it's going too far to say we should "drop this selling club bollocks".

 

You can try to justify each one individually, but collectively, along with the touting of Cabaye all summer long you have to accept we're not averse to the exit of our better players in the interests of fiscal prudence.

[Tooj 17]

Nolan wanted about 50k a week as well and a long-contract iirc. No way he was worth that.

[Christmas Tree 3997]

So they offered it and retracted the offer?

 

Same thing I suppose - but slightly more insulting.

I think your forgetting the one man twitter war Inbetween.

[PaddockLad 14527]

We've sold our player of the season or close candidates for it consistently for 5+ years.....Beye, Bassong, Enrique, Carroll, Nolan, Barton, Ba.

 

By no means am I as worried about selling Ben Arfa as i would be, but it's going too far to say we should "drop this selling club bollocks".

 

You can try to justify each one individually, but collectively, along with the touting of Cabaye all summer long you have to accept we're not averse to the exit of our better players in the interests of fiscal prudence.

 

If We'd have sold Cabaye would we have signed Gomis?

 

Was all the extra tv money spent in January?

 

for me, we're a "sell to buy" club rather than a selling club and if you're bringing in relatively modest sums (bar Carroll obviously) for the players you're selling/letting go then the money for January's "splurge" had to come from somewhere other than Ashleys back pocket.

[Howmanheyman 26606]

Barton was due to renegotiate after turning down a deal at Xmas. He then went AWOL on twitter and burnt all his bridges. As for Insulting I think given the number of appearances he put in and how we stuck by him, people will have different views on what constitutes insulting.

 

Nolan was replaced by Cabaye and would have been an old squad player.

 

Enrique refused to enter negotiations and "wanted to play for a top 6 club"....

 

Ba had a release clause.

Who gave him the release clause and why? Nolan isn't old and still scores goals and doesn't sit out games when his head is turned if you believe the club.

 

Nolan wanted about 50k a week as well and a long-contract iirc. No way he was worth that.

Nolan still had two years to run on his contract, pretty sure it was the club wanting him to sign a new contract and him trying to sort himself a good long term deal when they did.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Howmanheyman

[Christmas Tree 3997]

Who gave him the release clause and why?

 

Nolan still had two years to run on his contract, pretty sure it was the club wanting him to sign a new contract and him trying to sort himself a good long term deal when they did.

It was done as part of the negotiations and probably key to why we got him in the first place. It was a calculated risk for both parties.

 

The fact that the likes of Cabaye doesn't have one tells you it's not a practise we usually partake in.

[Howmanheyman 26606]

It was done as part of the negotiations and probably key to why we got him in the first place. It was a calculated risk for both parties.

 

The fact that the likes of Cabaye doesn't have one tells you it's not a practise we usually partake in.

Because we had to pay a fee for Cabaye!

[Anorthernsoul 1221]

Barton is a complete wanker.

 

The further he is away from our club the better.

[The Fish 8949]

 

Premier League: Hatem Ben Arfa wants to be Newcastle legend

By Graeme Bailey - Tweet me: @graemebailey | Last Updated: September 19, 2013 11:50am

Hatem Ben Arfa: Wants to entertain at Newcastle

Sky Bet

Newcastle v Hull

Hatem Ben Arfa insists he wants to become a Newcastle United legend.

The French midfielder has been in brilliant form this season - his third with the club.

Alan Pardew has called for Ben Arfa to be recalled by France given his recent form, but the player has his focus firmly set on Newcastle.

"I want to be like Ginola and Asprilla and entertain every week. We hope we can fill the stadium out and do something similar," he told the Evening Chronicle.

 

"There is respect from our fans for players of the past and now we want to be remembered in the same way by entertaining the fans."

Hatem Ben Arfa

"There is such a big culture here and we want to continue it.

"There is respect from our fans for players of the past and now we want to be remembered in the same way by entertaining the fans.

"In Newcastle, there is such respect for the players. I was surprised at how much though.

"I'm a player now but when I'm finished, I hope it will be the same."

Consistent

Pardew has called on Ben Arfa to become more 'consistent' and he admits he does need to produce every week.

"The manager has told me I need to be consistent. I need to do it every game. Not one game on and one game off," he continued.

"Villa is out of the way and I must do exactly the same against Hull. I want to be at that high level."

[Tom 13807]

He has clearly been at Harper's testimonial!

[The Fish 8949]

“When they say “go, go, go, take him on!” I feel like I can fly!”

[Tom 13807]

Both those goals were utterly ridiculous.

 

If someone scored either goal on a computer game you'd call it cheating.

[The Fish 8949]

Most naturally gifted footballer since Beardsley?

[Christmas Tree 3997]

Most naturally gifted footballer since Beardsley?

Gazza?

[The Fish 8949]

Gazza?

Beardsley was here after Gazza, but I know what you mean.

[David Kelly 1115]

I think Tino is the most naturally gifted player I've ever seen. Moreso than Pedro,Gazza, Ginola or HBA. It came so naturally he didn't know he was going to do most of it though so his team mates had even less chance.

[Anorthernsoul 1221]

You could literally watch that Bolton goal all day.

 

The way he just glides across the pitch is like poetry in motion.

[RedfernMag 0]

You could literally watch that Bolton goal all day.

 

The way he just glides across the pitch is like poetry in motion.

 

the way his first touch just plays that ball into space for him to run on to is wonderful to watch, you just know no one is ever going to get it back off him until he's put it in the back of the net.

Edited September 19, 2013 by RedfernMag

[David Kelly 1115]

I like the Blackburn one better but the ITV coverage was so shite it didn't get the camera angle it deserved.

[OTF 6129]

I like the Blackburn one better but the ITV coverage was so shite it didn't get the camera angle it deserved.

Both immense, but I agree the Blackburn one was something else...

[Park Life 70]

Something wrong with him today...Seemed out of his 'zone'. I hope he hasn't started listening to Pardeu..

Edited September 21, 2013 by Park Life

[Tom 13807]

Team Focus: Newcastle's Reliance on Hatem Ben Arfa

by Jonathan Wilson at Tuesday, Oct 1 2013 16:54

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As Alan Pardew reflected even before Newcastle United’s defeat to Everton on Monday, this has already been a very strange season for the club. They were excellent in beating Aston Villa and, had they beaten Hull City a week ago on Saturday, they would have gone third in the table. As it is, they lost both games 3-2 and stand just two places above the relegation zone – for all that matters at this stage of the season.

Which is the true Newcastle? The one that picked off Villa, or the one that shipped goals so readily against Manchester City? Pardew described the inconsistency as “disturbing” and that is certainly true of the defence. In the first half against Everton, as against City and at times against Hull, they were dismal at the back. Romelu Lukaku’s second goal in particular was the result of defensive play that would have shamed a Sunday league pub side. Yet they kept clean sheets against Fulham and West Ham and looked solid enough against Villa.

There has been consistency at the other end of the pitch, although it is hardly likely to be of cheer to Pardew. Essentially, if Hatem Ben Arfa plays well, Newcastle have a chance; if not, they are woefully lacking in creativity. Against Everton, he managed a WhoScored rating of just 5.8 before being taken off at half-time. As Newcastle showed with their slightly freakish second-half fightback, if the French winger isn’t playing well, you’re better off not having him on the pitch.

 

The game at Goodison was Ben Arfa’s 41st start for Newcastle since joining in 2011. Newcastle have won none of the games in which he produced his 13 weakest performances according to WhoScored’s ratings, losing 9. Up to a point that’s natural, of course: players play worse when their team loses.

Nonetheless, the correlation between Ben Arfa’s performances and Newcastle’s results is striking. On five occasions, Ben Arfa has registered a WhoScored rating of 8 or above. Newcastle have won 4 of those, registering 9 goals of which Ben Arfa scored 4 and got the assists for 2. The good news for Ben Arfa is that two of those games came this season - against Fulham when he scored the only goal and was responsible for 3 key passes, and against Villa when he scored the opener and hit the shot from which Yoan Gouffran scored the winner.

The bad news for Newcastle is that - until the second half against Everton – they have needed Ben Arfa on the pitch to offer even a glimmer of creativity. His dribbling is hugely important to Newcastle – as it has been since he arrived. No player to have played in each of the last three Premier League seasons has completed more dribbles per game than his 2.93. This season, he is averaging 3.3 per game – fourth in the Premier League behind Andros Townsend, Ross Barclay and Mousa Dembélé. Moussa Sissoko is not far behind, with 3.2, but after that the next highest is Loic Remy with 1.3 per game.

Dribbling is not essential to attacking play, but given Newcastle’s functional style, it is vital to them in providing a dash of unpredictability. Yet that style seems to be changing. Last season, no side hit more long balls per game than Newcastle – 69; this season they average just 53, the second fewest in the league. Even allowing for Pardew’s claim that Newcastle are trying to take the initiative more in games, trying to be more attacking, the change seems remarkable.

 

It might, though, explain both Newcastle’s inconsistency and why Ben Arfa has produced two of his best performances for the club already this season. Useful as his pace and trickery are in developing knockdowns and loose balls, not just in terms of what he creates but also the space he makes and the free-kicks he wins – he has been fouled 7 times this season – but his natural game suits a slower, more patient approach.

The question for Newcastle now is twofold. Firstly, is their defence good enough to cope with the more thoughtful style? And secondly, can Gouffran and Sissoko become effective enough that Newcastle are not constantly reliant for creativity on Ben Arfa, becoming predictable given the regularity with which they look to him for unpredictability?

 

 

Pretty much what we all knew anyway but a decent read.