Striking Problems For Hull Boss

Hull City face a stern test against the in-form Championship team West Bromwich Albion this Saturday at the KC Stadium.

Having lost to Yorkshire rivals Leeds United on Tuesday night, the Tigers now find themselves only one point ahead of the relegation zone after victories for Barnsley, Leeds and Southend made the relegation battle a lot closer.

With seven or eight teams deep in relegation trouble, the Tigers must ensure they carry on picking up points during a very difficult February. However, the Leeds fixture posed a new problem, and that was the striking options currently available to Phil Brown.

Nick Barmby was a key figure in the Tigers form during December and January but his injury was a huge blow. The striker still faces five weeks on the sidelines and as of yet, Brown hasn’t been able to find a replacement for the striker’s position.

Stephen McPhee has played well in behind the front-two but his hamstring injury ruled the striker out against Leeds. McPhee does stand a chance of playing against WBA and the Tigers need him.

Against Leeds, Brown started Dean Windass and Jon Parkin as part of a front three along with Nicky Forster. before hand their had been much debate about whether these two players could play in the same team. Like many others, we conducted our own poll, the results of which can be seen below:

From the start – 42%

Off the bench – 49%

Stick with the team from Palace – 9%

By the end of the match, the answer was clear – No. With two slow and immobile strikers playing up-front, the team didn’t function effectively. Nicky Forster was one of only a few players to come away from the game with any credit due to his strong running and goal, but the striker still missed a clear header in-front of goal and a crucial one-on-one chance late on when the ball seemed to get stuck under his feet, allowing the Leeds defender to make a challenge.

Against WBA, Phil Brown can not play Deano and the Beast in the same team. Either Daryl Duffy must be played or Michael Bridges. Both players featured as substitutes in the game Tuesday night and both players scored in the Tigers 5-1 victory over Rotherham reserves yesterday afternoon.

Michael Bridges has played the ‘Nick Barmby role’ in the past and he would be the best candidate to take Deano’s place on Saturday. However, Parkin’s place is also severely under threat as many fans continue to criticise his performance. However, until we buy another large physical striker, it looks like Parkin will keep his place.

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