Welcome to Amber Nectar, an independent and non-franchised Hull City site since 1998
Dean Marney is no longer a Tiger, and he leaves us unsure quite what to make of his time here. It’s rarely easy to establish what sort of legacy a player will leave behind at the time of his departure. A little time is useful, to establish some perspective – likewise, the luxury of being able to compare deeds with City with those that follow elsewhere. But let’s give it a go anyway…
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Only two of Hull City’s 105 seasons have been played in the highest division, but such is the global spotlight on the Premier League, it feels as if the Tigers’ two top flight campaigns generated as much intrigue and as many talking points as the previous 103 seasons combined.
Soon, attention will turn to life back in the Football League, though not before every decision taken in the last two years is painstakingly re-examined in an existential attempt to come to terms with relegation. To assist , here’s a visual recap of all 76 of City’s Premier League encounters…
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Yes, we know there’s still a World Cup to get out of the way, summer holidays, and so on. And of course, friendlies are to the proper season what muesli is to a fry-up. But for the record, two have been announced thus far by City – the annual Billy Bly Memorial Trophy match against neighbours North Ferriby and a jolly on the Algarve against Sunderland – with a third yet to be confirmed by the Tigers but reported elsewhere:
Wednesday 14th July (7.45pm) – North Ferriby United v City
Saturday 17th July (3pm) – York v City
Saturday 24th July (8.30pm) – Sunderland v City, at the Estadio Municipal de Albufeira, Faro
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Today is the second anniversary of the greatest day in City’s history, an event that’ll forever be known simply as “Wembley”. So as we idle through the close season, we wish City fans everywhere a very happy May 24th, and let’s relive that wonderful day accordingly with:
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At the conclusion of each match, Amber Nectar and its cliquey little coterie gather to rate each City player out of ten. The marks are invariably harsh, frequently dished out by the well-refreshed, and come together to determine not necessarily the Player of the Season, but an even more prestigious award: The Amber Nectar Ratings Winner.
A minimum of twenty minutes must be played, there are no easy marks, and 6.5 is about average. To qualify for our Better than Waggy or As Bad as Bamber sections, a player must have received in a mark in at least one-quarter in all of City’s League and Cup games; eleven matches this season. It’s as simple as that. 22 players qualified. Here’s how the class of 2009/10 fared:
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It’s a summer that’s likely to see numerous departures from the club, and while rumours surround Stephen Hunt and Dean Marney they’ve both been beaten to the exit door by Bernard Mendy.
City have this afternoon confirmed that the enigmatic Frenchman is leave the club “by mutual consent” after spending two years in East Yorkshire. Signed on a free transfer after spending a period in England on loan at Bolton from his then-parent club Paris Saint Germain, he made 56 appearances for the Tigers during his two year spell at the club, scoring twice in our first Premier League season. Memorable as much for his slightly scatterbrained approach to full-back play and terrific post-match dancing abilities, he never looked like adding to his three French caps while at City but reduces slightly the overall entertainment value of the squad.
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Less than a week after receiving the official Player of the Season award, it seems increasingly probable that Stephen Hunt won’t be about to defend his title next season. As one of the few consistently impressive performers in a disappointing 2009/10 campaign, the Irish international has long been coveted by Wolves – they had a bid of £5m rejected in January as City gambled on him keeping the side up. That failed to pay off as the injured Hunt sat helplessly on the sidelines watching the Tigers fall out of the Premier League, and our well-known financial woes mean a bid of that size is not going to be repeated.
However, as one of City’s more saleable assets, he could still fetch up to £3m as a frantic summer of cost-cutting gets underway. Today’s Hull Daily Mail claims that newly-promoted West Brom are prepared to offer a hefty seven-figure sum for the player, despite his injury ruling him out of competitive action for the forseeable future. Stoke are also reputedly interested. It’d be sad to see him go, but needs must.
There’s been little interest elsewhere for City’s fallen star. Sky Sports claimed eleven days ago that Burnley were willing to part with £1m for the services of Dean Marney – a great move on the face of it, with Marney having made little impact last season. However, that move appears not to have progressed beyond their initial interest.
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Stephen Hunt has been voted Player of the Season by Hull City supporters for the 2009/10 Premier League campaign.
The shaggy-haired Irishman, arguably Phil Brown’s only successful signing of last summer, enjoyed a feisty and consistent campaign that sadly came to an end with a foot injury suffered in February.
Despite the injury, which has required surgery and currently has Hunt on crutches, he still maintained the popular appeal of Tigers fans and even, perhaps depressingly, ended the season as top scorer. Although he won’t play for several months, he is nevertheless expected to leave the club for a substantial sum in the summer. City’s financial troubles were not a hindrance to Adam Pearson choosing to turn down big bids from Wolves in the January window, emphasising Hunt’s importance to the team.
George Boateng finished runner-up and Andy Dawson, who made more appearances than any other City player this season, came third.
Dawson won the Players’ Player award, while Tom Cairney’s smart tee-up and volley at Everton was voted Goal of the Season. Mark Cullen, the diminutive striker who scored on his Premier League debut at Wigan Athletic on the penultimate weekend of the season, took the Young Player award.
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And that was the Premier League. It ended on a note of spirited resistance, far too late to even secure 18th place, but taken in isolation a decent performance and a moderately encouraging note on which to end a season of profound disappointment.
This’ll be brief; the match was a sedate affair between sides with nothing to play for and consequently light on action, and the post-mortems will be left for another time. Iain Dowie kept the same side that drew 2-2 at Wigan six days earlier, meaning that on a warm spring day at the Circle the Tigers lined up: Duke; Mendy, Mouyokolo, Gardner, Dawson; Atkinson, Boateng, Cairney, Kilbane; Vennegoor of Hesselink, Cullen. Liverpool were at full strength, to the maximum extent permitted by injuries.
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Hull City ended their Premier League adventure with a pedestrian goalless draw against a deeply uninspired Liverpool side at the Circle.
Mark Cullen three times came close for the Tigers, who also came close to scoring when Bernard Mendy nearly rounded off his frustrating two seasons with the club with a goal from pushing 40 yards. Liverpool twice hit the woodwork, through Alberto Aquilani and then, in injury time, the much-barracked Steven Gerrard, but both sides played with an element of getting the season over with quickly.
Burnley’s unlikely win over Tottenham Hotspur means that the Tigers end in a shoddy 19th place, losing out on £800,000 in prize money. Now the real work begins as Adam Pearson tried to reduce the wage bill, put creditors at ease and appoint a manager for the Championship. A match report will follow.
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City 0-1 Crawley
v Doncaster (Jan 31st)
Better than Waggy
Aaron Mclean7.2
James Chester7.0
Robert Koren6.8
Paul McKenna6.8
Tom Cairney6.7
As Bad as Bamber
Péter Gulácsi6.1
Andy Dawson6.2
Matt Fryatt6.2
Ratings up to Jan 28th
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