http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/ en Copyright 2010 Sat, 08 May 2010 10:46:43 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss HCFC didn’t really ask anything, but their post is worth commenting on… You're having a bubble surely by citing Pulis and Stoke? Don't understand why so many City fans think Stoke are a club to admire. That bunch of Route One cloggers are bankrolled by Peter Coates who has hundreds of millions of pounds, some of which he gives to Pulis to stock up his Potteries Donkey Sanctuary. ]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/05/tcs_final_qa.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/05/tcs_final_qa.php Adam Pearson Hull City Sat, 08 May 2010 10:46:43 +0000 Hull City's away campaign concluded with a handy metaphor for the season in general. A promising, industrious performance gave way to a lack of concentration late in the game, turning three points into just one. The lack of goals throughout the team has been alarming, but ultimately, points have slipped through our fingers thanks to inept defending, points which would have (just) kept us up. It's been a rotten season on the road, with the Manchester City and Tottenham games offering brief respite in a string of soul-destroying defeats. It's particularly galling when compared with last season's away form, when Phil Brown's tactics worked perfectly as City racked up a series of victories at grounds like St James' Park, White Hart Lane and the Emirates. However tactics are assessed, incidents scrutinised, and referees blamed, the simple fact remains that City are not good enough for this division. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/05/same_old_story.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/05/same_old_story.php Adam Pearson Hull City Phil Brown Wed, 05 May 2010 20:37:31 +0000 Well, it finally happened. Eventually the games were going to run out and today came the day. There was a hint of irony in that Hull City were relegated to the team they sold their best player to in August, effectively signing their own death warrant in the process. There’s a mixture of feelings at the moment, which I will expand upon later in the week when I’ve had a chance to reflect; anger, sadness, but almost a relief that it’s over. The constant hope of survival is a very wearing experience, but there was a strange calm feeling in the way our fate was meted out today at the KC. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/04/relegation_reflections.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/04/relegation_reflections.php Hull City Iain Dowie Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:49:27 +0000 It's not a certainty just yet, but the great probability is that Hull City will be playing Championship football next season. The sorry state of affairs came to a head on Saturday, when in a must-win clash against Burnley, Iain Dowie's team capitulated to a 4-1 defeat. It was a shocking display, one in which only George Boateng and Jozy Altidore truly played to anywhere near their true potential. The performance was pitifully gutless, heart-breakingly difficult to watch, and rightly booed at the final whistle by those souls hardy enough to see out the full 90 minutes. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/04/going_going_gone.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/04/going_going_gone.php Hull City Iain Dowie Jozy Altidore Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:56:45 +0000 Another away game, another defeat. It’s getting really hard to watch Hull City on the road these days, as they maintain a nasty habit of offering little potency in the final third, coupled with a defence that always looks capable of creating the odd mistake. Stoke are nothing special. They’re a solid, workmanlike outfit with some decent players. Their approach is open to question but attitude and total commitment to the cause cannot. That commitment was enough for the Potters to see off City 2-0 on Saturday. They didn’t really have to get out of second gear. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/04/potty_defending.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/04/potty_defending.php Hull City Iain Dowie Jozy Altidore Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:23:55 +0000 Hull City's tumultuous season took another twist on Saturday in a comfortable win against Fulham. Credit to City boss Iain Dowie for lifting the players' spirit after last week’s late debacle at Portsmouth, but the survival champagne corks shouldn't be popped just yet. It's important to put the 2-0 win in some sort of context. Fulham were woeful, and played exactly what they were; a club with a small squad who have played lots of games in recent weeks. With a Europa League quarter-final on the horizon, it's understandable that Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson rested several of the team that lost to Tottenham on Wednesday. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/beware_of_fulham_bearing_gifts.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/beware_of_fulham_bearing_gifts.php Hull City Iain Dowie Jozy Altidore Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:18:01 +0000 If last week’s last-gasp defeat to Arsenal was demoralising, then Saturday’s defeat at Portsmouth was simply heart-wrenchingly unbearable. 2-1 up with five minutes to go, Hull City’s porous defence coughed up two goals in three minutes, witlessly failing to take even a point from the league’s bottom team. To lose in such a way to on paper the worst team in the league was just monumentally hard to take. Caleb Folan’s second goal of the game looked to have wrapped up the points for City, but a late free kick from O’Hara and even later finish from Kanu after some shocking defending game Pompey the points. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/another_kick_in_the_kanus.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/another_kick_in_the_kanus.php Caleb Folan Hull City Iain Dowie Jozy Altidore Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:31:25 +0000 Another crazy few days in the world of Hull City passes. Friday saw a spate of rumours about on the future of Phil Brown, and the odds on him being the next Premier League manager we drastically shortened. Then came a terrific performance against one of the best clubs in Europe, with the players certainly playing for the manager, before Brown was put on gardening leave on Monday morning. Wednesday saw the appointment of Iain Dowie, an appointment that has already been derided by much of the City support. What a whirlwind of emotions. First, sadness for Brownie, whose achievements as manager will never be forgotten. Many claim he’s our greatest ever manager, and while I wouldn’t go that far, I’ll always be thankful for the fantastic times Brown brought to the KC, three fabulous seasons and that day at Wembley. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/brown_out_not_for_me_plus_qa.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/brown_out_not_for_me_plus_qa.php Adam Pearson Geovanni Iain Dowie Phil Brown Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:41:05 +0000 Few things in football hurt more than your team conceding a late winner. But it really hurts when your team in question, Hull City, have played for the whole second half with only ten men, holding one of the best teams in Europe in the process. What a huge sickener Nicklas Bendtner’s injury-time goal was. City battled and scrapped away well after an annoyingly docile opening 20 minutes, and were well worthy of a point in my book. It was terrific to see a 10-man Hull City side deny 11 Arsenal players for so long, but begs the question; why can’t we produce this level of performance against the poorer teams? (away from home in particular). http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/a_kick_in_the_bendtners.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/a_kick_in_the_bendtners.php Hull City Jozy Altidore Phil Brown Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:00:49 +0000 Hull City’s away form is really becoming a concern. In Sunday’s game at Everton, the Tigers started quite well, before capitulating worryingly in a second-half performance that had all the hallmarks of a relegation-bound team. There was no quality, urgency, or most worryingly of all for me, fight on display, as Everton overwhelmed City’s midfield and scored three goals in the second period. Goodison Park is never an easy place to go, and few were predicting City could get anything from this encounter. But we expect a better shift being put in from the starting XI than was on show yesterday, particularly after the horror show at Upton Park. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/on_the_road_to_hell.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/03/on_the_road_to_hell.php Hull City Phil Brown Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:19:06 +0000 That fantastic victory over Man City seems a long time ago. Remember it? City out-hassled and over-whelmed players of far superior ability, and proudly clung on for a 2-1 win. Saturday’s debacle at West Ham was the exact opposite. There are few more annoying things for a football fan to witness than to see their team being outworked, for the opposition to simply wan the result more than them. But that’s what happened. It really was a despicable showing. The omens didn’t look good for a start. Andy Dawson is not the sort of player who wears white boots. He’s an old fashioned left back who does the simples things well, and he forgot that yesterday, giving the ball away ridiculously in midfield which led to the West Ham opener. His performance summed up the rest of the team; lethargic and flat-footed, with a refusal to take responsibility. City went behind after three minutes and never looked like coming back into the game, with only Mouyokolo, Boateng and Myhill offering any proper resistance. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/west_ham_woe.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/west_ham_woe.php Hull City Jozy Altidore Phil Brown Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:07:47 +0000 Last Wednesday saw a very disappointing result for Hull City, slipping to a one nil defeat away to Blackburn. Though the ridiculous sending off of George Boateng did City few favours, the Tigers did little to help themselves either, and failed to produce the type of high-octane display they have gleefully provided in recent weeks. At least Lee Probert saw fit to rescind the red card and Boateng is free to play in a monstrously big game against West Ham at the weekend. But let’s not dwell on that result. Blackburn look pretty much safe now, while Phil Brown’s side most certainly do not. With 12 games to go, the Tigers sit on 24 points, just one clear of the drop zone, but only two shy of 13th position. Anyone from that 13th spot downwards is well in this relegation battle in my eyes, so this week I thought I’d have a run down the relegation candidates and see where the crumbling land of Premier League survival lies... http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/the_run_in.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/the_run_in.php Hull City Jimmy Bullard Phil Brown Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:29:07 +0000 After my calls for consistency Hull City finally delivered, producing a brilliant battling performance against Manchester City to win their first game in 11. That stat is misleading really, as the players have steadily improved since Christmas, nicking draws against Spurs and Chelsea, and culminating in a terrific 2-1 win against the world’s richest club. This was another excellent team performance, with the Tigers simply wanting the result more than the visitors’ mercenaries. Altidore and Vennegoor worried the dodgy looking back four from the first minute, Boateng and Cairney both continued their excellent form, and the back four put in another terrific effort, with the full-backs this time matching the centre-halves’ performance. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/man_city_are_mauled.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/man_city_are_mauled.php Hull City Jozy Altidore Phil Brown Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:01:05 +0000 What a night Tuesday was to be a Hull City fan. The team really did us proud against league leaders Chelsea, harrying and hassling the Blues for 90 minutes and coming away with a valuable and richly deserved 1-1 draw. City showed Character, Courage and Commitment against Chelsea, but now they must show a fourth ‘C’ against Manchester City that has been sadly lacking so far this season – consistency. http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/the_four_cs.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/the_four_cs.php Jozy Altidore Phil Brown Tom Cairney Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:05:33 +0000 Well, what a shambles that was. A huge, if not must-win game, and City come up short thanks to some horrible defensive frailties, allowing Wolves to come from behind twice to take a point in a game that City should have won handily. So what went wrong? The unlikely combination of Altidore and Big Jan caused Wolves problems, and we looked to genuinely carry a goal threat for much of the game, so why did we look so nervy at the back? http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/desperately_disappointing_defe.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/hullcity/archives/2010/02/desperately_disappointing_defe.php Anthony Gardner Hull City Phil Brown Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:12:35 +0000