Ghilas

The issue of the right side of midfield is a burning one thanks to Bernard Mendy's lax attitude and Craig Fagan's spat with the manager, but ultimately both are predominantly regarded as a mere understudy in any event.

It can change if the formation does, but Kamel Ghilas is, correctly, the holder of this position by default right now. He has been dropped twice because of a misguided need by Phil Brown to accommodate others (Jozy Altidore against Birmingham City to make a 4-4-2 that was disastrous; Nick Barmby and his newly-laundered armband against Wigan Athletic) but can expect to be the top choice when the regulation 4-5-1 is installed.

Ghilas has been excellent since arriving, showing a touch that Fagan can only dream of and an attitude which Mendy should be forced to observe over and over again. Given the tiresome rumours of unrest among longer-serving players, maybe some of this is down to the young Algerian still having the idealism associated with an exciting young foreign star yet to allow the politics of the Premier League to overshadow the excitement of being part of it.

He joined on the same day as Stephen Hunt, and although Ghilas is a good central striker, it was evident straightaway that his role was going to be wide, thanks to a blistering pace and a natural attacking mind. The width of the pitch was covered in one single day of transfer activity, but while Hunt is undroppable (rightly), Ghilas has proved unusually sacrificial.

Brown later said Ghilas was weakened by Ramadan fasting and so was not deemed ready to play against Birmingham - something which didn't go down a storm given that the daylight hours were still fairly short - but still threw him on as a substitute with half an hour to go. This made the issue more confusing; how can a club decide that a player on a restricted eating regime is fit to play for 30 minutes but not 90? It's not as easy to assess nourishment levels at it is a physical injury.

The decision to start with Ghilas in every game has surely been made easier by the indiscretions of Mendy and Fagan. Whether any of our centre forwards will score frequently is a matter still up in the air and Ghilas, who got the winner against Bolton Wanderers, may end up as reliable from a non-striking position to get goals as the players whose prime job it is. He certainly seems able to create chances for himself in the way that the totally invaluable Geovanni does, and this is a handy trait for a Tigers player currently playing in a team short on goal threat.

Ghilas should become the first choice wide man by default, but also the first choice second striker by default if the return to a 4-4-2 is mooted for future games. Maybe this becomes easier once Richard Garcia, a player of more ability than Fagan and a better attitude than Mendy, returns to the fray in the run-up to Christmas after knee trouble. In a team where creativity is restricted and goalscoring prowess more so, any player who clearly can carry out both roles has to be on the sheet. Ghilas fits that double billing.