Huddlestone swap for Adam Johnson

[JKD76]

Reports suggest we may swap the Hudd for Adam Johnson.Good bit of business for us ?

 

[OpenHeartZoo]

I'd probably go ahead and call that a bad bit of business.

 

[justfookinhitit]

Would want Ramos to have another season with the Hudd to see how he develops.

 

[muffwah]

it's neither good nor bad as they are both young and not the finished article

 

[Adam456]

No way.

CMs rarely get near their peak before their mid 20s (Fibreglass is an obvious exception) so would be stupid to sell now, regardless of how good anybody thinks Adam Johnson is/will be and how badly we need a LW

 

[KeaneIsKeane]

I don't think Huddlestone will ever have the pace to cut it as a top class CM. He's just not mobile enough.

 

[spurspimp]

I have watched the Hudd this season and I think he has done well and he has impressed me.

Why we would think of getting rid of him I have no idea.

There are not many young midfielders out there better than the Hudd. Johnson is certainly not better. I thought you meant Michael Johnson at first who has had a mixed season but showed signs of being a good player, but you said Adam Johnson who I have seen play for Watford and he looked good against mediocre opposition but his handful of appearances for Middlesbrough have shown that he is not yet as good as I thought he might be.

Hudd and Johnson are also totally different players and we would lose a player who can pick a 60 yard pass out of nowhere to gain a player who runs fast down the wing. We have lennon who can do that but we do not have another player like the Hudd.

 

[dvdhopeful]

Aside from the fact that swaps happen one in a blue moon, I'd doubt very much Spurs would be willing for this. Johnson won't help us immediately, but Hudd maybe able to. I've also seen more from Hudd in terms of potential than I've seen from Johnson.

 

[rez9000]

Let's bear in mind that we don't know for certain what kind of system Ramos will want to utilise for Spurs and which players would fit into that system. To categorically state that Hudd is the one to keep and Johnson the one to shun is a little premature.

The point that occurs is the variety of reports that say that Ramos prefers a fast-paced style of play. If the Hudd's mobility leaves him liable to problems on that score then no matter how good a passer he is, it may not fit Ramos' vision.

I don't know anything about Adam Johnson, so I don't know if he would fit into that system or not, but I wouldn't poo-poo the idea, simply because we don't know what Ramos wants to do next season.

So unless the Hudd can deliver what Ramos wants in the middle of the park, it makes greater sense to cash in on him, rather than have him at the club doing nothing but collecting wages.

 

[joey55]

I don't think Huddlestone will ever have the pace to cut it as a top class CM. He's just not mobile enough.

But what do you want him to be mobile enough to do?

Our most mobile player is Zokora and compare the amount of tackles they make, interceptions they make, passes the make, clearances etc.

I think Zokora is possibly the most athletic CM in Europe, so you'd think given his ability to get around the pitch he'd make more tackles than anyone and given his position he'd pass and recieve the ball more than anyone. Yet the Hudd has made 79 tackles compared to Zokora's 68. He's done this when playing just 1895 mins of Prem football compared to Zokora's 2164. As for passes he's made 1130 compared to 1137, which when you consider he has played 2.5 games less, it shows how much more he gets on the ball. When you add to that his 7 assists and 3 goals, compared to Zokora's zero goals and assists, it again shows he's doing quite alot more good than more mobile players.

I think that people are so aware of the Hudd's lack of mobility that they sub conciously look out for evidence of it. Everytime they see it being evident they make a mental note of it, but by doing this naturally fail to compare how his lack of mobility is effecting his performance compared to his peers. I don't think just fans do this, but also the coaching staff. i really think the mobility issue has clouded everyone's judgement of the Hudd. Look how poor we were when he went off on Saturday. The more mobile players just weren't there to pass and move the ball around with the efficiency and the quality of the Hudd. In the end Reading got a foot hold inthe game and we could have easily thrown 2 pts away. I personally think fans, coach's and the media really over play the lack of mobility card. I'm not saying it isn't an issue or that it doesn't effect his game, but that he is still getting through the worh of many more mobile players.

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

Thought it was supposed to be Michael Johnson from City?

 

[dynamoSpurs]

if this is the boro dude, he's good on FM..

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

if this is the boro dude, he's good on FM..

But in real life he can't get in the team ahead of Stuart Drowning!

 

[puppa_toni]

I nearly shit myself, i thought it was gonna be andrew johnson!

 

[Krafty]

Hudd just needs an experienced leader next to him.

Its what all our midfielders need, someone to guide them through the game positionally and help them when making decisions. This player is likely to be a defensive minded midfielder rather than attacking, so I would keep Huddlestone because his passing both short and long is the best of all our midfielders, and he has a good shot as well. The rest of our central midfielders lack creativity so badly

 

[walworthyid]

But what do you want him to be mobile enough to do?

Our most mobile player is Zokora and compare the amount of tackles they make, interceptions they make, passes the make, clearances etc.

I think Zokora is possibly the most athletic CM in Europe, so you'd think given his ability to get around the pitch he'd make more tackles than anyone and given his position he'd pass and recieve the ball more than anyone. Yet the Hudd has made 79 tackles compared to Zokora's 68. He's done this when playing just 1895 mins of Prem football compared to Zokora's 2164. As for passes he's made 1130 compared to 1137, which when you consider he has played 2.5 games less, it shows how much more he gets on the ball. When you add to that his 7 assists and 3 goals, compared to Zokora's zero goals and assists, it again shows he's doing quite alot more good than more mobile players.

I think that people are so aware of the Hudd's lack of mobility that they sub conciously look out for evidence of it. Everytime they see it being evident they make a mental note of it, but by doing this naturally fail to compare how his lack of mobility is effecting his performance compared to his peers. I don't think just fans do this, but also the coaching staff. i really think the mobility issue has clouded everyone's judgement of the Hudd. Look how poor we were when he went off on Saturday. The more mobile players just weren't there to pass and move the ball around with the efficiency and the quality of the Hudd. In the end Reading got a foot hold inthe game and we could have easily thrown 2 pts away. I personally think fans, coach's and the media really over play the lack of mobility card. I'm not saying it isn't an issue or that it doesn't effect his game, but that he is still getting through the worh of many more mobile players.

I have made my feelings on the Hudd known many times, I am not a fan. But, I agree with some of the points that you make.

It makes me laugh when people talk about " cl class players" and this or that player "not being good enough to take us to the next level". Although players are the main ingredient of a team, it is the blend in the team that will dictate how well the team does.

Hudd has qualities, no question, and in the right team he would be a fantastic player because his qualities would be allowed to shine. But can we provide him with that platform and more importantly, are the benefits of building the team in such a way enough to counteract the things we may lose as a result?

I do not think it would be worth it. Why? Because Hudd has yet to learn how to make things happen when the team is not functioning well, which all teams do. You talk about his mobility being less of a factor, well, if he is to influence our attacking play and ball retention high up the field he will need to either play in an advanced role or be able to move in and out of advanced areas of the pitch, which currently he cannot.

Too often he looks for long passes or simply passes sideways. He doesn't "make" angles, he waits for them. One of the things that make fibreglass stand out is his ability to create angles for passes, Hudd does not yet do that. OK it is easier to do that playing for the scum than it is playing for us, but if you don't have that in your game you just don't have it.

In my view, hudd is not going to become the kind of player that we will be able to fit comfortably into a team without losing other attributes.

Lastly, statistics can pretty much tell you anything but Ramos' team sheets, like Jol's before him, tell me something more tangible, Zokora plays more than Hudd because both managers feel that he brings more to the team. Hudd has had some excellent games and loads of totally ineffectual and anonymous ones, he's also had a few absolute 'elm streets. Zokora, has been probably our most consistent player, especially since his return from the ANC. He is not the best player in the world and it is difficult to compare him to the hudd, but given that they play in a similar "position" on the field I would have Zokora in my team ahead of Hudd 9 times out of 10.

 

[tommo84]

Given we're a rich club, I don't think we should be doing part-exchanges with players who could have a future with us, such as Huddlestone. swap-deals with Tainio or Ghaly or Rocha as a make-weight, fine by me. But Huddlestone - no way. If Ramos rates Johnson highly enough to consider offloading Huddlestone to bring him in then he must surely rate him highly enough to simply tell Comolli and Levy to slap down a £5m bid. Or better yet, £3m plus Ghaly.

 

[NickHSpurs]

No thanks, not even to buy, not a big enough improvement on what we already have.

I would argue Hudd has more potential than Lennon, in fact more potential than any of our other youngsters.

This Hudd needing pace business is rubbish. Beckham hasn't got pace, but he doesn't need it because like Hudd, he can pick out a pass.

 

[justfookinhitit]

Thanks Joey for saying what I was wanting to say. Saved me the time researching the stats etc.

Mobility isn't the be-all and end-all of everything. Hudd has great reading of the game and great vision, which compensates for his lack of Linford Christie-like speed.

 

[joey55]

I have made my feelings on the Hudd known many times, I am not a fan. But, I agree with some of the points that you make.

It makes me laugh when people talk about " cl class players" and this or that player "not being good enough to take us to the next level". Although players are the main ingredient of a team, it is the blend in the team that will dictate how well the team does.

Hudd has qualities, no question, and in the right team he would be a fantastic player because his qualities would be allowed to shine. But can we provide him with that platform and more importantly, are the benefits of building the team in such a way enough to counteract the things we may lose as a result?

I do not think it would be worth it. Why? Because Hudd has yet to learn how to make things happen when the team is not functioning well, which all teams do. You talk about his mobility being less of a factor, well, if he is to influence our attacking play and ball retention high up the field he will need to either play in an advanced role or be able to move in and out of advanced areas of the pitch, which currently he cannot.

Too often he looks for long passes or simply passes sideways. He doesn't "make" angles, he waits for them. One of the things that make fibreglass stand out is his ability to create angles for passes, Hudd does not yet do that. OK it is easier to do that playing for the scum than it is playing for us, but if you don't have that in your game you just don't have it.

In my view, hudd is not going to become the kind of player that we will be able to fit comfortably into a team without losing other attributes.

Lastly, statistics can pretty much tell you anything but Ramos' team sheets, like Jol's before him, tell me something more tangible, Zokora plays more than Hudd because both managers feel that he brings more to the team. Hudd has had some excellent games and loads of totally ineffectual and anonymous ones, he's also had a few absolute 'elm streets. Zokora, has been probably our most consistent player, especially since his return from the ANC. He is not the best player in the world and it is difficult to compare him to the hudd, but given that they play in a similar "position" on the field I would have Zokora in my team ahead of Hudd 9 times out of 10.

Sounds to me like you are beginning to warm to the Hudd. You're now picking him 1 out of 9 games and saying he has some excellent one's, yet just a few months ago, you were nowhere near this kind:

http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=23934

By the end of next season he'll probably be the first name on your team sheet :wink:.