The opportunity has finally arisen for outstanding youngster Tom Cairney to be given his Premier League debut.
It remains a surprise, in actual fact, that this hasn't happened already. We only have two Carling Cup ties to go on, but there is absolutely no doubt that this young midfielder is a special talent.
We are renowned at Hull City for a generation gap as far as players graduating through the ranks are concerned. Mike Edwards was the last to become a regular first teamer more than a decade ago, when City were skint, in the bottom division and as reliant on decent local lads coming through the ranks than anything else. He was 17 when he made his bow; he is now approaching 30 and playing for Notts County. To proud locals, Edwards still casts a shadow over the club despite all its achievements elsewhere.
In Phil Brown's era, token appearances have been made by a tiny handful of players, with Nicky Featherstone the most prominent, yet still a million miles away from Premier League football; indeed, few City supporters know exactly what his best position is. Currently on loan at Grimsby, he is out of contract this summer and will unquestionably be released, branded as another youngster who briefly threatened to graduate but missed out at the final stage.
But now, this season, a breakthrough from the workhouse seems really possible.
We've already seen it with central defender Liam Cooper, who made his Premier League debut at Liverpool in September and, despite the 6-1 defeat and the hat-trick from Fernando Torres, he made a good fist of it. He has, however, yet to feature again. Now, with Jimmy Bullard out and a winnable game against Blackburn Rovers approaching, the time seems ideal for Cairney to make the step up.
Cairney showcased speed, positional nous, enthusiasm and a terrific touch in his two Carling Cup outings which, as they constituted a cakewalk against Southend United (in which he scored a glorious goal from distance) and a mauling by Everton, proved to be the highlight of both games. Moreover, he has vision on the ball, not Bullard-esque but certainly he'd be backed to spray a good 40-yard pass to an overlapping full back more than, for example, Kevin Kilbane or Seyi Olofinjana would.
Cairney's enthusiasm seems to be controlled properly too, meaning he wouldn't be overawed by the occasion or appear too keen to impress, thereby leaving him prone to headstrong moments that experienced Premier League opponents could exploit. However, equally he appears capable of looking after himself too when battles heat up, which is probably one of the main things perennial wannabes like Featherstone seem to lack.
Of course, Bullard's most obvious replacement is Geovanni, and this would also necessitate a return to 4-4-2, a system that has worked wonders in recent weeks prior to the switch to 4-5-1 at Aston Villa that barely had an opportunity to settle in before Bullard's tumble prompted a change of formation and attitude.
But Cairney, who has merely experienced a Premier League bench and no more at this level, has to be considered, even if it is to replace one of the existing central midfielders like George Boateng or Dean Marney. Something new, fresh, talented, visionary and enthusiastic? After all, that's what Bullard was, and look at the effect he had. There's no reason a smart, gifted kid with discipline and confidence shouldn't be able to do the same, especially against a genuinely beatable team. It's time he got his chance.
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