After four rounds of Premier League invincibility, a change to the Hull City starting XI is on the way for tomorrow's game against Chelsea.
It's a straightforward alteration. Andy Dawson suffered a dead leg at West Bromwich Albion and was subbed after just ten minutes. Sam Ricketts had a fine match as his natural replacement and will begin at left back - his international position but never before his Hull City position - against Luiz Felipe Scolari's side.
However, might there be more changes? Brown, who has surreptitiously written off the Chelsea match as far as points are concerned, may use the hefty points tally and the insurance it supplies to give Ian Ashbee, the captain, a breather. Ashbee is suspended for the visit to Manchester United on Saturday after accumulating five yellow cards, so maybe an opportunity to give him a fortnight's respite from games is a temptation.
George Boateng and Dean Marney have been tremendous alongside their leader in that three-man midfield. Fluidity, determination and no little quality has trademarked their performances. A chance to rest Ashbee shouldn't affect their places, but it will be interesting to see how Brown alters the dynamics, as only Boateng provides a serious option for the role of enforcer - and he's already in the team.
Bryan Hughes replaced Ashbee at the Hawthorns, with Brown sensibly deciding that the skipper had merited a longer rest, with the game won and risks unnecessary. This withdrawal of Ashbee, however, lends credence to the idea that he may not play at all against Chelsea, a game for which he is eligible as the suspension law needs seven clear days before activation. It would be harsh on Ashbee, from a sentimental viewpoint, to deny him a match against Chelsea in a week when he has already sacrificed his place at Old Trafford, but Brown doesn't do sentimentality, as Dean Windass, Nick Barmby and Ryan France would all attest.
If Brown drops Ashbee, then the next question is whether Hughes is the obvious candidate to come into the midfield. Although he has considerable Premier League experience, Hughes has been underwhelming, and occasionally very bad indeed, as a Hull City performer. He has a nice touch and extensive vision of the pitch, but does seem to display the odd air of apathy when taking an active part in a game. His acute lack of pace - not to mention match fitness - suggests that he would also not suit a stretched three man midfield, so if he does play, it may only be with an extra midfielder deployed.
But would this be Geovanni, or would a naturally wider player like Bernard Mendy or Peter Halmosi be summoned? If so, then either the Brazilian or one of the two grafting strikers - Marlon King and Daniel Cousin - would be at risk. Again, none of these deserve to be dropped - or rested - but that may not stop Brown from doing so. King's place seems secure, but Cousin does let his head drop and has barely found a scoring position since his winner at Arsenal. Geovanni is a diamond, but ominously Brown took him off at West Brom as soon as he started doing his tricks and, consequently, losing the ball. Even with the game won, Brown frowns on that kind of disrespect to the opposition and creation of needless work for his own defenders.
All of this may be academic, as Ashbee might still partake - he's the player Brown has shown more loyalty to than any other - and the XI would be essentially the same, on a tactical front. But Brown is full of surprises and the identity of the opposition, plus the ballast provided by four straight wins, suggests he won't be afraid to issue a couple more surprises this week.
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