(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Well, the season is one month in and for the Tigers it's five games down. The transfer window has been both good and bad in equal measure, with some good signings and some awful disappointments.

At the start of last season, when Hull City commenced their first top flight season in the club's history, the pundits and sheep-like fans all said the Tigers would "do a Derby."

To "do a Derby" is to be so poor as to be on 11 points or less by the end of the season. The Tigers confounded the critics by gaining that many points with an historic victory at Arsenal's wonderful Emirates Stadium with a 2-1 victory.

The season went from strength to strength, with the Tigers collecting 27 points by the middle of December 2008. However, it was then that the wheels started to come off.

Injuries, loan recalls, opponents figuring the team out, a poor transfer window, and their glorious start began to fade, culminating in the Tigers needing to win, or others needing to lose, to ensure Premiership survival for another season.

So, back to this season and the comings and goings at the Kingston Communication Stadium. There were some very good offers on the table for Fraizer Campbell who, despite being a Hull City Hero for his exploits in our promotion-winning season, chose to sign for Sunderland.

Sunderland also escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth along with Hull City on the final day of the 2008/9 season, much to the joy of the Black Cat fans, as this condemned their hated rivals Newcastle United to relegation.

It had been no secret that Sunderland had money to spend during the Summer transfer window following the arrival of Ellis Short as chairman, but Campbell changed his mind, following a very long and drawn out piece of theatre involving Campbell and his agent/father, and opted to sign for them at the expense of Hull City.

Then Steve Bruce and Sunderland swept in, as the window was nearing closure, and turned the head of our star defender Michael Turner, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth, and a bit of a loathing for the Mackems (a club I had always had a soft spot for).

Add to the transfer window the over-hyped wranglings for Michael Owen (that was never going to happen when Manchester United came calling), the tug of war with Champions League-bound Celtic for Marc-Antoine Fortune (not getting much Champions League football now are you Marc, thanks Mr. Wenger).

To be turned down for Champions League football is one thing, but for Scottish football is another thing. Add Bobby Zamora and his total lack of interest in moving North of the M25, and the early parts of the transfer widow looked awful.

However, it wasn't all bad news. After a very successful Confederations Cup for the USA national team, Paul Duffen and Phil Brown managed to get American wonder-kid Jozy Altidore on a season-long loan from Villarreal (with an option to sign on a permanent contract).

Altidore was joined by Seyi Olofinjana from Stoke City, who would help to bolster the Tiger's midfield until Jimmy Bullard's early October return from his unlucky anterior cruciate ligament injury.

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