League Cup Round 2 – 28/8/2007

How quickly a season can turn. The grey cloud of déjà vu that settled upon the Circle following the opening day defeat to Plymouth is now totally lifted. A win and a draw in the League have played no small part in permitting rays of sunshine through; but let us not underestimate the role that the much-maligned League Cup has played in restoring confidence.

The victory at Crewe was an enjoyable jaunt and a handy reminder that no matter how disappointing Plymouth was, our players are not entirely without ability. It set us up handily for the useful point at Coventry. Now, we know our players have some character too in repelling Premiership Wigan at their warehouse-like JJB Stadium. How this will work as a platform for the approaching autumn is obviously unknowable – but nothing but good can from our first away win at a top-division side in thirty-five years.

Changes we expected, and changes we saw, with the Phil Brown keeping the 4-4-2 formation that has served us well of late, and electing to staff it thus: Myhill; Dawson, Turner, Brown, Delaney; Featherstone, Hughes, Livermore, Elliott; McPhee, Bridges. Six alterations to the side that outplayed Norwich on Saturday, countered by Chris Hutchings’ eight for his Wigan side, who presently lie in an improbable third place in the top division.

They do not look like likely to remain there. Even allowing for their rash of alterations, such figures as Mario Melchiot, Kevin Kilbane, Henri Camara lined up for the home side, together with rumoured City transfer target and one-time loanee Caleb Folan, who made an inauspicious 22 minute appearance for us in 2001.

City began the game attacking the empty South Stand, wittily encouraged to give us a song by a surprisingly large and energetic away support, and quickly looked every bit as capable as their high-flying hosts. Folan had the evening’s first chance however, toe-poking a close-range effort directly at Boaz Myhill. This spurred Wigan on, and they won a flurry of corners that City capably dealt with.

It appeared that Elliott had been instructed to shoot on sight by Phil Brown, as he looked to race goalwards and let fly wherever possible – which, to be fair, is his primary threat – and he did just that after a clever through ball from midfield, forcing home keeper Mike Pollitt to save from twelve yards.

Midway through the half, Myhill pulled off the save of the evening with a flying one-handed save to palm over a thumping Fitz Hall header and keep City level. Losing his first-team spot appeared to have sharpened his game significantly, and our presently-deposed number one may not be out of the side for much longer.

City were gaining the ascendancy now, with Livermore and Hughes besting their torpid adversaries in the midfield, and a goal now looked possible. McPhee should have scored it, haring on goal after a horrible defensive blunder let him advance unchallenged towards Pollitt, but the shot was of the frustratingly indecisive vintage from which we regrettably associate him, and the chance was gone.

No matter though, for St Stuart is on hand, and on 32 minutes gives us a deserved lead with a moment of visionary brilliance. An appalling mis-kick by one of theirs – unidentifiable from our distant vantage – screws across the field five yards outside the Wigan area, and heads towards Melchiot. He stands, watches, then lumbers across, probably sighing at their sheer tedium of it all, to clear the ball – by which time, our Northern Irish hero has already hurled himself at the ball and with the outside of his mighty left boot sent the ball flying up and over the stranded Pollitt for a quite magnificent goal.

The City support, several hundred and more strong, capered in amazed glee. A truly outstanding goal, gifted perhaps by witless contributions by a brace of Wiganfolk, but executed with the instinctive verve of the Elliott of three years ago.

It is all City now. It really is. Wigan are flat-footed and reeling ‘neath a Tiger onslaught. Elliott should have doubled our advantage after stooping low at the far post to meet a cross that he somehow directed wide, while Bridges was the next to come close after squirming free in the area and belting the ball into the side-netting with Pollitt beaten for pace.

Exhilarating stuff. Wigan are rocking, City are battering them, it is fabulous to watch. However, just as the Tigers were scaling the heights of rampancy, we are nearly caught at the back as half-time nears, with a free header by Camara falling thankfully into the safe grasp of Myhill. However, we survive and the troops bound off to hearty applause.

What a curious construction the JJB Stadium is. It positive reeks of rich man’s toy, although it is not the worst of the modern crop of mid-sized stadia of which ours remains the best example. Its corners are not filled in, meaning that four equally high stands squarely face the pitch – and they are steep, fearfully steep for the supporter attempting to retake his place at the top of the stand clasping refreshments. But the beer queue moves at a rapid pace, the stewards are content for mass standing to take place (good – we salute this) and a decent racket can be made with relatively small numbers. We’ll encounter worse on our travels this season.

Which is all the people of Wigan had turned up in. 5,400 is the gate, nearly one-fifth of whom hail from God’s country to the east. However, the home fans – aided by a fucking drum, the craven fools – attempt to stir their stumbling side into a degree of life. And it has to be observed that the majority of the second half action takes place a hundred yards from the gathered Tiger Nation, with Wigan placing us firmly on the back foot.

Folan is first to miss for Wigan, a glancing header flashing wide from a corner, and they win a few more. However, the nascent Turner/Brown axis of awesome dually repel them all, and City stand firm. Myhill then diverts a stinging Brown shot wide, an outstanding save for a flashing drive that appeared to have enough pace to beat a less alert keeper than ours.

City are holding on now, not quite grimly, but with a slightly pained expression. It rouses the Tiger Nation, who repeat the trick of Coventry by dividing themselves into left and right halves and alternately signing at each other. Your humble correspondent – finding himself to the right once again – must admit to liking this and wishing for future repetitions. If home fans aren’t going to engage any verbal jousting, we may as well keep ourselves occupied.

Livermore is cautioned for a foul we shall charitably term “late”, while Elliott quickly follows him into referee Illderton’s notebook for kicking Melchiot, something Chris Hutchings should have tried at half-time. The game has settled now, and City look to make occasional forays on the break. Wigan allow themselves to become stretched a few times, but City generally lacked the numbers going forward to have any serious hope of grabbing a decisive second, and increasingly the ninety minutes seemed certain conclude without too much scoring.

We appeared to be the beneficiaries of a thoughtful act of generosity when the referee waved away a very strong claim for a penalty after a brace of ugly challenges on the edge of our area were both unpunished. Again, difficult tell from such distance, but the instinct was penalty, and we may have received a dose of fortune.

A fat moon rose over Wigan’s deserted South Stand, and Ashbee came on for the tiring Livermore. Some have speculated that Ashbee is a better player for having the fearsome presence of Wayne Brown in the side, and it is definitely true that our captain has looked improved of late. His contribution this evening was unfussy and energetic, precisely what a player of his nature ought to provide.

As the game entered the last fifteen minutes, Wigan had their best chance of the night when the marvellously-named Julius Ahgahowa was sent through on goal with only Myhill to beat, but he wildly swipes his shot wide to ribald guffaws at the far end.

Marney replaces McPhee as Brown tightens us to a 4-5-1 formation, and although it’s not a deployment for the purist, it works and Wigan are smothered and harried into submission. We nearly score next, as Hughes flashes a close-range header just over the crossbar, but we immediately reform our pattern and Wigan now begin to fear a disappointing home defeat will not be averted.

Alarm is raised when a loose ball falls to one of theirs, but our attitude is exemplified by Michael Turner, who explodes from his position to effect a bone-crunching block on the shot, and the game is now up. Deano replaces Bridges, whose methodical exit appeared to take several hours, prompting four minutes of injury time to be announced. We will not be foiled though, and the Tiger Nation joyfully serenades its doughty warriors home to a genuinely stirring victory.

This was an outstanding victory. Forget the disrupted nature of Wigan’s line-up, they are a Premier League side with the vast riches that accompany that status and that dwarf our own resources. And of course, we were not without a few changes of our own.

No, this was a victory that resonated because of the nature of its achievement. From the accomplished Myhill, through the impeccably positioned full-backs Delaney and Dawson, to the massively promising Turner/Brown partnership, along to the lively and composed midfield, up to tireless front two, this was a win crafted with poise, determination and skill.

And so, we await the Third Round draw, with the equally likely possibility of Manchester United at home or Plymouth away. This feels like a Cup Run more so than our voyage to the same stage last season, possibly because it’s been achieved in an altogether more impressive fashion than edging past two lower league sides at home. And although the outcome is unlikely to end up with Ian Ashbee hoisting aloft the trophy at Wembley, one feels that in terms of its contribution to our season the 2007/8 League Cup has already been very good to us. (AD)

Finding truly villainous individuals associated with Hull City is quite easy, provided you look in the right places. The boardroom, for example. Or the dugout. But the pitch? Hmmm, that’s harder. The territory one needs to occupy in order to blast even the most defective ex-Tiger becomes quite dangerous. Footballers are, after all, just footballers. But villains come in all shapes and sizes. There are the spiteful, the incompetent and the frustrating. Players tend to fall into the final category.

No player in Hull City’s history underperformed out of spite – certainly if they were accused of such, they would demand to see proof – while bald incompetence is always a subjective issue, with numerous players in any All Time Worst XI having something in their non-City careers to be proud of.

Simon Trevitt was a very popular and effective player at Huddersfield for a whole decade, for example. He was utterly dreadful in a City shirt, but his previous record could put that down to a bad period of form for an otherwise perfectly reasonable player. And players not in form look even worse when the whole team is underperforming – Trevitt was an epitome of this.

So we’re left with those who frustrate, and in one way, they are the most unforgivable. Evil players, should they exist, are flushed out and given no second wind; incompetent players are also replaced as soon as a manager is allowed. But frustrating players – men of clear talent who waste it due to a stinky attitude – are the worst as they bring along as much hope that they can perform as they do despair when they don’t perform. As a modern footballing phrase goes – one can handle the despair, but not the hope. Ryan Williams was one such player. And Jon Parkin was another.

It could have been easier for Parkin when Peter Taylor signed him in the January window of 2006. Little was expected of him, despite the £150,000 fee, because he had come from Macclesfield and, more pertinently, he had been frequently chastised, abused and written off as an unfit, immobile buffoon by City fans each time he had played against the Tigers, be it in defence for York City or as a converted striker for the Silkmen. Reaction from online Tigers supporters upon the news of Parkin’s recruitment was not especially welcoming. Just about everyone expressed disbelief and anger at the decision, even the more tranquil of opinion-formers at least wondered where Taylor was taking us. Yet while their misgivings would ultimately be borne out, what initially happened was the most ludicrous, spectacular and thrilling opening weeks to a City career many of us had ever seen. Parkin was perfect.

Tall, extra stocky (as opposed to overweight) and clearly brave and keen, he debuted against Crystal Palace and gave their centre backs all sorts of trouble, even though one of them still had time to pop upfield for a set-piece and score a goal. City went 2-0 down before Parkin silenced the doubters – well, he stopped them expressing concern over the decision and had them cheering instead – when he timed a run through the offside trap immaculately, chested down a ball dropping behind him with the delicacy of Teddy Sheringham and steered an instinctive shot under the bloke with the pyjama bottoms. A debut goal, instant cult status, and though City couldn’t equalise in the second half, a star – and a nickname – was born.

The Beast then went on a two-month burst of form which was the single key factor in City not being ever dragged into a serious relegation battle. A heel-toe turn and smart shot which put us 2-0 up at Stoke a week later had to be seen to be believed, then a tap-in at Luton which proved the key goal in a 3-2 win and then a tremendously timed run and shot at Millwall added to what had become an extra-quick City legend. The fans adored him – for his bluster, his bravery, his determination not to respect reputations (he had gone from being marked by Mark Greaves to being marked by Michael Duberry, and didn’t give a hoot at the contrast) and his goals. He could also drop deep and distribute, with Craig Fagan, Kevin Ellison and Stuart Green reaping the benefits of a centre forward who was willing to play a team game rather than wait on the last man with his arm in the air.

Then it started to go a bit wrong for Parkin. When a couple of dubious decisions went against him, it was obvious that there was a confidence issue running through his head, especially as he had just earned a huge move up the divisions and had started so well. Taylor would have told him that purple patches can end and do end, and the character of Parkin was to face its real test when the goals dried up, when the referees began to pre-judge fouls based on his sheer size, and when results were affected. He had a legitimate goal – which would have earned a point – ruled out at Cardiff, then earned a penalty from Everton-bound Joleon Lescott against Wolves, only for Green to miss it and City to go on to lose. Worse, he played his heart out at Leicester, setting up two goals, but didn’t see his guts and thunder performance reciprocated by slipshod, desireless team-mates and City’s 3-2 defeat represented the biggest fear of a battle against the drop of the season.

Parkin carried the team that day at the Walkers Stadium, but would never do so again. This was not because the team drastically improved, but because already it was clear his eagerness had gone. Energy-free and lost, City fans put the new profligate Parkin down to fatigue – he’d joined midway through the season from a slower division and the change had caught up with him. He was, at the time, worth the benefit of everyone’s doubt. With victories now more vital than ever, Taylor refused to change the team on the acceptable understanding that a half-bothered Parkin was still useful, but the valueless heroics at Leicester would be Parkin’s last very good game for City. Moments would still come, not least over the Easter period, but suddenly his ability to dominate, or even play an actively practical role in the team, had dissolved.

The argument about what we should have reasonably expected of Parkin starts here. Because he came in with all guns blazing, scoring goals, beating up defenders and generally spawning comparisons with the iconic Billy Whitehurst in his prime (albeit with a far better first touch), it meant that he became a real disappointment when he inevitably slid down into a more serene and bland contributor to the team. City won two games 1-0 at the KC to fend off the brief post-Leicester fears and Parkin was largely nondescript. By the time we got a 1-1 draw at Ipswich his lethargy was obvious, and were it not for the prospect of facing Leeds United in the most emotionally important home match in a generation (well, for those who only went to City when they weren’t struggling at the bottom of Division Four, anyway) then Parkin may well have been rested, if only because the goals had dried up.

City 1 Leeds 0, and Parkin was the goalscorer. A far post header, climbing majestically above a rattled White Shite defender to bury the ball from Green’s divine cross. The tiredness/sluggishness of previous weeks fell from his being as he celebrated under a pile of team-mates and the city then celebrated all night under a pile of beer bottles. The result also assured City of safety in all ways bar the math, and Parkin should have gone on holiday there and then. He didn’t – Taylor picked him for the rest of the season and he didn’t score again.

However, the received wisdom was that Parkin was just tired. He needed a long holiday, to rest his weary limbs and then prepare for his new division properly with a Championship-standard pre-season. Unfortunately, his love affair with Hull City ended promptly when the first photograph of him in the new kit, during a pre-season friendly at North Ferriby, was published. Not since Brian McClair’s Celtic shirt shrunk in the wash in 1986 has a player looked so ungainly in the clothes of his trade and, in Parkin’s case, unfit. Worryingly so. Ever seen Jan Molby playing Masters football on Sky? Yep. Parkin had clearly embarked upon as good a time as possible on the ale and burgers over the summer and, while many a footballer has claimed an entitlement to let himself go a bit while on his holidays as much as the layman does, somehow it seemed Parkin had been gluttonous and irresponsible. He’d gone too far. And with Taylor gone and the inexperienced Phil Parkinson in, we waited to see whether the new manager had it in him to tell his newly-inherited talisman that he’d cocked up his calorie plan and was on a strict diet and fitness regime.

Parkin was embarrassing at West Brom on the opening day of 2006/07. He couldn’t jump, couldn’t gain control, was hopelessly out-fought by the highly-rated but not superhuman Curtis Davies and was substituted by the new manager. The defeat, and problems elsewhere (dreadful marking, the early withdrawal of Stuart Elliott, the denial of a late penalty), meant that Parkin’s woes weren’t central to the inquest, and when he scored twice at home to Barnsley three days later, we briefly thought we had our Beast back, especially as the goals were contrasting enough – a smart sidefooter and a Beasting of the goalkeeper prior to the bulging of an empty net – to suggest all aspects of his game were not beyond rediscovery.

City squandered it, infamously, and lost 3-2. Parkin scored a penalty in the next game – a 2-1 defeat on Sky to Derby – and Parkinson began to make noises about signing reinforcements up front. It was obvious to him and the rest of us that Parkin was not only lacking in fitness, but also lacking in any real desire to alter the situation. Bad management may have contributed – certainly there were enough conjectures via the KC grapevine over this wretched period to suggest that Parkinson was struggling to deal with any problem correctly – but ultimately the professional footballer must act professionally to play football. Parkin didn’t.

With Nicky Forster and Michael Bridges recruited, Parkin was nonetheless retained in the squad as City searched ceaselessly for a first win. He dropped, deservedly, to the bench to allow the newcomers a debut each at Birmingham, and was brought on with the score at an agonising 2-1 in the home side’s favour to bolster the attack, create fresh problems for the tiring, uninspired Birmingham defence and force the equaliser which the team’s display without him was beginning to deserve.

He hit the post. Unlucky.

Then he was sent off. Imbecilic.

There’s little doubt that the referee made way too much of Parkin’s second offence, a high challenge on Radhi Jaidi which left the not-exactly-tiny-himself defender rolling around like he’d been caught up in a drive-by shooting. The yellow and subsequent red was harsh. But Parkin, even though it was injury time and we were still losing, had no business going up for a dodgy semi-assault like that when he knew that his first yellow and the nature of it had clarified that the ref fancied grabbing a few headlines. Initial derision from the support for the official turned into derision for the player in the inquest as we trooped back towards the M42, still winless.

It was no coincidence that with Parkin banned for the trip to Leicester – the scene of his finest individual hour and a half in a City shirt – the Tigers looked vibrant and alive for the first time since the first half against Barnsley, and new boy Bridges won us the game. As if stung by the criticism, Parkin gave us one last hope that he might yet return to his combined attribute of scoring knack and amusing brutality when he hit both goals in a 2-1 win – on the telly, no less – against Sheffield Wednesday at the KC. The second was a superb reverse volley which was replayed over and over again and certainly rivalled his multi-crafted beauty at Stoke for aesthetic pleasure.

So, two wins in a row and Parkin had shown some fresh fight for the cause thanks to a suspension and the arrival of two high calibre rivals for the place he’d called previously his own. The only way was up. But once again, his star began to sink. The brace for the cameras against Wednesday was his last hurrah, the last time he would be a dominant City hero, as his own displays in future League games would come to epitomise the soulless, frightened philosophy of Parkinson. City were in desperate trouble by the time Parkinson fell on his sword in December, and Parkin’s only positive contribution had been a gimme of an equaliser set up by Fagan in a 3-2 success at Southend, a game City largely won because their opponents were faring even worse.

Phil Brown’s appointment as the stand-in manager, as is often the case, led to an upturn in fortunes, but Parkin had at last met his match. For all the things for which Brown received rightful criticism during his first six months in charge, one decision was warmly applauded and met with admiring comments when he publicly criticised Parkin, dropped him from the team and sent him on loan to Stoke. Dean Windass, a man who could show Parkin what being a real Tigers icon represented, was brought back on loan and instantly built up an anti-rapport with his new strike partner by openly moaning about him on the pitch. Stories of dressing room accusations surfaced and, as City’s form got worse and Parkin was incessantly held up (along with Ian Ashbee, to a lesser extent) as the mainspring of City’s problems, a watershed was reached at Oakwell.

I distinctly remember, on the short drive to Barnsley that night, that I and my carload of acquaintances all believed that a turning point was possible for Parkin. Still oversized and lacking attitude, he had the opportunity to raise his game in his hometown and put aside the horrors he must have felt when the 2-0 lead he gave City at the KC in August was clawed back and transformed into a 3-2 defeat. But we gave him way too much credit – from the kick-off we had a player who wouldn’t run, jump, chase nor show any signs of enterprise with the ball in his possession. It was reminiscent of everything which Dave Bamber had stood for a generation earlier – he clearly was not interested in playing for Hull City, he was not motivated by the club, his team-mates or the many thousand fans in attendance whose jobs and marriages were dominated by the sheer terror brought on by the prospect of an agonising, gutless relegation. What made it worse was that his particular style, when he was in the mood to show it, meant that he was often our only target for the midfield to aim at, and if he wasn’t complying, we had no plan B until substitution time. We were stunted, restricted, shorn of ideas and haemorrhaging goals and points. Frankly, Parkin had to go. Anywhere.

Initially, the place he went to was the bench. His introduction as a last minute substitute to allow Windass a standing ovation as City beat Birmingham was greeted with severe indifference, while out-and-out booing was also clearly audible. It was an extraordinary and very sad transformation – at the same time 12 months earlier, he had been the heart and the guts of the team, the very embodiment of Taylor’s battling, unfussy brand of survival football. Now he was heavier, slower and a disgrace to his profession. He stayed on the bench for another two months before Stoke City, a suitable club in a suitable city for footballing wildcards, offered a way out via the loan system. Brown sent him away with a flea in his cauliflower ear, and Parkin settled in, scoring the odd goal and doing for Stoke exactly what he did for us when he was first purchased and unwrapped.

City certainly coped without him, but when a shortage of strikers forced Brown’s hand with four games to go and City vying for fourth bottom with two other teams, it was Parkin he turned to. Nobody wanted him back. The supporters of both clubs involved didn’t want him to go back to the KC, neither manager was particularly enamoured, and certainly the players felt the decision was none too distinguished. But we were short of options and we were on the brink of relegation, so he returned, went on the bench again and was booed on as City drew with Colchester at home. He then came off the bench again at, ironically, Stoke – having spent his warm-up period nattering to the home fans and joshing with the subs for the opposition – and contributed nothing, even though City secured a very late equaliser and emerged with what was regarded as the best we could have hoped for. He wasn’t allowed near the pitch as City and Windass secured safety with a win at Cardiff, and Brown felt able to leave him out entirely for the farewell match against Plymouth at the KC. Parkin partook in the lap of honour – a term not applicable to him in any shape or form – after the game in his suit. He was saying goodbye; he was possibly saying good riddance. We certainly were.

Parkin joined Stoke permanently and we made a small profit on him. I write this during the same week of his departure, a week when Stoke got their man and their fans have been seemingly painting the town red over the acquisition (that place needs more than a coat of paint to brighten it up, mind). Parkin likes the place and the people and he’ll either be a runaway success or he’ll replicate everything about his 18 queer months at the KC and lose interest almost as quickly as he gains heroic status. Not even the return to City of Brian Horton, the man most responsible for Parkin’s rise in stock during their time at Macclesfield, could seemingly convince Brown that there was yet hope for the wounded Beast. He was clearly a bad apple and needed to be tossed aside.

It shouldn’t give us any pleasure that Parkin has gone, because it’s not as if he was a waster from the start. He was a quite superb looking player with genuine footballing plusses to go with his physical qualities. He was cool under pressure, hard, skilful and, with confidence, a devastating presence in City’s attack. That his star fell so quickly, suddenly and drastically, complete with recriminations rarely seen aimed towards a mere player, is as remarkable as it is tragic. City’s consolation for Parkin’s appalling attitude was the health of the club, the repatriation of Windass and the incompetence at all levels of a certain Wessie club which contributed as much to City’s survival as the win at Cardiff did.

We have nothing to thank Parkin for. If you’re reading this with hindsight and think it’s a touch harsh, then that’s your prerogative. But players who aren’t good enough are forgivable. You blame the manager for their appearance in the team, and that manager is in a position to do something about them. But players who are good enough and choose not to show as such, well, they’re harder to forgive. They’re also harder for managers to drop. This is where we find Parkin, and it’s such a pity when we cast our minds back to the debut goal against Palace and the immense contributions against Stoke and Leicester, and wonder what happened to that player. As for the winning goal against Leeds, yes we’ll talk about it for years to come, but there will be eye-rolling accompanying the mention of the scorer’s name, and ultimately it’s the result that matters. The man who got the goal doesn’t. Imagine if City had beaten Leeds 1-0 last season with a goal from Mark Yeates…

For all his talent, great goals and shot-in-the-arm qualities, Jon Parkin was a disastrous, disruptive presence for 12 of his 18 months at the KC, and as those 12 months were the last 12, all visions of his good moments have a permanent cloud cast upon them. It’s harder to forgive the capable malingerer than it is the ungifted trier, especially when his endeavour-free presence comes in a relegation-haunted season, and for that he must be regarded as a villain. Not the worst villain, although it’s tough to think of many worse on the pitch, but a villain nonetheless.

Matthew Rudd

The Championship – 18/8/2007

Wednesday 28^th December 2005, and City have just beaten Ipswich 2-0 at a snowy Circle with goals from Nick Barmby and Craig Fagan under the stewardship of Peter Taylor. This was the last time we were as high as we currently are in the Championship, 15^th place.

Of course, league tables count for little after two games, although when you consider that we spent the entire of last season in the bottom seven, it is quite nice to look at the current standings and observe plenty of teams below us. Guiding the Tigers to such giddy heights at a sodden Ricoh were: Duke; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney; Ashbee, Garcia, Marney, Elliott; Windass Barmby.

This meant a rare League start for Matt Duke as Myhill was demoted to the substitutes’ bench, while the widely anticipated decision to drop Danny Coles saw the Tigers retain the same defensive partnership of Wayne Brown and Michael Turner that impressed in the midweek win at Crewe. In midfield, Bryan Hughes was absent with a back injury, while Ashbee was brought back to partner Marney as City lined up in a pleasing 4-4-2 formation – evidently, Phil Brown does have the personnel to adopt this tactic after all.

We looked a lot tidier at Gresty Road on Wednesday for adopting this formation, and so it proved again in Coventry’s desperately soulless new stadium. A suitable venue for Iain Dowie’, who is carefully assembling a charmless collection of scufflers with a dismaying propensity for hurling themselves turfwards at the merest brush.

This made for an unlovely opening to the game, although Coventry had the better of the possession and territory. However, they lacked a cutting edge as Wayne Brown splendidly organised his team-mates at the back – one wonders if Dowie made a mistake by omitting the usually-excellent Adebola from his side.

Stuart Elliott had City’s first chance when he connected with a high ball, but his header sailed harmlessly wide. This appeared to calm City, who were adapting to the inclement conditions a little better than their hosts as the ball zipped around the terrific playing surface.

Leading the home side’s threat was Julian Gray, a superb player at this level and previously a serious menace to us, however Ricketts was manfully combating his threat and City looked tight on the flanks, vindication of Brown’s tactical switch. However, Ricketts did attract a caution for one late challenge on his adversary, a sanction that would later prove costly.

Coventry had a loud penalty appeal turned down when a cross from the right almost found Kyle, who was crashing to the ground under the attentions of Delaney. A reasonable claim for a penalty, although Kyle probably did his cause little good by making his tumble so theatrical, and referee Barry Knight dismissed his request.

Windass nearly scored for City with a header that home keeper Konstantopoulos flapped wildly at as we began to look slightly the better side, although as the half drew to a close only a brilliant covering challenge prevented Tabb from snatching the lead towards the end.

The second half started with the rain continuing to fall and with Coventry urgently seeking to raise the pace of their play, seemingly at the behest of the exasperated Iain Dowie. This paid swift dividends as the home side took the lead, a raking ball to the far post finding MacKenzie totally unmarked and his powerful header squirmed beyond Duke’s grasp. The City keeper was blameless, but one might reasonably wonder just how MacKenzie was in so much space – free headers were a dispiritingly regular event last season, and once more we trailed to one.

City were now struggling to stay in the game as Coventry swarmed forward in search of a second goal that would probably have proven decisive. However, this flurry didn’t see them create much in our area, and we nearly replied with a Turner header that flashed wide.

Back we came though, and shortly after the hour fashioned a superb equaliser. Ricketts wriggled free of his marker on the right with an adept turn and his excellent cross was thumpingly met by Nick Barmby – hardly the tallest man in the Coventry penalty area but his header was a firm one and Konstantopoulos could only shovel it into the top corner. 1-1, and the thousand or so City fans present capered in glee at this fine reaction to going behind.

Barmby had a chance soon after to give the Tigers the lead when he found a yard of space close to goal, but he mishit his shot and it was easily pouched by the Coventry gloveman. We looked the likelier to score, playing some slick and incisive football, but any chance of taking three points disappeared with 22 minutes left.

Gray again took on Ricketts, and the Welsh international appeared to grab at his shirt as his opponent headed towards the area. It appeared not to disrupt the Cov man’s run, but Mr Knight awarded the free-kick and decided the offence was worthy of a second yellow card and Ricketts had to leave. A trifle harsh, and a major blow to City.

This necessitated some immediate reshuffling by Phil Brown, who withdrew Elliott for Dawson to give us sufficient defensive cover while narrowing the midfield to keep things as tight as possible in the centre. McPhee then replaced Windass, who’d had a very quiet afternoon, the manager’s calculation presumably being to introduce some pace up front knowing that our primary attacking threat would now be on the break.

With Coventry huffing and puffing, seemingly under greater pressure since the advent of their numerical advantage, Phil Brown made his final change of the afternoon by replacing the tiring Barmby for David Livermore, adding a calming influence to the midfield. Sound thinking by Mr Brown, and he deserves the credit for getting the important decisions right.

With our midfield robust and defence sound, Coventry were making some poor decisions and this allowed us a great chance to win the game when Marney capitalized on a mistake to advance goalwards, however he didn’t catch his shot properly and the ball trickled harmlessly wide.

This was our final attacking thrust of the afternoon, and Coventy had much the better of the closing minutes. Doyle had a shot that Duke comfortably dealt with and Mifsud and the recently-introduced Adebola all firing shots at the City goal, however our hosts’ were attacking with little composure and this invigorated the City support further, electing not to waste time addressing their quiescent hosts by instead singing at other from the different sides of the away section – something that ought to be become a regular occurrence when faced with silent home fans.

Coventry appeared to realise that this was not to be their afternoon, and the referee brought proceedings to a close with the match becoming subdued and the Tigers were able to bring a point back to East Yorkshire.

A solid afternoon’s work. One suspects that most of us would have settled for a point, and this was one gained through a promising combination of hard work and decent football. Ashbee had one of his better afternoon, replacing the oafish charging around with a more cerebral approach to halting attacks. Marney kept possession neatly, while the defence looked solid apart from the aberration that presented Coventry with their opener. Wayne Brown appears to be a real leader in the defence, while Turner’s restoration to the side has tightened us up considerably. Up front, Barmby was very good, full of running and using the ball inventively, making up for Deano’s puzzlingly lethargic show.

Plaudits too for Phil Brown – following the slovenly defeat to Plymouth, he had a number of urgent alterations to make, primarily the dropping of Coles and the failing 4-3-3 formation. These have been done, and while some may still hanker after a change to the midfield personnel, we looked a lot better yesterday in all areas of the pitch. The visit of Norwich next week will see us looking for the top half of the table for first time since October 2005. (AD)

League Cup Round 1 – 15/8/2007

Now that our return to the second tier means we are no longer compelled to waste our time in the Associate Members’ Cup, with its multitude of subsequent sponsorship renamings, the League Cup is by some margin our lowest priority. Itself labouring under a clumsy sponsors’ title, presently an undrinkable alcoholic drink, the competition is struggling to retain credibility as the importance of League standings gains ever greater importance.

Not that much of this mattered last night in sunny south Cheshire, as a much weakened City side took on Third Division Crewe, and provided a game of unexpected entertainment.

Stung from Saturday’s dispiriting reverse against Plymouth, Phil Brown made nine alterations to the side, including the welcome decision to remove Coles and Ashbee from the side, as the Tigers lined up: Duke; Doyle, Turner, Brown, Delaney; Livermore, Garcia, Featherstone, Elliott; McPhee, Bridges. It meant a return to 4-4-2, and City were to benefit from this change in formation.

A warm summer evening greeted the 350 or so City fans who’d travelled west, and both sides showed an instant inclination towards playing an attractive passing game. The home side were on the back foot early on as Livermore and Featherstone zipped around in the centre of midfield to useful effect, harrying our hosts into yielding possession cheaply.

As the game entered a more even phase after the initial flurry of activity, Crewe began to pose a greater threat on the break and Doyle was cautioned for a clumsy lunge on the lively-but-erratic Moore as he skipped into space down the left. Roberts joined our right-back in the referee’s notebook shortly after for an ungainly challenge on Featherstone, who took several moments to fully recover his composure.

Crewe nearly took advantage of City’s temporary torpor, when a header from a free-kick was fortunately directed straight at Duke – had it gone a yard either side of the City keeper we’d have trailed. Bridges was the next to trouble a gloveman when a superb deep Elliott cross found him in space at the far post, but his volley was a strangely hesitant effort and Williams was able to shovel it to safety.

It was becoming a curious affair. Despite a raft of changes for both sides and friendly-style atmosphere, commitment was absolute among all twenty-two players. However, after Crewe’s brief time in the ascendency City retook the initiative, with our tackles looking that bit meatier and our defence that little more streetwise.

However, as the Tigers grabbed control of the game, Crewe nearly the took the lead when Brown was caught out of position allowing Miller to hare goalwards. He shot for the top near corner of Duke’s goal, but with the Tigers’ keeper already diving the wrong way he managed to fling out a strong left hand and parry the ball to safety – a truly remarkable stop that vexed the Crewe forward and brought hearty cheers from the City support.

With half-time nearing, City took the lead. A clear handball was spotted by the referee, and a penalty awarded to the Tigers. Bridges stepped up to take the kick, and for the second time this season our 12-yard effort was saved only for the rebound to be safely tucked home, Bridges himself making speedy amends to make it 1-0. There was still time for Duke to pull off another outstanding save before the break when a crashing effort from Moore was blocked by the stand-in goalie.

Crewe came out determined to salvage the tie, and had the better of the opening minutes of the second half. However, with Brown and Turner looking composed and determined, and Delaney and Doyle sticking rigidly to their defensive assignments, the Railwaymen were unable to force a way through. And ten minutes in to the half, City scored a decisive second.

Garcia, previously quiet, picked up the ball on the halfway line, assessed his options – one left, one right – and elected instead to welly the ball into the top corner of Williams’ goal from twenty yards. An unstoppable strike worthy of a grander occasion than this, and as the Tigers celebrated the goal everyone knew had settled the match, Garcia rather nonchalantly shrugged and sauntered back to his position for kick-off. Cool, or arrogant? Perhaps both – but if I could do things like that, I’d probably indulge in a bit of showing off as well. A terrific effort.

City relaxed a little now, certain the game was won. Our ball retention was excellent, Crewe heads understandably sagged a little and it was evident that Championship class had told. A third goal always looked likely, and with twenty minutes remaining it duly arrived, a horrible defensive mix-up allowing Stephen McPhee to spring onto a loose ball and toe-poke it past the advancing Williams.

Praise be! A goal from Stephen McPhee! A collector’s item for those present, and it was celebrated with genuine happiness by his team-mates as the Tiger Nation beamed on benevolently.

Crewe were totally flattened now, and Phil Brown made a trio of alterations, Marney, Ricketts and Ashbee coming on for Brown, Bridges and Garcia. There was even time for one liberally refreshed City fan to continue his lengthy and loud chatting up of linesman Mr Graham, who responded with such good humour and spirit to the evening’s entertainment for us to conclude that a career in refereeing probably isn’t for him.

Ashbee remained true to form by spoiling a twenty-pass move that had the away end ole-ing in delight by lumping the ball aimlessly forward, but City were in such buoyant mood and the home side so keen for full-time that there were further opportunities for us to rub salt in the wounds of the comical gaggle of spotty drum-led 15-year olds that makes up Crewe’s fearsome Kop as City knocked the ball around with an air of glee we’ve not seen for some time, before referee Miller ended the entertainment, prompting a sly thumbs-up from linesman Graham to his suitor and the Tigers bounded off the pitch to rapturous applause from a genuinely satisfied away following.

A good night’s entertainment. We expect little from the League Cup, but this was a smashing game of football conducted with commitment and a desire to play in the right way. The scoreline perhaps flattered us a trifle in the end, although we were the worthy winners and proved a little too strong. But perhaps more significant than this result could be the implication in Mr Brown’s future selections.

Shorn of Ashbee, the midfield looked no less combative – due to Featherstone’s willing and Livermore’s characteristically composed holding job, yet it was much less hasty and more thoughtful in possession. Brown or Turner for Coles is so blindingly obvious that the manager cannot possibly be contemplating not doing this.

Equally intriguing are the fringe players now on the verge of selection. Nicky Featherstone is evidently a player the manager likes the look of, and his long-term prospects have been substantially enhanced by a good pre-season and an assured display at Gresty Road. It may be some time before he makes regular first-team starts, but his appearance in future squads seems likely. Nathan Doyle put in a good shift at right-back. But the attention-grabbing performance was Matt Duke.

Previously seen as little more than capable cover in case Myhill was unavailable, he is now a genuine threat to our number one. A superb performance included flawless handling, brilliant shot-stopping and some swift and incisive distribution. One would suppose Brown will not depose his first choice game just one game into the season, and he would probably be wrong to do so. However, Boaz Myhill now has a genuine rival for the keepers’ shirt. And that, together with a good win and an entertaining display, is probably the biggest positive to come from City’s progress into the second round of the League Cup. (AD)

Coca Cola Championship 11/8/2007

When Hull City moved into the KC Stadium, Adam Pearson made a list of songs he wanted playing in order in the half hour before the ‘Tigers, Tigers’ intro signalled the impending emergence of the players from the dressing room. It made sense, if you were heading into the ground through the turnstiles as ‘Three Lions’ played, you knew you had enough time to go get a pie or have a slash before taking your seat, however if a bastardised version of William Blake’s poem was being read over Rob D’s ‘Clubbed to death’ then you’ll need to hold your appetite/bladder till half time if you want to cheer the lads out of the tunnel.

One of the songs chosen by Pearson was by Moby, though at a Fans Liaison Committee meeting it was queried why in an era of great optimism and progress, a bald vegan New Yorker was heard asking ‘Why does my heart feel so bad?’ five minutes before kick off? It didn’t seem appropriate. The chairman agreed and the track was changed.

It would be appropriate now though, which is quite bizarre. The start of a new season following a big money takeover of the club should be a time of great optimism among the Tiger Nation, but the voices heralding the dawn of Tiger world domination in 2007/2008 were few in number before kick off and they were fewer still at ten to five on opening day. After talk of spending big and signing a multitude of players the summer recruitment was largely disappointing, just three new faces and the return of Deano given permanency. For all the talk of smashing our transfer fee record, the biggest outlay was on a big telly. The much needed squad overhaul hasn’t yet happened and many problem areas haven’t been addressed, after the departure of a fat waster and a weedy cross eyed Scot this is pretty much the same group that limped to safety at the end of last year. While new chairman Paul Duffen talks of reaching for the stars, many supporters envisage a struggle, with a less than stellar seventeenth place as much as we can hope for. If you wondered why our hearts feel so bad, then this game showed why.

Plymouth Argyle at home is probably the ideal starting fixture, you don’t want to play the favourites and playing expected relegation fodder gives you little idea how good you are on opening day. Plymouth though, they have established themselves as the archetypal average Championship club so are a good side to gauge your own against. Lining up against them in the August sun were:- Myhill; Dawson, Delaney, Coles, Ricketts; Garcia, Hughes, Ashbee (Capt.), Marney; Windass and Barmby. Yes, you read that correctly, Danny Coles in the starting line up, the ‘yay, football is back’ grins on many faces disappeared when the first XI was announced.

Nonetheless, the Tiger Nation were in good voice as the game got underway, and just minutes later our outlook was as sunny as the sky above the KC Stadium as we took the lead. Nick Barmby hooked a shot goal ward from the right corner of the six yard box, it struck the right upright and first to react to the rebound was Deano who lashed it home. 3 minutes gone, 1-0 up. Ace! “We are top of the league!” roared the East Stand, well, joint top, Ipswich had scored a minute earlier.

Seeking to respond immediately Plymouth had a feeble penalty appeal correctly waved away before tamely chipping a free kick into Myhill’s hands. After a fast paced start the game slowed a little, as you’d expect in 25 degree heat. City looked a little disjointed, they weren’t playing as a team, which you‘d expect if the side was packed with new signings, but Garcia and Hughes aside, this was an group of established players. Ricketts curled a decent cross in from the right but no one seemed interested and Ashbee clipped a pass to their keeper.

After quarter of an hour, Plymouth were level. David Norris collected the ball outside the box and ran at Andy Dawson who backed off when he should have challenged, and the one time City loanee drilled the ball beyond Myhill for 1-1. The lift and optimism generated by the early goal evaporated in the heat.

City’s best player today was Dean Marney, a man who serially disappointed last year and has much to prove this term, he was often a page ahead of his colleagues in this game, waiting an age for Ricketts to get forward so he could play a clever pass for him on the overlap. That was indicative of City today, not working together and offering support. Alongside Marney in midfield, Brian Hughes was working hard and is a good crosser of the ball, he looks a quality signing but would benefit from having someone better than Ashbee alongside him. Our captain has hit a glass ceiling it seems after rising through the leagues with us, but Phil Brown is evidently oblivious to that. Richard Garcia, another summer buy, was utterly anonymous in this game, which is a worry.

Deano looked isolated up front as Barmby dropped back, it wasn’t easy to tell just what formation we were playing, it was supposedly 4-3-3. At the back our defence slipped into the bad habit of backing off the ball carrier and inviting pressure, Ashbee made a solid challenge on the edge of our area as the nearest defenders scuttled backwards and later Halmosi blazed over from a raking cross from the right. At the other end Delaney headed a free kick into the box across goal but Windass couldn‘t reach it.

There was a distinct lack of movement and impetus, Myhill rolled the ball out to build a move from the back but found it passed back to him to kick hopefully up field. Nick Barmby received a yellow card for a challenge on the touchline and Phil Brown voiced his displeasure to the fourth official. Only the tan distinguished the two as our manager had swapped his normal touchline garb of a suit for an all black combo of t-shirt, shorts and socks. It was hard to make out what the flash of neon green on his waist was from, I hope it’s not a bum bag/fanny pack.

The ever bellicose Deano had an altercation with Plymouth’s Summerfield and got a telling off from the ref for it. Delaney knocked a deep ball for Garcia but unsupported did nothing more than win a throw, it was though the first time he’d been seen in some 40 minutes of play. A good chance came when Ricketts advanced up the field and beat a defender with some trickery, his oblique shot was saved and Marney couldn’t finish the rebound, the ball was hacked out of the box where Ashbee drove it over the bar.

In our box Danny Coles had hearts in mouths when he dived in on Halmosi who skipped past the ‘challenge’ but thankfully wasted the chance, putting the ball into the South Stand.

Dean Marney threaded the ball between two Argyle rear guarders but it eluded Barmby, before Damien Delaney saw yellow for foolishly booting the ball away when a free kick was awarded. The half was nearly over, and with City seemingly content to play out the half all square, they fell asleep and a goal behind. A cross from the left had Danny Coles floundering, his attempt at a headed clearance came after Rory Fallon had neatly flicked the ball goal ward with his head and with Myhill’s vision impeded by Coles he couldn’t react. The half ended, City contriving to be 2-1 down. At the ref’s whistle, City fans voiced their displeasure.

City kicked off the second half playing towards the South Stand and surprisingly were back in the game within three minutes. We sure start halves quickly, if we can learn to defend after scoring there may be hope for us yet. Dean Marney put a ball into the box from the left wing and as Bryan Hughes raced to it on the far post he was tugged back by Halmosi. Penalty said Mr. G. Laws.

Dean Windass took responsibility for the spot kick, seeking his second goal of the afternoon, but his shot was a comfortable height and pace for Romain Larrieu in nets for Plymouth, and the keeper parried it away. The other Dean was quick to react and Mr. Marney slotted in for 2-2.

We nearly gifted Plymouth a third not long after though, a ball was slung in for Hayles and Delaney’s header away was weak, Bo Myhill ran out in brainless fashion and thankfully Hayles poked his shot wide. We continued to live dangerously, Halmosi should have scored but his first touch took the ball away from goal and crossing himself to shoot could get no power behind it and it rolled to Myhill.

Deano offered some comic relief when he shaped to help up the floored Lilian Nalis then schoolboyed the Frenchman and scampered off. This was a nervy period for City however and Bo Myhill, though often indecisive when facing a ball into the box, is a superb shot stopper and showed it when he tipped a shot round the post when it looked net bound.

Hughes was withdrawn, with Livermore coming on to give the central midfield a more defensive dimension, before the big money buy of the summer, the big telly went on the blink for a bit. With the bottom half of the screen pixellated, two maintenance blokes with a ladder already strategically placed scampered up the rungs and disappeared behind the screen to turn it off then on again. Cuh, for that money you’d think it’d have a remote control.

City too were malfunctioning, operating as individuals rather than as a team, and against a Plymouth side who are well drilled if little else it didn‘t look likely that we‘d break them down to notch a winner. The arrival of McPhee, on for Barmby, did little to change that.

For two seasons we’ve been desperate for McPhee to show us he’s a top quality finisher, and the realisation is dawning for even the most inanely optimistic of souls that perhaps he’s not the player we wish him to be. Sure he’s hard working, but that’s a prerequisite surely, not a mitigating factor in a failure to deliver.

The established pattern of Marney putting a useful near a colleague only for the colleague to not be on the same wavelength, this time it was Garcia who was culpable, this was not an auspicious start for the Australian. After a brief stoppage for a player to receive a physio’s attention, the dim Pilgrim Rory Fallon thought that fair play precluded legal throw ins and executed possibly the world’s most foulest throw, dropping the ball to himself and passing the ball to Myhill. Silly lad, and he looked even sillier retaking the throw when the ref had already punished his ludicrous error by awarding the throw to us.

Michael Bridges replaced Dean Windass, and he soon created the best City chance of the half with a great ball for McPhee from the right, but the goalless Scot hit the ball at the ground and it bounced over the bar. Oh dear.

We were punished for such profligacy moments later, Coles failed to win a header, Ricketts hesitated to put in a challenge, Ebanks-Blake didn‘t and smashed the ball home for 3-2 Plymouth.

City looked bereft of ideas of how to rescue this game, McPhee chipped a ball way ahead of Bridges and the keeper gobbled it up and later as City looked to break McPhee perplexingly played a pass backwards to a Plymouth midfielder. The Hungarian Halmosi had a crack at goal, firing across goal and wide and after an incident free added 4 minutes it was over, and sections of the 16,633 crowd chose to express that their hearts did indeed feel bad by booing the team off.

The Tiger Nation it seems, are yet to come to terms with the change in ownership and the loss of Adam Pearson, even if they acknowledge that the club needed extra investment to progress. That investment has been promised and may come, but so far the new man in the chairman’s seat has failed to inspire belief that we can avoid a relegation struggle let alone finish in the top half this year as he insists. Phil Brown too fails to generate much optimism, today’s performance bore striking similarities to many from late on last season when we unconvincingly stumbled our way to safety, our transfer dealings are incomplete at best, his team selection (particularly the choice of Danny Coles over Michael Turner) had predictably disastrous results and tactically we fell short against an average side.

Though the league table means little on opening day, perhaps our initial placing of seventeenth is indicative of the way the season will play out, there are surely more than three teams worse than us in this division to make sure we don’t go down, but unless there are changes that’s as far as our optimism stretches. Maybe we should play another inappropriate Moby track before games; We are all made of stars. (LM)

The first Fans Liaison Committee meeting of the post-Pearson era took place on Thursday 16th August, 5 days into the 2007/2008 season. The usual format of a roundtable discussion with members firing questions sequentially was suspended for this meeting to allow the new chairman, Paul Duffen, to introduce himself and outline his plans for the club and see what the FLC was all about.

The new man in the hot-seat sat before us, dressed in a black pinstripe suit paired with a red silk tie, looking confident though a little cautious. Opening with the standard new chairman script line about being excited to be here, he went on to acknowledge that Adam Pearson casts a large shadow over his chairmanship, saying that many new chairman are appointed following a disastrous on-field period or economic crisis. Following a popular chairman who presided over a period of unprecedented success may well be “the toughest job in football” he ventured.

He stated that his main job role is to support the manager (which neatly pre-empted any awkward questions about the selection of Danny Coles) and went on to say he thinks an awful lot of rubbish has been written about the squad and that we already have a ‘squad of capable footballers’. He feels that the players under performed last year and that we should have finished around 15th in the table, but that the spine of the team now has more quality. He then exclaimed that given the clubs less than stellar history that struggling in the Championship isn’t a bad place to be, but that of course he wants to put the club in the Premiership. To do that will require ‘sustained incremental investment and improvement’ over the next three years.

Though the wage bill has already risen from £4.5m to £6m, that investment extends beyond just paying transfer fees and wages, and he pointed to the refurbishment of the Millhouse Woods Lane facilities ‘to Premiership standard’ and the installation of Pro Zone 3 technology (few Championship clubs who haven’t recently been in the Premier League have this) as evidence of attempts to grow the club on all levels. The manager has been backed financially and though frustrated by a lack of available players, some clubs are reluctant to let players go if it impacts their strength in depth, however “there isn’t a single signing that hasn’t been made if he [Phil Brown] has wanted to make it” where a player has been available.

Both the chairman and manager appear to have learnt lessons about releasing the names of transfer targets to the media with a deal nowhere near completion. DuffMan says he wasn’t prepared for the relentless media speculation regarding transfers and his efforts to be media friendly backfired when deals didn’t happen. “Now we keep quiet about targets” said the chairman in a tacit admission of naiveté earlier in his tenure, stating the name of a player we’d recently bid for that the press hadn’t gotten hold of, just as well as his club refused to let him go. The chairman has met with John Meehan from the Hull Daily Mail following the reporting of the Cresswell transfer saga, which the club were unhappy with. As far as Duffen is concerned, the club had tried to be diplomatic about the reason the transfer broke down, having been told explicitly by the club surgeon to not sign this player on a three year deal on the back of major reconstructive knee surgery. Leeds, the players employer at the time had no complaints over the way City had conducted themselves, so the chairman was surprised to see that Stoke boss Tony Pulis had been given a soapbox to attack Hull City’s handling of this matter, and was particularly dismayed that our club was not given a right to reply in the local paper. In only 11 weeks the new boss has recognised what the rest of us have known for years, that the Hull Daily Mail isn’t particularly supportive of it’s local football club. “It’s an editorial thing, so ultimately is the responsibility of John Meehan, who we’ve spoken to about this. It’s a great shame, especially as I think Phil Buckingham is a good football reporter.” Duffen hinted that he’d have no compunction about playing hardball with the local press, as did Pearson on occasion, but said he wants the relationship with the HDM to be benign.

Regarding the Juninho debacle, the chairman said that Phil Brown now regrets organising the HDM to photograph the clubs’ meeting with the Brazilian, who agreed terms with the City but the deal imploded when the players agent later said they wanted £2M should Juninho help City into the Premiership. Though there is frustration at the slow progress of the squad rebuilding it was stated that this is not a City-centric problem, and that most Championship clubs were sitting on their hands during the summer. Many agents thought the Premier League’s announcement of solidarity payments to second tier clubs would lead to a great deal of milk being suckled from the teats of the Championship cash cow, but the speculated £5m for each club turned out to be just £700K. The difficulty in attracting players to the club was acknowledged, “this is not a sexy football club or a sexy city to live in” said Paul ruefully.

Duffen understands cynicism on the part of fans as regards the summer player recruitment drive but insists there is no need to worry about the new owners motivation for buying the club, saying that there is nothing but financial risk in it for him at this stage. Sure, money could be made if the club reaches the Premier League but at this point the chairman says the £10M+ paid to buy the club has “bought me nothing but a raft of liabilities, such as players wage contracts and rent agreements, I’ve bought nothing tangible’. The evasion of a question about a mortgage charge taken against the SMC’s stadium lease asked on KCFM aroused suspicion, but it was answered here. When you buy a business, Duffen explains, you inherit the last owners credit facilities, and when Pearson owned the club, he had financial guarantees underwritten by someone else.

This debenture agreement, taken out with RBS, this consortium’s bankers, provides security on the two businesses (Hull City and the SMC) and the club’s facilities (Millhouse Woods Lane and the Priory Road academy grounds). This is, says the chairman, a normal business arrangement, and says that in order to take credit card payments, the club had to provide a security interest for £500,000 to the bank. Neither the club or SMC have any debt, insists DuffMan. Asked why he didn’t give this answer on KCFM, he said he thought had, but this wasn’t the case, he said he wasn’t prepared to discuss financial dealings. The question evidently took him by surprise when asked on live radio, “it was a bit leftfield” he said, but the lack of an answer meant the question cropping up again was inevitable.

Though supporter cynicism can be healthy the new chairman was surprised to receive angry letters just four days into the job. Asked to elaborate about the ‘hate mail’ mentioned by the Hull Daily Mail, he told of a number of anonymous letters (from the same person) that contained threats, but added that Adam Pearson would get these too every week but chose not to read them. Duffen’s curiosity got the better of him so he read them. One letter complained that the chairman hadn’t responded to earlier correspondence, somewhat difficult when it was sent anonymously!

Whereas Adam Pearson fretted over the reduction in fans taking up season pass offers, the new man figures this can work to the club’s benefit if we attract more people to pay on the day, as they’d be paying more for their ticket than a passholder.

The new owners are looking to spruce up the KC Stadium, which will be 5 years old in December. The West Stand reception has already had a makeover to make it look more impressive to visitors. New machinery for cleaning the concourses has been purchased and price quotes have been obtained to jet wash the cladding around the ground. The big screen is part of the ‘winding up of investment in property maintenance’ and its operation is a work in progress. The complete installation of the screen, which includes installing new cabling, cameras and software and syncing it with the PA systems, has been done in 5 weeks when it was anticipated it would take 12. As the screens operators become more familiar with it’s use then we should see big improvements, the club plan to show past game highlights as well as replays for the game in progress (within strict Football League guidelines about what can be shown). The screen is described as the best you can buy and it is hoped Sky will pay the SMC to rent it for televised Rugby games rather than install their own. The SMC paid for the big telly, though since investment in that company is provided by Mr. Duffen it was effectively him that bought it.

The Tigers Co-Op asked if selling shares in the club to fans were part of the consortiums long term plans, no was the concise answer. When asked what benefit the fans holding shares would get a Co-Op member said that some fans like attending AGM’s and could use them to ask questions of the board, but since the club grant access to the chairman through open forums and the FLC, attending an AGM would give them no further access. Financially, fans holding shares makes no sense either concluded the chairman.

Commercial Director Andy Dawson was in attendance at this meeting and a few brief questions were directed at him, one being a follow up to a suggestion that the matchday programme be made slimmer and the price reduced (it’s currently £3) to increase interest in the City magazine. Offering his 2 pence worth, Chairman Duffen questioned the wisdom of this and asked what the price of programme was at other Championship clubs, £3 was the answer. “Irresistible economics suggest we should match the industry standard”. That told ‘em.

That was pretty much it, next month the usual bombardment of questions about smoking pens and pie prices will resume but tonight was meant as a gentle introduction to the FLC meetings for the new chairman and once his initial caution melted away, he seemed to enjoy the frank and open nature of proceedings and said he’ll be back for more. First impressions of the new chairman? Quite good. He appeared naïve in his first few weeks and maybe that’s understandable, he’s never run a football club before and by his own admission it’s a very different animal from running a PLC. He appears to have learnt a lot in a short space of time, though there is undoubtedly much for him to still learn. Adam Pearson had the benefit of seeing the workings of a football club from the inside before he bought Hull City. It’s too early to have concrete views at this early stage, but a willingness to attend this meeting and others is a positive sign.

Les Motherby