Huckerby - the future

[Salopian 1]

This may sound like heresy, but is meant to tbe a serious discussion point. Over the years we have owed so much to Hux - without him we would not have won promotion and with him in the side some fairly average players came alive.But he has not played well this season in his few games. Has he lost his spark, has his injury reduced his effectiveness, and will he ever be the force he was? Clearly a few more games should get him back to full match fitness, but in these our attacking edge may be blunted.Should we omit him for the Wolves match and play a 4-4-2 conventional shape, maximising both the midfield strength and the attacking possibilities, and reinstate him in some easier games to follow? Should we give him "days off" over the crowded period coming up? Or is he stillto be  the first name to be pencilled in on the team sheet and the remainder chosen and positioned to accommodate him?When all the suqad is fit and fully available, including the youngsters, I think that the manager will want to select teams on the basis of the opposition, - what many managers do,  and it is conceivable that Hux may be ommitted if we wish to put out a stronger midfield, and include him when we feel that we can cope and need to strengthen the attacking power? The same could apply to players like Brellier,Fozzy, Lappin, Smith, Russell - they will be combined to meet needs, so why not Hux?

[ZLF 335]

How much of the issue is his injury and lack of fitness is the key.   If he can capture half his pace and strength he will be a star again and may just need pitch time to get there.  At half pace on Sat he remained our most potent player by a mile - can we afford to drop him,  he is better than the rest at our club even when having a poor game!

Hux up front in a 4-4-2,  or off the front in a 4-4-1-1,  givena  free reign, accepting he will go left,  is how he should be used.   We can replace him after 65 mins as he tires and this will also give us the midfield shape that we are so clearly missing.  

[Old Boy 0]

I think it''s time to move on from the Huckerby era. He''s a loose cannon, and always has been, but now he''s lost the spark that made him so dangerous for any opposition, so we''re left with a petulant prima donna who''s more a danger to his own team. I''m not underestimating his huge contribution in past seasons, but, because he''s such a charismatic footballer in this company, he''s now stunting the development of the team. I didn''t see any great threat from him last Saturday, only the dribbling we take for granted, beating one or two players, but followed nearly every time by him losing possession. And when he''d done that, he couldn''t be bothered to try to get it back. He''s become a total one-trick show-pony, and it doesn''t work any more. What was his contribution last night? - to get involved in a tiff with Mills, which he must have been expecting and should be old enough to see the consequences of. All that happened was that he was diverted from the job in hand - helping the team get points - into a private feud. He lost that, and we lost the game.Everyone knows that he''s the best footballer we''ve got as far as technique goes, but technique doesn''t go too far on its own - you need a commitment to the team: and that''s what I feel Hux lacks now.

[Mello Yello 2,572]

Well, the NCFC board haven''t been fit for a number of seasons now.........and we still stick with them.

Just give them time. How long? Another 5, 10, 15 or 20 seasons more? As long as we turn up in numbers the business side of NCFC will remain a bundle of chuckles - and continue to be content to ''ride the occasional storm'' when rumblings of discontent start to appear. When it gets a bit ''heavy'' they chuck in a bit of fresh quality meat alongside the headless chicken carcasses, this sure enough, will appease the rebels, and the revolting punters - and the impending uproar fades to insignificance.......till the next time.

Huckerby, whilst not the saviour anymore, is still quality amongst our unknowns, the eight-toed Claude Hopper''s - and the formation wage packet collection team. He''s a loyal and integral part of the squad. I suspect he''s also getting fed up to the back teeth with our supposed ambition, manager and that his playing twilight years, are disappearing with a ''Pffffut!''

He may be unfit, he may be immensely ''cheesed off''....... either way, he''s way better than the majority of our "Ho Hum, clippety clops" that ply their trade on a £750,000 luvverly playing surface.