When Huddlestone gets stuck in he can also get sent off. You don't keep trying something that doesn't work. I really hope Bruce finally sees that changes have to be made.
He can pick a pass out but usually it's sideways around the halfway line which doesn't create or hurt the opposition it just looks pretty
Ramirez isn't good enough for City, one good game doesn't make a player. For most of the season he has been injured or woeful. There are better players available i am sure, young up and coming midfielders who don't fall over or bounce of the opposition when caught in possession of the ball. I wouldn't pay more than a million for Ramirez, i'm not sure Bruce is convinced and with the financial fair play ruling i'm not sure we would again spend 6 million on a player who is injury prone. Dodgy knees et al. CTID
Ah which Italian football website has that pearl of wisdom come from? I'm big on Bolivian football and I know for a fact via news in Bolivia that Ramirez wants to sign for us and nowhere else.
Great fight back today, thought N Doye today would not have looked out of place in Chelsea's team, very creative, held the ball well, all round handful. Midfield were good, just don't see how you can put Meyler in front of Huddlestone personally, and as I said a few weeks ago Huddlestone should shine more with Robbo, Elmo ,N Doye and now Hernandez to aim for. Meyler to me will not give us much going forward and continually gets caught the wrong side of the ball, and as he has no pace cannot get to the defensive side of play. I hope Brucie was impressed with our attacking play, enough to go for it a bit more, our two strikers yesterday made Cahill and Donkey look poor.
I have to say the mid-field moved the ball much quicker yesterday without Hudd in the team, and agree with other posters that Livermore, who I thought had an excellent game, does look better without Hudd in the team.
It moved quicker through the midfield because we completely bypassed it, every time Elmo or McShane got on the ball they pinged it into N'Doye and Hernandez. So you're saying that isn't more effective than a headless chicken who constantly gives the ball away and when he doesn't he passes it no further than 3 metres? Also did you not see that amazing ball Tom put into Elmo who then set up Jelavic for the sitter against Leicester? Thought not.
You all seem to be forgetting Diame. He is the more natural upgrade on Meyler.....keeps the energy whilst providing more goal threat and better passing. Much as I like Huddlestone, Livermore definitely seems to come into his own and take more responsibility when Huddlestone isn't around.
I honestly believe our strongest midfield 3 would be Livermore, diame and Ramirez. Some people slag ramirez off and yes he loses the ball too easily sometimes but that's what you get from a player who is trying to move the ball forward at every opportunity. Given a run of games till the end of the season I think he will show why Southampton paid the money they did for him
Those who support Huddlestone (very often it seems more than the team) tend to conveniently forget any bad passes he does.
After an impressive display like that, it seems churlish to post a word of caution but... Like the Man City game, all the pressure of expectation was off us, and Chelsea would struggle to raise their game just for us. I hope a performance like that, especially after them having a two goal start gives them the freedom and confidence to kick on. The danger is that the other big teams will be aware of the potential.
Well it's certainly a lot less than Meyler. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Meyler but ahead of Huddlestone, really?
Snodgrass will replace Ramirez next season. IMO Snodgrass is a much better all round player than Ramirez. Ramirez is great, but if I had to choose between the two I'd pick Snoddy. He also can deliver a ball on set pieces, something our current lot seem to find impossible to do.
Meyler isn't there to do the same thing as huddlestone though is he? He's there to break up opposition attacks and be a pest. Huddlestone is there to dictate tempo and spray passes, maybe offer a goal threat. For a few months now, meyler has done his job very well and huddlestone has set a slow tempo, misplaced some easy passes and has offered the same amount of goal threat as, well, meyler. As it stands the midfield trio we had yesterday worked so well because they compliment each other and cover for each others faults. Meylers defensive work allowed jake to play as more of a box to box player and their energy allowed gaston the freedom to be more of a playmaker. When Diame comes back in he'll be the one to replace meyler as the energetic enforcer type player, but with a hell of a lot more aspects to his game, such as an attacking threat. Snodgrass/diame/livermore is the three i'd like us to set up with next year if we're playing with the same formation, with Huddlestone coming off the bench to see out games and meyler to come on if we're ahead and looking to hold off the oppo onslaught.
Yes great performance from everyone and yes the midfield ran their socks off how ever it must carry on, hopefully it will give the whole team a lift even though we didn't get anything apart from keeping our goal difference down. If the Liverpool home game is called off which I think it will then we have three away games and are not at home until Saturday May 2nd against Arsenal. We all know we have properly the most difficult run in so no excuses the effort we so yesterday will have to be repeated over the next eight games and that is a MUST
Are you for real, 1 pass!!! So we'll put him back in cos he did a good pass against Leicester. The midfield looked better without him in it, did you not watch the game? Thought not.
