All you guys who keep suggesting "Huth" are deluded. Somewhere along our journey in the Premier League people have succumbed to the illusion that Huth and Shawcross are invincible super heroes that are the panacea for every goal we concede.
When this pairing were at their zenith were we in the top half of the Premier League?
Playing under Pulis the manager created a myth that every team in the league was far superior than us intruders into a superior league. Every single fixture we played had to be a defensive battle with nine and ten men parking the bus.
At this time Huth and Shawcross had total commitment to Pulis's tactics but more often than not they always had other players around them to cover their errors.
During their reign together I acknowledge their tremendous effort and commitment but we did still finish nearer the bottom than the top of the league.
Reading this thread it is easy to see how deeply ingrained the negative fear has been instilled even though Pulis has long gone.
Even I am worried by the idea of Pulis and his almighty set piece tactics. Once again it's an illusion.
Pulis will certainly be far more afraid of us and he won't have dispensed with his negative ways.
We have much better players at Stoke now and Mark Hughes will be thinking far more positively!
Huth had a long term injury that he was struggling to overcome. He lost his manager and returned to a new system that he was struggling to fit into. Huth wanted game time he couldn't be promised. Huth wanted to leave because of this! Huth was allowed to leave because he was a fringe player. His limitations in terms of fitness and technical ability were clear. Huth went get over it! He was not a god! He is not the answer to our prayers!
It is very unfortunate that Shawcross is out long term and I would like to see the addition of a top centre half. Hughes is backing his judgement that we have good defenders.
The idea of putting Crouch back into the team to cope with mighty West Bromwich Albion is a great example of how our fears that were instilled by Pulis still pervade.
In the game tomorrow I believe that in Butland, Wollshied, Wilson, Cameron, Johnson, Pieters, Van Ginkel and Diouf we have enough good headers of a football to defend set pieces.
Hughes and coaching staff will drill them but then it is their responsibility but any worries will be minimised by their believe that we have the attacking ability to score more goals than WBA. We will also be helped because Pulis will also believe that.