RHM

[RussellC]

Really felt for him last night. I've always thought that being a loan-striker must be the most unemployable way of playing football. You basically spent the entirety of the match chasing lost causes and being battered by the opposition centre-backs. I can only assume that Bruce wanted to provide RHM with experience of that, as using him in that formation last night really provided no other purpose. IMO, it would have been much more effective to have played him wide and asked Adomah to play through the middle.

[Richard]

A lot of teams play only one up top though and it works for them - it's all about the support from the flanks and the midfielders none of which happened last night.

[RussellC]

A lot of teams play only one up top though and it works for them - it's all about the support from the flanks and the midfielders none of which happened last night.

But how many of them are 5ft 8" 19 year-olds? And in fairness to the wingers, he was teed-up at least once by Green, only to fluff his lines.

[eamonn]

At least once and at most once. This kid has a lot in his locker and we need to give him a decent run of games to show that.

[Bermuda Villa]

Sadly he wont give him a run of games because he wants to show the owners he needs some loanees in, his interview last night was stage managed to put maximum pressure on them.

However whichever players he gets in Bruce will not play to their strengths which is highlighted by the way he has used Hogan since he was signed. He works so hard running the channels but the only player capable of finding him his is Jack and hopefully now McGinn. I just find it bizarre that we scout a player, sign them and ignore what made them a success in the first place. Sadly Bruce wants an old fashioned target man to hold the ball up which makes Davis absence since he broke through even more baffling.

[RussellC]

If I'm honest, and this is an isolated exception, I actually feel a bit for Bruce with this one.  Hepburn-Murphy is undoubtedly a talented player for his age and we'd all love to see him progress into the first-team. Would I be happy to put my faith in him for the remainder of this season and not bring-in another striker? Absolutely not. For all of Bruce's unhelpful tactics, Tuesday night highlighted RHM's limitations at this stage. He's tiny. Really tiny, and easily bullied by centre-halves. Even in wide-areas he was unable to get past his marker/s and was generally ineffective. Regardless of his record at U23 / Youth Team level I've seen absolutely nothing in his first-team appearances YET to suggest that he's ready to be n the first-team, even as a regular on the bench.

We can all point the finger at Bruce for not developing him, but he's also been hampered by his own injury record. Bruce's remit is one thing and one thing only - to get us promoted. If bringing through youth-team players contributes towards that, then brilliant, but it's also down to those players to grab that opportunity. At the moment I've not seen RHM do any more than the likes of Luke and Stefan Moore did at a similar stage.

[Risso]

Luke Moore did a lot more to be honest.  At one stage he looked a very good player indeed.

[Brend'Watkins]

What surprised me most in the first half was how poor his first touch was when balls were played into him.  Nothing stuck.  He wasn't alone in that mind. In fact, thinking about it the pitch looked very dry making the ball less easy to control.  I want to see more of RHM because he has showed that he can play in patches previously.

[paul_e]

Luke Moore did a lot more to be honest.  At one stage he looked a very good player indeed.

Moore looked very good for the 2nd half of DOLs last season and for a few months after mon arrived (when he was playing on the left of a 3) but he picked up an injury in about November and never got back from it because Young came in and replaced him. I think going to the baggies then ruined him and he's never got back to even the level he was in that first year or so let alone lived up to his potential.

[eamonn]

Is he even playing anymoore?

[Mister E]

Luke Moore did a lot more to be honest.  At one stage he looked a very good player indeed.

Moore looked very good for the 2nd half of DOLs last season and for a few months after mon arrived (when he was playing on the left of a 3) but he picked up an injury in about November and never got back from it because Young came in and replaced him. I think going to the baggies then ruined him and he's never got back to even the level he was in that first year or so let alone lived up to his potential.

He had a decent spell at Swansea IIRC.

[Matt Collins]

I do think RHM has a good touch - I've seen it before

But it's just not tested at under 23 level where there's so much time and space

Similarly I think JDH is a talented passer. But the extra pressure on the ball on Tuesday meant that he was invariably passing backwards and sideways

[yammers]

If I'm honest, and this is an isolated exception, I actually feel a bit for Bruce with this one.  Hepburn-Murphy is undoubtedly a talented player for his age and we'd all love to see him progress into the first-team. Would I be happy to put my faith in him for the remainder of this season and not bring-in another striker? Absolutely not. For all of Bruce's unhelpful tactics, Tuesday night highlighted RHM's limitations at this stage. He's tiny. Really tiny, and easily bullied by centre-halves. Even in wide-areas he was unable to get past his marker/s and was generally ineffective. Regardless of his record at U23 / Youth Team level I've seen absolutely nothing in his first-team appearances YET to suggest that he's ready to be n the first-team, even as a regular on the bench.

We can all point the finger at Bruce for not developing him, but he's also been hampered by his own injury record. Bruce's remit is one thing and one thing only - to get us promoted. If bringing through youth-team players contributes towards that, then brilliant, but it's also down to those players to grab that opportunity. At the moment I've not seen RHM do any more than the likes of Luke and Stefan Moore did at a similar stage.

This!

 I don’t think he’s as good as we all want him to be.

[Matt Collins]

Yeovil were extremely dominant physically so other opponents may be less problematic for him

But I do think it's hard to see how such a midget can be a number 9 in the modern game

[brian green]

Nobody is a bigger fan of RHM than I am but I was really amazed to see him beaten one on one in a foot race against Wigan.  He is either not as good  as I thought he is or he is not fully fit.  I hope it is the latter.