Faubert and Spector, Clowns Or Unsung Heroes?

Is it perhaps time to give our Laurel and Hardy options for full back a break? I know we have had occasions enough to think, "That's another fine mess you've got us into" as Oliver Faubert and Stanley Spector have looked like our very own slapstick clowns, but last night they aquitted themselves well in an epic victory.

Poor Spector found himself out of position and on the field despite a huge thumbs down from his manager after Saturday's limp second half showing (How bad must you be, he must have been wondering, to hear the words, "We think Faubert is a better option"?) and up against a rampant Villa team. Faubert, meanwhile, was asked to counter Young - not an easy job given the instinct of the England man to cut inside, onto Faubert's wrong foot. I know Young scored one but I don't think any defence in the world would have stopped that goal - he had no right to shoot from there and, sometimes, you just have to put your hands up and say, "Fair enough, that was brilliant, you deserved to score."

Neither Faubert nor Spector did anything brilliant on the night, although Spector did make one tremendous surge into the box only to be denied by Ginge, and Faubert very nearly set up General Franco for a goal. But they are not in the team to take our breath away, they are there to stop the opposition from scoring and they very nearly achieved that.

Faubert looked hungry last night and his celebration was both joyous and impassioned. Le Sulk probably would prefer to be somewhere else but he is playing for the shirt at the moment and, a couple of dodgy performances apart, has actually impressed so far this season. Spector, we should remember, was a fixture in the USA defence when they reached the Confederations Cup final, claiming Spain's scalp along the way.

Of course we would rather have Stewart and Dicks or Repka and Lampard, but beggars can't be choosers so perhaps we should just give a little respect to our two unsung heroes!