Kinell - **** news about Meyler - he was forming a great partnership with Livermore in centre midfield. I think I would play Hayden rather than Huddlestone, simply because he seems more of a grafter as Tom is more guile. Either that or bring Diame back into midfield - but I quite like him in the free role.
The entire team had 18 months of **** performances on their shoulders. Tom is a passer of the ball how do you expect him to pass it anywhere interesting when everyone's stood like a statue in our own half. Hayden has done **** all and doesn't deserve to be ahead of Tom at all. Huddlestone came on last game, had plenty excellent touches, some brilliant passes including one which played someone in who went on to **** up the chance (Hayden I think coincidentally) and scored an absolute belter. Huddlestone absolutely deserves his chance back in the team. Huddlestone is probably best in a two man midfield considering the best form of his life, when he was a key part of a team that finished 4th in the premier league and qualified for the champions league, came playing in a two man midfield. Tom and Jake played perfectly well together for 12 months when they first arrived so to say they can't is just bullshit. I'm sorry but it's got to be Huddlestone and I'm that sure it will be I'd put my house on it if I had one. You put your best players on the pitch not on the bench. I know he's everyone's favourite boo boy at the minute but this is just the way it is.
Diame is known to prefer playing as a creative attacking midfielder. Hayden has never let anyone down when playing in the middle, in fact he's improved with each game, he has a great engine and will mix it up with his attacking and defensive duties. Now who does that remind you of?
Then if it's not the Huddlestone effect it must be an entire coincidence that our results picked up last season when he bagged himself a four match holiday over Christmas, and similar for the last six league matches. I don't dislike Tom, and I think he's probably our most naturally gifted player, however we cannot, as has been proven, afford to carry him as a luxury player.
He is, he hasn't got the engine to play like a Meyler or a Livermore, and that's what's required at the moment, as has been emphasised by the success of the recent central midfield partnership. So if you think he could play a role like either of those two you're wrong. It would have a detrimental affect on the balance of the team, and the other players would effectively need to carry him as he doesn't have it in his make up to play the required role.
Don't agree that the entire team have been ****e for 18 months. Would you say Dawson has been? Or Elmo? Or the new signings? Even if that was the case, the rest of the team looked good when we dropped down to the Championship. Huddlestone continued to be slow, laborious and contribute very little, hence why he was dropped. Hayden has looked far more impressive than Tom this season for me. Clearly you don't agree, so that's one that we might as well agree to disagree on. The season Tottenham finished fourth Huddlestone spent most of his time in a midfield three so that's bollocks. It was him, Palacios and Modric. Playing your best players and not playing your best 'team' is exactly what we did wrong at the start of the season. Out of interest, here are a few stats: Hull City win percentage in league games Huddlestone played in 2014/15 - 19% Hull City win percentage in league games Huddlestone didn't play in 2014/15 - 28.5% Hull City win percentage in league games Huddlestone has started in 2015/16 - 40% Hull City win percentage in league games Huddlestone has not started in 2015/16 - 100%
Geeze, so Meyler out injured, Hernandez starting for Uruguay despite some saying he'd just be a sub, this International Break is as bad as I feared. I guess now we have that plodder Maloney to come on for him, or else we just bring Chuba back in - who's also now going to be exhausted after playing in Bosnia - and switch back to a 4-4-2.
Great post Rosie. I'm convinced that Bob's on a wind up, but if he isn't those last stats should convince him of the error of his ways. After saying all of that Bruce is a bit if a dinosaur, and dinosaurs don't usually base their selections on stats, so it wouldn't be a great shock to me to see him select Thudd, but it'd be a very bad mistake.
It's kind of stupid to do it like that though - considering for 2014/15 you looked at games he didn't play in at all but for 2015/16 you looked at games he didn't start in - when clearly he came on as a sub in most of them, so still influenced the game.
Thought I'd have a crack, thought for sure OLM would chuck a wobbly at that. But in all seriousness, utterly **** news. BUT Diame has looked great, so this opens up an extra midfield slot for him, while still allowing Akpom to come back in up forward, or Diomande when he's fit.
Stats are bull ****. If you can be arsed too crunch some numbers you can make them paint any picture you want.
