Alan McCafu

[Richard]

He's 34 and we need to move forward with a proper left footed left back if we are ever going to get promotion. Thanks for your efforts though.

[UK Redsox]

I’m convinced we have the worst full backs in the division. Aside from the odd flash of brilliance they are both complete liabilities. Toss in Taylor too. We literally need 2 of each side for next season.

I’d agree although I think Bree has promise and looks decent.

I thought that Bree looked very ponderous yesterday. His failed attempt to stay with the QPR player during the breakaway for their second goal highlighted his lack of pace.

I'd much prefer Hutton at right back than Bree

[Oscar Arce]

Bree wamdered over to the wrong side of the pitch following the ball in the first half that nearly cost us, he did the same in the second half and that did cost us, I'm not impressed overall that he is good enough for us.
Get Hutton back to his proper position and a new left back is my opinion.

[sickbeggar]

Aye. Even Bruce pensioned him off this time last year until the financial problems forced a re-think. I remember when he arrived and after a few games of watching him kick people up in the air, it sort of confirmed Villa were now a club who's sole objective was to survive in the PL rather than compete. Having said that, considering the bobbins that's arrived and left during his time, he hasn't done a bad job in comparison

[john e]

the first goal yesterday didn't come from him giving the ball away,
 quite the opposite actually he played a lovely cross field ball to one of our players who received the ball and was in a forward area as was Hutton
no one mentions that of course because its not the narrative for the Hutton haters
the cross from that player (cant remember who) was poor which gave them the chance to break away whilst Hutton and the rest were scrambling back

Hutton is then is conceding space, of course he is, he was in an advanced position and then had to track back while they were running at us on a counter attack
now the way to negate this is for Hutton and the other defenders to drop deep not push forward and keep a solid line
you know like the teams that Pulis and Bruce out


you know the ones we all moan about for being too negative
you can't have it both ways
i wonder sometimes whether some of you understand the concept of counter attacking football and how when it happens the defenders are not in their places with comments of 'oh look at the space Huttons giving them' strikes me you'd be better off watching the turgid shit that Pulis puts out where the defenders don't get past the half way line

this is the Smith way and we arn't very good at it yet and it comes with risks like all attacking football does

we need better players to play in that style and Hutton is one of them that needs replacing
 yes i agree he isn't good enough long term, even short term but to read stuff like he shouldn't ever play in the shirt again just shows an ignorance of the game and a lack of understanding of how different styles will leave you open at times

if you play front foot attacking football your going to concede space at the back and there's not a lot you can do about it
to then criticise your defender for playing a decent ball in the first instance but isn't standing exactly where you want him on the counter attack is frankly pathetic

i don't think he's a great player and we need someone better but that's the case with most of the team, starting with the midfield area

[Steve67]

John-e, Hutton haters is a bit strong and unnecessary in my opinion. He's done a job, sometimes well, sometimes very poorly.  He is as inconsistent as the rest of them and needs replacing as he's getting on and at the end of his contract.  I don't hate him though.

[brontebilly]

Still probably our best option at right or left back, which says a lot for the other options.

He was never a good defender, has been a problem all his career, no awareness of players getting in behind him.

In saying that Id probably give him another year's contract.

[sickbeggar]

John-e, Hutton haters is a bit strong and unnecessary in my opinion. He's done a job, sometimes well, sometimes very poorly.  He is as inconsistent as the rest of them and needs replacing as he's getting on and at the end of his contract.  I don't hate him though.

Yep. He probably arrived at VP a few seasons too early. In the context of a decent championship left-back then he's not been a bad buy overall. He just had to wait a few years for us to become bad enough to make a positive contribution

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

John-e, Hutton haters is a bit strong and unnecessary in my opinion. He's done a job, sometimes well, sometimes very poorly.  He is as inconsistent as the rest of them and needs replacing as he's getting on and at the end of his contract.  I don't hate him though.

Yep. He probably arrived at VP a few seasons too early. In the context of a decent championship left-back then he's not been a bad buy overall. He just had to wait a few years for us to become bad enough to make a positive contribution

A depressingly excellent summary.

[sirlordbaltimore]

John-e, Hutton haters is a bit strong and unnecessary in my opinion. He's done a job, sometimes well, sometimes very poorly.  He is as inconsistent as the rest of them and needs replacing as he's getting on and at the end of his contract.  I don't hate him though.

I absolutely hate him as a football player, always have. Doesn't mean I hate him as a person though quite clearly, he seems a good sort.

But watching him try to play football drives me barmy.

[Ad@m]

Yesterday felt like the beginning of the end for him.  I get that they all must be pretty knackered after so many games in a short space of time but the amount of times he got caught out of position was absolutely criminal.  Maybe he can get away with it against teams who aren't so focused on counter attacking but after that showing I can see more and more teams targetting him over the rest of this season.

[ktvillan]

To imply some of his many defensive deficiencies are a result of us playing on the front foot under Smith is wide of the mark in my view.   He was equally shit at defending under the turgid, pudding style approach of Bruce, and under previous managers.  The fact is that when he ventures forward he occasionally does some good stuff, but often doesn't.  I think his forward play has improved under Smith though.   He then tends to jog back rather than bust a gut to get back in position.  He often fails to keep track of runners from deep when doing so.   When back in defence he is frequently too narrow and allows wingers acres of space, and doesn't close down quickly enough to prevent crosses.  I've lost count of the number of times he's lost his man at set pieces which result in free headers and often goals.  See Leeds' first goal for example.  I've kept a close eye on him for a while to try to see what the cult status is all about and I'm buggered if I can see why he is so popular with some, or even why people think he "puts in a shift".  Doesn't mean I hate him, just that I don't think he's very good. 

[paul_e]

That 's a long post to say not very much but that still manages to completely miss the fact that Hutton has spent years being caught out of position and letting players get in behind him under multiple managers. His defensive mistakes aren't because he's being asked to get forward, they're because he is terrible at marking space. Most of his strong performances come against better players where he's told to man mark them but he really struggles when he hasn't got a direct opponent to mark (such as when teams play wing backs or have a very attacking fullback and a winger who cuts inside).

I don't hate Hutton, I hate the fact that he's our longest serving player and got a new contract in the summer though because I don't think he's very good and a goal against the blues isn't enough to change my mind. I do have plenty of respect for his professionalism though, if his talent matched his attitude he'd have had a fantastic career.

[bill]

Get rid of him. Absolute liability as a defender. Too old too slow. A wingers dream opponent. Can virtually guarantee an easy delivery by the opposition wide men into our box. That’s if he’s even within 20 yards of the guy he’s supposed to be marking. He’s not the only shit defender we have, but his time is certainly up.

[cdward]

Generally as defenders get older they get wiser, and make up for their lack of pace with their positional sense.
The frustrating thing with Hutton, is that he hasn't.