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Baldyboy

huckerby is a liability

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after watching saturday i feel huckerby is a liability that in our position we dont need. i think he is a great player when he puts his mind to it but is not a totally committed team player. the reasons for this are when he loses the ball he never tries to win it back as we saw on saturday with his hands on his hips moaning at others more than once and he is too greedy if someone else is in a better position he should pass instead of being a glory hunter all the time! i wish i knew how to accomodate him in our team as we need 2 strikers up front , maybe he would be better suited to playing wide but then he leaves us short defensively. i now this will stir up some people but we need to start winning now

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The guy is a great player, no question, and he virtually single handedly dragged us in to the Prem, but i have to admit i have wondered a few times about the team we would put out if he was injured and that it might actually be better balanced. It would allow us to play more traditonal wingers and forward players.

E.g.:

--------Green--------

ME----CF----SC----AD

MJ----DF----YS----JB

------LM----MS-----

Yes that''s Jim Brennan at left mid. And the best PARTNERSHIP i''ve seen up front for city in the past year has been Leon and Matty Svensson, although i''m probably seeing that with rose tinted specs since the first time i saw it was at Portman Road last December... nuff said!!
I think Leon and the Doc could work quite well also.

Thoughts?

p.s. please don''t treat this as a "drop huckerby" post. More a, "what if he was injured post!"

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Here we go!!!!! its Hucks turn 2nite, its been  Holt, the Doc,even Worthy now its Hucks turn to get a slagging off,

 He works his socks off during the game, sure he gets peee''d off same as the others when he looses the ball, but im sure hes 100% commited to the club as are the other players,

Who''s next i wonder Greeno for not clearing that 1st goal or not saving the free kick????????????

Get behind the team give them your support 100% instead of slagging them off,

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[quote]after watching saturday i feel huckerby is a liability that in our position we dont need. i think he is a great player when he puts his mind to it but is not a totally committed team player. the reaso...[/quote]

you have obviously been watching too much arsenal or something

forgive me, but who do you propose to put upfront as your two suggested strikers

who would supply them?  who would run from midfield and create the chances?  Hucks is the only one who will do this at present, given the qualities (and selection) in midfield

yes, he got us up to this league, but forgetting that for a moment, he is probably (barring green) the one player who will keep us there

to drop him (or lose him in case of injury) would mean survival would be incredibly difficult given the rest of our squad

i suppose you are thinking we are going to buy in a few cast offs from chelsea, i doubt that somehow, on our budget we largely have to work with who we have, and hucks is the best we have

as for not being a team player - i don''t think i will answer that, it might be the last post i ever do

 

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Worthy has said many times that Darren does what Darren does best, and that is often the unexpected, and that can also often be the spark that makes something out of nothing and scares defenders witless.  If it was a straight choice between having that ''unknown'' element within the team or not I know what I would choose every time, and, despite the areas of his game (which we all know too well) that are not his strengths, I for one see no reason to question his commitment based upon the performances I''ve seen from him in our beloved shirt.  I''m not saying that no one has the right to criticise him if they feel it''s justified, nor that there aren''t areas of his game that he could improve upon, just that I''ve consistently seen a player out there who really seems to care about his own performances and those of the team.  I''m willing to listen, however, if others feel differently!

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Strange then how Hucks got Man of the Match in a few reports.

The man is a star - he got us in this division and he can keep us in it (along with Helveg).

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hux is going to be one of our key players if we are to stay up. He plays a style of football that no other player can (sort of), i think its more that there has not yet been a striker that pairs up well with him. McKenzie will probly come good

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To say that Hucks does the "unexpected" is wrong. Every time he gets the ball he will turn, face his marker and try and skin him. Everyone expects that - but it ain''t easy to stop.He may not track back that vigorously but the amount of running he does is second only to Gary Holt and he would need to be superhuman to track back too.He is our only hope of staying in this division.

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[quote]after watching saturday i feel huckerby is a liability that in our position we dont need. i think he is a great player when he puts his mind to it but is not a totally committed team player. the reaso...[/quote]

This has to be a wind-up. Anyone who has witnessed our opening 8 games knows Hucks has often been the only class player we have in attack. Put simply, if we get the ball to his feet in the opposition half then we have a chance of either scoring or creating a goal scoring opportunity. Heaven help us if Huckerby gets injured this season.

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Yeah, you''re right about Hucks. What did he do for us on Saturday? OK, he won the penalty, and then scored from it. Apart from that? OK, he played a vital part in the build up to the second goal. Apart from that? OK, so he went on a glorious run from which Leon should have scored. Apart from that, he had half a dozen other superb runs and bits of play, otherwise he was a waste of space. GET REAL - WITHOUT THE HUCKSTER, WE''VE GOT BU**ER ALL CHANCE OF SURVIVAL. (PS - is the original poster a Scummer in disguise?).   

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Top thread!!Baldy boy  just when you think  all the tossers have gone back to school  or they''re fully occupied with their colouring books one creeps through I just love contentious but stupidity I get at work for nothing !!have a nice life

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This is gonna seem a little contradictory, but while I feel that Hucks is not a out and out striker, he is our best chance of scoring, whether or be through creativity or solo efforts. My personal feeling is that Worthy should go with swapping Bentley and Hucks around> This would allow McKenzie to be the out and out striker, Bentley just off him, thus giving Hucks the freedom to run down the left flank and cut in (like he did many times last year, to good effect),pulling the ball back for the incoming McKenzie, Bentley and midfielders (Francis et al), or going it alone.

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This has to go down as the most preposterous post of the year! Every team he has played against has been shaken by his movement and runs with the ball. He causes genuine fear in defenders minds - including Arsenals - and if we had 11 players of his ability we would be pushing for Europe. Of course he will have off games and as another poster says god forbid we lose him to injury - that is truly our worst case scenario... He has been our most consistent, and danagerous, player all season.As it is we probably have 3 top flight players in Hux, Greeno and Helveg, with Jonson and Bentley who could prove so over the season. It is the REST of the side that does not match up in terms of quality and if anything are the liability, not Hux.Having said that we have a squad that CAN stay in the premier as long as stupid campaigns like this arent allowed to get off the ground.United we stand, apart we will get relegated..OTBC

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You are barking mad. Mckenzie and Svennson? I bet that would make opposition defences poop themselves. If it weren''t for him, we wouldn''t be here, simple as that.

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I have to think that the lead headline  by Baldboy is just sensation seeking and mischievous, the intention, to provoke indignation among all NORMAL Forumites (which of course it has)

 The same sort of ploy as used by The Sun and Daily Mirror which, if Baldboy is sincere in his thoughts, is probably his preferred football reading medium.

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You are an idiot. You have obviously no idea about football and have probably never played to any sort of decent level in your life. Whatever sort of post is that?Darren Huckerby is about the one chance we have got of staying in this league - sure he''s a bit lazy when the other team have the ball but a player with his gift should use all his energy when he''s on the ball so he can hurt the opposition - which has been doing this season.I know football fans are traditionally fickle but I never expected this - you should never go to a football match again because you obviously don''t understand the game.

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[quote]after watching saturday i feel huckerby is a liability that in our position we dont need. i think he is a great player when he puts his mind to it but is not a totally committed team player. the reaso...[/quote]

Thanks for the laugh Baldyboy  ...........  most of the replies to your post are descriptive enough without my adding to them

It WILL be a bad day in Black rock if Hucks does get injured .....  luckily he has developed  a reasonable tactic to avoid  the neanderthals from breaking his legs ....... and he gets quite a few free kicks  awarded in the process ! 

I have thought  for quite a while that  Hucks is left without any back up  far to often ......  this means that the defence can concentrate  soley on stopping him [ usually at all costs ] so we have the usual scenario   where Hucks  is up there on his tod  !! all very entertaining  ,  but we need another two guys with him when he goes  on his runs  ,  that should have the effect  of  dividing  the defence   and thus  increasing  the liklihood of more shots at the goal .............. am I being a bit naive in thinking this ?

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I agree fully with Worthy Nigelton.

Huckerby is employed as a striker, not someone whose energy should be used trying to win the ball back, that''s what the midfield and defence are there to do. It''s obvious that without Huckerby in our side we''d have next to no chance of staying in this league, surely anyone who has any grasp of the game can see that. Svensson simply doesn''t have the ability or the will to oust Huckerby from the side.

Everyone keeps calling Huckerby the provider, but he''s scored 3 goals himself this season, and is our main threat in attack. We can''t seriously drop him and expect a distinctly average player like Svensson to replace him.

Hucks is a God, simple as that.

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[quote]If Darren Huckerby hadn''t signed for us last Christmas, we''d still be playing in the same league as Ipswich.[/quote]

you are quite right beds canary

i think the originator of this post must be from the southern most tip of the famous A140, don''t you!!

 

 

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Come on peeps, this is the best start of a thread in a long time

Of course Hucks is a liabilty because he doesn''t track back enough.  Green is a liabilty because he conceedes too many goals; Eddy is a liabilty coz he doesn''t cross balls with suffuicient accuracy; Drury is a liability because he doesnt create enough chances from his overlaps; Fleming is a liability coz he doesn''t score from enough set pieces; Charlton is in the liability club  because he isn''t tall enough; Francis doesn''t score enough goals; Holt can''t make a killer pass; Bentley is too young; McVeigh doesn''t have enough physical presence; Leon should have a better strike rate ....etc, etc....

Mind you, we are bottom

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Fatman Fat - that is a brilliant post and had me smiling whilst I was reading it. All players have flaws (apart from maybe Henry) but Huckerby more than makes up for his!

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I think you''ll find an overwhelming majority opinion that Huckerby is our most valued outfield player, that without him we would have scraped the play-offs at best, and to omit him from the team would be madness.

However, being neither an orthodox midfielder or orthodox striker it does force compromises. Its either 4-4-1 with Huckerby (leaving the striker isolated) or 4-3-2 with Huckerby (leaving the midfield outnumbered).

That''s the dilemna, but any solution has to include hucks !

 

 

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[quote]I think you''ll find an overwhelming majority opinion that Huckerby is our most valued outfield player, that without him we would have scraped the play-offs at best, and to omit him from the team would...[/quote]

The mid field would be outnumbered ? .............  if Hucks  and a couple of  other players  were to start  getting among the oppositions defence   they will be too busy crapping themselves to present any threat  to our , slightly depleted, midfield......... ........... 

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One thing that we haven''t tried is to play him as a support man to the front 2. Although this would mean harking back to the diamond formation (which has worked well at times) the place occupied by Bentley and Squiz was never tested by Hucks. He played here for Forest in the very succesful loan spell which saw them in the play offs. This would give Leon a go up front with perhaps Ginger Pele, Sven or even Jonno.

It''s unfair to say that Hucks is lazy, but it is also unfair to have a go a someone for giving their opinion. Surely that''s what the board is for.

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Hux is there to create and score goals. Simple as that. The perception that he might be "lazy" probably comes from the fact that when he runs b****y hard at the opposition defence and if the attack breaks down he is out of puff to then run b****y hard all the way back again- he returns with hands on hips getting his energy back. At full speed up and down all the time he''d be knackered by half time.

However anyone notice Jose Mourinho''s comments about Joe Cole? Many years Hux''s junior but Mourinho says he needs to contribute more than the fancy dan stuff. Interesting to see if Nigel has a different approach............

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You know what you get with Hux. His strengths are that he uses his blistering pace to to scare the heebeegeebees (a distant cousin of the Gibb bros apparently) out of any defender. His weaknesses are that he will only very rarely truly contest a header and does not defend as committedly as some forwards.

What Hux is not is lazy. I have rarely seen a game where he has left the pitch looking as fresh as a daisy; he just commits 99% of his energys in attacking the opponents goal - something he does well and is actually paid to do.

What you have to weigh up is what would happen if Hux was instructed to track back on every occassion? What cost would that bring to his attacking play, would it mean fewer runs or a blunting of that pace towards the end of matches?

Given the toothlessness of the rest of our forward line I know what option I prefer - its a committed Hux focusing on attacking and leaving the midfield to do their job, rather than losing some of that upfield defensive formation. Its someting that CIty should have been able to play with having had Hux at the club for a year now.

I am also loathe to change back to the diamond - Hux had more space and received the ball more in the 4-4-2 than in any of the diamond games (incl Spurs).

I do agree with the view that Eddie is a liability though...

OTBC

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well, i see i stirred up a hornets nest here! many of us have differing opinions on huckerby but i never suggested he should be dropped etc as some people have suggested. the point i was tring to make was that we are BOTTOM of the league and when someone loses the ball THEY should at least attempt to win the ball back not rant and rave at teammates for not getting it for them! many of you say Hux can single handedly keep us in the prem, well you are wrong! he cant do it on his own, christ i wish he could!. the truth is he needs to be more of a team player and not be as greedy as he can be. i agree that he has looked good but has he won any matches for us SINGLEHANDEDLY? NO! as for calling me a scummer id rather boil my head than be blue that is the ultimate insult after watching city for 35 yrs! as for knowing nothing about football well thats wrong too, i am actually a youth coach and the one thing we try to encourage at youth level is to be a team player not a one man band. i hope i am proved wrong about hux keeping us up because nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing us retain our place in the prem but sadly one man isnt gonna do it alone, what we need is 11 players playing together. city till i die never a blue!

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Hux a liability? mmmmm, I''d rather he were IN the team than OUT.

Lazy? I don''t think so. Conservation of energy and concentration on attacking is a necessity for any attacker wanting to make a mark on a game. We have to accept that he''s not gonna track back as it''s not in his genes, just like Holty isn''t gonna start dribbling into the box and scoring regularly after mazy long runs at petrified defenders. With Hux, we know what he can and can''t do and it seems a little pointless to harangue the guy for stuff we know is not part of his game. 

As regards Hux'' best position? I would have to say as an out-and-out striker, alongside a pacy hustle-and-bustle forward who''s not afraid to stick the boot/head/body in where it may get painful. Head of a diamond, in my opinion, isn''t where Hux should be.

Formation-wise; 4-4-2 is the best one to play, it''s easy to adopt and is fairly balanced, both in going forward and defending. Finding the personnel to fit the formation may take a little longer to fathom out though. 4-4-3 is not going to work in this Division, as we''re no longer one of the stronger teams in the Division. 

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