One of the major issues highlighted in Portsmouth's performances during my absence last month (and indeed before) was how poorly the central midfielders have performed.
Brian Howard, for whatever reason, has failed to live up to the hype his arrival generated. Pompey were supposed to have a player who was instrumental in Championship sides, let alone a League One team.
Instead of pulling the strings in the centre of the park, he has been pulling faces at referees every time he gets booked and his passing leaves a lot to be desired. It is difficult to see what he brings to the team and an increasing number of fans have called for the Pompey captain to be dropped.
Given the team's need for some steel in the centre, Johnny Ertl or Darel Russell's inclusion in the team could be justified but what about that young kid from Gibraltar that seems to have been forgotten about?
It wasn't so long ago that Michael Appleton appeared on live TV telling the world that Liam Walker was an outstanding talent and yet was reluctant to play him because of any vultures that may have been circling at the time.
Come the end of Appleton's reign it seemed like the 24-year-old was going to be loaned out because he had fallen out of favour, only to be told by Guy Whittingham he'd be staying.
Even though he has stayed at Fratton Park he still has yet to be given his chance to impress, but why?
Walker's first appearance in a Pompey shirt was a memorable one, coming on as a substitute for Keiran Djilali before producing an incisive through ball for Luke Rodgers to score at Colchester.
He has shown an impressive range of passing whenever he has been given an ample amount of time on the pitch. His performances in pre-season prove that he has a fierce shot in his repertoire and is capable of scoring goals from midfield, something this current Pompey team is screaming out for.
Only the coaching and management staff will know why Walker is being held back but surely he can't perform any worse than Howard, who looks like he'll be going in January anyway if local rumours are to be believed.
If that is the case (and even before) then hopefully Liam will get his chance to shine and show us why Michael Appleton rated him so highly.