Hull City 2 Leeds United 0

The Tigers closed out 2012 by taking apart Leeds United at the KC Stadium with one of the most complete performances in the club’s history. Unless you were lucky enough to see Cliff Britton’s all conquering side of the mid-60’s, it’s unlikely you’ve ever seen a better Hull City side than this one. Today was a pleasure from beginning to end. The opposition will make it even sweeter for some. Personally, I don’t care who they were. They were an inferior team who came to Hull to kick us about, kill the game and scurry off with a nil-nil draw. They were the epitome of “anti-football”. Fortunately, for football, the team who actually turned up to play won the game.

And what a team this is. We know they can play. We’ve been playing delightful football in patches for the past two years as the team evolved through Nigel Pearson, Nick Barmby and Steve Bruce. Before it was beautiful but one dimensional. Bruce has added several dimensions. We’re now a threat at set pieces. We have the ability to open tight games from corners and free kicks. We score goals from all over the pitch. We’re no longer over-reliant on two players. And then there’s Sone Aluko. He’s a different dimension all by himself. Today, he was utterly magnificent. He moves with the speed and grace of an ice dancer, the ball sticks to his feet like the wingers in old black and white football clips and he turns so quickly and in such small spaces that it’s near impossible to stop him.

Today, we saw the other side of this team. Leeds came to fight us. They had thugs all over the pitch and obviously thought they could kick us out of the game. Was Corry Evans intimidated by Michael Brown and David Norris? Was he heck? How about Stephen Quinn or David Meyler? In your dreams! Any evidence of Robert Koren or Sone Aluko not fancying it against bully boys like Alan Tate or Jason Pearce? Not a bit of it. Leeds came to put themselves about. Then they ran into David Meyler, to Abdoulaye Faye and to Jack Hobbs. And they left complaining that we were too physical. And you know what? They were right. We were too physical for them. We weren’t dirty like they were. We were men. We had bigger bollocks. We stood up and faced them eye to eye. And we beat them.

Tigers 3-5-2: [G] Jakupovic [D] Chester, Faye, Hobbs [M] Elmohamady, Brady, Evans, Meyler, Quinn [F] Koren, Aluko

City were dominant from beginning to end. You’d have been forgiven for worrying a little at half time that the goals weren’t going to come though as we missed chances and received very little from the awful referee. Leeds tried to match us with their own 3-5-2 system. The Tigers have perfected the system this season. Any team who tries to match it with a couple of days practice is going to fail. Miserably. Miserably was how Leeds started. Alan Tate headed poorly back to Paddy Kenny and Robert Koren pounced on the loose ball but his attempted lob drifted well wide. David Meyler then strode into the box, Lees had a big handful of his shirt, Meyler fell like a modern-day footballer and the referee gave nothing. It was a blatant penalty regardless of the exaggeration. A second penalty appeal was waved away when Sone Aluko outpaced Pearce on the right, cut in along the bye line and Pearce brought him down. The ref awarded a corner. Aluko was furious. It was almost identical to the incident at Elland Road earlier this season when Diouf drew a penalty for Leeds despite not actually being in the box. No chance of a homer referee at the KC Stadium. This idiot was deathly afraid of being the subject of Neil Warnock’s post match rant. It wasn’t just the penalty incident. There were pushes and pulls all over the place going unpunished, incorrectly awarded throw-in’s, allowing Leeds to steal yards on throws but refusing to allow City to steal inches. He was a muppet.

If we wanted anything out of this game, we’d have to take it ourselves and as we started to involve Brady and Elmohamady, we created chance after chance. James Chester found Brady in space on the left with a lovely cross field pass, Brady hit the near post and Kenny smothered Koren’s flick. Aluko then dummied Quinn’s pass to free Brady whose cross found Meyler in the middle but he couldn’t control the ball. Elmohamady retrieved the ball and fed Meyler again but he was closed down quickly. A deep Koren corner was then met by Faye but headed into the side netting. It was similar to the chance he missed against Leicester but at a more awkward height and with defenders close by. Leeds stepped up the dirty tactics when under pressure. Norris lunged at Chester’s head as he stopped for a header (fortunately he didn’t make contact) and was only spoken too. Aiden White finally picked up a yellow card for a poor, late lunge on Elmohamady. In between David Meyler gave Tom Lees a dig with his elbow which went unnoticed. That one helped counter the feeling of injustice.

Elmo was booed by the Leeds fans for being hurt by White. Hilariously he walked over to them, put his finger to his lips and told them to shut up. He spent a lot of time getting booed because he was busy skinning Lees and whipping in crosses with great regularity. Lees will definitely know his number tonight. And who sponsors the back of his shirt. And what the back of his head looks like. And how many studs are missing from his boots. Aluko held the ball up brilliantly with three midfield thugs trying to kick him. He then back heeled the ball to Elmo who crossed brilliantly across the six yard box, Robbie Brady ran in from the other wing and smashed a shot wide. It looked easier to score. Corry Evans then freed Elmo with a lovely switch from left to right, Elmo delivered across the 6 yard line again and Koren slid in but couldn’t connect. Leeds ambition was then summed up before half time. Michael Brown was asked to leave the pitch for treatment on a blood injury (Evans and Aluko grassed him up to the ref!). Brown argued that he was fine to continue. When the ref insisted he leave the pitch, he was suddenly so injured he practically had to crawl off. He then stood just on the pitch having treatment. Quinn waited to take the free-kick while the ref asked Brown to get off the pitch. Eventually Mr. Eltrigham grew a set and booked Brown. Brown didn’t mind, he’d wasted 2 minutes. The whistle came soon after. Leeds had what they came for.

City flew out of the blocks in the second half but two or three chances went begging and the nerves began to jangle a little. Nothing would’ve been more frustrating for the Tigers faithful than watching this anti-football mob escape the KC with a point in their swag bag. Aluko had the first effort, cutting in from the right, holding off the rugby tackles, and shooting just past the post. Paddy Kenny was never worried by it but it was close. Stephen Quinn then led a break and found Meyler on the edge of the box. Meyler chose to place his shot but it was too close to Kenny and he saved well. Aluko then ripped them apart on the right of their box and slid a cross through the 6 yard box and just beyond the sliding Meyler. That was the “is this going to be our day?” moment. Minutes later, we had the goal we deserved. We passed the ball beautifully through midfield, Aluko received and squirmed his way past a defender before feeding Koren who held the ball up like a striker and then turned and fed Evans like a playmaker. Evans took a touch and hit a shot low and hard across Kenny and inside the far post. Fabulous move. Fabulous finish [1-0].

Before Leeds could get their breathe back, Koren got into a similar position to Evans on the right but shot towards the near post and Kenny turned it into the side netting. Brady delivered the corner and Meyler rose and thumped a terrific header inside the near post from 8 yards or so [2-0]. If anyone deserved a gal, it was Meyler. He gave a proper box to box performance. He’s always getting himself into the box but works back as well. He passed the ball tidily, he stood up to their dirtiness and made himself available time and again. He gets better with every game. Here’s hoping Martin O’Neill stops pretending he’s going to recall him from his loan and lets him stay to the end of the season or longer. There was an odd hush over the KC Stadium after the second goal. City dominated possession. Leeds gave up. There was a resignation amongst their supporters and a quiet disbelief amongst ours. Where we really dominating such a stubborn old foe in this fashion? Warnock didn’t even try to respond. He threw on Rudolph Austin, a token gesture. He looked around him, wondered what he had on his bench to halt the prowling Tiger and realised he had nothing. So he stood, arms folded, bitter and jealous and watched the Tigers stroll to the finish line. Kenny saved from Quinn and from substitute Proschwitz but otherwise, City passed the ball around, threw in the odd flick and trick and took pity on the sad opposition.  You’ll notice a lack of Leeds chances in this report. It’s not bias there just simply weren’t any. Brown and McCormack shot well over in the first half. And that was as close as they came.

It’s hard to convey just how majestic City were. If you’re doing ratings out of ten, there isn’t an outfield player worth less than eight. Corry Evans produced his best home performance ever. His distribution lets him down at times but it was excellent today. Quinn is the hardest working footballer I’ve ever seen. You can count on one hand the number of times his season that a winger and a full back have doubled up on our left hand side without Quinn being in position protecting Dudgeon/Brady. His partnership with Brady is improving by the game. They link beautifully together. I mentioned Brady last week. He’s unrecognisable from the frustrating little sod we had last season. I laughed when Alex Ferguson tried to make him a full-back. I’m an idiot.

Defensively we had a relatively easy day. Any Leeds threat was quelled quickly and effectively though. Faye won key headers and Chester kept McCormack very, very quiet. Our defence was excellent before. Bruce and McShane have had great seasons. It says everything about Jack Hobbs that he’s come back in and improved us. He’s terrific. Robert Koren’s best position is playing off the striker. He’s a game changer. He showed it again today. You think he’s not in the game and then he pops up with a goal or an assist. He’s the first name on the team sheet every week for me. Which does suggest an impending dilemma? If we’re in the market for the striker we all think we need and we can keep David Meyler, which looks a must right now, how the hell do we fit new striker, Aluko, Koren, Meyler, Evans and Quinn in the same team? I wouldn't leave anyone out. I’m glad I’m not picking the team.

On the subject of strikers, Steve Bruce was quizzed about the plans for January by Burnsy on Radio Humberside after the game. Bruce declared a very real interest in signing Fraizer Campbell and stressed it’s something they will try to do. He also confirmed his admiration for Swansea’s Danny Graham but agreed with Burnsy that it’s a very expensive option given that Swans paid £3.5m for Graham in the summer of 2011. Bruce is also keen to buy David Meyler and Robbie Brady. On hearing he interview, Mr. Allam must have locked his doors, turned off his phone and turned out the lights! I think Bruce can be quiet persuasive. The riches on offer in the Premier League next season are beyond comprehension. We’ve got a real chance of promotion. It might well be a gamble worth taking. Just don’t gamble on the future of the football club Mr. Allam. We’re all excited at the moment, how the hell could we not be? Just make sure you remain calm and keep one eye on the pennies. Because we could do without spending a dime. We’re not just good, we’re bloody excellent. Today proved that.

Have a prosperous 2013 everyone. Here’s hoping it’s another 2008 for Hull City AFC!

Hull City 0 Leicester City 0

The second placed Tigers took on fifth placed Leicester City in what always promised to be a spicy encounter given the recent history between the two clubs. The 1,500-2,000 visiting fans topped up a Boxing Day crowd of 20,321 at the KC Stadium and were treated to an interesting, if not always entertaining encounter between two very even looking sides who were levelled further by the rain pouring down throughout half time and the second period. Leicester manager Nigel Pearson was hardly mentioned by the KC crowd showing the level of satisfaction there is with the current incumbent. Aside from one phenomenal move being met with chants of “We’re not boring anymore”, Pearson was an afterthought.

Steve Bruce isn’t afraid to change a winning team but on this occasion, David Meyler’s suspension meant he didn’t have much choice. Sone Aluko played for the first time in December with Robert Koren dropping into midfield. Leicester countered our 3-5-2 system with a 4-3-3. Ben Marshall and Anthony Knockaert  played as deep lying wide players to create a barrier of five in front of their back four. Marshall closed James Chester quickly whenever he tried to bring the ball out of defence and James and Drinkwater got very close to Koren whenever he picked up possession. You could never accuse Nigel Pearson of not doing his homework. Leicester were on a run of one win in five and looking to avoid a third successive defeat which seems remarkable given the talent they have at their disposal. You get the feeling that if they put as much effort in in the other games as they did to try and counter-act us, they’d pick up a few more results.

Tigers 3-5-2: [G] Jakupovic [D] Chester, Faye, Hobbs [M] Elmohamady, Brady, Evans, Quinn, Koren [F] Aluko, Simpson

Leicester had the better of the opening 20 minutes despite not showing a lot of ambition. City were jittery, passed methodically and occasionally poorly and struggled to find any rhythm. Leicester knocked the ball long into the channels for Nugent to chase and while most balls ran through, he found a couple and allowed Knockaert to get into the game around the box. The Frenchman has a reputation for scoring goals from distance but fortunately for us, he’s not as effective from 16 yards. He scuffed an early chance from a Konchesky pull-back before he managed to beat Hobbs for pace on their right but dragged his shot across goal. A third let-off came when Evans misplaced a pass in midfield allowing Marshall to release Drinkwater but Jakupovic raced off his line to narrow the angle and beat the shot away.

The Tigers came to life in the second quarter and will rue the chances that went begging. With Leicester defending in numbers and remaining compact without the ball, a goal would have drawn them out for the rest of the game. Sone Aluko had a quiet time on his return to the side but it was no coincidence that when he was able to get into the game, we had our best spell. Aluko dropped off the front, spun a couple of defenders and fed Robbie Brady whose excellent cross was cleared brilliantly by Whitbread ahead of the waiting Elmohamady. Aluko then robbed Drinkwater in midfield but despite being pulled back and then tripped as he approached the “D”, no free kick was awarded. Koren and Aluko were starting to find each other, backed up by the busy Quinn and the tireless Brady. When they forced a corner, Koren’s delivery sailed over everyone to the far post where Faye arrived unmarked and headed down and just wide of the post. He put his head in his hands and he had every reason to. It was a sitter by his standards. Koren and Aluko then linked up again, played a one-two before Koren’s pass slipped through to Simpson. The weight of the ball was perfect for Simpson to shoot first time but instead he went around Schmeichel and his shot from a tight-ish angle was kicked of the line by De Laet. I’m normally an advocate of going around the ‘keeper but I really felt this one needed hitting first time.

We’d regret those two chances and a third that came shortly after. This one though was crafted so beautifully that had it gone in, it wouldn’t just have been a game changer, it would’ve had goal of the season all wrapped up. The Tigers were in possession and under pressure in our own box. Instead of smashing the ball clear, we played several risky looking passes with Chester finding Koren who laid off to Faye who found Evans before Quinn and Elmohamady completed the clearance or so we thought, Elmo then carried the ball into midfield where Koren and Quinn were involved again. The ball fund its way through Simpson to Aluko and he ran towards the penalty area and fired in a left footed shot that Schmeichel tipped wide at full stretch. What a goal that would have been. Koren fired in a free-kick that Schmeichel parried away after Brady had teased a fouled and a yellow card out of De Laet with a run in behind. Half time came shortly after and the team were denied a round of applause by a bizarre corner routine that annoyed every Tiger in the stadium. City won a corner with seconds remaining of stoppage time. The ref allowed it to be taken and everyone in the crowd knew the drill. Once the corner was cleared, it’d be the half time whistle. Koren and Quinn apparently don’t know this because they took the corner short and while Quinn attempted to return the ball to Koren, the ref blew up. There was anger in the air at that cock up!

As mentioned, the rain came down at half time and it put a dampener on the second half. Leicester were well organised again having survived a few scares and happy to let City play the ball around in front of them. Liam Moore replaced De Laet at right-back, probably because Pearson didn’t want to let him go up against Brady while he was on a booking. The first 20 minutes or so of the half ticked by with very little to report. Despite plenty of endeavour, City failed to get in behind Leicester. Aluko drifted out of the game, Elmohamady saw very little of the ball and they worked hard to stop the Quinn/Brady double act opening up space on the left. Leicester had the first opportunity of note in the half when Moore’s cross was sliced by Abdoulaye Faye but flew inches wide of the post with Jakupovic stranded. Tom Cairney replaced Corry Evans, who was disappointing with his distribution all afternoon, but struggled to impact the game. As at Derby on Friday, City were forced to face a succession of corners, probably four or five, but defended manfully. Jakupovic is a little unconvincing but was decisive enough and fought his way through the crowd to meet a couple. He also saved a shot from Ben Marshall but goodness only knows how because he went down low and it ended up looping up and over the bar. The big Bosnian kicks the ball quite well but frustrated all game by not distributing quickly enough. He turned down chances to throw out short and we ended up having to challenge for the ball in the air which isn’t our forte. Jay Simpson battled hard throughout and should’ve won more for the side because Wes Morgan was wrestling him every time. The ref had a grip on it early on but then decided he couldn’t be bothered anymore and let Morgan do as he wished.

Simpson forced the only real save from Schmeichel in the second half when we broke out of defence and Aluko played him in on the left. Simpson used Aluko’s run to create space for a shot but his left-footed effort was at a good height, as they say. City switched to a back four for the last five minutes as Aluko and Faye were withdrawn and Rosenior and Proschwitz thrown on. Neither had a great impact but City did create the last chance to win the game. Quinn crossed superbly from the left, Proschwitz hit the near post, Simpson the far and it was Simpson who met the cross full on and headed straight into Schmeichel’s arms. Anywhere else on target and he probably scored. And that was that.

On the whole, this wasn’t a bad point to gain. Leicester are one of the best sides in the division, despite recent form, and will cause most other teams a problem. While far from our best we coped with them pretty comfortably and carved out several match winning chances. While winning at home is vital to a promotion push, this was a far cry from some of the home games like Peterborough, Blackpool and Burnley and, given our away form, we can be happy with the odd home draw against fellow promotion chasers. What we need to do is follow this up with a win at the weekend. 4 points from 6 at home is a reasonable return. 1 or 2 from 6 really isn’t. If we are to win the next one, we’ll need to improve vastly in the midfield where we were unusually sluggish. Evans and Koren both passed poorly under moderate pressure at times and our football wasn’t slick enough to cause them a problem aside from a short spell in the first half. Sone Aluko caused Leeds all sorts of problems in the reverse fixture but he was too easily marked out of the game because the slow passing meant space was absorbed by retreating Leicester defenders and midfielders. To his credit, Aluko went looking for the ball second half and spent a lot of time on the right wing but was too far away from goal to hurt them. On the one occasion he did give them the slip, Zak Whitbread picked up a booking for a very cynical grab at Aluko’s shirt.

The next game won’t be an easy one. L**ds will smarting from a hefty defeat to Forest today and from their home defeat by the Tigers earlier this season. They have a “combatitive” (e.g. Dirty) midfield and front players who can score from out of nowhere. They are a dangerous opponent and it should be another cracking game. It will definitely require a step up in performance to claim three points but it would bring great reward. We’d go into 2013 in the top two in the Championship, we’d put more points between ourselves and the pack outside the play-off places and we’d complete a first league double over L**ds since 1988. With the transfer window about to open, all that might get Papa Allam’s juices flowing enough for him to finance the striker we look like we need. It’s an exciting time at the KC again. You can tell that by the fact that “Judas” Pearson was in the opposing dugout today and no-one really gave a toss. We’re too wrapped up in our team and our staff to care. Long may that continue! 

Derby County 1 Hull City 2

Wizzard wished it could be Christmas every day. I wish we could play at Pride ark every week. Three wins in the last three seasons plus a vital point towards survival in the 2006/07 season make it a very happy hunting ground of late. There was a sense of inevitability about this latest win. I’ve never followed Hull City away from home and been so confident of a victory. This is a steely group of players who have a bit of everything, score when it matters and lose only if they absolutely must. It’s now four wins on the spin. Four away wins in a row. Ten wins from the last fourteen league games. Momentum is building amongst the City boys like a snowball rolling down a hill.

Tigers 3-5-2: [G] Jakupovic [D] Chester, Faye, Hobbs [M] Elmohamady, Brady, Evans, Meyler, Quinn [F] Koren, Simpson

So a first City start for Eldin Jakupovic in goal after David Stockdale’s untimely return to Fulham. The big Bosnian did well enough, made a couple of good stops and read the ball well around the box. He was occasionally erratic and punches like Audley Harrison’s Mam. He got away with one ludicrous charge from his goal late on to punch the ball away from Robinson but he earned his bit of luck with a fine save to his left to deny Coutts in the second half. Jakupovic was playing behind a defence shuffled slightly again due to Alex Bruce’s suspension. Fortunately we have incredible strength in depth at centre half which means we were able to bring in Abdoulaye Faye ahead of Paul McShane. This was my first look at Jack Hobbs for a while. I missed the Huddersfield game with super-man-flu. The first game I’ve missed at home for 12 years. Jack Hobbs hasn’t missed a beat. He’s as big and brave as ever, he takes responsibility on the ball and he slotted in beautifully on the left side of the 3-man defence. On the other side, James Chester was just utterly sumptuous. Every footballer who’s in contract negotiations needs to watch the tape of this game. Chester’s master-class of sublimely timed tackles, brave headers, last ditch blocks and striding out of defence like Franco Baresi is the sort of performance that will make any club find an extra few quid in the negotiations.

After sitting through the world’s most embarrassing pre-match build up, complete with introductions for the ball boy squad, a sponsored match ball delivery, a tacky 2 minute warning siren, a running commentary on where the players are in the ground (who is currently scratching his balls, who is pulling his socks up, etc) and the cheesiest of pre-match tunes, we finally kicked off with City attacking the away fans. It was a quiet opening. The Tigers dominated possession and pressed Derby into their own half but the football, while neat, wasn’t incisive. It took a while for the home side to get going but they eventually built a head of steam and Chester and Faye had to make important challenges to stop them breaking into the box. The headline act in the Derby side is 17 year-old midfielder Will Hughes. He really is a terrific player. He’s got terrific balance, finds space with ease, passes intelligently and hurts teams running with the ball. I only hope he stays at Derby for a couple of years and continues to progress rather than chasing the big money at the first opportunity. If he comes on in this environment, he can be a top player. He’s similar to Tom Cairney in a lot of ways but more mobile and a better athlete. It’ll be interesting to see if TC’s recent attempts to get into shape help him realise his own potential. When Will Hughes and Michael Jacobs thought they were exerting their influence on the game, their momentum was quickly quashed by the best player on the pitch. Again.

When you’re playing at Pride Park, and the snow clouds make it dark, Corry’s rosy cheeks are gonna light your merry way……

City then went ahead. Evans finding Brady wide, the ball just about staying in play, Brady slid in Quinn down the left, he crossed low across the box and Robert Koren arrived with perfect split-second timing to slot a left footed shot through Adam Legzdins legs [0-1].

“Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun, it is to see Hull City win away, Whey!”

The half continued in similar vein after the goal. Possession about even, midfields playing tidy stuff and chances few and far between. Nigel Clough, who’d been angered by the linesman adjudging Brady kept the ball in before the goal was scored, made a show of himself running off the bench with his arms in the air every time they weren’t awarded the imaginary fouls he was seeing. I like Nigel Clough a lot. I was embarrassed for him. Evans was the pick of the City midfield, breaking up play all over the pitch and passing beautifully. David Meyler was having a mare. He halted any momentum whenever he got the ball, he gave it away time and again displayed a hideous first touch. Almost every time City coughed up the ball, it was him. If this was his last game in a City shirt, it wasn’t one he’ll remember fondly. With half time approaching we were uber-comfortable with our lead. We nearly doubled in when Jack Hobbs hit a dipping volley from nearly 40 yards that fell just wide. Then, as the board went up to indicate one minute would be added, Jacobs spannered a cross badly and Jakupovic had to dash back and tip it over the bar. Big Faye met the incoming corner but headed it straight to Jacobs who controlled and volleyed superbly beyond the desperate dive of Jakupovic [1-1].

City started the second half strongly. With any other City side and at any other time in our history, you’d expect a goal before half time to knock them for six. These boys are just absolutely flying at the moment. There’s a supreme but quiet confidence about the whole group. It only took five minutes for the lead to be restored. Robbie Brady’s right wing corner landed on the head of big Faye at the far post and he planted his header beyond Legzdins [1-2]. A fourth goal of the season for the defender. This makes him the fourth Tiger to hit four or more goals this season. Only three managed it in the whole of last season. In truth, despite forty minutes left for play, this was game over. City defended superbly, the midfield three worked hard to close them down and the time flew by. If the clock runs down so fast on Monday night, Santa will never get all his work done.

I was most impressed with Robbie Brady who has come on so much since his time with us last season. He’s working harder, he’s displaying great upper-body strength, he times his tackles well and he’s still exciting going forward. When he came back on loan, I wasn’t especially bothered. Now I’d hate to lose him. David Meyler had a strong last 20 minutes, carrying the ball forward well to ease any pressure and he got kicked to bits in the second half without any protection from the ref (who I presume someone “won” in a Christmas cracker). Jay Simpson put in another long, hard shift with little reward for his efforts. Stephen Quinn continues to look as good a bit of business as anyone has ever done. What a signing he has been. Elmohamady was short of his exciting best, he seems to hold himself back to allow Meyler to explore the right hand side.

We really do seem to have everything. Some of the inter-play between Quinn, Evans, Koren and Brady in midfield was breath taking. Easily as good as anything we saw from Barmby’s tidy side last season. We play comfortably across the back, we slide the ball into midfield well, we spread play wide well and we get the ball into the channels quickly at times and turn defences around that way. We’re really versatile. To go with all that, we’ve got incredible bottle. We faced five corners in the last three minutes of this game. Steve Bruce had sensible thrown on Proschwitz to relieve Simpson and to lend a hand with any bombardment. Corry Evans headed the first corner off the line and then we met the next four. Faye (twice), Hobbs and Meyler getting to the ball first. It’s impossible not to be impressed by the spirit and balls in our camp. The final whistle came shortly after.

“We are Hull City, We’re top of the league!”

This game marks the half-way point of the season so far. I think it’s fairly safe to say it’s been a terrific half and one that even the most optimistic Hull City fan wouldn’t have predicted. We’ve almost got 2/3 of last season’s total points. We’ve scored ¾ of the goals we scored in the whole of last season. We’re 9 places and 13 points better off than at the same point in the 2007/08 promotion season. 44 points is the same total West Ham had after 23 games last season. Wherever you look, the signs are so positive. At the end of November, I pointed out a run of 7 games that I felt was particularly tough between December 1^st and January 2^nd. If we’re in the top 6 after that, I said, we’ve got a chance. So far, we’ve taken 12 points from 12 in that run and now have two home games to come. The signs are actually scarily positive. I just pray that everyone at the club sees the work that’s been done, sees the opportunity that has been created and really takes the reindeer by the antlers. We need to get Robbie Brady and Elmo tied down to the end of the season, we need to get Stockdale or an equivalent in, preferably permanently, and we need a front man with broad shoulders. It’s not a massive Christmas list, Mr Allam. If you ensure Steve Bruce’s stocking is bulging this week, he’ll deliver everything we’ve ever wanted.

Merry Christmas Tiger Nation. Wherever you are in the world, have a wonderful time. See you all on Boxing Day!

Ten Years At The KC Stadium - #3

In this series of blogs, I'll pick the Top 10 Players, Games and Goals from the 10 years at the KC Stadium and will throw in a variety of top 10 lists and boring facts! This is number eight in the series and number three in the countdown:

Top 10 Players - #3

Stuart Elliott

Pic: PAPhotos

Stuart Elliott arrived at the KC Stadium in the summer of 2002 as one of several players plucked from the Scottish Premier League by City manager Jan Molby. Elliott was a left-winger who’d hit 23 goals in the SPL for Motherwell in the previous couple of seasons and was capped by Northern Ireland. He was also a born-again Christian drawn to Hull by the presence of the Living Hope Church. Next time you’re passing, put a fiver in the collection box, we’ve plenty to thank them for. Elliott hit 68 goals in 211 games for City, a return of nearly 1 in 3 from the left wing. He was the top-scorer in three of his 4 seasons as a regular in the team. In 2004/05 he struck 27 league goals. The joint-second best tally by a City player in post-war football.

Molby paid £230,000 for Elliott making him the third most expensive signing in the club’s history at that point. It was a steal. Molby went up to Fir Park with a swag bag and a very large stripy jumper. Molby’s made numerous fine signings including Elliott, Ian Ashbee and Stuart Green but his man-management skills were non-existent and once he failed to successfully re-produce the 4-3-3 system he played at Kidderminster, he had no other ideas. He was swiftly kicked into touch by Adam Pearson (insert broken foot “gag”) and replaced with Peter Taylor. Elliott scored on his Tigers debut against Southend at Boothferry Park but would only score once more under Molby. He had a better time after Taylor’s arrival and finished the season as top goal-scorer with 12 goals. On January 11^th 2003, he scored his first goals at the KC Stadium bagging a brace against Exeter City in a 2-2 draw.

In 2003/04 Peter Taylor put together a fabulous front four of Elliott, Jason Price, Ben Burgess and Danny Allsopp. Despite hitting 14 goals, Elliott was only third top scorer as Allsopp struck 15 times and Burgess scored 18 times. Price also chipped in with 9 goals. City strolled to promotion from Division 3 (League Two) and with Elliott well-established as a regular goal-scorer. His goals were generally split into two categories. Despite being well under six feet tall he was excellent in the air, having great spring, and scored plenty of headed goals while his willingness to let fly from anywhere with his left foot caught out many a goalkeeper. He scored vital goals in tight games and was the match winner against Cambridge, Darlington, Southend, and most famously Swansea City (Greatest KC Stadium Game #8). He was also a useful provider of goals, linking up well with the Burgess-Allsopp front pair and providing a constant threat in the air attacking Price’s right wing crosses. 14 goals is a fantastic return for a winger but it was dwarfed by the events of the following season.

2004/05 will always be known to City fans as “That Stuart Elliott season”. Elliott scored 30 times, 27 in the league, 1 in the FA Cup, 1 in the League Cup and 1 for Northern Ireland. On New Year’s Day 2005 he suffered a broken cheekbone at the hands (or elbow) of Huddersfield thug Efe Sodje. He missed 6 weeks of the season meaning his 27 league goals came in just 36 games. A phenomenal return which included six braces and a hat-trick (Greatest KC Stadium Game #10). If not for the injury, I’m certain he would have set a new club record for league goals in a season. Not only was the number of goals impressive but also the quality as Elliott demonstrated a left-foot strike as true as any in the game and that ability to out-jump defenders 3 and 4 inches taller than he was. Ben Burgess missed the entire season with a knee injury suffered against Huddersfield in the penultimate game of the previous season but Elliott ensured he wasn’t missed. Not in goal-scoring terms anyway. The Tigers clinched a second successive promotion. Although Nick Barmby had a fine debut season and Ian Ashbee and the Tigers defenders made the step-up seamlessly, without Burgess City could’ve lacked a cutting edge up front. Danny Allsopp didn’t perform as well without his partner and the strikers bought to replace Burgess weren’t fit to sign his plaster cast. Simply put, without Elliott, that second promotion wouldn’t have been possible. He was the difference maker in half of the games. He scored goals when we weren’t playing well and won games from nothing. We’ll tell our grandchildren about that season.

There was some debate in the summer of 2005 as to whether Elliott would produce the same form in the Championship. He wasn’t blessed with explosive pace or great dribbling ability, wasn’t technically a great footballer and was due to come up against better defences in well-drilled sides. In truth, he struggled. Never hitting the heights of before but playing a role as City avoided an immediate return to League One. It was Elliott’s magnificent goal at Plymouth that sealed the Tigers first victory in the second tier for 14 years. He also finished the season as the club’s top scorer with 7 goals. The following season, City fought off relegation by the skin of our teeth. A classic Elliott brace against QPR with both goals coming in the last 5 minutes to seal a come-from-behind victory was the highlight of his season. He played 38 games, few were memorable and he fell out of favour with Northern Ireland. His goal against Plymouth on the final day would be his last at the KC Stadium. He was used sparsely by Phil Brown after Henrik Pedersen’s arrival and eventually left for Doncaster, initially on loan. His last great moment in a Tigers shirt came at Wigan as he scored a tremendous improvised winner in a League Cup tie. That would be the last sighting of football’s greatest cartwheel in black and amber. Eat your heart out, Robbie Keane.

Stuart Elliott was a fantastic ambassador for the club, a real gentleman and a humble, gracious footballer. He was a key figure in the club’s rise from the bottom half of Division 3 to being, briefly, one of the top three teams in the country. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make the entire journey but his contribution was vast and will never be forgotten. He’s the leading Tigers goalscorer at the KC Stadium. His goal return for a wide player was outstanding. His record in 2004/05 is the stuff of legend. He’s on the list of the best City players at the KC. He’s on the list of the best goals at the KC. He contributed greatly to some of the best games at the KC. Jan Molby’s reign as City manager was short lived and unfulfilled but thanks to Stuart Elliott and Ian Ashbee, it will never, ever be one we regret.

So here’s to you Stuart Elliott. Jesus loves you more than you will know. But not as much as we do.

Top 10 Matches - #3

Hull City 3 Everton 2 - 06/02/2010

After a stuttering start to what would eventually be a disastrous season, City started to click once Jimmy Bullard returned from his long injury absence. A 2-1 victory over Stoke was followed by an entertaining 3-3 draw with West Ham before Everton came to town. Everton were depleted but despite their complaining about it, they had a side out that cost four times the £10m or so the Tigers starting eleven cost.

For City, Bullard was missing, 3 games in quick succession too much for his glass knees, and Phil Brown made the ludicrous decision to drop Bo Myhill. Despite that and City starting the game like strangers, we clicked into gear and produced the best half of Premier League football at the KC. Kamil Zayatte had his best game in black and amber, Stephen Hunt did likewise, George Boateng had his best game in ages and Dean Marney his best since the win at Arsenal a year or so earlier.

Hunt gave City the lead in the 9th minute, tucking in the rebound after Altidore's effort was saved. The defence stood firm against Everton's considerable attacking threat and encouraged, City pushed on to take the game by the scruff of the neck. On 20 minutes, Andy Dawson curled a magnificent free-kick beyond Tim Howard. Eight minutes later Dean Marney, of all people, scored with a deflected shot and City were in complete control.

Everton came into the game in the second half and were gifted a life-line when Zayatte  turned Heitinga's cross into his own net. A quarter of an hour later, Zayatte clumsily fouled Saha in the box and Saha knocked in the penalty. The situation became nervy but City defended stoutly. Zayatte reacted superbly to his own idiocy and kept Saha quiet. Nick Barmby came off the bench to calm everyone's nerves and Marney and Boateng closed their midfield down urgently.

Home wins were rare in the Premier League years and this was just about the finest. A tremendously spirited effort, quality in front of goal and, despite a couple of mishaps, a solid defensive performance. It will go down as one of Phil brown's finest nights. Ironically the return fixture would be his undoing.

Top 10 Goals - #3

John Bostock

The freshly-relegated Tigers took on Swansea on the opening day of 2009/10 and in truth, no-one at the KC Stadium was expecting big things. That was until Spurs loanee John Bostock turned in midfield and hit a rocket of a shot into the top corner. It turned out to be a massive false dawn, both the 2-0 victory and Bostock's performance but that's par for the course with Hull City!

Top 10 villains of the KC Stadium era


1=. Russell "Who needs an accountant?" Bartlett
1=. Paul "I'm not a criminal, honest" Duffen
3. James "Greedy b*****d" Bullard
4. Nigel "Judas" Pearson
5. Danny "Break yer legs" Guthrie
6. Cesc Fabre-goz
8. Steve "Have a penalty, no wait a second..." Bennett
9. Jon "I'll applaud the Stoke fans and ignore the traveling Tigers whilst being a lazy, fat gut and stealing a wage" Parkin
 10.Adel "Massive baby" Taarabt

And brand new in at 7. Dean "I'm a cock" Marney.

Hull City 0 Crystal Palace 0

The Tigers bounced back from Saturday’s disappointing performance at home to Burnley with a spirited effort against second placed Crystal Palace. In isolation, the point taken tonight would have been a good one but that Burnley defeat means an overall return of 1 point from 6 isn’t really good enough. A three point return would have been acceptable and it should really have been achieved. For 70 minutes, City made a mockery of The Eagles lofty position in the table playing some stunning football, pressing the visitors into giving the ball back regularly and keeping new England cap Wilfried Zaha very quiet indeed.

Steve Bruce made four changes from Saturday’s debacle. He could’ve made nine and they wouldn’t have had anything to complain about. Perhaps controversially he chose to leave McLean, Simpson and Proschwitz on the bench and employ Aluko and Koren as a front two. It worked beautifully with their movement and ability to drop into pockets of space to link play causing Palace all sorts of problems.

Tigers 3-5-2: [G] Stockdale [D] Chester, McShane, Bruce [M] Elmohamady, Brady, Quinn, Evans, Meyler [F] Aluko, Koren.

It was obvious from the start that Robbie Brady was in the mood as he delivered a wonderful, whipped, low cross in between defence and ‘keeper early on. David Meyler made a committed run into the 6 yard box but just failed to get enough on it to divert goalwards. Palace then freed Bolasie in between McShane and Bruce but his shot lacked the power to trouble Stockdale. It’d be their last shot for over an hour. A double injury to Evans and McShane, who came back on sporting a Terry Butcher headband, broke the game up and it struggled to regain its rhythm for ten minutes or so. Sone Aluko got himself in on the right and shot across goal lifting the crowd and encouraging City to crank up the tempo. Koren and Elmohamady got in each other’s way trying to meet another Brady delivery and Koren hit the side netting with a near post header from an Aluko corner. You felt a goal was coming. As the heavens opened, it really should have. Elmohamady skinned Parr on the right touchline, stayed on his feet as the Norwegian tried to pull him back and then crossed poorly from the bye line. Aluko got across the near post causing enough trouble for everyone to miss the cross which fell to Koren 7 yards out, middle of goal. He doesn’t miss those. Well he didn’t used to! Unbelievably Koren lifter the ball over the bar. We wouldn’t get a better chance.

Palace were all over the place defensively. They couldn’t cope with the movement of our front two. Parr, who was magnificent in two games against City last season while playing wide in midfield, was murdered by Elmohamady. When they got the ball into their quick front three, they were immediately closed down by Chester, McShane or Bruce from behind and Evans and Quinn from in front. Bolasie took to running into people and throwing himself down in desperation. To credit the ref, he didn’t fall for it but it happened so often, I can’t believe he wasn’t booked. I also can’t believe he wasn’t booked for a two footed lunge at Chester. The ref signalled that Bolasie has got the ball but he absolutely did not. And even if he had, Evans was pulled up for an earlier foul, when he clearly won the ball, just because he’d gone in recklessly. Consistency eh? Palace’s other strikers weren’t shy of throwing their weight around and Jermain Easter had already clobbered Evans and Bruce before he was finally booked for leaving Bruce laying again. City continued to make chances leading into half time. Yet another quality cross from Brady was cleared to Koren whose shot was blocked by Ward in a weird crouched position. There was a big handball shout from the players but nothing doing from the referee. Elmo tricked his way past Parr again, clipped a cross to the back post where Quinn arrived late and met it on the volley rolling it just wide of the far post. Garvan then coughed up the ball into midfield allowing Koren a run towards the area. He ignored the run of Aluko and saw his weak shot deflected around the far post. Wrong decision. The half then finished as it started; Aluko crossing this time and Meyler arriving at speed but just not getting the contact on his header. This was the best half of football we’ve seen at home for a while. Nil-nil was a travesty.

City continued to make chances in the second half but it brought a dilemma for Steve Bruce. We were playing so well, creating great oppositions, working the ball wide well and dragging defenders around to create spaces to be exploited. However you felt like it was going to take a striker to convert one of the chances. At some point, SB was going to have to stick or bust. David Meyler picked up a booking for a foul on Jedinak in the midfield. No complaints about the card other than there were numerous other instances were cards weren’t handed out for similar fouls. Quinn was brought down around 25 yards out to the right of goal. Aluko hit the free-kick sweetly but it flew a foot or two over the bar. Quinn then made a terrific run into the right channel and was found by a fine ball from Elmohamady. Quinn’s right foot shot was well struck but straight at Speroni. Aluko picked up the rebound and saw his right foot shot deflected. It could have gone anywhere but ended up smacking the South Stand advertising hoardings. James Chester then strode out of defence, played in Elmohamady (with good advantage played by the ref), Elmo curled a ball across the 6 yard line, Koren couldn’t connect at the near post, Quinn slid the ball wide at the far under pressure from Ward.

Palace replaced the ineffective Easter with ex-Tiger Aaron Wilbraham, miraculously still a Championship footballer. Meanwhile another Elmo cross skimmed off a Palace head to find Koren at the far post. He couldn’t take it down cleanly and Speroni narrowed the angle. Shortly after Steve Bruce decided to twist and threw on Proschwitz and McLean for Aluko and Koren. I’m surprised he didn’t drop Koren into midfield and remove Meyler. McLean made a big difference. Proschwitz might as well not have bothered. I don’t want to get on the guy’s back but he’s not improving and he’s not effective. I hope he proves to be a penalty box poacher because his game outside the box just isn’t there. The emphasis on attacking left us more open at the back and we began to fear their counter attacks. Damien Delaney, who had a steady game on his latest return to the KC, came as close as anyone to opening the scoring, heading Stephen Quinn’s corner just wide of his own goal before City received the first of two big let offs. Palace broke quickly and slid the ball to Bolasie who had a clear run on goal. Brady charged across from left back and cynically tripped their whining winger. It was a red card all day long but the referee gave Brady only a yellow. He seemed to initially stand 35 yards from goal which would have been a reasonable explanation for a yellow instead of a red but after he took Brady’s name, he set up a free-kick 25 yards out. Very odd. Ian Holloway put Zaha up against Brady for the next five minutes to try and trick a second yellow out of him. Brady made a terrific tackle back on Zaha in the box before he fouled him on their right wing. Steve Bruce reacted quickly and swapped Brady for Rosenior. Excellent management.

The Palace fans were feeling a little aggrieved about the Brady yellow and their mood wasn’t helped when the ref gave a blatant corner off Chester as a goal kick. Still, this being a modern ref, it wasn’t long before he was upsetting the home fans instead. Bolasie (again) took out Meyler dangerously while our midfielder was in the air. Meyler was lucky to escape serious injury. The punishment? Nothing. Just a booking for Aaron McLean for expressing his disbelief at the lack of punishment. Both teams then had big chances to win the game in a frantic last 7 or 8 minutes. Elmohamady’s suicidal backpass played in Bolasie on the left but he dragged his shot just wide. Elmo then slid a better ball into McLean who spun and shot instantly, hard and low, but saw Speroni tip it up and just over and just wide of the far post. McLean then climbed brilliantly and met Rosenior’s cross from the left with a thumping header that flew straight into Speroni’s arms. Anywhere else on target and it’s a goal. The last (and biggest) chance fell to Zaha. Quiet for most of the game he sprang into life, beating McShane in the area with a sensational piece of skill only for Stockdale to stand up and beat away his shot. It would have been unjust if he’d scored but he really should have.

So ended a really terrific game. City should clearly have been out of sight before Palace had chances to snatch it late on. Unfortunately our finishing didn’t match the excellent build up play. As I said to start, a point from this game in isolation isn’t a bad one but coming off a poor defeat and with a really tricky run of fixtures up to New Year, it’s not really enough. It’s easy to suggest that the manager should have played a striker or chucked them on earlier but the games not that simple. Once Aluko and Koren left the game, we lost a lot of great movement, our build up play was one dimensional and we stopped creating the positions out wide to get the ball in. It’s a much finer balance than some appreciate. There’s no doubt that we are a really good centre half and a top centre forward short of being a top two side. Hopefully Jack Hobbs is the answer in the first instance. The second is trickier. We are an excellent side. In Jay Simpson, we have a guy who has led the line superbly this season. To improve in that position isn’t cheap and isn’t easy. Charlie Austin would be ideal for us but a) There’d be big competition for his signature and b) his strike partner went for £6m in the summer and Austin is arguably the better player. It’d also mean handing over the cash to Steve Bruce. Now I don’t want to be overly critical because he’s doing a great job but he did get the money in the summer to buy a striker and he bought Proschwitz. That always looked a gamble and it’s showing no signs of paying off.

In every other department tonight, we were excellent. Paul McShane was named the man of the match but it could easily have been Chester. Robbie Brady crossed the ball beautifully while Elmo had a fine game himself on the right. Corry Evans picked up every second ball in the midfield and ran himself ragged. As did the under-rated Stephen Quinn. How the hell has he not got a cap for the Oirish? Meyler was better but not involved enough. Koren’s movement was majestic. If it had been Cesc Fabregas in a Spain shirt, we wouldn’t hear the end of it. Aluko was quieter in the second half but excellent all across the front in the first. McLean made a good impression off the bench. David Stockdale had long periods with nothing to do but earned his corn with a vital late save. That it was a point-saving stop really was ridiculous. We should have had two or three by that point.

We’re still handily placed and haven’t lost too much ground on those around us though we have allowed others below to play catch up. We’ve got a tough run now including Forest and Watford away, Huddersfield at home, Derby away, Leicester and Leeds at home and then Blackpool away. If we’re still in the top six on the 2^nd of January after that lot and with the transfer window open, I really fancy our chances of doing well this season. We just need that bit of firepower. Finding it is far from easy. Good luck Brucie!

Hull City 0 Burnley 1

To quote Will from The Inbetweeners Movie: “I like football but Burnley? Burnley can f*** off!”

What is it about Burnley? Why do they have this hoodoo over us? Why do they bring out our worst traits? In 2008 we beat them but still lost Folan and Okocha to suspension after they were sent off. In 2009 we were robbed at turf more by a dubious penalty and an even-more dubious disallowed goal. And Geovanni was sent off. In 2010 Iain Dowie’s Tigers were humbled at home and Nigel Pearson’s Tigers humbled away. In 2011 we lost at home to the only goal Nathan Delfouneso will ever score in his life. Almost a year ago they were gifted a win at Turf Moor by a Jack Hobbs error. And then today. Today we suffer the indignity of losing to a goal from Dean bloody Marney. A man who normally finishes like a potter with Parkinsons.

I hate Burnley.

City made one change from last week’s win at Birmingham. Loanee ‘keeper David Stockdale replaced Ben Amos (Amos dropping out of the eighteen altogether). Surprisingly Seyi Olofinjana, rubbish at St. Andrews, kept his place in midfield. Paul McShane was again ruled out through injury.

Tigers 3-5-2: [G] Stockdale [D] Chester, Faye, Bruce [M] Elmohamady, Rosenior, Koren, Olofinjana, Quinn [F] Aluko, Simpson

It was a very good game for the opening 15-20 minutes. The Tigers prodded and probed but gave Burnley the ball enough to make chances at both ends. Aulko had an early shot blocked and Olofinjana’s follow-up was well struck, hard and low, but just wide. Alex Bruce then gave the ball to Ross Wallace who hit a dipping shot, similar to Geovanni’s goal against Fulham in ’08, but Stockdale parried. Chester did well to make the rebound ahead of the lively Austin. Olofinjana then gave the ball away in midfield allowing Martin Paterson to curl a shot wide. Stephen Quinn’s superb cross was headed over by Ben Mee with Olofinjana, Simpson and Elmo all lurking. That capped a breathless opening 11 minutes. It may have been more action-packed if Lee Grant hadn’t started time wasting in the 4^th minute. We needn’t have worried though. It only continued for another 83 minutes before the referee spotted it and told him to cut it out.

Cynical tactics aside, Burnley were very good. They retreated very quickly when we won the ball and we spent a lot of time passing the ball in front of ten defenders as a result. They cut out any space in behind and in between defence and midfield meaning Aluko had to go wide to get any possession and Jay Simpson was a spectator. We weren’t good enough to break them down and worse, we kept coughing up possession allowing them to counter on us. Wallace carried the ball well, Austin’s movement, pace and desire to work caused problems and Marney buzzed around as he does. Olofinjana was most guilty of passing to light blue shirts but most of ours had a turn at some point. As a result, Burnley created far more chances than most teams have at the KC this season. We escaped a couple of times before they made the breakthrough. A corner fell to Jason Shackell at the back post but Bruce closed down quickly. Then Wallace picked up in midfield, strode forward and hit a fantastic shot that was arrowing into the top corner before Stockdale stuck out a big right hand and finger-tipped it onto the bar. Alex Bruce was hurt ensuring they didn’t profit from the rebound. Paterson had another effort that Stockdale fumbled and then gathered before the goal came. Another City giveaway in midfield allowed Wallace to run from deep. Marney made a run off to his right, Wallace found him and Marney finished coolly [0-1]. Marney, who’d received a warm applause before kick-off, then ran to the East Stand slapping his Burnley badge and stood looking angrily at the bemused City fans. He was obviously deeply affected by the groans of the East Stand every time he put a shot into row Z. It was pathetic celebration but he can get his kicks anyway he likes. Fair play to him for enjoying the goal; he doesn’t score often.

At half time David Meyler and Robbie Brady replaced the awful Olofinjana and the injured Bruce. City improved after the break but it was deeply frustrating. Burnley gave up attacking altogether and sat 11 behind the ball while wasting every second possible. As a home fan, it was hideous to watch but it was a perfect away performance. Meanwhile the Tigers managed to create several reasonable chances but spurned all of them. Meyler made no difference whatsoever to the midfield. He sat deep, picking up the ball and playing it sideways and backwards. He offered no creative spark or threat at all. He was much better in defending a lead at Birmingham than he was in trying to overhaul one here. We came closest to an equaliser early on in the half and we didn’t have a lot to do with it. Koren received a short corner, crossed poorly, it deflected off one Burnley defender, a second behind him sliced it and it came back off the post. Elmohamady then put in a rare good cross, a terrific cross in fact, and Quinn broke through their defence but headed well, well wide. The run was magnificent, the header quite the opposite. From a rare Burnley corner, Jay Simpson raced away with the ball, hurdled a challenge, evaded an attempt to hack him down and left himself, Koren and Quinn attacking one defender. Simpson slid the ball to Koren and then he and Quinn made runs to the right. When Koren returned the ball, Simpson was offside. Seriously, three on one and he wanders offside. I’m pretty sure Quinn was too. You knew right at that moment that it wouldn’t be our day.

Nick Proschwitz then replaced Rosenior. A fat lot of good that did. There was no system that this point. Burnley weren’t interested in attacking so we left Chester and Faye back, Meyler sat in front of them and everyone else was in attack. A City set piece was cleared to Quinn, Stock then chipped the ball into his own box trying to tackle Quinn, Elmo headed down to Proschwitz 8 yards out but he volleyed way over. The ball was at a difficult height when it bounced up but it was still a massive chance. Proschwitz just failed to connect with an Elmo ball from deep in what was almost a re-run of the winning goal against Ipswich at home. Aluko had two efforts late on, one from distance on the left that sailed wide, the other from inside the box where he turned Marney but shot wide with his left foot. Simpson collected a ball with his back to goal and tried to volley in from a ridiculous position with team mates all around. Awful decision. Simmo then worked himself into a good position on the right wing and crossed into the crowd. Not his best half this. The final chance fell to our German reinfall who had a shot blocked amidst a goalmouth scramble and then snatched at the perfectly presentable rebound and scuffed it way wide.

The ref then checked his watch; seemed satisfied with the 22 minutes the ball was actually in play over 96 minutes and blew his whistle. In his defence, we could’ve played until Christmas without scoring. This is Burnley after all. We might as well accept that we’ll never beat them again and concentrate on the other 44 games a season! This makes 7 consecutive defeats to Burnley. Goals for 3. Goals against 16. In truth, we can have no complaints. Sean Dyche deserves a lot of credit, he devised the perfect plan for playing away from home and his players carried it out to perfection. We passed poorly, moved the ball slowly, invited counter attacks and turned down half decent chances to score.

Not too many players come out of the game with a lot of credit. James Chester played well against the terrific Charlie Austin. Austin is mobile, willing, quick and strong. He worked his socks off for his team. Jay Simpson has had a fine season overall but it’s fair to say we’d be a better team if we had Austin leading the line. Stockdale had a decent debut. He looked very nervous in the first 20 minutes but he made good decisions and once his got over the nerves, his handling was good. He kicked well too from dead balls and under pressure and pulled off one superb save. Robbie Brady had an impact from the bench and got forward well. His weakness is his decision making though and he turned down several chances to put the ball into the box. He hasn’t changed in that regard.

It’s leaders Crystal Palace next and it should be a more open game which will suit us. Alex Bruce went off with a knock for the umpteenth time this season so he may be struggling. Brady must be close to a start too especially as Liam Rosenior has been “doubtful” for the last half a dozen games. Olofinjana has to go from the midfield. I think Bruce will turn to Meyler which would be ridiculously unfair on Corry Evans who should never have been left out in the first place. The front two were quiet today but it’s been proven that they are by far the best combo we have so I wouldn’t change them. Today was still a rarity in our season so there’s no need to panic yet. A win on Tuesday will lift morale and against a potential promotion rival, will be almost priceless.

Now, did I mention that I hate Burnley?

Ten Years At The KC Stadium - #4

In this series of blogs, I'll pick the Top 10 Players, Games and Goals from the 10 years at the KC Stadium and will throw in a variety of top 10 lists and boring facts! This is number seven in the series and number four in the countdown:

Top 10 Players - #4

Michael Turner

I re-published the piece below in August, If/when you read it, you'll know exactly why Turner features this high on a list of players who've made such a great contribution to the Tigers. Turner was, in my opinion, the best defender we'd ever had. He still is. It was a pleasure to watch his development. For six months, he was out of his depth. We couldn't have given him away. Two and a half years later we were all up in arms that he was sold for well below his true value which must have been £6m+ at that time. His progress was remarkable. It's a real shame he never picked up an England cap while he was at the KC. We've waited a long time for a proper England international and we continue to wait. Turner's contribution to the promotion season of 2007/08 and the survive-by-the-skin-of-our-teeth season of 2008/09 is probably greater than that of any other Tiger in history over two seasons. There are only two reasons why he isn't top of this list. Firstly, because there are a couple of players who've contributed massively to Hull City over 8+ years. Secondly because he's a defender and everyone knows they're not real footballers!

There's only one Michael Turner!

Top 10 Matches - #4

Hull City 2 Manchester City 1 - 06/02/2010

In many ways, the 2009/10 season was a bit of a disaster for Hull City. What should have been an exciting second ever season in the top flight of English football never really got started and then tailed off badly amidst fears of a looming financial crisis. We had two useless managers, one tending to the team, the other tending to his garden. For our green fingered gaffer, Phil Brown, this was the last great day he enjoyed with the Tigers.

City sat in the bottom three of the Premier League but were within one win of 5 or 6 other teams and were coming off a morale boosting draw against eventual champions, Chelsea. Man City weren’t quite at that level, they’d finish fifth, but featured enough talent to worry most teams.  The Tigers side that day cost £8.8m. Manchester City’s starting eleven cost an estimated £139m (no-one knows what Carlos Tevez cost). That’s more than three times what it cost to build the stadium we’re so proud of. If anyone was scouting the boys in blue that day, they wouldn’t have taken half of them for free. City were magnificent. They didn’t let them settle. Altidore led from the front putting in the only performance of his loan spell that came anywhere close to matching his effort for the USA against Italy that brought him so much attention the previous summer. He bullied Boyata who was lost from the first minute to the last. It was fitting that he opened the scoring on the half hour, collecting Hesselink’s lay-off and curling a low shot into the bottom corner. I hoped it would be the first of many memorable moments for Jozy in a City shirt. Unfortunately, it’s one of only two. The other, headbutting Alan Hutton, isn’t necessarily anything to be proud of!

The expected onslaught from Manchester City never really materialised. Even in the closing stages as they chased the game they failed to really test Bo Myhill. The impenetrable wall of Steven Mouyokolo and Anthony Gardner stood firm in front of Bo, repelling everything and ensuring the £50m+ partnership of Adebayor and Tevez came in somewhere close to the KC Stadium beer in the value for money stakes. It’s not even funny to think that six months later, Gardner would be made to look distinctly second class himself by Millwall and Donny Rovers. Adebayor grabbed Man City’s consolation goal, stabbing in after a corner wasn’t cleared but City held on doggedly for a fully deserved victory.

What turned out to be the winning goal came after a 54 minutes and was another that was thoroughly deserved on the day. George Boateng didn’t exactly set the world alight with the Tigers, never producing the rampaging performances of his time at Aston Villa and falling out of favour with Phil Brown several times. The previous game against Chelsea had been by far his best performance in black and amber and then this game surpassed even that. Not only did he cover every blade of grass, battle for every ball, harass and destroy, encourage and cajole but he produced a magnificent volley with his left foot to, fittingly, win the game for City. This goes down as our finest ever home win in the Premier League and it was earned, and deserved, against a team with money to burn who’d be champions of England two years later. We only one more Premier League game against a second string Fulham side7 weeks later. If the Hull City that took on Manchester City that afternoon had turned up for 38 games, we’d still be a Premier League club now!

Top 10 Goals - #4

Geovanni (Hull City 2 Fulham 1 - 16/08/2008)

This is a super goal but you know that. No Hull City fan will ever forget this goal. Technically it's brilliant, a delightful dipping, fizzing shot into the bottom corner. It's the historical significance which makes it even better. A club has waited 104 years to taste top flight football. The day finally arrives. The excitement  the expectation, the desperation to impress with the eyes of the world watching. Along comes this goal. Scored for little old Hull City by a Brazilian international magician. You can wake up now.

Top 10 Hull City appearances at the KC Stadium


1. Andy Dawson (160)
2. Boaz Myhill (136)
3. Ian Ashbee (117)
4. Damien Delaney (114)
5. Stuart Elliott (102)
6. Nicky Barmby (99)
7. Ryan France 77
8. Craig Fagan (75)
9. Michael Turner (70)
10. Stuart Green (67)

Birmingham City 2 Hull City 3

Having ended a 47 year wait for a win at Bristol City and a 25 year wait for victory at Elland Road already this season, The Tigers headed to St. Andrews, Birmingham looking for a first win since 1970 on a ground that has yielded just one win in 100 years. Birmingham youth product Sone Aluko and ex-Brum player and manager Steve Bruce were on familiar turf while ex-Tiger Marlon King was in the Birmingham side and looking to score for the 6^th consecutive game.

Steve Bruce made two changes from the Cardiff game. Corry Evans was surprisingly left outand even more surprisingly, replaced by Seyi Olofinjana rather than David Meyler. Injury kept Paul McShane out as Alex Bruce stepped back in. Steve Bruce stuck with Ben Amos in goal after his gaffe last week and it proved a decent decision. Amos proved that if nothing else, he’s got the mentality to bounce back from a mistake and go again.

Tigers 3-5-2: [G] Amos [D] Chester, Faye, Bruce [M] Elmohamady, Rosenior, Olofinjana, Quinn, Koren [F] Aluko, Simpson

From the start it was obvious where Birmingham hoped to prosper. Long balls were pumped into Zigic from the first minute. Don’t get me wrong, Birmingham are not one dimensional. They occasionally pumped in diagonal balls to compliment the straight ones. Olofinjana went up against Zigic early on but the giant Serb dwarfed him. There was little chance of City winning the ball in the air so you felt the success of our afternoon would depend on how well we defended his knock downs. At the other end, Birmingham are weak. They may be rugged and experienced but both Paul Robinson and Steven Caldwell are carthorses. In Sone Aluko, they faced a thoroughbred in his prime. It was like watching Frankel vs. some kid on a hobby horse. In the 8^th minute Robert Koren advanced, Simpson peeled right, Koren split the defence with a pass to the left that put Aluko through on Jack Butland but the keeper got down well. Aluko should’ve scored though.

Within minutes, he had done. Amos distributed quickly to Elmo who strode forward and found Koren. He slid the ball in on the right this time, Aluko left the defence for dead, calmly rounded Butland and tapped into an empty net [0-1]. Aluko chose not to rub it into the faces of those who used to support him. They never supported us though, so we went mental. Abdoulaye Faye was cut in a clash with Zigic and had to return to the dressing room for treatment. City played on with 10 men, Olofinjana stepping in at centre-half, and survived comfortably until Faye returned. We then doubled our lead in now familiar fashion. Koren cut out a ball in midfield, fed Simpson, he ran at the defence, Aluko cut across the back of them from left to right, Simpson slid him in and Aluko finished coolly [0-2]. We deserved the lead too. We were defending well, moving the ball quickly and Simpson was holding the ball up beautifully. Only Olofinjana was worrying us, losing the ball outside our area trying to hold off their forwards in a dangerous position and then gifting them the ball with a poor attempt to switch play.

Zigic was still their danger man but surprisingly when they finally got him in, it was on the floor, not in the air. Morrison split our defence this time to find Zigic who’d crept in behind Chester but Amos flew off his line to gather at the big man’s feet. Zigic was cruelly yet hilariously taunted with a chant of “Does the circus know you’re here?” With the half hour approaching, City delivered the third knockdown blow of the half. Koren’s deep corner was headed back inside the near post by James Chester, enjoying the freedom of St. Andrews [0-3]. Once we’d stopped celebrating, I commented that if it was any other team, I’d be confident it was game over at 0-3. This is Hull City though, we don’t do anything easily. With the Tigers fans Ole’ing and Birmingham looking a bit lost, some in black and amber obviously felt the game was won. We stopped passing the ball, we conceded the initiative and we sank deeper into our half. Inevitably a long diagonal found Zigic, he headed across the penalty area and Ravel Morrison scissor-volleyed into the net [1-3]. It was a super finish. The nerves then began jangling in the Tigers players and supporters. Another ball to the back post fell between Zigic and Faye. Zigic screamed for handball but fortunately for us, the referee was unmoved. The ball definitely struck Faye on the forearm but he wasn’t really looking at it and I think Zigic touched it first with his hand. That said, if it had been in front of the Birmingham supporters, I think a penalty would have been given. Faye then dived in rashly on Morrison and conceded a free-kick right on the edge of the box. Again, it looked like it may just have been inside. We got the rub of the green again.

We made it to half time with the 1-3 lead and I felt confident that Bruce would calm everyone down and we’d come out and dictate the game again. HA! Within 30 seconds of the restart they punted a hopeful ball forward, Zigic flicked it on and Marlon King found himself in acres of space to shoot past Amos [2-3]. Woeful defending from City, another kamikaze goal. Although the goal meant a nervy 45 minutes for the City fans, it was probably the best thing that could’ve happened to the players. It was a real wake-up call. We defended doggedly after that and for all Birmingham’s possession, they rarely troubled us. They looked at their best when they got Chris Burke in behind Rosenior but Steve Bruce quelled that threat by introducing Robbie Brady from the bench. Meanwhile the longer the game went on, the more Faye won in the air against Zigic. Olofinajana played one poor pass too many and was hooked for David Meyler. Meyler is a tall but elegant midfielder, tidy on the ball and with a decent burst of pace. He looks a very good acquisition. He made one crucial block as Birmingham resorted to pot-shots from 18 yards and helped with the collective time wasting effort by clinging onto the ball on the floor despite having his head pushed into the floor twice and the boot stuck into him by talentless scumbag Paul Robinson. Meyler was booked for it, Robinson not even warned. Nice one, ref.

Speaking of the ref, he had a decent game aside from the possible handball. The Birmingham crowd reacted to him giving them a free-kick by cheering like they’d won at Wembley again which was ridiculously over the top. They didn’t get a couple of decisions. We didn’t get a couple of decisions. There’s nothing funnier than a crowd of stupid fans bleating wrongfully about being wronged. The ref didn’t let them sway him which is to his credit. What isn’t is the way he allowed Marlon King to charge at him after every decision he didn’t get waving his arms around. That sort of behaviour might be acceptable in Wormwood Scrubs but it shouldn’t be on a football pitch. The ref needed to flash some cards to show them who was in charge. He was probably afraid of King’s reaction when he asked for his name. “Don’t you know who I am?”

Including stoppage time, we survived 50 minutes that felt like 50 years. We had chances to put the game to bed with Quinn, Brady and Aluko counter attacking in the last 15 minutes. We didn’t commit the players forward to make the most of the situation though. McLean, sporting a new short hairstyle, relieved Simpson and harassed some defenders for those last 15 mins. Birmingham had ran out of ideas so decided to change tactic and lump the ball forward. Zigic was knackered by this point, Faye had his number. Steven Caldwell running at us from deep was the main worry. Luckily he distributes about as well as he defends. James Chester made a super tackle to stop Morrison advancing into our penalty area and that was job done.

It was a fantastic three points. Despite Birmingham’s lowly league position, they have a good squad of players and can hurt teams if allowed to play. We took the game to them from the off and our pace and quality in the final third killed them. We could have done without the fight back but the stubbornness of our defending in the last half hour was very good to see. Alex Bruce had another fine game, particularly in the ten minutes before half time when he met everything they threw into our box while some around him had lost their heads. Sone Aluko will grab the headlines for his two brilliantly taken goals but in general play, he gave the ball up a bit too often trying to over-elaborate. Simpson on the other hand kept things simple, held the ball up well and caused them problems with his running in behind and his quality when he dropped off. Between the two of them, they were excellent. Koren and Quinn were indefatigable again and Koren produced two of his best passes in a City shirt.

In all, it was another very encouraging result suggesting, again, that we are genuine promotion contenders. It’s tight at the top of the Championship. Before today’s game, you could’ve thrown a blanket over 7 or 8 sides chasing Crystal Palace. This result gives us a little bit of breathing space over the teams 7^th and below. We’ve now got two massive home games to round out November. Burnley, who’ve won at the KC Stadium in each of the previous three seasons and then leaders Crystal Palace who show no sign of letting go of top spot. Hoping for six points may be being a tad greedy but it would stand us in good stead going into December. It’s been a fine old season so far. We’re still playing attractive passing football but playing quicker passes and playing forward most of the time to get the ball into areas where we have the pace and the guile to genuinely hurt teams. It feels like the sky is the limit for this team. I’m not going to get carried away though. This is Hull City after all. The only sensible thing to do as a Tigers fan is expect the unexpected. Today, that was being 0-3 up in half an hour. I’d take that most weeks!