Will Hughes

[uttoxram75]

Well I'm sticking by Hughes being our best player. He's quality. He makes good decisions and he's one hell of a teammate. You can trust him. He won't put you under pressure and play you into trouble.He won't ask you to chase a lump down field. He'll always take the ball off you.

His pass selection sets him apart from everyone. His tight knitted passing in whatever area of the pitch he feels he's needed has put an end to the days where Cardiff, Hull, Leicester, Norwich, Southampton etc etc have played us off the park.

We are never completely outplayed now.

Because a few stupid, lazy journalists wrote some silly numbers down and said "Barcelona" people are here expecting to see Iniesta.

He's a teenager. Who will do what he does?

I think there's a lack of appreciation for Will Hughes.

But Tom Huddlestone? He sh1ts rose scented pound coins. He could pass 3 yards and we'd all masturbate. Jack Wilshere? The future of England. The way he feeds the players around him and they can express themselves. Beautiful.

Xavi?! Oh that guy is like the lifeforce of Barcelona. Mr 100% reliable. There when you need him and gives you and the team whatever is needed. Pirlo? I'd pay a years wages just to sniff his flowing hair.

Will Hughes? Meh. Just a few neat passes. A few neat passes for a teenager. A teenager who is our life force. Who feeds our players. Who is highly reliable. Who gives you 8 times in 10 what you need and when you need it.

He's a breed of player this country don't like. They like Gerrard and Walcott. Never won owt you say?

Nailed it there Alpha. Top post.

 

He's different, some fans struggle to see it because he doesn't power past defenders and score from 30 yards.

 

You could have put him in the Chelsea team yesterday and he wouldn't have looked out of place. 

[Mostyn6]

Nailed it there Alpha. Top post.

 

He's different, some fans struggle to see it because he doesn't power past defenders and score from 30 yards.

 

You could have put him in the Chelsea team yesterday and he wouldn't have looked out of place. 

 

I couldn't disagree more. Yesterday if anything showed just how far away from that (top 4) level Hughes actually is. He couldn't compete with the physical nature of Mikel and Essien, and was nowhere near as influential as the creative and motivated Oscar, Willian and Hazard.

 

Hughes was arguably our worst player yesterday, maybe Ward struggled more, but Hughes was totally anonymous.

[eddie]

When you consider Hughes is supposed to be on a par with other young players like Oscar, Willian and Hazard, as players of the future, he was woefully short yesterday.

 

Think he's been scared to put a foot in for this whole season so far and it showed yesterday, he was a virtual bystander in midfield.

 

Rot

 

Let me go a stage further.

 

Utter rot.

 

You are comparing a teenage kid who has barely broke into a championship team a season ago with seasoned internationals, some of whom have Champions League experience? You really have stepped over the line of reason this time, Mostyn.

[Matt Carbon]

I made my feelings known on the Bryson/Hughes thread the other week, and I just wanted to make the debate a little more balanced (purely in terms of numbers!).

 

Hughes is desperate for a rest, and his CURRENT value cannot be more than £3m or so. People pay money for potential, which I understand, but my estimate of £3m includes an allowance for that!

 

He has looked negative for some time. Often shirking responsibility and choosing a backward 4 yard pass rather than trying to add any drive to our attacking play. If he isn't going to be an out and out play-maker he doesn't have nearly enough physical presence to be a defensive minded midfielder.

 

The comparison to Chelsea players is unfair... but a comparison to Wisdom and Keane is not. They both look like players who could step up to the premier league now and not be out of place. Hughes would look like a lost little boy playing in the prem, in my humble opinion.

 

I think Hughes is a decent young prospect, nothing more. Certainly no more exciting than Brayford or Hendrick or Huddlestone in recent times.

[uttoxram75]

I couldn't disagree more. Yesterday if anything showed just how far away from that (top 4) level Hughes actually is. He couldn't compete with the physical nature of Mikel and Essien, and was nowhere near as influential as the creative and motivated Oscar, Willian and Hazard.

 

Hughes was arguably our worst player yesterday, maybe Ward struggled more, but Hughes was totally anonymous.

I see Hughes constantly available, keeping the team ticking over, retaining possession. His problem is, it seems, is that he makes it look so easy that people don't realise what he does!

There is a reason that Steve McClaren and Nigel Clough before him, won't rest him.  Don't get me wrong, he should be rested imo, but even a slightly below par Hughes is a top player, as Alpha said above, a similar player to Pirlo, not Essien or Mikel, so your analysis is flawed.

[Mostyn6]

I see Hughes constantly available, keeping the team ticking over, retaining possession. His problem is, it seems, is that he makes it look so easy that people don't realise what he does!

There is a reason that Steve McClaren and Nigel Clough before him, won't rest him.  Don't get me wrong, he should be rested imo, but even a slightly below par Hughes is a top player, as Alpha said above, a similar player to Pirlo, not Essien or Mikel, so your analysis is flawed.

 

As Hughes spent 90% of the game sitting back on the halfway line, the comparison to Essien and Mikel is reasoned as that is the role that they play in the league that players with only a fraction of Hughes skill and potential play in.

[uttoxram75]

As Hughes spent 90% of the game sitting back on the halfway line, the comparison to Essien and Mikel is reasoned as that is the role that they play in the league that players with only a fraction of Hughes skill and potential play in.

Don't understand your point.

[Mostyn6]

Don't understand your point.

 

simply, either Hughes is a) not committed to the cause enough or b) we are vastly over-rating his actual ability.

 

I base this on his performance yesterday. Many of our players came out of the game with credit. The player we think is Premier League class, in MY opinion, struggled to get involved.

[Wolfie20]

The true talents of Hughes will come through when he's in a side with other players who are able to anticipate his next move. I think he proves this point when he's played in the U21 team and let's not forget that he is 2-3 years younger than most of the others.

Young players will always see dips in form and those who are quick to get on his back need to look at themselves and take a dose of reality. To value him at only £3m is plainly stupid unless the likes of Rogers haven't a clue about football management.

[sausagemeat]

Hughes has bags of potential - however he has played over 60 games now.

 

whilst a tidy player and pretty good passer at the moment he is far to lightweight.

 

that will be overcome as he matures - at the moment he is not worth the silly 10 to 15 million being put on his head by some over biased fans.

 

he will be good - he will get better - will he ever be as good as Huddlestone though i wonder ?

 

At the same age Hud was playing centre back and centre mid.

 

Jurys out for me at the moment as to how good he will or wont be.

[uttoxram75]

simply, either Hughes is a) not committed to the cause enough or b) we are vastly over-rating his actual ability.

 

I base this on his performance yesterday. Many of our players came out of the game with credit. The player we think is Premier League class, in MY opinion, struggled to get involved.

As ever, Mostyn, we must agree to differ! Hughes, imo, is the real deal. The better the team around him the better he will look. His quickness of thought, deft touch, uncanny knack of poking the ball just where a team mate wants it......not seen a youngster do what he does before at Derby. 

Doesn't mean other players didn't deserve credit yesterday, I'm one who actually thinks we did well, tried to play football against one of the best teams in Europe and came out of it with our heads held high.

 

I expect the same sort of upbeat performance and a win at Leicester.

[Mostyn6]

The true talents of Hughes will come through when he's in a side with other players who are able to anticipate his next move. I think he proves this point when he's played in the U21 team and let's not forget that he is 2-3 years younger than most of the others.

Young players will always see dips in form and those who are quick to get on his back need to look at themselves and take a dose of reality. To value him at only £3m is plainly stupid unless the likes of Rogers haven't a clue about football management.

 

A) I don't think I'm being argumentative to point out that a team that trains together day-in day-out should be better at anticipating a team-mates moves and passes than a team that gets together every 3 months! Your u21 comment makes no sense to me.

 

B) Remind me how much Rodgers has paid for Hughes? Oh, hang on... that's right, he hasn't paid anything yet, so it's actually your comment about Rodgers that is 'stupid' and largely pointless.

[ant034]

Is this thread praising or slating Will Hughes?

[TroyDyer]

Just think about this for a second. If Wills name was Emlyn, he would already have his dream move to Liverpool.

But on the other hand, he'd be dead.

Careful what you wish for young will.

Think on that everyone.

[Alph]

Hazard, Oscar and Willian are playmakers? More comparable to Dawkins than Hughes. They're playmakers because they have incredible pace and dribbling ability. I've never seen Hazard sit deep and tidy up and distribute the ball. It's players like Hughes that feed Hazard.

I have no idea why we are comparing him to these players anyway. These would all walk into England's side. Hazard would walk into any PL side.

This is exactly why newspapers are cnuts. You're comparing Will Hughes to Chelsea's midfield. He plays at Derby ffs. They play with David Luiz, Azpilcueta, Ashley Cole, Juan Mata, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres.

And I honestly don't understand how people can say he wasn't good yesterday. Watch it back. Please. Appreciate what he was trying to do all game.

Ask Oscar if Will is scared to put a foot in.

Wait until he's gone. You won't give a toss if he's as good as Hazard then.

[Alph]

Oh and I must have missed what was so much better about Mikel.

[Mostyn6]

Oh and I must have missed what was so much better about Mikel.

 

who scored the first goal?

[Alph]

who scored the first goal?

A great ball by Willian and Mikel got his head on it and there were 89 other minutes played where he did...?

[Stedcfc]

Really cant believe what I'm reading off some people. Hughes very much held his own yesterday and now because he isn't as good as Oscar he is suddenly overrated?!

 

I'm not really sure what people expected yesterday but everything I saw showed me that in 3-4 years time he will most definitely be up there playing with them. By this time he will of trebled his playing experience and he'll only be 23.

 

Compare Hughes to some of the loanees we've had who were a similar age, Jake Livermore is a good example. He couldnt hack it in the championship and couldnt influence games. 3-4 years later hes established himself as a premiership midfielder and Hughes is way ahead of where he was when he came to us.

 

People expecting Hughes to go and play Michael Essien off the pitch really need a reality check.

[Mostyn6]

A great ball by Willian and Mikel got his head on it and there were 89 other minutes played where he did...?

 

kept Will Hughes away from the ball for most of the game, helped his side get a clean sheet etc.. was on a winning side. Whatever it was, it was more effective than Will was yesterday. As much as I love Will Hughes and detest lumps like Mikel, that's just the facts of the matter.