Rushian Hepburn-Murphy

[Nigel]

7 hours ago, hippo said:

^^^^^ This for me.

I have never seen anything from him to suggest he is a gem in waiting. Sure he does it for the u23's, but the step up is massive - and tonight we are playing lowly opposition and he turns in a mostly anonymous performance. I would agree Bruce probably doesn't rate him - I don't see how he possibly can - TBF he is coming back from a run of Injuries, but other than a bit of raw enthusiasm I m not seeing much here.

 

The massive jump in quality is why the loan options work so well. I can't understand how we don't utilise it with our own kids more. He needs regular games to make the jump.

[hippo]

6 hours ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Everyone calling for him to go out on loan - he's our only other fit striker! 

that assumes he would be wanted on loan.some club has to think he is worth paying the wages.

[romavillan]

7 hours ago, terrytini said:

Agree to a point. The trouble is, he did get the ball, and opportunities, at times, and when he did he was awful.

Struggling to remember someone putting in a ball to him that was even easy to control, let alone put him through. 

[Stephen_Evans]

23 minutes ago, romavillan said:

Struggling to remember someone putting in a ball to him that was even easy to control, let alone put him through. 

Hear, hear.  Let’s give him a go where every pass is to his feet or down the channels where he has a realistic chance of reaching it.

[hippo]

21 minutes ago, Stephen_Evans said:

Hear, hear.  Let’s give him a go where every pass is to his feet or down the channels where he has a realistic chance of reaching it.

This is high level competitive football - it isn't a game of 'shots in'  - He might get a couple of precise passes into a danger position during a game - but most of the time he we have to beat the defender to some extent. If he can only do it where "Every pass is to his feet" - he isn't going to make it ...period. 

[sir_gary_cahill]

Considering it was his first start for our first team, I thought he was fine. He ran around a lot but had little service. I think some of the criticism in this thread is a little harsh, it’s worth remembering that he’s still only 19 years old, it feels like he’s been around for ages. I hope he starts the next game but I won’t bank on it, it would be good if he had a run of games in our first team.

[hippo]

2 minutes ago, sir_gary_cahill said:

Considering it was his first start for our first team, I thought he was fine. He ran around a lot but had little service. I think some of the criticism in this thread is a little harsh, it’s worth remembering that he’s still only 19 years old, it feels like he’s been around for ages. I hope he starts the next game but I won’t bank on it, it would be good if he had a run of games in our first team.

So you would start him against Ipswich on Saturday and the next few games ?  

[BOF]

His performance has to be viewed in the context of being up top for a B team.  Put him in the first team and the service would be entirely different.  Jack showed that in his cameo.  With that in mind I thought Rush did well enough.  He fluffed his one big chance - the cut back from Green - but every striker has one of those and I bet he'd have done better with a second chance.

In an ideal world maybe he goes out on loan but as others have said, we don't have the depth at the moment through injuries.  I'd guarantee one of the positions Bruce is strengthening in the rest of the window will be striker though, so maybe he will get to go somewhere.

[sir_gary_cahill]

2 minutes ago, hippo said:

So you would start him against Ipswich on Saturday and the next few games ?  

Good question- I probably would yes, would you?

[hippo]

10 minutes ago, BOF said:

His performance has to be viewed in the context of being up top for a B team.  Put him in the first team and the service would be entirely different.  Jack showed that in his cameo.  With that in mind I thought Rush did well enough.  He fluffed his one big chance - the cut back from Green - but every striker has one of those and I bet he'd have done better with a second chance.

In an ideal world maybe he goes out on loan but as others have said, we don't have the depth at the moment through injuries.  I'd guarantee one of the positions Bruce is strengthening in the rest of the window will be striker though, so maybe he will get to go somewhere.

Same question for you BOF - Would you start him v Ipswich on Saturday ?  (assuming no loan players come in) 

[hippo]

8 minutes ago, sir_gary_cahill said:

Good question- I probably would yes, would you?

Probably ? -  He has to be starting or not starting ? - your probably makes you think your not totally sure 

I wouldn't start him - and don't think Bruce will either. 

[villa4europe]

definitely not by himself, wouldnt want him to be a sub for kodjia, or a sub that saw kodjia move out wide either

i'd like him to get 2 more sub appearances then bruce be targeting the reading at home game to see how we look with kodjia and him both starting up top, if not that game then definitely rotherham at home mid september

i dont think adomah or green have performed particularly well either so the front 3 needs looking at as a whole

[Hitzlsperger_12]

Hard to judge him on last night I thought, the service to him was all wrong for the type of striker he is. Put Grealish, McGinn behind him and it's a different ball game imo.

[sir_gary_cahill]

3 minutes ago, hippo said:

Probably ? -  He has to be starting or not starting ? - your probably makes you think your not totally sure 

I wouldn't start him - and don't think Bruce will either. 

I would yes but I’m not a football manager

[Gillz]

I thought he had a poor game - struggled to hold up the ball or get involved in the game. In addition, he fluffed the one actual shooting chance he had.

 

However, i place that within the context of:

• It was his first start for the team
• The Villa team he was playing with was significantly weaker than our first team, and played poorly
• The tactics of lumping it up for him to challenge with massive 6ft 6 defenders was absurd and never going to work.

 

Whilst its a shame he didnt put in a good display, im not righting him off because of it. 

[sir_gary_cahill]

1 minute ago, Hitzlsperger_12 said:

Hard to judge him on last night I thought, the service to him was all wrong for the type of striker he is. Put Grealish, McGinn behind him and it's a different ball game imo.

This is my view too

[hippo]

So for all this blaming Bruce - there doesn't seem a whole lot of people (if Any) would start RHM v Ipswich on saturday and subsequent games.

To me when he comes on as sub and makes an impact that when he gets a start. I wouldn't bank on there being a whole load of loan interest either. 

 

[AVFC44]

Useless in the 'system' we play. Needs someone up front with him or there's no point as he's not strong enough to play up front alone.

[BOF]

33 minutes ago, hippo said:

Same question for you BOF - Would you start him v Ipswich on Saturday ?  (assuming no loan players come in) 

No I wouldn't.  For me it has to be Kodjia.

[hippo]

15 minutes ago, AVFC44 said:

Useless in the 'system' we play. Needs someone up front with him or there's no point as he's not strong enough to play up front alone.

He doesn't have to play up front alone - he could play alongside kjodia. The question is who would be brave enough to start him alongside Kjodia in our forthcoming matches ?