A silver lining?

[ZLF 271]

I suspect I am alone on this but I think there may be a silver lining in having Dion and earnie injured.

We have finally been forced to remove hux from the left flank and put him up front, where he belongs and where produced a display more inspiring and creative than anything we have seen from either him on the flank or Dion and Earnie up front.  The goal will come, and not just from him but the rest of the team IF he continues to play like that.

The bonus from this is that with a decent left midfielder or even just Robbo filling in on the left side we suddenly looked far more solid in midfield too, with drury particularly defending better overall and being more dangerous going forward.

Thirdly it forces us to play shacks and doc at the back,  because dion is no good for us in the medium let alone long term and may foirce us to signing someone else

Fourthly Huckerby and thorne looked more like a partnership than any combination of earnie and or dion and another.

Fifthly having hux up front forced us to focus on playing the ball from the back,  not always successfully but at least the focus on trying to play football was there, rather than aim a long ball for earnie to scamper after or for dion to flick on.

Finally we have seen that in Chris Martin we may finally have a youngster who could make the grade - I just hope the first team coaches dont take that movement out of him,   it was a pleasure to watch.     

[The Great Drinkell 50]

Couldn''t agree more Zipper. Hux best game for ......well probably the Cardiff game at the end of his lone spell. We just need to finish off his good work.

 

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Good post Zip. But as Wiz and others would say.......''every silver lining has a cloud.''

[nutty nigel 7,506]

Fair play to you ZLF. You have been advocating playing Hux up top for a long time where I was always in favour of playing him wide left in a 442. I think you have called it right and I am certainly coming round to your way of thinking. Wolves couldn''t cope with Hux tonight and on another day we would have won comfortably. If Hux and Thorne can work then there must be a good chance that Hux and Brown can work.

I know we lost and I know we are in a serious position but I can see positives too.

The goalkeeper looked confident off his line which was arefreshing change and he already seemed to have an understanding with his team mates which can only get better with games.

The back four first half looked solid and seemed to play more confidently than of late, of course that changed when Shackell had to go off.

The midfield were better, especially first half. Second half Hughes looked totally out of sorts on the left and we suffered a bit for the forced changes. Safri had a good game and seemed to play a bit further forward then usual which was good to see but maybe was because Wolves were never much of a threat. Etuhu was not at his best and for me he is a really frustrating player. With Hux up front often drifting to the left to get crosses back in there are big spaces for Etuhu to get in the box and get the goals like Francis used get for us, but he looks low on confidence and he never seems to really see his runs through.

I thought Thorne actually did ok tonight and we maybe saw glimpses of what we could have had if he had ever been fit. It''s too late now though and it will be best for all concerned when he manages to find another club.

So Saturday will it be Brown and Hux up front with hopefully a couple of new signings behind them? And was Grants plan always to put Hux up front and Chadwick wide left?

Interesting!

 

 

[Master J-Do Pur 0]

I have been trying to say this since earnies injury

[Regime Change 0]

I''d like to be able to agree with you but I am sure as soon as Dublin or Earnie are fit Grant will put Huckerby back on the wing.

As for signing somebody else to play at centreback - I wouldn''t hold your breath mate!

[Gingerpele 0]

all of hux good play was when he moved to the wing and linked up with robinson, he cuts in from the wing he dosnt run through the middle of the defence, and his finishing is not the best, to near the middle of the goal, his F.A ngoals where underneath the GK last night his shot was an inch beside murry.. he is a better player on the wing shooting from outside the box.

[sheded 0]

[quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]

I suspect I am alone on this but I think there may be a silver lining in having Dion and earnie injured.

We have finally been forced to remove hux from the left flank and put him up front, where he belongs and where produced a display more inspiring and creative than anything we have seen from either him on the flank or Dion and Earnie up front.  The goal will come, and not just from him but the rest of the team IF he continues to play like that.

The bonus from this is that with a decent left midfielder or even just Robbo filling in on the left side we suddenly looked far more solid in midfield too, with drury particularly defending better overall and being more dangerous going forward.

Thirdly it forces us to play shacks and doc at the back,  because dion is no good for us in the medium let alone long term and may foirce us to signing someone else

Fourthly Huckerby and thorne looked more like a partnership than any combination of earnie and or dion and another.

Fifthly having hux up front forced us to focus on playing the ball from the back,  not always successfully but at least the focus on trying to play football was there, rather than aim a long ball for earnie to scamper after or for dion to flick on.

Finally we have seen that in Chris Martin we may finally have a youngster who could make the grade - I just hope the first team coaches dont take that movement out of him,   it was a pleasure to watch.     

[/quote]

Dont know about the absence of Dion and Ernie  being a silver lining ,  but I see where your going ,  The match was actually entertaining,  we threw  everything at Wolves  ,  that keeper  needed Kryptonite rammed down his pants !     so , yes , the formation change  has indications of being  THE  one to keep  !!

Wolves  seemed to have only one objective  , and thats to kick lumps out of Hucks !  no doubt who worried them the most .....  

I`m upbeat !  if we can play like this  on a regular basis   , there`s no way we  can be relegated ,  and still enough left of the season  to even get the play-offs ?  its a funny old game [:D]

[ManchesterCanary 0]

Good post Zipper...much more thoughtful than all that doom and gloom

[Blainsey 2]

I agree completely, Hucks must play up front.Ever since he ws switched to the left flank we have done badly, when he was up front we did well.

:)

[Tumbleweed 106]

The major thing for me is that Hux up front bolsters the midfield. This has been obvious ever since he arrived at the club. The midfield woes are often purely a result of being out numbered. Some will say that he needs to do his bit of defending, but he is our talisman and our bit of flair- why stymie him when you can exploit that up front. No-one would have complained had we still had Leon up front and out of Hux and Leon I know which one I would rather have to partner Earnie.

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,017]

Totally disagree with this, I have no problems with Hux moving up front, I thought he was superb last night and god help us if he gets injured, but at the moment we have no one to cover him on the left hand side of midfield, when he moved inside and Hughes went out on the left we went "off the boil" and looked really unbalanced, it was only when Martin came on and Hux went back out wide we started to threaten again. So I say no until we have somebody who can play left midfield in his place.

[BBFF 0]

Yes good one Zipper, would like to have seen Martin start, Shackell & Doc still have to sort it out better or replace one or other, Etuhu can pack his bags when he likes and fine a club he wants to play for. But as others have said Grant will forget all the good points (Huckerby) from last night when the others are fit.

[Fat Barman 0]

Ah, but what about the great tartan hope, Lappin, SOB?, With a genuine wide leftie on board, Hucks can drift where he wants - just like the promo season. WLY used to start on the left and switch around with Hucks, oppo defenders used to look dizzy after 5 minutes!

[huck tastic<IMG src="http:new.pinkun.comforumsimagesline.gif"><BR><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Bryan Hamilton could turn this around...<BR><FONT> 0]

I agree with this...Drury had his best game going forward for ages too...I think because he felt less exposed with a proper midfielder in front of him...

Hux was also excellent, and would have won the game for us with any kind of striking partner last night...

Chadwick or Lappin at left wing and we may have a way out of this mess... 

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,017]

Exactly the point I am alluding to FB, if we had a fit Chadwick or we sign Lappin then Hux would be able to move into his free role, but until we have a natural left sided midfielder to fill the void it is a pointless exercise, as we saw last night when Hux moved inside and Hughes played on the left (this is not a criticism of Hughes as he was played out of position)

[ZLF 271]

But Robbo did fill in well last night