Hull City: Who spectacularly turned around their Hull City career?

When I read that Moussa Sissoko had been named Spurs' player of the season, I got to thinking about players who've turned around their Hull City career spectacularly. 

I'll start with the first two players who immediately came to my mind and then look at some suggestions from my good friends on Twitter.

Eldin Jakupovic - The Jak is the poster boy for this question. His appearances for City were sporadic after he arrived in 2012. He spent time on loan at Leyton Orient and until he replaced Allan McGregor for the play-off semi-final at Derby in 2016, everyone's lasting memory of him in black and amber, well, Green, was dropping a bollock at home to Sheffield Wednesday and going off "injured". Even after that fantastic win at Pride Park in the play-offs, Steve Bruce intimated that anyone could have played in goal and Eldin disappeared again. The following season, he came back with a vengeance and eventually fought off David Marshall to be City's undisputed number one during some great times under the management of Marco Silva. Typically, he then cleared off at the end of the season. They all do.

Paul McShane - The ginger ninja had a pretty successful loan spell at City in 2008/09 leading to him returning the following year as part of the (dreadful) deal that took Michael Turner to Sunderland. This was less successful - understatement - as City were relegated and then struggled in the Championship and Macca was shipped off to Barnsley and then Palace on loan. His prospects didn't look great after City appointed Bruce, who was the Sunderland manager who let him go, but he became a cult hero as promotion was acheived in 2012/13, spawned the "Don't Sell McShane" song and scored on that fateful day against Cardiff. He was let go after relegation in 2015 and I'm still waiting for the riot.



Kevin Stewart - Typo aside, Stewart is a great shout. I won't go into him to much as I just wrote a lot in the end of season review but Stewart had an outstanding middle of last season after everyone had written him off as a complete waste of money. With the squad set to change again this summer, he can be vital next year.



Damien Delaney - Several suggested Delaney. I'm not fully on board with this one on the basis that Delaney was never a poor player. He was a young player who had some inconsistent performances after uprooting from Leicester to Hull and having to adapt to playing left-back in the bottom division - a real shitkickers league back then. Only morons (call them boo boys if you like) heckled him. Everyone else could see it for what it was and his City career went from strength to strength.

I'd add David Meyler and Markus Henriksen, amongst others, to that category. Unfairly targetted by morons isn't the same as career turnaround in my book.



Dean Windass - A very interesting suggestion. Windass was famously let go by City in the late 80s and eventually re-signed by Terry Dolan after starring for North Ferriby in non-league. Deano didn't so much turn around his City career but his entire career and would go on to bigger and better things, the most famous being with City in his third (or is it officially his fourth?) spell at the club in 2008.



Billy Whitehurst - Another striker who had multiple spells with City. Whitehurst joined from non-league Mexborough in 1980 and was instantly part of a team relegated from the third division. Though he played plenty of games in the bottom division, his goal record was patchy and he wasn't overly popular but he'd improve immeasurably - as would City - and was a crucial part of two promotions. He left for Newcastle but eventually returned and remains one of the most popular Tigers ever.







Leon Cort and Michael Turner - I've saved these two for last and grouped them together as they're intrinsically linked. Cort joined a newly promoted City side on a free transfer from Southend and had a difficult start to life under Peter Taylor. He was a gangly, unwealdy player who didn't always look in control of his legs and brought the ball out of defence like Franco Baresi('s Grandad) but he grew into the team, chipped in with plenty of goals and was absolutely superb the following season - City's first in the Championship. He moved to Palace, bought by Peter Taylor, for £1.25m and was replaced by Michael Turner.

Phil Parkinson signed Turner from Brentford, then of League One, and despite his physical similarities to Cort, his performances were of a much poorer standard. When Phil Brown replaced Parkinson, he initially dropped Turner but things turned around when he was terrific in a 0-0 draw at Elland Road and he never looked back (although I'm still not sure why he didn't start the first game of the 2007/08 season). By the time he left in 2009, City were a Premier League team, he was a huge reason why and he was our best and most valuable player by a mile. It still stings that we got next to nothing for him.
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Tigers Transfer Talk: The weekly Hull City rumours round-up

It's still early in the summer and Hull City are skint and far more likely to seel rather than buy for the next two months but that hasn't stopped a plethora of players from being linked with moves to East Yorkshire...

One of the hottest properties in Scottish football at the moment is Ayr United striker Lawrence Shankland (pictured). The 23-year old was a product of Quaeen's Park, alongside Andy Robertson, and settled at Ayr after an unproductive stint at Aberdeen. He has scored 50 league goals in his two seasons with "The Honest Men" and 62 overall in just 73 games. There aren't many hotter free agents around at the moment and The Scottish Sun say City, Swansea, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest are watching him.

Footy website Goal.com linked City with a loan move for Liverpool winger Ben Woodburn - again. The Tigers wanted Woodburn in January but he went to Sheffield United and, although they were promoted, didn't play enough. The 19 year old shot to prminance two years ago by scoring the winner for Wales in a World Cup qualifier against Austria but has had limited first team experience. he needs to get out and play somewhere and City is as good a place as anyone given our recent experience of blooding young players - both ours and those on loan deals.

Hull Live report that City's interest in Oldham centre half George Edmundson has cooled due to the asking price of around half a million quid. If there was any doubt as to what market City are working in this summer - that should end it.It's going to be a very difficult summer as we try and stretch a small budget a long way.

According to former Sky Sports journo Pete O'Rourke, City are one of a number of team in for Ryan Tafazolli. The tall centre half is a free agent after the end of his contract at Peterborough United and at 27 years old is a good age and well experienced. He was a youth at Southampton so may be known to Nigel Adkins and is also said to interest Swansea, Luton and Preston.

Dundee left-back Nathan Ralph is wanted by City and Barnsley say The Scottish Sun. The 26 year old has only been in Scotland for a year after being signed from National League club Woking but scooped several player of the year awards. one bad omen though, he's been relegated in each of the last two seasons!

Colchester midfielder Sammie Szmodics, who was linked with City earlier in the year, is close to a free transfer move to Bristol City according to the Bristol Post.

Former City loanee Harry Wilson is wanted by Newcastle, Southampton and Brighton according to Sky Sports. Liverpool would want £25m to consider selling the Welsh winger and that isn't putting them off. It looks better value than the fees Bournemouth previous paid Liverpool for Jordan Ibe and Dominic Solanke.

Tigers Transfer Talk: Early Hull City rumours round-up

A mammoth collection of news and rumours to start the summer looking at the players linked in and out of Hull City in the last couple of months.

Gwion Edwards (Pic: Sky)

Goalkeepers

With David Marshall close to release from his expensive contract, George Long will be City's only senior keeper. They appear to be on the look-out for a challenger to the new number one. In March, HITC linked City with a free transfer move for 26 year old Coventry City keeper Lee Burge who has been with the club his whole career and their first choice keeper for the last three seasons.

Ten days ago, City were one of a number of sides said to be watching Barnsley's Adam Davies by the Stoke Sentinel along with Stoke City, Birmingham City, Bristol City and Brentford. Davies, also 26, was born in Germany while his father was in the Armed forces and has one cap for Wales. He's played over 200 games for Barnsley after signing from Sheffield Wednesday.

Defenders

Highly rated Oldham Athletic defender George Edmundson has been linked with The Tigers, Rangers, Stoke, Sunderland and Preston by the Yorkshire Post amongst others. The 6 foot 3 inch, 21 year old centre-back is said to be available for around £450-500k. The Oldham Evening Chronicle claim City have already made a bid but Oldham turned it down as it was well short of their valuation.

Another homegrown Coventry City player, Jordan Willis, 24, is available for free according to Coventry Live and although Luton are the favourites to sign him, Hull City, Sheff Wed, Bristol City, Derby County and Portsmouth have all had a look.

Young Cardiff City right-back Ryan Pryce was linked by HITC a month ago and is apparently wanted by Fleetwood and Portsmouth. A Bournemouth youth product, the 21 year old dropped into non-league and joined Cardiff after an impressive spell with TNS in the Welsh league.

Midfielders

Markus Henriksen is likely heading to France this summer. Kamil Grosicki has been linked with Istanbul Basaksehir by some Polish newspaper and Jarrod Bowen interests Leicester, Southampton, Everton, Burnley, Bournemouth, Spurs, etc depending on who you read for anything from £15m upwards.

A direct replacement for either winger, relegated Ipswich Town wide man Gwion Edwards was linked by HITC last week. The 26 year old former Wales U21 international moved to Portman Road from Peterborough for £700k a year ago and scored 6 times in 24 starts and 9 sub appearances in the Championship last season.

Another wideman Chris Willock was sort of linked by Portugeuse newspaper A Bola this week too. According to the paper, City, WBA, PR and Norwich all had loan bids refused for the former Arsenal youngster in January but Benfica will now let him leave. Willock is 21, has caps at every England youth level and has brothers Matty and Joe who are at Man Utd and Arsenal respectively. This one sounds as likely as an Allam apology.

Liverpool's 20 year old midfielder Herbie Kane has had an impressive season on loan at Doncaster and is said to be a loan target for City next season by Hull Live this week.

Another attacking midfielder, Sammie Szmodics is also on the radar according to the Daily Mail in March. The 23 year old scored 15 times in League Two for Colchester United and is sought after by Bristol City and Derby County at the end of his contract.

Strikers

Just the one decent rumour in the striking department, an area City are looking decidely weak, and it came from The Scottish Sun in early April. Hearts stocky front man Uche Ikpeazu is supposedly wanted by Celtic and Rangers and the paper claim City will challenge them for his signature. The 6 foot 3 inch former Cambridge striker is big and quick but his record for games played and goals scored were both poor last season.

Hull City: The FA Cup Final 5 years on

The “magic of the FA Cup” is something of a cliché these days. It’s almost as overblown as the “death of a once great competition” stuff we hear every year. It always has been a special tournament though and remains so despite the apathy of some unambitious clubs and fans. 

If you ever doubt that – get to a final. Feel your legs shake as you approach Wembley. Try to get through “Abide with me” without shedding a tear. Imagine the pride in seeing the players walk out in the sunshine (if it’s not 25 degrees in the shade it doesn’t count as a Cup Final Saturday) in your colours.

Five years on, I still can’t believe we did that. Hull City in the FA Cup Final. It’s not “Roy of the Rovers stuff” because frankly, despite the hostage crisis’, kidnappings and attempted murders, Roy of the Rovers isn’t that unrealistic. When I fell in love with the FA Cup as a kid in the 80s – Hull City being in an FA Cup Final was more unlikely than the Queen getting hammered on Champers pre-match, streaking across Wembley and nutting Vinny Jones.

We’d made the 6^th round in 1966 and lost to Chelsea and then lost to Stoke at the same stage in 1971. In 1989, we lost famously 3-2 in the 5^th Round to eventual winners Liverpool in a thriller at Boothferry Park after leading 2-1. Our record in the competition from that point was frankly embarrassing. I’m not sure it will ever get worse than the day we lost at home to Hednesford in 1998 in front of the Match of the Day cameras. Man is closer to travelling to the moon by car than we were to an FA Cup Final at that point.

The club turned around in the early 2000s under Adam Pearson’s ownership and was taken to new and unprecedented heights by Peter Taylor, Phil Brown and Steve Bruce. The story is beautifully told by fellow City fan Richard Gardham in his book The Decade which you can grab from Amazon or Waterstones in Hull. You all know the gist though, 3 promotions, Play-off final, Premier League, Relegation, another Promotion, more Premier League... Yet through all that, Cup glory remained elusive with another quarter final loss the “highlight” as we were cheated by those dirty Arsenal b******s at the Emirates on the night that little scumbag Cesc Fabregas spat at the great Brian Horton. Being there was not as much fun as it had been the previous October.

Then came 2014. The previous two seasons City had received “easy” home draws in Round 4 and contrived to lose to Crawley and Barnsley respectively. So, little was expected as Steve Bruce took a second string side to Middlesbrough (generally an unhappy hunting ground) in January. Aaron McLean and Nick Proschwitz scored and took us through to a meeting with Phil Brown’s Southend United at Roots Hall. That was a fantastic away day with two beautifully taken Matty Fryatt goals capping it off. Then came Brighton away on a Monday night on the telly. Yannick Sagbo’s late goal salvaged a replay and goals from Curtis Davies and Robert Koren saw them off, just, at home in the replay. That set up a meeting with Bruce’s former club Sunderland at the KC in front of a slightly disappointing crowd of just over 20k. City swept them aside 3-0 with a thumping Davies header, a fantastic goal by David Meyler and a third from Fryatt set-up by Mackem’s captain, leader, legend Lee Cattermole.

Making Wembley for a Cup semi-final broke new ground for City whose only other appearance at that stage had been way, way back in 1929. I watched the draw on the concourse at the stadium after the game along with plenty of others. Potential opponents where Arsenal (again), Manchester City or holders Wigan Athletic (now of the Championship) and League One side Sheffield United. When City drew the League One side people cheered, jumped and hugged. Opportunity was knocking. Going in 2-1 down at half time at Wembley in the semi, only my knees were knocking. How “Typical City” would losing to a lower division team be, and bloody Sheffield United at that, when presented with the greatest opportunity in our history?

Fortunately, Davies banged a few heads together in the dressing room, pinned a few players to the wall, threatened a few more with knee-capping or worse and City produced a masterful second half performance to win 5-3 sort of comfortably. Sagbo equalised Jose Baxter’s goal in the first half before Stefan Scougall gave them that half time lead. Fryatt poached another equaliser before Huddlestone scored a magnificent third, Stephen Quinn stuck one in against his old club and Meyler sealed it on the break in front of the City fans. Jamie Murphy’s late goal was mere consolation. Hull City were in an FA Cup Final.

I couldn’t believe it on the eve of the game and I still don’t really believe it now.

I watched the pre-match pleasantries in a daze. I’ve seen this play out on TV every year (bar the one on my wedding day) since I was 7 years old and being a part of it was surreal.

City lined up: McGregor. Chester, Bruce, Davies. Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Meyler, Rosenior. Quinn. Fryatt.

Only Quinny’s inclusion surprised me. I’d barely digested it when City won a corner at the opposite end of Wembley. Quinn’s ball was met by Huddlestone on the edge of the box and James Chester turned it in. It was unbelievable. Just a feeling of euphoria I’ve never felt in football. As good as the Play-off final was, that win at Arsenal, winning at Spurs, beating Liverpool and Man Utd – as good as that all felt, that was next level. An out-of-body experience. Looking down on a scene of utter joy and disbelief.

Just when we thought life could never get any better than that, the post kept out Bruce’s header from Quinn’s cross and Curtis Davies tapped in the rebound. The resulting celebration left me exhausted. Genuinely struggling for breath in the Wembley heat. What on earth were we watching?

Shortly after Kieran Gibbs nodded Alex Bruce’s goal-bound header off the line. When I’ve watched the game back since, this is as far as I make it. We win 2-0 and go home with the trophy.

Sadly, you know the real story. Santi Cazorla buried a cheap free-kick in front of the City fans before half-time, Laurent Koscielny taped in from close range from a corner our players insisted never was and then in extra-time, Aaron Ramsey bagged a winner. Sone Aluko had a glorious chance to take it to penalties but found neither the empty net or a team-mate.

I went away devastated but incredibly proud. Not only had we reached a Cup Final but we gave Arsenal an almighty scare. We were exhausted in extra-time. Having to use subs early didn’t help. They brought on two pairs of fresh legs in extra-time in midfield. It was too much. I won’t say it doesn’t matter, that would be a massive, massive lie. I wanted to win more than any game I’ve been at. But losing didn’t take away from the achievement. It never will.

The club is unrecognisable five years on. The support that day was unbelievably good. Even though this played out amidst the fight to retain the club’s identity (remember the on pitch demo after the Sunderland win) the support throughout the whole run was brilliant. City has been a club of ups and downs its entire existence. The lowest point was the battle to remain in the league in 1998. The highest peak was May 17^th 2014.

The eyes of the world are on that game. Imagine tens of millions of people rubbing theirs and trying to fathom a score-line of Arsenal 0 Hull City 2.

I hate Kieran Gibbs.