Huddlestone

[Hootnow]

I wonder if AVB will try Hudd and Dembele in the centre next game. He's done very well over the past 3 games and he cana play in a midfield two, we've seen it before.

 

[spurspinter1]

I haven't actually managed to watch the last 4 games or so (which is grim) but it's really great to hear he's getting some form back, is it too soon to say he's back to his best?

 

[Jordinho]

I haven't actually managed to watch the last 4 games or so (which is grim) but it's really great to hear he's getting some form back, is it too soon to say he's back to his best?

I think he has to earn a starting position before we can call it 'back to his best' really.

 

[Mumorn]

Agreed.

So far he's come on late in games (Everton, Basel, Emirates Marketing Project) and changed them because we were missing someone like him on the field. Someone to spread the play quickly to the wide areas, to feed balls in the channels for players like Defoe/Ade and Bale to run onto. The opposition haven't got an idea of what he is going to do and they're whole play changes unexpectedly. I got a feeling if he starts he'd get jumped on for not doing anything in the first 45 minutes (if he hasn't).

 

[King of Norway]

Did great after coming on today. Gives us that creativity we need to unlock defences sitting back in my opinion. I hope to see him in the starting line-up soon. Maybe not at Wigan, because we have done well away from home playing a more counter-attacking style. He should definitely start at home to Southampton though, regardless of how we do at Wigan.

 

[Rorschach]

Did great after coming on today. Gives us that creativity we need to unlock defences sitting back in my opinion. I hope to see him in the starting line-up soon. Maybe not at Wigan, because we have done well away from home playing a more counter-attacking style. He should definitely start at home to Southampton though, regardless of how we do at Wigan.

I think we should impose our style on Wigan and beat them off the park. We can (and used to) dominate teams regularly with more progressive players in the team . That is the way I want to see us play. We should go there and bloody win the match rather than contain and break. In saying all that beer fueled rhetoric, the current approach has been reaping dividends.

 

[Jimmy-g]

I think we should impose our style on Wigan and beat them off the park. We can (and used to) dominate teams regularly with more progressive players in the team . That is the way I want to see us play. We should go there and bloody win the match rather than contain and break. In saying all that beer fueled rhetoric, the current approach has been reaping dividends.

I know what you mean.

 

[King of Norway]

I think we should impose our style on Wigan and beat them off the park. We can (and used to) dominate teams regularly with more progressive players in the team . That is the way I want to see us play. We should go there and bloody win the match rather than contain and break. In saying all that beer fueled rhetoric, the current approach has been reaping dividends.

I do see what you mean about going us to a place like Wigan and trying to dominate the game. I would love nothing more than us doing that and getting the win.
On the other hand, I think we might be on our way to our highest point total away from home in the Premiership era (maybe Statto can look at this), so it's also a bit difficult to find good arguments for a change of style.

 

[Alaric]

I wonder if maybe being brought on in the 60th minute or so doesn't suit Thudd best. By that point the other team is more tired and can't close us down as quickly, which gives him the time to look up and pick out passes. I think that if he starts, when the other team is fresh, he might not have the same impact.

 

[THFC6061]

I do see what you mean about going us to a place like Wigan and trying to dominate the game. I would love nothing more than us doing that and getting the win.
On the other hand, I think we might be on our way to our highest point total away from home in the Premiership era (maybe Statto can look at this), so it's also a bit difficult to find good arguments for a change of style.

Yes, we're currently on 29 points after 16 away Premier League matches which equals our best-ever points haul set in season 1995-96 (19 matches).

Our 9 away wins so far this season is a new club Premier League record, beating the 7 away wins first set in 1993-94 and equaled four more times....

...we've got three more away Premier League matches to play this season at Wigan, Chelsea and Stoke so hopefully we can add another half-dozen or more points to our current total.

 

[stinkfoot]

You know he's going to score his goal as the winner against Chelsea.

[-o<

 

[indospurs]

You know he's going to score his goal as the winner against Chelsea.

[-o<

This ! Please GHod let it be this

 

[King of Norway]

Yes, we're currently on 29 points after 16 away Premier League matches which equals our best-ever points haul set in season 1995-96 (19 matches).

Our 9 away wins so far this season is a new club Premier League record, beating the 7 away wins first set in 1993-94 and equaled four more times....

...we've got three more away Premier League matches to play this season at Wigan, Chelsea and Stoke so hopefully we can add another half-dozen or more points to our current total.

You are a genious. Thanks for that!!

 

[NaijaSpurs]

I wonder if AVB will try Hudd and Dembele in the centre next game. He's done very well over the past 3 games and he cana play in a midfield two, we've seen it before.

He deserves a chance, Parker was shocking today

 

[GlennGoddle]

The man can put his foot on the ball and stroke it/pull off a blinder. Parker cannot.

 

[thejazzman]

I wonder if maybe being brought on in the 60th minute or so doesn't suit Thudd best. By that point the other team is more tired and can't close us down as quickly, which gives him the time to look up and pick out passes. I think that if he starts, when the other team is fresh, he might not have the same impact.

Yes, and no. Perhaps if he's playing with two mobile, rotating players next to him [e.g Dembele + holtby] he can get by. Surely the thought should be how to best impose our strengths from the beginning, rather than the end?

 

[SteveAWOL]

So good to see Hudd and Holtby spraying around those passes in midfield today, if only we'd shown this much guile in those home defeats against Wigan and Fulham. Hopefully AVB will prove to be the manager who can finally help Hudd become the great midfielder we all hoped he would become when Tom signed for us all those years ago, as it would be such a shame to see that exceptional passing ability go to waste.

Twitter / TomHuddlestone6: "@RohanRicketts: I forgot to mention my mates majestic performance today @TomHuddlestone6 - always a treat. #gamechanger"Cheers bro

Twitter / TomHuddlestone6: Thanks for the tweets people, was good to get out there again today and to win the game the way we did!! All to play for still

 

[AdamB]

The man can put his foot on the ball and stroke it/pull off a blinder. Parker cannot.

Sure but Parker isnt in the team to do that! Do you criticise Defoe, Ade or DEmpsey for not making enough tackles and breaking opposition attacks?

Parker was defnsively fine yesterday though dallied with possession a few times as its not his strength

 

[DubaiSpur]

See, the problem with the Hudd/Parker selection dilemma is the impact each player has the potential to make on a game. Parker gives us defensive solidity (more so than the relatively immobile Hudd), while Tom gives us the kind of quick one-touch penetration and cross-field passing movement that has been lacking ever since Modric gleefully skipped away to Madrid. If we start the game with Parker and Dembele, we will at the very least be reasonably solid and can expect to control possession for long, if somewhat 'safe' and uninteresting spells. However, that runs the risk of continuing to lack a cutting edge and running up against a two-banks-of-four style defence again.

Now, if we introduce Hudd into the game at the sixty-minute mark, there is a good chance the running of Walker, Bale and Dembele will have tired out the opposition to an extent: chasing possession is, after all, very tiring. Then, Hudd can start finding spaces to spring those dinked balls into that would not have been available against the tightly-drilled opposition defence that started the game, which will more likely than not lead to chances, if not goals.And then if we do score after Hudd's late introduction (which seems likely if the logic is followed), then we also have the advantage of having run down the clock sufficiently to make any opposition attempts to regain equal footing hurried and careless. All in all, it seems likely that this approach (putting Hudd on late) will work well when examined in this way.

But if Hudd starts the game, chances are the 'fresh' opposition defence will close him down quickly, forcing him to become mobile, something he for all his talents is not very good at. This may tire him out to an extent that any positives the combination between him and Dembele could have created are nullified, which means we'll be struggling just as much as ever against the tightly-packed ranks of the opposition's back lines.

And then, when we have to replace Hudd, our only option is to bring on Parker, which, if we are chasing or drawing a game we need to win, is likely to be counter-productive to our attacking endeavors.

Ergo, Hudd has the greater impact from the bench, which justifies his late introductions. IF we start playing him from kick-off, I fear he won't have the same effect, and we'll have robbed ourselves of one of the tactical switches AVB can at present use.

 

[braineclipse]

See, the problem with the Hudd/Parker selection dilemma is the impact each player has the potential to make on a game. Parker gives us defensive solidity (more so than the relatively immobile Hudd), while Tom gives us the kind of quick one-touch penetration and cross-field passing movement that has been lacking ever since Modric gleefully skipped away to Madrid. If we start the game with Parker and Dembele, we will at the very least be reasonably solid and can expect to control possession for long, if somewhat 'safe' and uninteresting spells. However, that runs the risk of continuing to lack a cutting edge and running up against a two-banks-of-four style defence again.

Now, if we introduce Hudd into the game at the sixty-minute mark, there is a good chance the running of Walker, Bale and Dembele will have tired out the opposition to an extent: chasing possession is, after all, very tiring. Then, Hudd can start finding spaces to spring those dinked balls into that would not have been available against the tightly-drilled opposition defence that started the game, which will more likely than not lead to chances, if not goals.And then if we do score after Hudd's late introduction (which seems likely if the logic is followed), then we also have the advantage of having run down the clock sufficiently to make any opposition attempts to regain equal footing hurried and careless. All in all, it seems likely that this approach (putting Hudd on late) will work well when examined in this way.

But if Hudd starts the game, chances are the 'fresh' opposition defence will close him down quickly, forcing him to become mobile, something he for all his talents is not very good at. This may tire him out to an extent that any positives the combination between him and Dembele could have created are nullified, which means we'll be struggling just as much as ever against the tightly-packed ranks of the opposition's back lines.

And then, when we have to replace Hudd, our only option is to bring on Parker, which, if we are chasing or drawing a game we need to win, is likely to be counter-productive to our attacking endeavors.

Ergo, Hudd has the greater impact from the bench, which justifies his late introductions. IF we start playing him from kick-off, I fear he won't have the same effect, and we'll have robbed ourselves of one of the tactical switches AVB can at present use.

I'm sorry Dubai, but I don't see how you've shown that what follows after your "ergo" is true.

Hudd has shown in the past that he can be effective playing the entire game, not sure what has now changed?

You could just as likely say that if Hudd starts the opposing team is likely to tire quicker because they will have to deal with a better passing team and so starting Hudd allows us to reap the benefits earlier. It might also allows us to create more chances in the opening hour instead of having to wait around for the opponents to tire. Unless we actually get several games of Hudd starting in a similar set-up to the one he looked very effective in yesterday where he consistently fails to impact the game in the first hour then I see no evidence to support your conclusion.

Also, it's not true that we will only have Parker to bring on from the bench, if Holtby isn't starting he could easily be brought on and if Holtby starts then we can have Tom Carroll on the bench to bring on if we need another passer later on in the game. AVB has already used Carroll from the bench to do exactly that with some success.