Alan McCafu

[peter w]

I watched him a few times playing for Scotland last season and to be fair he looked good. He was always one of their better players. Say what you like about Scotland but he has been an integral part of them playing a lot better recently. For that reason, coupled with him being half-decent at Rangers and sometimes at Tottenham, I'm prepared to see how he starts the season. Same old shit and he's dropped. Lowton can't be any worse than last seasons and with protection in front of Bacuna we may not be as bad down the right as last season. When we were mostly dire.

[Toronto Villa]

If he's asked to attack and support as opposed to defend all the time as witnessed uder TSM then he might actually look a good player. In the pre-season games he's looked a better option going forward and on the counter than Lowton.

[peter w]

I still like Lowton. I hope last season was nothing more than second season syndrome and he really comes on next season with a Delph like coming of age. Admittedly, he may have further to go but I'd hope to see a good player there next season and this could be the kick up the arse he needs. hopefully he'll respond as a professional and not allow outside influences to dictate his career.

[Toronto Villa]

Reading some of the Alan Hutton articles in the papers and how he's been given a new chance at the club. How Lambert despite not picking him stood by him, they never had bad words etc.

Utterly fucking bizarre. Like upside down world stuff. A player that had been kicked to the curb yet never fell out woth the manager. Who the hell was calling all the shots there? Why was it being agreed to and accepted? It appears the behind the scenes stuff being referred to by Lambert wasn't just the two idiot coaches but also Faulkner/Lerner whoever telling the manager not to pick certain players. Maybe culminating in Faulkner's departure. Now 180 degrees later we are seeing a return of some players committing themselves like the last two years never happened. One day Lambert will write a book and this chapter of his career will be brilliant and brutal reading all in one.

[ROBBO]

Reading between the lines it was all to do with getting the wage bill down, he was seen as expensive and replaced but the wages are back in order so he goes again.Bizzare.

[citizenDJ]

It really is very very strange to me. Is Hutton one of those players who gets a wage increase if he plays one more competitive game or anything like that?

[sid1964]

I cant believe that he is back in our 1st team, for me he should be long gone....nothing but a clogger....just watch how crap he is as the season goes on...

[TheMalandro]

I cant believe that he is back in our 1st team, for me he should be long gone....nothing but a clogger....just watch how crap he is as the season goes on...

I'm not a big fan but he is the best we have, so I'll cheer him on.

As somebody else said, it all stinks - I think the bomb squad did come from above.

[Merv]

It really is very very strange to me. Is Hutton one of those players who gets a wage increase if he plays one more competitive game or anything like that?

I've wondered that. Same with Bent - was he a few starts away from triggering the next set of payments to Sunderland?

[FranzBiberkopf]

He has his limitations for sure. But with three out of the back four being him, Vlaar, Okore (assuming he's not a crock), at least we shouldn't get bullied.

[Mister E]

... Who the hell was calling all the shots there? Why was it being agreed to and accepted? It appears the behind the scenes stuff being referred to by Lambert wasn't just the two idiot coaches but also Faulkner/Lerner whoever telling the manager not to pick certain players...

If true, it certainly strips bare the impression Lerner has given of being simply "the guardian" and a 'hands-off owner'.

And to ROBBO's comment about the wages, we've still had to pay something for the bomb-squad players (it's not like they simply disappeared off the books). So, it certainly is Lewis Carroll world at the moment.

Fair play to Hutton for being so magnanimous about it all.

[Matt Collins]

He has his limitations for sure. But with three out of the back four being him, Vlaar, Okore (assuming he's not a crock), at least we shouldn't get bullied.

As much as it's galling to see us feeding off scraps in the transfer market,  we should be a more dependable outfit at the back this year - if we keep vlaar. Hutton,  Okore and Richardson would all seem to be upgrades defensively.

I also wonder whether we'd ever see Lowton in front of Hutton in midfield? He's probably our best crosser. He's got no pace of course but I'd be interested to see it. Bacuna is the more obvious fit but he's never convinced me in midfield. Seems better coming onto the ball.

[RussellC]

Reading between the lines it was all to do with getting the wage bill down, he was seen as expensive and replaced but the wages are back in order so he goes again.Bizzare.

But we didn't really replace him. Sure, we brought in a replacement in Lowton, but I'm sure that even whilst he was out on loan we've been paying a sizeable chunk of his salary. I wonder if paying 100% of Lowton's wages and whatever % of Hutton's wages during that time has actually saved us any money at all?

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Hutton have a really good season for us now and then leave on a free next summer with the club desperately scrambling around trying to get him to sign a new contract.

[Gregorys Boy]

Think Lowton could be a full time starter for us long term, but he is still learning the game, and needs to get his issues sorted.  For certain games Hutton could do a job.  Sad think is there is no sign of us spending any money for a replacement right now, so we don't have a lot of choices.

[supertom]

Think Lowton could be a full time starter for us long term, but he is still learning the game, and needs to get his issues sorted.  For certain games Hutton could do a job.  Sad think is there is no sign of us spending any money for a replacement right now, so we don't have a lot of choices.

Lowton is 25 now, so needs to learn pretty quickly. He was bloody awful last season. There's a definite strain between he and Lambert too. I think he'll be gone. I suspect a loan first, followed by a cheap exit.

Shame in some ways, as the Lowton who played Stoke over a year ago looked a brilliant player. Physically, mentally and positionally though, he's well short of whats required of a top level full back these days.