Liam Craig as attacking CM

[Diclonius]

This is Craig's natural position and it's where he played to great effect at St Johnstone.

Have we ever actually played him there?

[scoopyboy]

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This is Craig's natural position and it's where he played to great effect at St Johnstone.

Have we ever actually played him there?

I recall him as on the left at SJ.

[Winston Ingram]

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This is Craig's natural position and it's where he played to great effect at St Johnstone.

Have we ever actually played him there?

It's down to the managers.

Fenlon played nearly everyone out of position last year and Butcher was just a clown.

[JimBHibees]

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I recall him as on the left at SJ.

Agree mostly on the left of a 4 or 3. Bottom line at Hibs he just hasnt really done it on a consistent level for whatever reason I dont know.

[silverhibee]

Best position is the bench.

[number9dream]

There's a long queue of guys who want to play in the central attacking midfield role:
Stanton, McGeouch, Allan, Craig, Handling.

Craig could do a job in a more advanced role on the left, although he lacks pace. He can cross and shoot well - or at least he used to.
The same applies to McGeouch on the right.
Stanton & Handling simply look lost when put out wide and Kennedy looks to have sewn up one flank.
Someone has to play deeper but Allan & Craig are better suited higher up the pitch.
McGeouch will probably get a run as the CAM, so the others need to adapt if Stubbs sticks with the 4-2-3-1 favoured by so many teams.
The 2 area is where we lack suitable personnel and that's been screamingly obvious since Butcher left...

[SanFranHibs]

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This is Craig's natural position and it's where he played to great effect at St Johnstone.

Have we ever actually played him there?

I really don't like overly criticizing Hibs players and I try to support them whilst they are playing for us but I still think I would prefer to see him play as an ex-Hibs player!

[TheFamous1875]

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This is Craig's natural position and it's where he played to great effect at St Johnstone.

Have we ever actually played him there?

If I recall correctly, the only time we've ever played him behind the striker was in our first post Fenlon match with Jimmy Nicholl as caretaker. He played behind Heffernan whose finishing wasn't up to scratch; Stevenson on the left wing (later moved centrally and then to left back, coinciding with subs), Robertson on the right in a 4-4-1-1 with Thomson and Taiwo in the middle. We lost 1-0 to Motherwell from a first half corner which McManus headed passed a lackadaisical McGivern.

Craig had an okay-ish match in the advanced role, but the overall team morale was low after losing the manager and getting knocked out of the League Cup by Hearts a few days earlier (and the resulting onslaught of the fans' rage after it) so I wouldn't judge him or any of his teammates on this performance. We still weren't set up properly, and we were unlucky to lose the match 1-0 as it was a performance that was still an improvement on the previous few months (an abominable display at Firhill where we stole a 1-0 victory still haunts Pat Fenlon's legacy, even if Craig scored a screamer from right mid).

He's not fast enough to play on the wing, he's not clever enough or tenacious enough to play the holding role, so the only place he should be playing his in the advanced role behind the striker/s. He has a good left foot on him and can pass and can attack and that's all. Play him to his strengths and see him benefit the team ya rather than hinder it.

[TheFamous1875]

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There's a long queue of guys who want to play in the central attacking midfield role:
Stanton, McGeouch, Allan, Craig, Handling.

Craig could do a job in a more advanced role on the left, although he lacks pace. He can cross and shoot well - or at least he used to.
The same applies to McGeouch on the right.
Stanton & Handling simply look lost when put out wide and Kennedy looks to have sewn up one flank.
Someone has to play deeper but Allan & Craig are better suited higher up the pitch.
McGeouch will probably get a run as the CAM, so the others need to adapt if Stubbs sticks with the 4-2-3-1 favoured by so many teams.
The 2 area is where we lack suitable personnel and that's been screamingly obvious since Butcher left...

I think Allan can play a deeper role in midfield, sort of in a Pirlo fashion, but he would absolutely need someone dogged like Stevenson doing the dirty work and allowing Allan to make his magic. McGeouch and Stanton are box-to-box players who can play the advanced role, so I would like to see them either in the two or advanced - not on the wing as Stanton, though he always puts a shift in, isn't as effective on the wing; he just can't adapt.

Robertson is an engine; not cultured enough to play the playmaker role and too positive to be a Stevenson holding type. He can get the team forward if he's allowed to be a box to box but in my opinion, he would be best suited to a midfield three - someone to help in the middle and someone to support attacks.

Handling seems to be solely suited to the number 10 role, but he'll have to prove his worth and be better than the competition he's got in Allan, McGeouch and Stanton (and Craig, should he be considered). It's up to him to make it his own and we're yet to see any case for that. I think he needs a run in the team at number 10.

[truehibernian]

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Best position is the bench.

Preferably someone else's bench too SH !

[greenpaper55]

He looked good when he had to drop back and play alongside the CH due to someone getting sent off, he strolled the bit of a game he played there.

[silverhibee]

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Preferably someone else's bench too SH !

[J-C]

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I recall him as on the left at SJ.

Yep, played as an inside forward coming in from the left but deffo more attacking mid.

[sesoim]

Craig has been useless for a year because he plays too deep and clearly isn't comfortable there. The first 10 or so games he played for us last season he knocked in a few goals while playing further forward on the left. At St J he won the player of the year playing behind the main striker. So, basically, if we want to get the best out of him, we should play him in a more attacking role where he can get in the box on a regular basis.

None of the other midfielders look like scoring much so we might as well try him there again. But he should never play defensive midfield EVER again.