So what exactly has Hatem Ben Arfa done then?

Posted on September 25th, 2010 | 102 Comments |

Ben Arfa - The boy has done good.
Ben Arfa - The boy has done good.
It seems to me as though the press have a bit of a bee in their collective bonnet regarding Hatem Ben Arfa.

It would appear that they are suddenly overly concerned about his past behaviour and how it could impact on Newcastle should he showcase it at St James’ Park. How sweet eh?

I mean if I was a cynical person I would perhaps suggest that the ickle little press are a bit annoyed that things are going rather swimmingly on Tyneside at the moment.

I would also hazard a guess that the same press are suitably irked about Newcastle having what looks to be a quality player in the shape of Hatem Ben Arfa in our squad. No doubt that wasn’t in their plans. He should have gone to a better club than us in their eyes no doubt!

There is only one reason that the press have decided to air these stories again, and that is to get a reaction. I understand that what I am writing can be classed as a reaction, but really my purpose is to highlight just how pathetic the press are again. In fairness, that is a point that is easily made!

Whatever happened to journalism, proper journalism? All I have seen regarding Hatem Ben Arfa is a rehash of old stories (parts of which are now ten years old I may add) put together and re-released. It’s lazy above all else, but people still read it which is why it is done I guess. Viewing figures are more important than anything else to some it seems.

Hatem Ben Arfa has done nothing wrong since he has been at Newcastle. Admittedly he hasn’t been here that long, but early indications suggest that the players like him, the manager likes him and the fans like him. He has trained when he has had to, played when and where he has been asked to and says all the right things to the press. What is the problem?

The player has past form for bad behaviour, but the key word in that sentence should be ‘past’. Are people not allowed to change or what? If he does end up spitting the dummy out or sulking off at some point in the future then so what? The key word in that particular sentence is ‘future’. Let’s worry about it if, IF, it ever happens.

Whatever happens in the future will happen, but the point I am making is that nothing has happened now, the present, this moment or whatever. People should get off the back of the lad and stop trying to drag him down rather than predicting fall out’s before Christmas.

I almost forgot to mention that the main perpretrator in all this is again The Daily Mail.

Enough said then!

NUFCBlog Author: toonsy toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.

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102 Responses

  1. You’d think being at the same club as Barton, Ranger and Carroll, that his ‘bad boy’ tag would have been dropped.

  2. Well said, the press just can’t leave this alone and have to make up crap about anyone and everything to do with newcastle, i wonder if manure went through the last 24/36 months newcastle have if they would get the same publicity as us, i think not and they wonder why people are buying less and less newspapers it’s not because of the internet (although that helps) it’s because the dam idiots that write the things, cover their pages in crap you might as well not bother.
    Journalism these days isn’t about getting real facts, it’s about reporting something that might happen in the future lets hope they all have their crystal balls well polished (are thinking about it perhaps thats why the sun employed mistic meg all those years ago to teach them how to read balls) or bull in the case of the NOTW & THE SUN

  3. Aye, too right. They didnt moan too long about Cantona did they? Still the best foreigner to play on English soil for me. The lad looks total class, the team looks ok at the mo too, I reckon we are going to do alright. We seem to have decent players, compared to the abundance of total shit that is out elswhere at the minute. Oh and what a refreshing change to see some tabloid headlines devoted to hookers and a certain Mr Rooney ( Terry, Lampard,Beckham etc), and the other ‘stars’ that have supposedly bedded her. I bet they wont be talking about that on MOTD…twats.

  5. They should be called The Daily Mule for many reasons, not least that they keep making asses of themselves!!

  6. It shocking the treatemnt we get from certain sectors of the press! Have they nothing better to do?

    Yeah ben arfa prob will throw his toys out of the pram in a few seasons but so what? Lets take advantage of his talent for as long as he heres and IF its happens it happens.

  7. off to watch the heed smash luton town into smithereens & the moz to watch arfa take the piss out’a stoke shity..

    …& for the gamblers among us the odds are an eye popping 9/1 !!!…..

    ..lump on collect your spon & hail the ale !

  8. What has Hatem Ben Arfa done? He’s came into the Newcastle squad and on his first start not only scored a whirler but generally made Everton’s back line look foolish. No wonder the press are trying to stirr up rubbish. He hasn’t been involved in a training ground punch up immediatly and he has, performed immediatly.

    Anything to rock the boat as far as the red top’s are concerned. I think they’ll be thoroughly disappointed though. I can see Benny becoming a bit of a cult hero, like other French players we’ve had in the past and being thoroughly happy here.

    Also, off topic but I was just watching Soccer AM here and they showed the best goals from the Carling Cup. None of our goals involved. The 20 pass move that was finished with the ball in the net, obviously not deemed good enough. Ameobi stroking the ball into the net casually from 20+ yards, obviously not good enough. Ryan Taylor’s Free kick, obviously not good enough. Christ, we scored the best goals of the competition in that one game!

  9. The Carroll court case will give them plenty of fire. When is that?

    I used to buy World Soccer magazine which is where true football journalism occurs. Some of the articles on here remind of that mag. I might start buying it again since my love affair with football appears to have returned.

    We need to remain united against the destructive journalism aimed almost constantly at our beloved club. On this matter we cannot afford to let them back in. They really whipped up some if us a couple of years ago which almost destroyed the club.

  11. Come on then, who we getting in the cup draw then?

    Team and home/away.

    My guess is Arsenal or Man Utd away.

  13. komfort-ahh right, bloody hell. I was all over the net lookin for where you were gettin 9/1 on a home win there like, haha.

    Toonsy-Obviously it’s pot luck, literally, but looking down the list for some reason Wigan and Leicester stuck out at me. They’re my picks.

  14. Toonsy

    Aye you can see it coming, Just as you start looking at the teams left and thinking a lucky draw and were we could get to wembley and we draw Arsenal or Manure away…

    Were due a home draw or two

  15. Ross just bout your soccer am thing , on wed i watched over 2 hours of sky sports news straight and none of goals were showed yet everyone else were! maybe sky are out to get us aswell….

  17. The British tabloids run 2 lines with Newcastle – one that rubbishes them and one that fans want to read. We don’t believe the former and sort of believe the latter. This Ben Arfa crap is an example of one side, stories such as Ben Arfa being bought as a no 10 and the Ashley imposed salary cap is an example of the other.

  18. johno-It’s just a bit strange mate. The best goals of the Carling Cup, they’re well aware we beat Chelsea and scored 4 goals in the process yet none of them are featured. Who knows, I love Soccer AM in general but I found it a bit annoying like, purely because I wanted to see them again, lol.

  22. lads i have sky! but some1 on the blogg said it is free this weekend 2 watch skysports is it true..i havnt got skysports package.

  23. Asim-Sky Sports should be free this weekend as long as you have sky. By the looks of things, all the sports channels are free today and tomorrow.

  26. TOONSY its stone wall we will get wolves away thats sods law,hope ime wrong like but thats toons luck nowt comes easy

  27. Man Utd Arsenal drawn together would be nice.
    Asim it’s sposed to be free might be worth phoning them

  29. To be fair, in the opening few minutes of Soccer A.M. today, part of Helen’s ‘stuff’ included 3 goals from this week…one of which was Taylor’s excellent free kick…dunno why Sky Sports didn’t show the goals after the Chelsea game on Wed nite…but did notice that on the Chelski website after the game, they were planning to show the full game from midnite on their Chelsea TV channel…Sky did show the goals along with everyone else’s the following morning. Corporate back scratching…?

  30. benny has done nowt,the daily shite is trying to start something like dyer/bowyer,barton crap the toon have been through they think it will sell there rag,it might down south they will lap it up.
    two fingers to themm imo

  35. souness comes across surprisingly well on tv actually! smart man but still a disastorous coach no doubt.

    is the draw on tv>

  43. happy enough wi that………I’d rather face the big teams earlier than later……….and Wenger will play more young uns in the earlier rounds………Tell me Ma me Ma I won’t be home for tea ;-)

  45. richietoon, am gannin doon toon Marseille for the match the morra…should be good crack, as long as complacency doesn’t set in…

  46. I really thought this might be Arsenal’s year for the Carling Cup. They might have to look elsewhere for silverware now…

  47. The press are going to tear HBA a new arsehole since he will most likely be up against diaby in the Carling Cup in 1 months time :(

    Lets hope he can rise above it and spur him on like Joey is doing at present!

  49. Munich……..enjoy it mate,amazing atmosphere there when we played them………ya got ya Ben Arfa Toon top on for it? ;-)

    I’m away owa Germany for a few days in November :-)

  50. for the tie against arsenal. what you do is.. just put carroll in to the stating line up. koscielny and vermaelen or djouru will get a real battering.

  51. Well, its to be expected, we are NUFC after all, all mad raving loony unrealistic supporters obsessed with messiah managers and all biggest ego’s in the game. Its a shame but hopefully after a few more good displays from Arfa, and as little as much coming from the dressing room the press will pick on some other team to badger.

    On a side note..Arsenal at home for the CC? Should be a good un :)

  52. Typical – the ARSEnal. Oh well, nice while it lasted. Why can’t we ever get draws like the Mackems or Smogs do?

  53. To be fair magpie, we did knock out arguably the favourites for the competition-and at a venue we hadn’t won at it something like 26 years. At least we’re at home..and I think I’d prefer Arsenal over Man U..think we might have what it takes to make it a good game at least, and thats all we can ask for.

  54. Munich@45…..just read ya post again……so ya mean going doon there to watch toon match so ignore my first paragraph @49 :-)

  55. He love being in our squad !!!

    The CC game with Chelsea at half time when the reserve players were warming up I saw all the lads were playing together and then they practiced on something with I reckoned that Toony Ben Arfa lost or something then Nolan Barton and Carroll all flick at his ears for punishment. lol It’s cracking funny :)

    and also it goes to show that how nice our dressing room are with all the great banter among the team.

    So I genuinely believe the lad will fit in just fine and hope he like that so he will stay with us forever :P

  58. apparently the Liverpool goal is a gaff:

    “I don’t believe that’s been given to be honest. Sunderland are awarded a free-kick midway in their own half, and Michael Turner turns and taps the ball back to his goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to take it. Dirk Kuyt pounces, collects the loose ball and runs through on goal before beating a stunned Mignolet. Referee Stuart Atwell is going to get a lot of stick for that.”

  62. Blackpool 1 down as well, hopefully Wigan, West ham and west brom can all lose to make it a perfect days results

  83. batty I think I’ve guessed wrong cos the one I thought it was has posted on here too,don’t think he’s used it on here has he?…….which pic?

  87. Dave……thought I had but not noo………. but might not have even read the posts cos hardly ever go on Ed’s…….I’d need a date……..thats not me asking anyone oot for dinner btw :lol:

  95. Liverpool 2-2 Sunderland. That’ll do nicely for me I reckon.

    Could do ith Arsenal getting a couple of goals. Arshavin to get them both would be better :)

  98. BIG DAVE are you useing threating words to poor young batty,shame on you,ill set stardust on you mind

  99. BIG DAVE dont know about m.o.t.got rid of my old one,cops sussed it,got a second hand one off BATTY tenner a wk

  100. Ice you know I wouldn’t say owt bad about wor Batty I try to look out for him and defend him cause he gets it rough sometimes from his Stalkers ;)

    Toonsy do they not need MOTed if not dont say owt because Batty told me Ice asked him for a £100 advance on his Lead money cause he didnt want to get caught without mot :) because he got stopped the lasttime for no mot or waste carriers license

  101. “There is only one reason that the press have decided to air these stories again, and that is to get a reaction.”

    That is what a hack’s job is Toonsy, to get a reaction, and especially in the Daily Mail’s case, a reaction of anger and / or fear. In the past, it has worked very well in the case of Newcastle United because we fans have been so gullible and dull witted in the past. We have also overreacted ludicrously to their made up dross to the point where the reaction to the story becomes the story itself.

  102. bit of a case of the club moving forward but the press stuck in the past…
    they’re too used to writing the same type of stories about the toon to be bothered actually doing a bit of journalism