Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
The past few weeks at the KC Stadium have been like watching a soap opera. Not a flashy American soap like Dallas or Dynasty , filled with bags of intrigue and mystery, but a gritty British soap opera like Eastenders filled with seedy melodrama and sleaze.
The main characters have been involved in rumours and stories but it has at times been very difficult to distinguish between truth and rumour.
Speculation has been rife about the Tiger's most successful manager, Phil Brown's future in charge. It has become so bad that British Bookmakers have suspended all betting on him loosing his job.
Since December of last year, Hull City have only won three games, and only four wins in the last 12 months. A poultry tally in anyone's estimation but is it all Brown's fault?
No, not according to Russell Bartlett, the owner of Hull City. Last week Hull City Chairman Paul Duffen stood down from his position for "football business reasons." Was he pushed or did he jump?
The day before Tiger's former owner and Chairman, Adam Pearson stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Derby County.
Pearson had seen the the East Yorkshire club through some tough times and only sold the club after steering the Tigers from near the foot of the Coca Cola League Two to back-to-back promotions to the Championship. It was only after Hull City avoided off relegation from the Championship that Pearson decided that he had taken the club as far has he possibly could financially.
The club needed funds if they wanted to make the next step forward. This came in the shape of Bartlett and his consortium, who has previously tried and failed to buy West Ham. He appointed his close friend Paul Duffen to the role of Chariman at Hull City.
Duffen's first piece of business was to promote Phil Brown the post of manager after he had been brought in by Adam Pearson to help struggling young manager Phil Parkinson. Brown managed to save the club from relegation and in his first full season in charge won promotion to the Premier League through the Wembley Playoff Final.
Duffen came in with the standard three-year plan of year-on-year growth with the objective of promotion to the Premiership by year three. The on field plan was more successful than expected and promotion was won well within the first year.
The financial ramifications of this were huge for the club. Not only was it the single biggest financial windfall with the Tigers expected to earn in the region of £60 million for the club. However, with promotion came greater financial outlays.
The players had to be paid a promotion bonus. Contracts were renegotiated to compensate players for winning the ultimate prize and to keep the team together.
The summer then became a major recruitment process, and although many players were brought in on free transfers their wages were extremely high to entice them to a newly promoted club. Leaving the club with a wage bill comparable to a team in the top half of the Premiership not in the bottom three.
The club broke their transfer record with signing of Peter Halmosi from Plymouth for a fee of in excess of £2 million and then did it again with Anthony Gardner's signature from Spurs for £2.5 million, and with them came more high wages.
The signings seemed to be great from a playing stand point as the Tigers took the Premiership by storm. Taking the scalps of Arsenal, West Ham, Tottenham Hospurs, and Newcastle United, leaving the club sitting joint top of the Premier League in October.
January was the same with a record breaking transfer in the shape Jimmy Bullard from Fulham and with him huge wages. The signing was also accompanied with a very suspect medical that was a toss up as to whether he was actually fit.
Bullard's signature was an attempt to stem the loss of form that was seeing the club slip down the able after the stellar start to the campaign. Unfortunately, he reinjured his anterior cruciate ligament on his debut for the Tigers, with in 40 minutes.
Duffen failed to file the clubs tax returns for the promotion season by almost nine months and they did not prove to be comforting reading for Hull City fans. From being a club on a stable financial footing to a club on the brink of financial meltdown in the space of a year.
From all the plaudits and fanfare of the Tigers meteoric start to their first season in the best league in World football, the season ended with a whimper. Scrapping survival on the last day of the season because other teams were decidedly poorer than the Tigers.
20 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete