Charlie Nicolas said about this Norwich player?

[HappyhammerAndy 0]

Some players, Jeff, are too good to play in the Championship but not good enough to play in the Premier league each week. I can think of Dean Windass and Darren Huckerby last year". Woz he right?

[canary cherub 1]

Probably true that Windass wasn''t good enough for the Prem, but we''ll never know since he didn''t get there until he was well over 30.  Mind you I wonder what would have happened if Martin O''Neill had signed him in 1995, stayed at Norwich and got us promoted?  If anyone could have turned him into a Prem player it was O''Neill. 

Probably not true of Hucks in his prime, he was shaping up well at Coventry but after they sold him he lost his way for a few years until he came to Norwich.  If we''d had another 10 players as good as him (I don''t mean the same kind of player, but ability wise) we''d have stayed up in 2005 imo. 

But in any case "playing each week" isn''t really the issue, since there are plenty of quality players in the Prem who don''t do that. 

 

[norwichrossi 0]

Didn''t Paul Merson say it? Well huckerby was class when he was in the Premier League so i disagree with him

[CDMullins 498]

Was probably Merson, whilst watching the 3.20 at Kempton instead of his match

[HappyhammerAndy 0]

Good lad norwichrossi, just testing to see whether you were on the ball!!!!

[jimbob 0]

Earnshaw

[Panic 0]

It was Merson. And he said "that lad from Coventry. I want to sat Hucklebee."

[CaptnCanary 0]

Both Huckerby and Earnshaw, mentioned by jimbob, are/were quality players and definately of Premiership standard in what they did. However, both players are lacking in certain areas of their games, e.g. helping out defensively and when they haven''t got the ball. This can lead to the team balance being compromised and takes a very clever manager to be able to play them in a team that will do well in the Premiership. Maybe Hoolahan is falling into the same category. Hucks was definately Premiership quality. It was just difficult to play him as part of a well rounded Premiership team.