Forgive me for using the same heartbreaking photograph on consecutive blog entries, but it is pertinent once again.
On the right, helping the stricken Jimmy Bullard from the Villa Park field, is the Tigers' fitness co-ordinator Sean Rush.
On the left is Kamel Ghilas.
A few eyebrows have been raised lately about the absence of Ghilas from the Hull City squad. He has been on the bench only twice, without being used, since his last start for the Tigers in the defeat at Burnley.
It does seem rather a long time.
It's hard to decipher exactly what the pacey Algerian forward has done wrong. There is no evidence of him being injured, and while the team has mainly played well since the day he left the side, the fact that he did not make even the bench at Aston Villa rings an alarm bell or two.
He was a hefty summer investment and has shown real enthusiasm for the cause when either starting or being introduced later to games. Adept down the middle or in wide positions, Ghilas would appear to fit the bill perfectly for the new brand of expansive, attacking football that Phil Brown has decided to play since being reminded of his responsibilities as a results man.
Instead, Brown has kept faith with the old hands. Craig Fagan and Richard Garcia have been re-introduced to central and attacking roles since Ghilas last appeared, with Nick Barmby frequently appearing from the bench. Ghilas has been a frustrated spectator of late, and with a World Cup place to secure next summer, surely he has all the personal incentive required to impress for Hull City, as well as the incentive as a paid professional.
Still, at least his kindly act of helping Bullard off the pitch proves he travelled to the game, so he hasn't been completely jettisoned by Brown. It has also reminded us that an ambitious team could do with its best players being available, and this photograph actually proves that twice, not just once.
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