Alan McCafu

[Gregorys Boy]

Threatening going forward? I really don't see it. No balls whipped into the box, the link up play is usually a cut back and sideways or backwards ball, no overlaps, no breaking intop the box. I think Hutton is very poor at it and it may be that he's asked to hold back.

Oddly you do think of him more as an attacking player, maybe because his defending has until recently seemed so avenge.  Agreed though he doesn't really have an end product when getting forward, no matter he did the important hard work last night, and has been one of our better players so far this season.

[supertom]

Threatening going forward? I really don't see it. No balls whipped into the box, the link up play is usually a cut back and sideways or backwards ball, no overlaps, no breaking intop the box. I think Hutton is very poor at it and it may be that he's asked to hold back.

Oddly you do think of him more as an attacking player, maybe because his defending has until recently seemed so avenge.  Agreed though he doesn't really have an end product when getting forward, no matter he did the important hard work last night, and has been one of our better players so far this season.

Hutton and Cissokho barely get past the opposition to be able to deliver a good ball. But it's not their fault. We rarely ever support our fullbacks in attack. They get the ball and run and seem to be expected by Lambert to take on a couple of players and whip a ball in. They can't because they're fullbacks. They need support from midfielders or attackers pulling wide for an option and to open up space.

If our midfield and attack were allowed to expand the pitch a little more and play with some more width we could get some good overlapping runs from the fullbacks and given a little more time and space down the flank of the opposition penalty area, I'm sure (at least in Huttons case) the final ball will improve.

Alternatively we play a little more like Chelsea in certain games. The fullbacks largely stay back and concentrate on defending, while we allow the midfield and attack to do the creative stuff.

Again, it boils down to tactics, or lack of.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Hutton looks far more composed to me than Cissokho does. Cissokho has a tendency to either look like he is panicking, or to actually panic. I'm far from convinced by him thus far.

The thing I like about Hutton is that he absolutely bombs forward at any opportunity, and when he does so, looks like a dog who has just been let off a lead in the park. Bless.

I find it worrying that when he does so, we tend to leave enough space behind him in which to hold a decent sized music festival, mind.

Agree totally.
Just wish that when he bombed forward he would do what the dog would...ie really go for it! Take a defender or two on, have a shot, whip in a low cross that makes defenders cack their pants!

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Spooky supertom!
I am not Paul Lambert!
;-)

As you say...it's the LACK of tactics that limits our attacking prowess...whether from full backs or midfield!

[john e]

Hutton is irreplaceable now in the back 4
We have mixed and matched the centre halfs and in general as long as Baker and Clark don't play together  they all tend to do well
Whereas if Hutton is out there is no decent back up, we are just weakened

I never ever thought I would write this
There was a time when I would have put him in my all time top 10 of worst Villa players I had seen,
It's a miracle, that's what it is

[WestleyArmsAV]

Paul has transformed Hutton.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

I think Hutton's transformed himself....and become noticed, and needed, in a time of need.

[supertom]

Paul has transformed Hutton.

No. Paul's bloody lucky that Hutton has the attitude and professionalism to come in from the wilderness and turn his own career around. He could have stuck two fingers up at him, or treated his second chance with the sort sighing indifference Darren Bent seems to have.

There's no way no how we can look at the bomb squad fiasco as some sort of managerial master stroke. Lambert's just lucky Hutton is a top pro.

[WestleyArmsAV]

A trademark anti Paul comment......but I get your.sentiment.

[supertom]

A trademark anti Paul comment......but I get your.sentiment.

I was just responding to your trademark pro Paul comment.

[mattjpa]

Paul has transformed Hutton.

Oh my God do you have to nosh him off in every thread?

[Richard E]

Yeah, not playing him for two years to psych him up was a managerial master stroke. Just watch Darren Bent and Enda Stevens fly next season.

[peter w]

I honestly would prefer Lowton to come on again as he offers us so much more than Hutton. However, I think he's never going to get anywhere with us now. Cissokho seems like a bigger, brawner version of Bryan Small with the same ability on the ball. Cissokho does deliver the odd great whipped ball in, mind.

[peter w]

I also think Hutton was caught the wrong side of Bolasie a couple of times in the second half and was positionally poor. Other than that he did put a shift in but I don't think he was anymore than average - as in 6 out of 10. Clark was a solid 8.

[Gregorys Boy]

Yeah, not playing him for two years to psych him up was a managerial master stroke. Just watch Darren Bent and Enda Stevens fly next season.

I know you're joking a bit, but thing is Hutton didn't deserve a place in the team/squad before this season.  Think we are all surprised at how well he is doing.