Should Hull’s Top Scorer be Dropped?

The latest poll on Vital Hull asked you whether Jon Parkin should be dropped when the Tigers travel to Derby on Saturday. Here is your answer.

A huge seventy-five percent of you voted to say that the club’s top scorer should be dropped.

Parkin has netted seven goals in all competitions this season, with six being scored in twenty-three Championship fixtures. Parkin’s last goal came in the Tigers F.A Cup third round replay against Middlesbrough where ‘The Beast’ netted from the penalty spot.

Despite being the Tigers leading scorer, there have been many doubters about his general play, especially in recent weeks. His nickname of ‘the Beast’ immediately raises the first issue, and that is the weight of the bulky striker. Quite simply, he is over-weight and must lose some if he is to ever be truly effective in the Championship.

For a big man, he rarely wins headers and often fouls the opposing defender rather than using his bulky frame to win fouls against him. His work ethic is also questioned as he fails to close down opposition defenders when the Tigers are not in possession. Defence must start from the front but with Jon Parkin there, it doesn’t.

Phil brown’s substitution of the player on the half-hour mark was met with sarcastic cheers as The Beast was substituted. Anyone who believes these fans were cheering the arrival of Michael bridges onto the pitch are wrong – there was no doubting the cheers were for the substitution of the lethargic Jon Parkin.

With Saturday’s game crucial, as every game remaining in the Championship season will be, Phil Brown can’t afford to persist with players not producing their best. With Stephen McPhee set to return from injury, it is almost certain that one of Dean Windass or Jon Parkin will be relegated to the substitutes bench.

Nine percent of you voted saying that Parkin should not be dropped whilst sixteen percent believe that Parkin is not the problem, and they may be right.

Without the service from midfield, no striker is going to be effective. City, during the last two games, have moved from playing attractive football along the ground to lumping the ball forward to Parkin. Despite being a big man, the bulky forward prefers the ball at his feet rather than to his head. if the team can’t play to Parkin`s strengths, he will never be effective.

If Parkin is starting up-front on Saturday, I feel there will be several questions asked about Phil Brown’s persistence to keep playing the striker as part of the three man forward line. If Windass and Parkin both start, there will certainly be questions and discontent from the fans watching and listening to the game.