Higdon - An Enigma

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Fiery Blade

Fiery Blade

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Following the loan signing of O'Grady and return to fitness of McNulty, Michael Higdon got the nod to start last nights game with a chance of showing Mr Clough and the United fans that he was the man to lead the line and that he could really make a statement of intent !
What did we get - Probably the most enept performance of the season - He didn't jump, hold the ball up, chase and harry, get into scoring positions, make runs down the channels - In fact Nothing!
He doesn't appear to have any heart whatsoever and very limited talent - A poor mans Darius Henderson and I thought he was garbage (apart from that one game at Bristol City)
Higdon came here wanting to make his name in English football - to date he has not done a very good job and on last nights performance he certainly isn't good enough !
 



Read that wrong! Thought it said Enama. That maybe what he needs. Or at least------
 
I think you may have exemplified inept with the inclusion of the word "enept," there Fiery ;)

I think Higdon doesn't play the lone roll very well, especially if there is only Scougs attempting to support him (what Ken jnr told me about the game last night) - he would be better in a two up top with a nippy and pacy striker as a foil.
 
I'm best described as a clapper, but if that useless lump of a professional footballer represents my team again then I would seriously apply to join the Judge fan club. ;). I've always thought that he might come good but on last nights showing I wouldn't have paid him in washers. He was totally inept, never moved when we were on the front foot and never asked for the ball once. In 50 years I'm struggling to recall as bad an individual performance as that and believe me I've seen some dross.
 
Didn't put a shift in because he's probably been told by NC, that after last nights game o'grady is 1st choice in a 4-5-1.
 
Things we learned last night.

1, Higdon mustn't be allowed to play up front on his own. It's embarrassing.
2, Higdon and Baxter's shameful immobility is costing the team. They cannot be allowed to play in the same side.
3, If Higdon is on the pitch he can't be used as a target man.
4, Whatever McNulty's faults, he offers more than Higdon.
5, I can't bloody wait to see Chris O'Grady.
 
There's no enigma, the problem is quite evident, his legs have gone, we've seen this happen to Beattie, Cresswell and Kitson in recent seasons it's just happend to Higdon a few years younger.

Once the legs of gone there is no way back to playing at a decent level, I suspect his next move from us will be the Scotish Championship or Conference where the rotten defending might allow him some free headers to knock into the goal, but at this level or higher he is finished.
 
Fiery Blade said:
Following the loan signing of O'Grady and return to fitness of McNulty, Michael Higdon got the nod to start last nights game with a chance of showing Mr Clough and the United fans that he was the man to lead the line and that he could really make a statement of intent !
What did we get - Probably the most enept performance of the season - He didn't jump, hold the ball up, chase and harry, get into scoring positions, make runs down the channels - In fact Nothing!
He doesn't appear to have any heart whatsoever and very limited talent - A poor mans Darius Henderson and I thought he was garbage (apart from that one game at Bristol City)
Higdon came here wanting to make his name in English football - to date he has not done a very good job and on last nights performance he certainly isn't good enough !
Click to expand...

Mr Higdon had best hire himself a minder for when we go to Fleetwood because I'm sure there will be some guy who works the beach at Blackpool hanging around to kidnap him and add him to his 'team'.
 
zablade said:
There's no enigma, the problem is quite evident, his legs have gone, we've seen this happen to Beattie, Cresswell and Kitson in recent seasons it's just happend to Higdon a few years younger.

Once the legs of gone there is no way back to playing at a decent level, I suspect his next move from us will be the Scotish Championship or Conference where the rotten defending might allow him some free headers to knock into the goal, but at this level or higher he is finished.
Click to expand...
If we got the crosses into him he might have some headers he to "knock into the goal" whilst here, however apart from that I agree with you that his legs seem to have gone.

I think this will be his first and only season with us, thank good we only gave him a years contract
 
Is it just me, has every striker under clough struggled or been garbage, if o grady has a poor spell upfront will people then say its cause he's shot, crap, unfit, fat etc...

Think its down to the manager never playing strikers, and now the team don't know how to play with a striker..
 



Tezza1889 said:
Is it just me, has every striker under clough struggled or been garbage, if o grady has a poor spell upfront will people then say its cause he's shot, crap, unfit, fat etc...

Think its down to the manager never playing strikers, and now the team don't know how to play with a striker..
Click to expand...

Last season Scougall and Coady were always getting alongside and beyond the lone striker. This season we've only got Scougall who does that and he's often been playing deeper.

To be honest, anyone would do better than Higdon with their back to goal, but unless we sort out the support to that striker then they'll not flourish.
 
I said when we played Mansfield that people would get frustrated with Higdon (http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/united-2-mansfield-1-report.35634/#post-637007). Alright, I also said he'd be a really key player for us - can't get them all right!

He was poor last night but he also received little or no service. He clearly believes he's best served by conserving his energy for the most part and he won't challenge for balls unless he's 100% sure he'll win them. All this is OK if he's nodding in crosses or putting away chances in the box (as he's already shown he can do) but when there are no good crosses for him to get onto, we're just carrying him. Annoyingly, our crossing improved a lot after he'd gone off.

O'Grady will please our fans more as he'll work much harder and be a lot more mobile, I just hope we can create enough chances for him to do some real damage.
 
Kenilworth said:
I think you may have exemplified inept with the inclusion of the word "enept," there Fiery ;)

I think Higdon doesn't play the lone roll very well, especially if there is only Scougs attempting to support him (what Ken jnr told me about the game last night) - he would be better in a two up top with a nippy and pacy striker as a foil.
Click to expand...

We actually played with two upfront for most of last night. Murphy after first 10 minutes moved central.

He did also get into a scoring position and should have buried it. Carroll made a decent save but a centre forward like him should have bulged that net!
 
Just had a quick look at strikers who have been employed while clough has been here...

Just looking at the league btw, all that most of us care about isn't it... well me deffo...

Not scientific this because I'm off down town for a pint n that, can't put too much time in, feel free to do a proper job on it, especially if youre bored at work..lol

M.king.... 1
B.paynter 0
C.porter. 7
Diego. 0
Taylor. 2
Miller. 0
Higdon. 2
Mcnulty. 5

I know kings goal was under weir and taylors as well, but we don't have a great record with weir and clough as far as getting centre forwards into the game, something both of them struggle with equally..

Goals to games ratio in the league is screaming that mcnulty is the man to play alone upfront with 5 goals this season..

I haven't included murphy who's a winger, flynn too, and baxter who's a midfielder...


With this in mind I predict a poor spell for chris o grady if clough sticks to one up front playing the same system, something he clearly believes in, I can not see us doing anything unless ogrady gets somebody to play with upfront, what will opposing defences do?, sit on o grady as they know where the balls are heading and without another player pulling defenders apart and making runs for flick ons etc, we are going to be way too predictable...

Bristol citys two strikers have 17 between them this season, quite odd that its the same as our stikers have managed in two seasons up to now.

Play offs at best.... sorry, and only because this group of teams are just as inconsistent as us otherwise, we'd be mid table..

We should be running the show, especially at home, instead we play to not concede, brick it and go behind, then play catch up....

Somethings gotta change..
 
I'm going to defend him a little bit here. Lack of effort cannot be defended but he is a target man regardless of some saying he isn't. His skills are limited and basic.

He needs a constant supply of crosses in the hope that he can get the leap on the defender a couple of times a game, or maybe he will find himself unmarked on a rare occasion. This doesn't happen, the quality of balls into the box aren't good enough.
He needs a constant supply of long balls up to him to flick on, but nobody runs beyond him so it is pointless.
Or he needs a constant supply of balls into his chest or feet to hold up, once again it's pointless because nobody gets up quickly enough to support him.

Which ever way we do it we only have a chance of accommodating him if we go back to the percentage football that we all hate. A lone striker relies on his team mates creating chances for him, he spends almost every minute of a game being totally marked out of it and he needs support from an energetic midfield which we haven't got. It makes you wonder why we bought him in the first place.

He's not the first striker to struggle at the strikers graveyard.
 
JohnDenver said:
Things we learned last night.

1, Higdon mustn't be allowed to play up front on his own. It's embarrassing.
2, Higdon and Baxter's shameful immobility is costing the team. They cannot be allowed to play in the same side.
3, If Higdon is on the pitch he can't be used as a target man.
4, Whatever McNulty's faults, he offers more than Higdon.
5, I can't bloody wait to see Chris O'Grady.
Click to expand...

Imo he does indeed but Clough doesn't see it that way

How Clough can have a go at McNulty for not running the channels and yet proceeds to pick Higdon who can't even run up and down on the spot is completely baffling
 
metty said:
I'm best described as a clapper, but if that useless lump of a professional footballer represents my team again then I would seriously apply to join the Judge fan club. ;). I've always thought that he might come good but on last nights showing I wouldn't have paid him in washers. He was totally inept, never moved when we were on the front foot and never asked for the ball once. In 50 years I'm struggling to recall as bad an individual performance as that and believe me I've seen some dross.
Click to expand...

Funny, I had pretty much the same sentiments regarding the fella in your profile pic after Swindon away. Maybe Higdon's best position is in central defence too? ;)
 
So Higdons been out for 6 weeks surely he warranted a place on the bench give him the last 20 Clough has got to take some of the blame surely.
 
Well, I've got to question Clough for another baffling decision in starting Higdon.

Clough has already said (and we can all see) that Higdon wasn't fully fit, he's now had a further 3-4 weeks of probably not being able to do much training due to it being a muscle injury. Yet he goes straight back in to the team, starting. :confused:

Mr Clough you may feel that Higdon is who you want to play as you feel he will bring the best out of the team, formation and tactics you want to play. But if you have another player that contributes more to the possibility of winning matches then surely you should play him. This is about doing the best for Sheffield United FC, and I'm sorry but your stubbornness in persisting with Higdon, as being anything other than what should be an option from the bench, isn't.

Blade58 said:
How Clough can have a go at McNulty for not running the channels and yet proceeds to pick Higdon who can't even run up and down on the spot is completely baffling
Click to expand...

Dead right B58, I really struggle to make sense of some of Clough's decisions.
 
JohnDenver said:
Things we learned last night.

1, Higdon mustn't be allowed to play up front on his own. It's embarrassing.
2, Higdon and Baxter's shameful immobility is costing the team. They cannot be allowed to play in the same side.
3, If Higdon is on the pitch he can't be used as a target man.
4, Whatever McNulty's faults, he offers more than Higdon.
5, I can't bloody wait to see Chris O'Grady.
Click to expand...

Glad someone mentioned Baxter - really talented, very ineffective. Personally Baxter can NEVER be a midfield player - lazy, ineffective, makes a pass and ADMIRES it (what a waste). Football is about pass and move and Baxter is just plain lazy.

To add - Scoogs - vey busy, runs around, gets a foot in, has work rate - totally ineffective in a football sense in and around the 18 yard box. Completely none productive.

Some of us have said a lot - Scougal and Baxter in the same team - no thanks.

Mcnulty - he makes great runs and is nearly always onside - difficult to see why NC has an issue with him.

Higdon - ok, so not match fit, but he could at least show some interest in proceedings.

UTB
 
OllyBlade said:
Funny, I had pretty much the same sentiments regarding the fella in your profile pic after Swindon away. Maybe Higdon's best position is in central defence too? ;)
Click to expand...
The thing is that Basham is a centre half being played out of position whilst the only way that Higdon could be a centre half is if they brought in a no ball above head height rule because he certainly can't jump at the mo.
 



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