Should Hux Be Left Out For A Game Or Two???

[Scum Buster!!! 0]

I no he can turn a game and thats what you need but i just think recently hes been off colour and maybe needs a rest because i think we have knackered him out and also then we might not relie on him so much and that makes us play better football i think

let me know what you think!

OTBC!!

[BedsCanary 0]

It''s possible he was injured during the Man City game. He was taken out in the early stages of that match and hasn''t looked the same since. He went through a similar spell last season after the West Brom game when it turned out he had broken his ribs.

[morty 0]

No way mate, are you crazy???

[Making Plans 936]

[quote]I no he can turn a game and thats what you need but i just think recently hes been off colour and maybe needs a rest because i think we have knackered him out and also then we might not relie on him s...[/quote]

NO

[Bury Yellow 2]

Ah the joys of free speech. What a wonderful and fascinating game football is.

Of course you are entitled to start a post such as this to stimulate discussion but I can''t believe your serious. I think you are doing a bit of stirring aren''t you?

Hucks is not infallible, I accept that, but I really do think you are getting spoilt.

Hucks always takes three of the opposition with him. He works his socks off whilst not being the greatest tackler in the world.

I am not saying that he must never be dropped and there will probably be a time when he can be rested but in my opinion at the moment he still must be the first name on the team sheet.

I suppose I am biased as I can remember not too many years ago when the likes of Sutch and Llewellyn were permanent fixtures in the team. What a nightmare. By the way, anyone think Jonson is a lookalike of the loyal(sic) Sutch?  Same gait, same heading ability-that''s another nightmare - what chance has he got poor soul.

Why not go the whole hog and find a place and another chance for Helveg (Anyone see him against the Arse reserves? .... Yep! Exactly)

No. Nice try Scum Buster but living in the heart of Scum land, the Hucks weapon is very valuable to us yellas across the border, especially when these thick binners try and tell us with a straight face they have no money problems at Portaloo Rud anymore and that we are in the deepest of financial trouble. We have to keep telling them not to take any notice of the Doomcaster.

Now, there''s another worry!!

[Anderz 0]

This idea is a non-starter. Unless injured, Hux has to be one of the first names on the teamsheet. His pace and ability is one aspect of the team we can ill afford to be without. Skillwise and knowledge of winning games in the Premiership is something we''re lacking anyway, why hinder ourselves even more so by taking out one of our strongest utilities.  

[ZLF 271]

We cant drop the best striker (nay player) at the club - dropping hux in place of Jonson, McVeigh,leon or sven would show that we think as much about work rate as Worthy does.

Return him to his rightful place as a striker rather than a left midfielder, releasing him from the shackells of the left touch line and easy defending for the combined efforts of the right back and midfielder and the sparkle will return. He will drag a central defender out of place allowing space for the midfielders and striker partner to exploit.

OTBC

[Marty 0]

I aggree, this will be controversial but I think it might do him some good and he will be a great weapon to bring on for 20-25 mins at the end. It also allows us to be a bit more solid in the middle. I think it would be nice to give Mcveigh a real chance on the left to show us what he can do again, afterall isn''t he the clubs top scorer?

[Tumbleweed 106]

Hux did well on Saturday, only a couple of final balls let him down and his shot way over the bar in the first half. However he looked as sharp as he has done for a while and won countless free kicks around their box (particularly in the first half) which only the lack of height in our forwards resulted in nothing. If he can look up a bit more (at one stage Svensson was in clean air to his right when Hux tried to take on two defenders) he would be lethal. Even so he is by far our most dangerous weapon. 

[Marty 0]

[quote]We cant drop the best striker (nay player) at the club - dropping hux in place of Jonson, McVeigh,leon or sven would show that we think as much about work rate as Worthy does. Return him to his right...[/quote]

Zipper, I always think Huckeby is a better winger than a striker, he likes to run with the ball at people, and that creates problems with the defensive qualities of the midfield. I think he is far less effective up front.

[Canaries for Ever 0]

He has not looked himself for 3-4 matches and we have commented on the fact that he might be carrying another injury BUT given that, I would still rather him play than not for all the reasons given above unless it might be hampering his recovery!

[Worthy Nigelton<br><br><br><br><br>Evening News Sports Page Headline 8th August 2007:<br><br>Henderson joins Dereham Town. 0]

Errrr....NO. He is our most effective player by miles and looked back to his best on Saturday. I just can''t see the logic in this "lets drop our best player" thing.

[KidCanary 0]

Zipper I agree with Hux pulling people out of position but I feel this is more effective when he plays on the left.

By playing in there hes in that grey area at times where either the central midfielder or central defender have to decide who is going to double up on him, this always leaves a space which Francis has been benefiting from.

But like I have already said, I think people are starting to realise our midfield is more than a one trick pony so on saturday I wouldnt be surprised to see alot more of Huckerby as teams start to be more aware of Francis.

Another reason I prefer him from midfield is because of his pace, he rarely has support along side when he plays up front and his natural instinct is to pull out wide to look for the assist.  Besides being in midfield he sees more of the ball to run at people with, which with his ability is only a good thing.

[a1canary 0]

YES. There would be no harm in it. As one of our most important squad members, there is merit in giving him a rest if he comes back 20% better.

In the meantime, Brennan left, Leon n Sven up front and Bentley right. That way Sven and Leon get crossess flying in from both wings to feed off and the side has more balance than it does when Hux plays. Think Portman Road 21/12/03. Call me old fashioned but i''m still a firm believer in having a left footer on the left who can cross a ball and get to the by line. Remeber when Clint played there in 2002? Ok he was generally not the player he could have been but he did have a mean cross and shot on him and got goals and Brennan likewise, plus more strength and defensive ability.

Granted, Hux is an exception on the left who brings an extra and sometimes priceless dimension to the side when he''s on form. HOWEVER...

I''m sorry but the people on here who jump down anyone''s throat who makes the slightest non-gushing comment on the guy and seem to be totally blind to any criticism of him, have got to realise that when he''s not firing on all cylinders he is something of a luxury. When he''s not on form, he''s not beating his man, anyone has to concede that. And when he''s not doing that, he''s conceding possession. 

 

...and the blue touch paper lights!

[Super Shaun Carey 0]

I think that a starting from the bench may give him a good kick start.

As much as I love him, he sets himself such high standards, and although he is still our most dangerous players, he has looked a bit short of his usual excellence.

Personally I think the reason for this is that he has changed his car. That soppy black german thing he has bought, is nowhere near as exciting as his Evo, and perhaps he is missing the buzz!

[Marty 0]

NCFC should not be a 1 trick pony, we have other good players and they should get a chance. Our squad should be big enough to give some player a little rest, this will almost certainly improve their games too. Don''t miss quote me I think Hucks is a legend but giving him 20-30 mins as a sub might really bring the best out of him whilst keeping his batteries charged and giving others a good run out too.

Actually there was one thing confusing me recently, why did Worthington fail to play any subs on Saturday, especially since Mulryne was dead on his feet? maybe it was lack of confidence after the Charlton Substitutions which didn''t work too well. I firmly believe you should give the subs a decent work out.

[a1canary 0]

Blimey, is the blue touch paper fizzling out?! All fair comments. The other option is to put him on the bench - he''d make one hell of a super sub when legs are tyring. Just seeing him come on in the 75th minute would be enough to scare most defences!

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

I definitely don''t think we should drop Hucks.  He is the type of player who can be non exsistant for 89 minutes, then produce a bit of magic and win the game. 

Personally I think he''s more dangerous on the left.  I think he gets more of the ball and has a better chance of running at defenders

[First Wizard 0]

[quote]I no he can turn a game and thats what you need but i just think recently hes been off colour and maybe needs a rest because i think we have knackered him out and also then we might not relie on him s...[/quote]

Arrest this poster!.

Seriously Scum Buster (I like the name) Hucks, even when he''s having a ''mare'' can suddenly turn a game on its head, with a flash of pure magic.

Thats why we all love him I guess.

A bad idea to drop him I feel, and I''m not sure that the supporters would put up with it either!.

[ZLF 271]

I will continue with my view that Hux is a striker not a midfielder but understand that others have a different view. Hux had his best game for a while against soton but remained too much of a bit player.

All I will say is that I think the evidence of Hux performances since the everton game show a player easily marked out of the game and a left flank exposed defensively - Hux was far more effective in the earlier games because he could roam and when he drifted to the left gaps opened in the defence and there was Drury and a left midfielder causing further confusion going forward. Now Leon and Sven are up to speed either would partner Hux more effectively than when he was on fire.

He worked well on the left flank in div 1 but now he has better midfielders attacking our left defence and prepared to track back to help opponents right back his effectiveness as a midfielder is reduced. That jump in quality has hit hux performances.

I hate seeing him on the periphery of our game rather than central to it, feel the team has suffered as a result and we should be using our most potent attacking threat to his strengths rather than creating a weakness that need not exist ie left flank.

I am happy to agree to disagree on this safe in the over smug knowledge that I am probably right!

OTBC

[KidCanary 0]

I think bringing Brennan on the left is a fair idea,  at times like people have noted Hux can be a defensive liability.  I think the best thing if you really wanted to keep Hux in midfield but where defensively it doesnt cost us would be to play him as an advanced central midfielder behind a single striker much like Scholes/Nistleroy.

Problem is who do you then choose as the lone striker, Leon would be my first choice I feel, but if you have brennan/jonson or bentley pinging more crosses in Svensson is bloody good in the air.

So to recap I would like so see this as our formation away from home:

                               Green

Helveg/Edddy      Charlton      Fleming          Drury

Jonson/bentley    Francis      Mulryne/Safri    Brennan

                                      Huckerby

                 Svensson/Leon

You then negate huckerbys defensive issues, get more crosses from the wings and are more sound defensively on the wings, you still have huckerbys penetrating runs from midfield you also lose the problem of him having no support when he gets forward as you have the lone striker.

 

[a1canary 0]

Zipper, i respect and agree with much of what you post - we are big WLY fans, we''d like to see him as a striker, we want to see Dean Ashton signed... But Hucks up front? You''re going to be ploughing a lone furrow there!
If you put him there he always drifts on to the left wing and becomes totally detached from his fellow striker. This means most link up play between the strikers is lost and means Leon or Sven or whoever it is is badly compromised.
I think it was the Everton game when he was playing up front with Leon in the first half. I''m guessing you didn''t see this game because it was so painfully obvious in this game that he needed to be on the wing. He spent the whole time on the wing anyway and Leon looked lost.
Come half time, thankfully Nige did the decent thing and threw on Svensson up front with Leon and put Hux on the left wing. Result? One of the best halves of football we''ve played this season. We were absolutely all over them. If we''d played the formation from the start we''d almost certainly have got our first win in that game.
But as i''ve reiterated here, i think he is a player who has to be on top of his game to be truly effective, simply because of the type of player he is. A runner, who beats people and takes them on and creates things. If he''s not playing well and doing this, then he doesn''t bring much else to the game. I don''t buy this "he can turn a game in a second so he must play the full 5,400 of them" business! If he''s not on his game, chances are he has conceded posession enough times to lead us to have let in goals so keeping him on just in case he scores one at the expense of 2 or 3 at the other end makes little sense. So in that respect, it would be better if he played up front where losing posession isn''t so costly. But that still leaves the problem of him being too detached from his fellow striker.

[ZLF 271]

I know I am a lone voice on this one A1 but that the joy of this game - we all have differing opinions and I like reading them all even if I disagree! You are right that the switch against everton worked well - but not for the whole half. Once Steve Watson came on (20 mins or so after half time) the space hux had evaporated, he had 2 markers and ever since I feel he has been marked out of the game. It was one of the best tactical switches we have seen from any manager in years; Moyes deserved three points for identifying that mid match alone. Watson then used the space left by Hux to deliver the cross for Ferguson to score the winner. IMO that template has been repeated in every game since.Hux has not done anything to deserve a ''rest'' so I would continue playing him, even as a winger, but it does create issues elsewhere that need to be taken into account.OTBC

[beelsie 0]

ZLF!!!, like you, I have enjoyed the different ideas put forward on this thread, not all of them I agree with.

One point you make is the goal scored by Big Dunc, I feel this was much more of a defensive error> It is well known that he specialises in arriving late on the blind side and has scored many such goals. Hux himself did not tackle back as well as he should have done, but he was not completely to fault in this because when Hux is attacking no one from mid field is close enough to intercept if he gets robbed.  If you notice our lads are often guilty of ball watching when our Hucks is on one of his runs, instead of keeping in touch with him to allow him an option. 

 As I have said in many posts before, our off the ball running leaves much to be desired.  Watching the M.United game on tele last night both teams displayed exceptional skills off the ball, frequently giving the ball player sometimes two or three passing options. Habits of this nature are only created on the training ground coupled with non stop running by players without the ball. 

[ZLF 271]

Beelsie, you are so right with your comments, and thanks for the compliment.

I agree that responsibility for the big dunc goal lies primarily with the back 4; on earlier posts I have been very critical of Eddies positioning and the 2 centre halfs for not picking up his run and leaving the big man with Jonson, who was the prime challenger for the header. I agree that Hux forages forward should be covered by his midfield colleagues but this in itself stretches the midfield very thinly as a defensive unit and is one of the reasons why I think Bentley or Jonson would be a better option there. However Evertons 3rd goal was in part due to the space Hux left allowing a wide left flank cross to come in, that a more natural midfielder may have prevented.

A lack of movement is another of my main gripes with this side - so often the back four have the ball and all 6 players ahead of them are static and marked increasing the chance of losing possession. The same applies when players like Hux are on a run - Arsenals movement was awesome when they were at FCR and even a fraction of that would give the player with the ball options. When they do move tend to get our best opportunities.

I know I do not have the same views as many fans (Hux up front, drop eddie amongst others) but I do enjoy the chance to share my opinions on how I see our team and discuss it in a way that does not reduce to juvenile name calling as happens on too many other sites (well not often anyway)

OTBC

[Canaries4ever 0]

No way!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

[Tumbleweed 106]

For what its worth I agree with ZLF. Playing Hucks up front could work very well on the break against Brum and allow NW to bolster midfield.

The point about off the ball running is spot on too. The difference last Saturday was that Mullers was constantly moving around giving the defence an option to pass to. Mullers could then work with the ball and we kept possession much better. However much of what running there is is uncoordinated stuff- players charging often in different directions quite sometimes increasing the gaps between each other and leaving no options if they do get the ball. The good teams have a plan they work to and follow that system so they move as a unit. Then there is always support and an option. Too many times one of our players gets the ball but cannot do anything with it apart from hoof or a long shot suicide pass.

Last season many commentators said we did well by "getting the basics right". I have commented on this before, but in the Premiership this type of off the ball running and co-ordinated organisation is a basic which many teams can do. We need to get to that level too. You can have all the skill in the world but if you don''t get the ball in the right places it isn''t worth a bean.