And so another wealthy nose is bloodied by the resurgent Hull City. The casual assumptions dictated that Manchester City would coast their way to three points but the reality was they were outplayed entirely, deserved to lose and simply cannot complain. The gloom over the KC Stadium only now exists meteorologically, as now the Tigers look capable of about anything.
Phil Brown has found a formula. Whether he has done it by accident or design now no longer matters. The players are responding to each mighty task and for this the manager must be given maximum credit. The midfield is resourceful and feisty, the attack strong and potent, the defence brave and indefatigable. It’s a Hull City XI that can go places, the first of which is up the Premier League table. (more…)
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Stunning goals from Jozy Altidore and George Boateng earned the Tigers their first Premier League win in 11 matches as the soullessness of football’s wealthiest club was exposed at the Circle.
Altidore steered home a gorgeous low drive midway through the first half for his long-awaited first Premier League goal, then the superhuman Boateng hit a magnificent left foot drive after the break when the other City couldn’t clear a corner properly, also his first for the club.
Emmanuel Adebayor stabbed home a goal shortly afterwards for the visitors and it did get a little nervy for a while, but the Tigers hung on with relative ease to secure a famous, vital and joyful win which enabled a climb to the dizzy heights of 14th. There really is only one City, and they don’t play in light blue. Match report in due course.
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Manchester City, complete with ludicrous scarves, wronged full backs and amusing desperation to be regarded as a member of the Premier League elite, visit the Circle tomorrow as City aim for a third consecutive home game without defeat.
Phil Brown has little reason to change the Hull City starting XI for the game after the riproaring display against Chelsea in midweek, which means Kamil Zayatte may have to play second fiddle to the in-form Steven Mouyokolo for a central defensive spot again. If a change is made, it will most likely involve Amr Zaki making his full debut up front in place of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.
Geovanni is missing the chance to face his old club thanks to a medial ligament strain and so attacking options from the bench will be a little more limited. Seyi Olofinjana has returned after a month of watching the Africa Cup of Nations but any lack of match practice will probably not prevent him from being named among the subs.
Wayne Bridge is expected to return from injury for the visitors, leading to an interesting scenario as to what E1 to E6 will sing his way, given the barrage of critical sonnets bellowed towards John Terry in midweek. One suspects that savaging Terry in tuneless manner should not make one assume that they will be sympathetic towards Bridge. Especially when he takes a throw-in or tackles Craig Fagan right in front of them.
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My goodness me, if you chose to miss this game then what a cretin you must be. Hull City outplayed and outfought the Premier League favourites for big periods of the game and acquired the handiest of points in the process. Those who decided to attend will remember it forever.
Especially John Terry. Well, actually the captain of Chelsea and England may already have forgotten about the game, given that he is known for being thick-skinned and spectacularly lacking in self-awareness. But given the stick – some amusing, some infantile – that E1 to E6 dished out to the debagged skipper, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it all stays below even his largely spacious skull.
The Tigers had the balls to line up with a 4-4-2 akin to that against Wolves three days before, with only Craig Fagan’s recall to the right flank at the expense of Bernard Mendy being different to that insipid, profligate occasion. The right flank swapped skill and ability to beat a man for chippiness and phenomenal workrate. Mendy is a miles better footballer than Fagan, but there are still uses Fagan has that Mendy could never match. For completeness’ sake then – Myhill, McShane, Dawson, Mouyokolo, Gardner, Boateng, Cairney, Hunt, Fagan, Altidore, Vennegoor of Hesselink.
The Circle was cold, the expectation was hot. Terry was greeted with some tasteless, unforgiving songs and a vociferous monosyllabic noise every time he touched the ball, while City got into their stride with admirable swiftness, making the earliest running. (more…)
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A superb performance from the Tigers produced an unexpected but entirely deserved point against the Premier League favourites at a freezing Circle.
Chelsea dominated possession but City used the ball productively and carefully throughout, and caused endless trouble with set-pieces, one of which from Stephen Hunt set up an opener on the half hour via the head of the unmarked Steven Mouyokolo.
Didier Drogba equalised in exactly the manner he did so at Stamford Bridge, with a dipping angled free kick, although City protested about the legality of the kick for some time afterwards.
Chances came and went for both sides in the second half, with Jozy Altidore and Tom Cairney (both of whom were superb) coming close for the Tigers, while Boaz Myhill made terrific saves from Drogba and then from sub Daniel Sturridge in injury time.
Naturally, a spot of “banter” was aired towards the beleaguered captain of Chelsea and England, who was also booed each time he touched the ball. The cheer that went up when John Terry was booked for hauling down Altidore in the second half was almost as loud as the one that greeted Mouyokolo’s goal or the final whistle.
The point lifts City up to third bottom in a ludicrously congested bottom section of the Premier League table, although we have now played more games than the rest thanks to this rearranged game taking place prior to Chelsea’s reacquaintance with the Champions League later this month. The third consecutive home game is this Saturday, with Manchester City visiting the KC Stadium. Match report later…
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Kamil Zayatte should be fit to return to the Hull City defence tonight as the Tigers take on Premier League favourites Chelsea at the Circle in a game rearranged from the snowbound first fortnight of 2010.
It would be harsh on Steven Mouyokolo, who claimed the ‘accolade’ of least unimpressive defender in the wasteful 2-2 draw with Wolves three days ago, but ultimately Phil Brown is unlikely to drop his calamitous captain Anthony Gardner and yet still needs Zayatte to return. It says a lot when Zayatte, very talented but with a capacity to go utterly hatstand, is now regarded as the more secure of the back pairing.
Elsewhere, it would be a harsh manager who drops Tom Cairney after a resourceful debut against Wolves but there may be a need to stuff the midfield with more bite against considerably more gifted opposition, unless Brown chooses to drop one of Jozy Altidore or Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink up front and go for 4-5-1, which would maintain Cairney’s spot. If he does this, expect the unlucky half of a promising strike duo to be immeasurably indignant, and fear for his cat when he gets home. Then there’s Amr Zaki, bright as a sub on Saturday but evidently not match fit.
So we don’t know, really.
City haven’t won since doing over Everton in the last midweek fixture to be played at the KC, as if that could act as any kind of omen. They haven’t beaten Chelsea since 1988-89 and have lost heavily on numerous occasions at home in the last two decades against the west Londoners in Cups and, last season, in the Premier League. Chelsea have, however, been occasionally susceptible against lesser opposition on their travels this season and anything resembling hope the Tigers can cling on to would be more than welcome.
Keep an ear out for some baiting of a certain armband-wearing defender, too, and feel free to condemn such action and not join in. Oh yes.
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Has any Premier League team ever been shorter than a best-priced 3/10 (Bwin) to win an away game? Possibly, during Derby or Sunderland’s traumatic seasons of yesteryear. It’s not something you could be certain of either way. But the fact that few bookies will venture beyond 2/7 on Chelsea winning at the Circle suggests this is going to be a walkover.
City’s home games against the Londoners haven’t been pretty in recent times. There was a 6-1 FA Cup cuffing at Boothferry Park in 1999, a 4-0 humping in the League Cup in 2007 and last season’s 3-0 defeat in the League. At least David Brown scored in the first one. BlueSQ offer 11/10 on Chelsea winning without conceding, and 5/6 on City to lose by two goals or more.
John Terry, the inevitable target of E1 derision, is just 6/1 (Paddy Power) to score at any time, while Drogba and Anelka are both odds-on (5/6 and 10/11) to end the match with a goal. But in case you’re imbued with a commendably positive attitude, ahem, City are as long as a startling 14/1 (Victor Chandler) to win, 9/2 (SkyBet) to pinch a point and 16/1 (SportingBet) to do so by drawing 0-0. 1-0 to the Tigers – surely the only credible victory score? - is 25/1 with Paddy Power. Tempted?
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City have made their way to the end of the transfer window with Stephen Hunt still a Tiger and a trio of un-needed players departing, at least briefly. Relegation rivals Wolves’ determination to make Hunt swap amber for gold saw them wave £5m under Adam Pearson’s nose in a frantic final attempt to land the Irish international – but despite City’s financial problems, the offer was brusquely rejected this afternoon.
Meanwhile, Péter Halmosi has joined Szombathelyi Haladás – his home-town club in Hungary and the side for whom he made his debut in senior football, on loan until the end of the season. Quite what portion of his wages are being paid by the Hungarian club, presently 12th out of 16 in the National Championship, is unclear – one supposes that it’s not quite 100%, however.
Daniel Cousin is also on his way, joining Greek club Larissa on loan, also until the of the season. This move, the club has declared, comes with the view of a permanent deal being arranged in the summer. With his relationship with Phil Brown seemingly damaged beyond repair, that seems a likely eventual outcome.
Tony Warner has left the Tigers permanently – he’s made just two appearances during his year and a half as City’s third choice keeper, and his contract has been terminated by mutual consent. Added to Bryan Hughes’ departure last week, City’s onerous wage bill has been lessened somewhat during the latest period of contrived drama that is FIFA’s transfer window, though further trimming is inevitable during the summer.
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Positives? We didn’t lose, we scored twice, Tom Cairney acquitted himself well on his Premier League debut. We’re still in touch at the bottom of the table and we know City can play much better than this. Oh, and Jimmy Bullard is back soon.
We start with positives because, to be frank, they’re outnumbered by the negatives from this match. We’ve led three times in our two games against Wolves and won neither. That’s sloppy, wasteful, relegation-inducing stuff. We mean no slight to Wolves, but to toss away winning positions against one of the division’s weaker sides is bitterly disappointing.
Losing the lead twice yesterday were: Myhill; McShane, Mouyokolo, Gardner, Dawson; Mendy, Boateng, Cairney, Hunt; Altidore, Vennegoor of Hesselink. Five changes from the side that Wayne Rooney swatted aside at Old Trafford a week earlier, and arranged in a pleasing 4-4-2 formation.
Tom Cairney was making his Premier League debut for the Tigers after impressing in cup matches and reserve team fixtures earlier in the season, having recently made a few appearances on the bench. He was paired in midfield with George Boateng, while Bernard Mendy’s reward for a thrilling cameo appearance at Manchester United last week was the right-wing spot usually held by Richard Garcia, demoted to the bench where he was accompanied by Amr Zaki.
Also coming in were Jozy Altidore, recently returned from compassionate leave in America owing to family connections in Haiti, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink was brought in as his strike partner, while Zayatte’s absence saw Mouyokolo partner Gardner in midfield. Stephen Hunt, the objection of Mick McCarthy’s affections, lined up on the left and was serenaded by the Circle. The Wolverhampton fans in the North Stand replied with “should’ve signed for a big club”. An accurate assessment unfortunately – given our financial predicament Adam Pearson would have a tough decision to make if a big club does come in for him.
(more…)
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City dropped two valuable points by twice allowing Wolverhampton Wanderers to come from behind in an entertaining but ultimately unsatisfactory match at the KC.
Phil Brown cleared the decks and picked a new team, making a total of five changes from the thumping by Manchester United. These included Tom Cairney’s much-anticipated Premier League debut and a hefty strike pairing of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Jozy Altidore. The latter was soon setting up a splendid opening goal for the former, with the Dutchman steering home a shot from the edge of the box.
Wolves nearly equalised several times through their set-pieces, which City struggled to deal with, but at half time the lead was preserved. However, Anthony Gardner miskicked a Ronald Zubar cross into his own net soon after the break to gift the visitors an equaliser.
Stephen Hunt, whose services have been lasciviously courted by Wolves in recent weeks, restored the lead with a well-taken penalty after Altidore was fouled in the box, but Matt Jarvis drove home the equaliser after the Tigers failed miserably to clear their lines several times as Wolves piled on the pressure.
A point each will do each side little good, even though results generally were favourable elsewhere, and it should be regarded as a chance spurned as City now look ahead to the rearranged visit of Chelsea to the Circle on Tuesday night. Match report to come before long.
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