Ben Arfa set for Blackburn chance

Time to shine
Hatem Ben Arfa looks set to be given a starting role in the FA Cup 3rd Round tie against Blackburn later today.

It’s the chance that Hatem has been waiting for having spoken to the press recently about his disappointment at missing out on a first-team starting spot and now it’s up to the fiery Frenchman to show everyone that he is ready to take his chance.

He’ll need to as we are now without 15 goal Demba Ba who is away at the African Cup of Nations. He’ll be a big miss, a huge miss in fact, but if Benny can find some consistency and produce his brilliant best for us then we may not miss Ba as much as many of us feel we might.

“Hatem has already stated in the Press that he wants a chance. And obviously, in this period, I’ve always thought he would get it,” Pardew told the Chronicle. “He now needs to show us what’s he got and show us his ability.”

Sounds easy doesn’t it? It won’t be. Ben Arfa simply cannot replace Ba in my view. He may chip in with a goal here and there, he may even find the net fairly frequently, but he’s not an out and out striker and won’t be the man who gets on the end of things just in time to put the ball in the back of the net. That task is ultimately going to fall to Leon Best or Shola Ameobi. Yes, I know…

However panic not. Well, try not to anyway. I’m sure we’ve all see signs of Hatem Ben Arfa and what he can do at his peak. As said earlier, he’ll chip in with a few goals, but he’ll also create a lot more chances for the strikers, or striker. Law of averages dictates that they will be able to convert a few of them. I’m using logic here which is a dangerous thing to do when talking about football in fairness.

Whatever happens, happens, but for Benny himself it’s up to him to make it happen. He can prove a lot of people wrong, as can Leon Best, by helping us through what is going to be a difficult period without our main striker.

He’s been gagging for a chance, and now he has it. Now he must take advantage of it!

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

43 thoughts on “Ben Arfa set for Blackburn chance

  1. Quick question lads, what ever happened to Phil Airey? There has to be some youth strikers getting close to the first team?

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  2. CT..I know he went to Hibs on loan, did nowt and came back after a month, and that his contract is up in June…other than that nowt.

    Has anyone subscribed to that Flashstream tv, is it any good and do they show FA cup games?

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  3. Wud be very surprised if benny started, i expect the puppet pardew to start shola and best upfront which makes no sense because all that blackburn have is ariel advantage over us. I think he regrets signing ben arfa n has clearly doesnt fit his vision for r club. its a shame cuz he cud have been brilliant

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  4. CTMAG>

    Airey was injured for a while and has not long come back in to the reserves picture.

    On Benny boy and the rest of our lads: I think Benny will chip in with a goal here and there too but his main aim surely has to be to make sure that Best (and possibly Strolla) have all the ammunition they need to get their goals as they re strikers (allegedley 😉 )

    When we last needed Best to step up to the plate when Carroll was injured he started banging them in and hopefully that will happen again.

    He must be our no.1 forward option if nobody new is coming in and I think we’ll be OK to be honest.

    Fingers crossed like. 😯

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  5. As can Shola Ameobi you might add Toonsy.

    If we were going on heckling players then maybe Bambi can teach Obertan the ropes of handling it 😆

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  6. Why can’t they start HBA on the right wing? Surely he is better than Obertan

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  7. I think we can still score goals without Ba, the problem is without Tiote we’re going to concede more, so we’ll need to score even more…and we don’t score loads as it is even with Ba…. 😕

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  8. Newkie, i have same concern .. reckon that best/shola/lover/hba will get some goals .. but we just a bit soft through the middle .. i dont think the win today is by any way a formality ….

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  9. Whoever we start, Blackburn will be in for a tough time. Firstly I think Keen will rest a good few of his players because his goal is to stay in the league..

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  10. SOUTHSAFRICATOON .. think the concern is that he won’t track back and protect the full back … that is not to say he would track back when playing through the middle, but at least we would have 2 centre mids to assist the defence if he didnt .. obertan is more mobile and stronger – altho i’ll admit i would like to find a way to get HBA more involved as he has the skillz TOON TOON

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  11. I would play him on the left wing against lesser oppostition, as i believe santon is more capable of defending than simpson, so he doesn’t need as much help..
    Jonas can play in games where we will be under more pressure..

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  12. Krul

    Simmo Collo Willo Santon

    Vukic Jonas Cabaye Raylor

    Best Ameobi

    That’s what I reckon today…

    Today will be a really tough game, we don’t need to be taking any chances disrupting the team more than necessary, this is our year for the cup after all !

    HBA will get a run out second half in place of Raylor… 😉

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  13. Can’t floppy chops somehow be charged with “bringing the game into disripute”. It’s way out of order the way he harps on about players at other clubs, without dignity, the bloke is also being investigated for financial irregularities ffs…

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  14. MUNICHMAG, if he hasn’t made a formal approach and is just sounding off then I don’t suppose there’s anything anyone can do.
    Be a different story if he or someone at the club have had contact with Ba.

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  15. Interesting point about HBA Toonsy, but I feel that Pardew sees Ba’s best position playing in the withdrawn striker role behind Best or Shola like he did so well against man u and earlier in the season, this is not good news for HBA, as I dont even think Pardew sees a HBA BA partnership as his first choice attack, and he certainly wont give HBA a game on the wing. Could prove to be really difficult for HBA to get a game when BA is fit and available.

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  16. Witters….That’s what happens when a club handles the Suarez situation like Liverpool has, it’s got their fans all riled up and LFC have to take some of the blame if the situation last night was as it appears to be.

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  17. Richie…Liverpool make out as if they’re these moral crusaders but are a bunch of hypocrites!!

    Throw the book at them I say….points deduction if proved true!

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  18. Richie .. sky have also just given the performance of the week to the scum for beating man city .. shud have been us … hope ba and tiote are playing

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  19. Hey everyone just looking for a bit of advice here.

    I’ll be heading over to a game next month, I always spend the night in Shearers bar after the games but I’ve 3 friends coming with me this time and they’ll be looking for a good night out over the weekend.
    We’ll be over for 2 nights, just wondering if anybody would recommend a few pubs and night clubs to go to. Thanks in advance lads. 😀

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  20. Toonpipes….So the performance of the week was given to a team that was battered for 90 minutes and scored in injury time as opposed to a team that outplayed, outfought and outhought the English champions 🙄 👿

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  21. Richie .. exactly .. total joke … said it a few days ago ,, but this season, there has already been 8 or so performance that are as good as any nufc has produced over the last 5-7 years in total .. we playing really really well

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  22. Does anybody think there will be any links for today or a no go as not on abroad? Should still be something as the highlights are on

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  23. I would like to see how the Sameobi brothers get on together up front.

    Krul
    Simmo Willo Collo Santon
    Jonas Guthrie Cabaye HBA
    Sammy Shola

    Subs Harper Raylor Perch Vuckic Best

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  24. matt tom .. theres some rumours that ba and tiote may play .. if they are available i would play them .. otherwise, i think best will get in ahead of sammy but would love to see them both play up front be wicked

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  25. Disappointing, Richie. I imagine there’ll be some radio links though, right? Somebody usually does something on Ustream, so fingers crossed. No hope of getting it here in the states otherwise…

    So Tiote & Ba are gone, right?

    Tiote & Ba.

    That sounds like a west African Cagney and Lacey style cop drama.

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  26. Looks like i’m being charged with grievous bodily harm for attacking someone on NYE…
    In my defence, if you hear an Afghanistani counting down from 10, your instincts kick in…

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  27. Suggest 4-3-1-2 with Jonas, Abeid & Vuckic doing the defensive stuff, with HBA the playmaker behind Best & Shola.

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  28. nee tv trucks .. eh?! surely someone will be following it for the highlights .. bollx if not

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  29. I think we have to play Benny up front against Blackburn, if not it’s Best and Ameobi and that would make it too easy for Samba and Hanley.
    Our strikers will have a far more physical game against Samba and Hanley who I think will win most balls in the air. Therefore we have to get it on the ground and play. Would even consider Benny and Sammy who are better on the ball and will run there defenders around.
    I’d keep Raylor on the right and if Guthrie is fit he has to be in, if not Vukic but we may struggle in there today

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  30. I’m thinking Benny & Best up front.

    I thought Vukic was good in his first start (where was that?) but didn’t do the defensive duty Tiote does.

    What is Abeid like? never seen him.

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  31. I see Abeid’s playing. Few saying that Pardew sees him as Tiotes natural replacement. If so why hasn’t he played more?

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  32. NUFC v #brfc (4-4-1-1): Krul; Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini (c), Santon; Obertan, Cabaye, Abeid, Gutierrez; Ben Arfa; Best

    there is the team

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