Tom huddlestone

[jamesc0le]

but when he scores they crash in off the underside and are generally corkers!

he has improved this season ( i think wilson's game has rubbed off a little and has given him a bit of space to improve ) and hope he carries on getting better

 

[stevenqoz]

I hate Terry Venables as well adds nothing to the way we play......

 

[sim0n]

every week the commentators go " hes got a great strike" " a great range of passing"

He would look world class in the championship, but his passing is 50/50 and he scuffs way to many shots and has one goal, im sick of hearing how good he is at shooting and him putting it off target.

He was so poor tonight that Harry had to sub Jenas at halftime... :hello:

 

[gibbs131]

Hud has improved his overall game.

His shooting and passing is as overrated as ever. To stop myself shouting at the screen I replace "great shot" with "hard shot" when commentators wax lyrical about him.

 

[mattdefoe]

He was so poor tonight that Harry had to sub Jenas at halftime... :hello:

What are you on about? im talking about his shooting being poor, not his all round play or performances. He hits so many wayward shots and has scored 1 goal, thats pathectic considering he has started most games. His assists are very low aswell, his heading is such a joke he is so tall yet cant get on the end of a corner.

 

[EastLondonYid]

tommy is decent player,and is having his best season for us by far.

but he only seems to REALLY shine in those comfortable home wins.
when his given the freedom of the park.

if i was putting up a team against him,it wouldnt be rocket science how to stop him dictating.

 

[pal90]

He does, it's just been a long time since he has. Part of the problem is having someone like crouch up front, doesn't have the pace to make a run into space that suits a huddlestone type pass.

...and Defoe as the alternative who is fast enough but uses it too soon and is always offside.

Or decides to control the pass with his arm.

It's all about partnerships and teams, not individuals. Until December we had Lennon on the wing and all was sweetness and light in our midfield. With Bentley out there it just doesn't work the same.

 

[rebrab]

When Lennon is back, Tom will look classy again

 

[jimmy-jojo]

huddlestone promised to be the new carrick, instead he's the new jenas. It winds me up when people screem shhoooooottttt, his shooting is awful! He can hit them from a long way out but his technique is so poor it can veer from the middle of the goal to just outside the post. All people remember though is a shot that is just wide. The problem is all his shots are just wide or just over.

So how many goals did Carrick score for us?

...a pretty pathetic 2 goals in 64 appearances.

Hudd is potentially very good, it's his first full season at the top level. He's still developing and I'm sure he can add goals to his game in the future.

 

[diegooners]

Carrick stats:http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=7971&cc=5739

Huddlestone stats:http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=26412&cc=5739

As you can see, which will shock some of you I expect, Carrick doesn't get many assists either. Infact, Tom gets more. Carrick doesn't score either. So clearly given how highly rated Carrick still is by most on here, stats don't tell the story.

 

[double0]

Huddlestone's passing IMO good/excellent but his shooting and set pieces are definitely over rated, at the moment, this being his first full season first choice.

 

[gooch]

carrick shits on huddlestone everyday of the week and twice on matchdays

 

[double0]

I don't get all this wank fest about Michael carrick, he wasn't prolific in front of goal, and we never qualified for a CL spot with him mainly in the team.

I say lets give Huddlestone this season, see where we end up and then judge him...and if you like compare his stats against Carrick.

 

[gooch]

defensive holding midfielders don't tend to be prolific in front of goal and spurs have never qualified for the champs league...

carrick, game in game out, was our engine, someone who controlled the midfield and was more of a player in terms of performance than jenas and hudd combined. seriously

 

[talkshowhost86]

tommy is decent player,and is having his best season for us by far.

but he only seems to REALLY shine in those comfortable home wins.
when his given the freedom of the park.

if i was putting up a team against him,it wouldnt be rocket science how to stop him dictating.

That right there is my concern with Hudd. There is absolutely no doubting his ability to pass a ball, and his defensive play has improved alot this season.

But I still don't think he's worked out what sort of player he is. He isn't Carrick because he doesn't always sit behind Palacios (and his incisive passing forwards isn't anywhere near as good as Carricks) but he also isn't an attacking midfielder or a box to box player because, although his fitness hasn't improved, he'll never have enough energy to do that.

I think a combination of Hudd and JJ would be an excellent midfielder. On their own I think they are both good but may ultimately not be good enough. I hope Hudd (I think JJ may be on his way) can prove me wrong though.

 

[HodisGawd]

Carrick stats:http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=7971&cc=5739

Huddlestone stats:http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=26412&cc=5739

As you can see, which will shock some of you I expect, Carrick doesn't get many assists either. Infact, Tom gets more. Carrick doesn't score either. So clearly given how highly rated Carrick still is by most on here, stats don't tell the story.

Clearly the stats don't tell the full story so there's no point in quoting them - it proves nothing. There's a lot more to football than the (usually inaccurate) number of shots, assists and passes completed a player is noted down as having.

 

[mattdefoe]

but carricks all round play is alot more effective.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Huddlestone simply doesn't compare to Carrick whatever the stats say. I don't think that's necessarily fair on Huddlestone because I genuinely believe Carrick is one of the best midfielders in the league, but the way Hudd tries to play there aren't many other people to compare him to.

If you watch Carrick his defensive play is fantastic, his positioning is excellent and his passing is brilliant. And I don't mean 80 yard Hollywood balls. I mean genuinely incisive balls into the strikers feet when nothing seems on. He can start an attack from his holding midfield position.

That is something Hudd can't do (or certainly can't do as well as Carrick). His spreading of the play is excellent but actually getting it forwards into the feet of Defoe, Crouch etc? Not so much.

Hudd's build and relative lack of speed mean he'll never be a Gerrard/Fabregas/even Scott Parker type of player who can get box to box. I think he'd be better off sitting behind a box to box type, pulling the strings and mopping up defensively. Unfortunately I don't think he has the defensive abilities to do this (yet) and in Wilson we already have someone who does the defensive work.

I'm not sure it's Hudd's fault but if we keep Palacios I don't think we need a Hudd style of player.

 

[diegooners]

Clearly the stats don't tell the full story so there's no point in quoting them - it proves nothing. There's a lot more to football than the (usually inaccurate) number of shots, assists and passes completed a player is noted down as having.

That was my point mate. My post was aimed at those such as Bus Conductor who always drag up Huddlestone's stats which seemingly state he adds nothing of not to the team. Stats are bollocks, but Huddlestone is quality.

 

[ultimateloner]

Carrick is efficient. If we want a player to do the same thing as Carrick then we can just stick Modric in CM. Then play Kranjcar in LM.

However i don't think we need a Carrick-type player. We don't play counter-attack. We don't have the technique and pace upfront to play this (unlike Villa).