Hucks' impact on a game and the squad is not in doubt

It is the comments that the fans and the player have been somehow cheated by the announcement after the end of the season that galls.

We all suspected the worst, his agent had made the announcement that he was moving on in January (only to be slapped down by Hucks himself) and thinly veiled threats had been made on both sides long before the Sheff Wed game.

I do not believe that anyone who stayed behind for the lap of honour against QPR or made a late decision to travel to Sheffield felt that they would be seing him play for the club next season - as with Pandoras box all that was left was hope.

If Hucks wanted to stay that badly and is half the man we think that he is he will have presented the club with a set of terms on which he would be prepared to continue rather than wait for the visit to the office and Roeder may well have made similar offers in exchange (e.g. pay as you play or non contract basis) - It is clear from the behaviour of both afterwards that they have parted amicably.

GR has said he will stand or fall by his decision - I personally think that it is the correct one as defences by and large understand his way of play so his impact lessens season by season and it is time to move on.

Hucks has said that this is his club so he will be back for the send off he deserves - it may not be next season but you can almost guarantee that the first day that he chooses to sit in the stands to watch a game he will be brought onto the pitch to receive the deserved aclaim - so the farewell is simply postponed.

(P.S. I am not putting Mackenzie in the same bracket as Hucks, I am simply saying that all of the 2003/4 first team were heroes, including, at that time, Mackenzie who blotted his record by virtue of off field incidents up to and including his departure - but at the end of 2004 they were all legends).

Posted By: biffbro, May 11, 10:48:22