Newcastle Utd 1 Norwich City 0:CHRIS HUGHTON did Newcastle United several good turns but possibly his most significant managerial gift to Tyneside was the recruitment of Hatem Ben Arfa.
Desperate to escape Marseille, Ben Arfa was thrilled when Hughton arranged a loan deal later made permanent by Alan Pardew, yet by derailing Norwich’s quest for a first league win of the season, the Frenchman had a strange way of thanking his old manager yesterday.
It was Hughton’s first return to Newcastle since his sacking in December 2010 and the St James’ Park faithful treated Norwich’s manager to an early chorus of “Walking in a Hughton wonderland” before normal hostilities began and home fans realised that Wes Hoolahan was troubling Pardew’s defence.
“It felt strange coming back,” said Hughton. “I enjoyed it and I was delighted with my reception but we deserved a better result.”
Pardew says Ben Arfa is the one player he can rely on to get Newcastle “out of trouble” on days like this, when they struggle for fluency. Sure enough the home No 10 soon diminished memories of a messy opening courtesy of a cut inside by Javier Garrido and a wonderfully curving pass in Demba Ba’s direction.
Played onside by Michael Turner – Norwich’s former Sunderland centre-half replaced the hamstrung Newcastle old boy Sebastien Bassong after seven minutes – Ba swept his shot beyond John Ruddy from the edge of the area. Hughton’s expression turned suitably wry.
It was Ba’s fourth goal this season and it came at the end of a week in which he apologised to Pardew for comments made by his agent and brother when he was dropped at Everton last Monday.
The Ba camp are agitating for an improved contract and with Newcastle refusing to renegotiate, have, tacitly, threatened that he will leave when a £7 million release clause is reactivated in January.
Although he began on the left, Pardew encouraged Ba to regularly switch positions with Cisse, thereby affording him plenty of time in the central-striking role. On one occasion he gave Cisse a friendly, if slightly pointed, shove towards the left. Ba might have scored a second had he not failed to connect with another superlative through pass from Ben Arfa, delivered, this time, after giving Andrew Surman the slip.
The France international’s habit of dropping deep was confusing a Norwich team already knocked out of their early stride by Pardew’s decision to move James Perch into midfield and relocate Vurnon Anita to right back.
Even so, Hughton’s players clung on well enough until Steve Morison conceded a soft penalty with a push on Mike Williamson.
But Cisse struck the ball high into the Gallowgate End. So prolific last spring, Cisse has still to score this season and looks low on confidence.
Pardew was half angered, half pleased, that Ba and Ben Arfa, his elected penalty takers, both urged Cisse to take the kick. “It shows . . . how much our players look after each other,” he said. “But it won’t happen again.”
Guardian Service
