Rumour - Howard to Huddersfield

[Ian Royal]

honest enough player, good work rate but gives away possession all too easily and goes missed for large periods of games. if he left he wouldn't be missed. tabb is better and doesn't play enough for me. i wouldn't offer to drive the lad away but he is more suited to league one football or a bottom third championship side. we're very strong in midfield and have obita and taylor knocking on the door to compliment the rest.

Tabb is completely different.

for coventry tabb spent time playing a more successful deeper role, but also played wide right and behind supporting the striker(s). tabb has also at times covered the deeper role here and also been pushed behind the forwards. tabb is the better passer of the ball and the better tackler; I haven't seen enough of him in the advanced position to rate him there, but to suggest they're completely different types of player isn't quite accurate.

Tabb's a hustle and bustle player. He doesn't have a lot of guile or creativity in his passing, how many assists does he have for us, I'd guess Howard's got as many last season as Tabb's managed in his career for us.

One of the main complaints I think you can make of Howard is that he doesn't score enough for a creative midfielder. Tabb's goalscoring record for us is utterly abysmal and I don't think I've ever seen a situation where I thought he had a better than 50/50 chance of scoring, no matter how good a chance it was.

Different types of player.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Also he's jinx for teams in the play offs (failed with Reading once and Sheff U twice I believe).

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Also he's jinx for teams in the play offs (failed with Reading once and Sheff U twice I believe).

Won with Barnsley though

[Extended-Phenotype]

tabb is the better passer of the ball

Just to clarify, who is he passing <i>to</i> in this assessment?

Personally I think we need to cut the grass at the Madejski a little shorter, as I’m not sure if Tabb can see the receiver over the blades.

[andrew1957]

Heard rumours going round that Brian Howard is close to signing for Huddersfield.

Looks like you got your Howards mixed up. Steve Howard signs for Huddersfeld.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=http://ww ... sKAqEhb-zw

[Snowball]

[ And anyway it isn't just about scoring goals, it is also about creating them and I think his stats in that department stack pretty well compared to the other central midfielders we have.

Last two seasons only
Games played for either a goal or assist. Note

1.3 Gylfi
1.5 Hunt
1.6 Long
2.1 Kebe
2.3 HRK
3.5 McAnuff
3.7 Howard
6.7 Karacan
8.3 Elwood
9.7 Tabb

[Mr Angry]

[ And anyway it isn't just about scoring goals, it is also about creating them and I think his stats in that department stack pretty well compared to the other central midfielders we have.

Last two seasons only
Games played for either a goal or assist. Note

1.3 Gylfi
1.5 Hunt
1.6 Long
2.1 Kebe
2.3 HRK
3.5 McAnuff
3.7 Howard
6.7 Karacan
8.3 Elwood
9.7 Tabb

What point are you trying to make?

Karacan, Leigertwood and Tabb are defensive midfielders, therefore the fact that their goals/assists to games ratio is worse than Howards, who is deemed an attacking midfielder, and much worse than our strikers, is simply stating the obvious.

[brendywendy]

i think it appears to be that howard, despite being slated by nearly everyone, has a pretty much comparable attacking/creating record as the much vaunted and eulegised mcanuff, and is therefore a decent enough attacking midfielder.
i may be wrong.

[Wycombe Royal]

[ And anyway it isn't just about scoring goals, it is also about creating them and I think his stats in that department stack pretty well compared to the other central midfielders we have.

Last two seasons only
Games played for either a goal or assist. Note

1.3 Gylfi
1.5 Hunt
1.6 Long
2.1 Kebe
2.3 HRK
3.5 McAnuff
3.7 Howard
6.7 Karacan
8.3 Elwood
9.7 Tabb

What point are you trying to make?

Karacan, Leigertwood and Tabb are defensive midfielders, therefore the fact that their goals/assists to games ratio is worse than Howards, who is deemed an attacking midfielder, and much worse than our strikers, is simply stating the obvious.

Tabb is not a defensive midfielder.

[ZacNaloen]

Tabb is a box to box break up the play give it to someone more creative midfielder

[roadrunner]

Tabb is a box to box break up the play give it to someone more creative midfielder

^^ this!

[Wycombe Royal]

Tabb is a box to box break up the play give it to someone more creative midfielder

That might be how we have used him, but it isn't how he has played most of his career, which is why we probably haven't seen his best form either.

[ZacNaloen]

How has he played most of his career?

[Wycombe Royal]

How has he played most of his career?

On the left wing or as an attacking midfielder.

He scored 21 league goals at Brentford, 11 at Coventry and none with us. Doesn't that tell you we are using him differently?

[ZacNaloen]

It does indeed

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Bournemouth want Howard as well.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Ditto Wycombe Royal. Tabb is a winger/am traditionally.

Although more accurately, if you wanted to be REALLY boring, you could harp on about the fact he's a 'side midfielder', playing deeper than the winger. Perhaps why we haven't really used him on our wing, favouring as we do the pacey, dribble-with-the-ball-and-run-it-out-of-play-because-they-can't-cross type flankers.

Incidentally, since none of our wingers are capable of crossing, why don't we stick 'em on opposite flanks and tell them to run the ball into the box? Always niggled me that; the best crosser in the team is also the guy who scores the goals - we needed two Longs last season, and this season we won't have any.

[Ferris]

Tabb was gash when he played out wide for us.

[Ian Royal]

Ditto Wycombe Royal. Tabb is a winger/am traditionally.

Although more accurately, if you wanted to be REALLY boring, you could harp on about the fact he's a 'side midfielder', playing deeper than the winger. Perhaps why we haven't really used him on our wing, favouring as we do the pacey, dribble-with-the-ball-and-run-it-out-of-play-because-they-can't-cross type flankers.

Incidentally, since none of our wingers are capable of crossing, why don't we stick 'em on opposite flanks and tell them to run the ball into the box? Always niggled me that; the best crosser in the team is also the guy who scores the goals - we needed two Longs last season, and this season we won't have any.

We kinda have. Kebe cuts inside frequently from the right, that's more his game than crossing for sure. McAnuff is right footed and frequently cuts in from the left. HRK is left footed and has been played on the right on occasion when he's paired up with McAnuff.

[Snowball]

Last two seasons only
Games played for either a goal or assist. Note

1.3 Gylfi
1.5 Hunt
1.6 Long
2.1 Kebe
2.3 HRK
3.5 McAnuff
3.7 Howard
6.7 Karacan
8.3 Elwood
9.7 Tabb

What point are you trying to make?

Karacan, Leigertwood and Tabb are defensive midfielders, therefore the fact that their goals/assists to games ratio is worse than Howards, who is deemed an attacking midfielder, and much worse than our strikers, is simply stating the obvious.

Why does there have to be "a point"?

I have simply posted some actual facts for people to use as they think fit.

I would play Elwood > Karacan >Tabb before Howard. And yes, I am aware of where and how our two first-choice midfielders play. They are destroyers/hasslers whose job it is to feed the two wingers. I suspect either of them would get more assists and goals if asked to play as an attacking midfielder, but they are not.

I don' think it's fair to judge Tabby. On his first game back after his op he had a stormer, but he hasn't had much of an extended run this season, so has had little chance to form an understanding with his fellow midfielder.

What IS interesting about the stats (IMO) is how much better on goals/assists Kebe looks, HRK looks. Howard's figures may be "OK" but he is always spoken of as "the man to bring on when we need creativity"... yet he's scored zero goals this year and had just 7 assists in 21 starts plus 6 sub appearances. 1 in 3. Not exactly earth-shattering, is it?

You have to wonder why Sheffield let him go. I believe he has the potential to still be a very good player
but he looks less than fully interested most of the time, as well as not looking at max fitness.