I was much more impressed with what we saw of him on Sunday than I had expected.

He was alive to the game and he certainly took a better corner than Luka!

Dad and I watched games standing on the muddy slope of the Holmesdale Road end. He cheered and I rattled.

He was out of contract next summer and for whatever reason wasn’t going to sign a new deal so we probably wanted to get some sort of fee for Hughes.

I thought he was always a tidy player who also liked to get stuck in.

Certainly when he played was one of our better more creative players.

Maybe was a doubt Hughes might be lightweight at times .

He had the very nice habit on Sunday of finding somebody with the same shirt as him when playing a pass......not something we've always had in the middle of the park.

Edited by tonymikejoe (14 Dec 2021 12.56am)

Yep he was great.

Not sure he's got the same engine as Macca but truthfully he's a class above on the ball - a really metronomic passer who almost invariably finds his man. He's a great fit for receiving the ball from the back and recycling it even if the press is less aggressive in midfield.

He did ,as Macca, did in the earlier games give Gallagher, the platform to be his adventurous self.. our recent blip, has been to some degree because that had gone missing..
I have already said ,Will has always had quality, and no shrinking violet, and in that respect he brings us something we have been short on since Cabaye, left.

Edited by Putitout (14 Dec 2021 9.02am)

I think what Hughes brings to the team is that he receives and recycles the ball quickly short passes that allow the game to flow. He provides an outlet for the two centre halves br dropping back and picking up the ball.

What we saw on Sunday was an energetic midfield something we are often lacking as Luka and Kouyate cannot perform that role and certainly not together.

Edited by Badger11 (14 Dec 2021 11.57am)

One more point