What a difference Jimmy Bullard makes.
No, really, what a difference Jimmy Bullard makes.
You probably saw the game, on television if not at the ground. This was the day when Bullard finally got a place in the starting XI and proceeded to run the game and inspire the team in a way no individual player has done for years. And did so for 90 minutes, despite playing for a mere hour at first team level all year.
This is what we've been waiting for. Phil Brown must be a relieved man but also a rather irked one. His mega signing of January has had ten months of rehab and setbacks and during that time the achievement of the team and the reputation of the manager has been in steady decline.
Imagine what could have happened if Bullard had been fit throughout his time with the Tigers. It's very easy, and by no means scientific, to use his performance against Stoke City as a yardstick for a hypothetical guess on how 2009 may have turned out, but nonetheless it's doubtful that we'd have gone quite so long without a Premier League win. It's also consequently doubtful that we'd have gone into the final game of last season still fighting to survive.
Bullard was influential in a way even Geovanni has never been. The two are similarly skilled, but Geovanni tends to win matches through individual brilliance. Though a team player when necessary, the Brazilian is the type of self-promoting footballer whose personal glory is often the key to that of his team.
If Bullard's display against Stoke is a true indication of how he plays the game, then we have got ourselves a chap who constantly wants the ball and then always looks to give an opponent room and time. He involves the whole team, yet dictates the pace and direction of the game with ease and class. Bullard's creativity opens the way for others, whereas Geovanni's creativity tends to open the way for himself.
This isn't a criticism of Geovanni; heaven knows we need him to be back in the team for West Ham United's visit to the KC after the international break. And think of the mouth-watering prospect of Bullard and Geovanni playing together. Indeed, is it viable? Bullard played in a 4-4-2 thanks to his ethic as a provider for the team; Geovanni is never picked within a four-man midfield because of his natural tendency to roam the field and do as he pleases. Can Brown pick a midfield containing Bullard and still have room for Geovanni up front?
We'll see. The selection problem for Brown has suddenly turned from choosing between devils and deep blue seas to opting for either angels or saints. He won't pick two forward players because the previous two didn't perform; he now has to pick two forward players from at least four who have performed. Jozy Altidore and Craig Fagan put in their best performances of the season, but then on came Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink late on to score the winner, then Geovanni's freedom from suspension complicates the equation further. And do throw in Nick Barmby, whose cameo against Stoke was more than useful.
Whoever Brown picks up front, they will at least know that they have a genuinely forward-looking midfielder trying to set them free of their markers with killer balls, or freeing the wide players sufficiently to make room and time for the crosses that strikers love. Everything, even in these earliest of early days, has slotted into place. What an amazing impact on us all Bullard has had. And long may it continue.
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