Bleacher Report - Articles by Carolina Tiger

Hull City: How It All Went Right

Carolina Tiger — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:24:06 -0500

In the aftermath of Hull City's battling draw at Eastlands against Manchester City, the football world is starting to ask just how did the Tigers season get the much needed kick up the backside?

There is no one thing, but many have seen the Tigers gain eight points from a possible 12 in the past four games with two very good wins and two well deserved draws. This is in stark contrast to the meagre three wins in 30 previous games.

The Hull City revival looks to have been sparked by the return of Adam Pearson, but this would be a very simplistic view just as the media have pinpointed the half time team talk at Eastlands last season as the point were Hull City's demise began.

Jimmy Bullard's equalising goal celebration at the behest of Paul McShane and Stephen Hunt was a mock up of the Phil Brown's half time team talk. This helped to disproved the common misconception that Phil Brown had lost his dressing room and was still looking for it somewhere in the vicinity of the KC Stadium car park.

However, the return of Adam Pearson can't be ruled out as one of the major turning points in Hull City's season. His arrival has made Phil Brown focus his energy. His relationship with the previous incumbent of the Hull City Chairman's seat Paul Duffen was far too much as one of friends on a journey. Pearson has returned it to one of Manager and Chairman. Brown had previously been on family vacations with Duffen and that is something that is never going to happen with Pearson.

Pearson has the clubs best interests at heart after the journey he took the club on when he took over the failing Tigers way back in 2001. He won't let his heart lead his head and I feel he has let Brown realise that if he wants to remain in charge he needs to put Hull City first not Phil Brown.

It is an interesting point that under Sam Alladyce's tutelage Brown learnt that if he was publicising Phil Brown, he was publicising Hull City, as Alladyce did at Bolton Wanderers for so many years. Although, this worked well for Alladyce at Bolton because they grew slowly and steadily. At Hull City, Brown was thrust front and centre into the media spotlight because of the meteoric rise for the club in it's debut Premier League season.

Brown tried to play the same sort of role as Aladyce, but as anyone who knows the British media, they can turn on you for looking the wrong way, and that is what they decided at Eastlands last year. Brown had over stepped his welcome and the media put a huge target on his back.

Pearson has made him take more of a back seat in the PR stakes in order to get his very talented manager back on track. So far this seems to be working.

Another point that needs to be addressed is the return to fitness of key players. Yes, the major talking point has been Jimmy Bullard because of the record fee paid for him by the Club but just as important if not more so is the return to fitness of Anthony Gardner in the centre of defence.

Gardner's career has been blighted by injuries. He was picked for England whilst at Tottenham Hotspurs but due to injury was sidelined then struggled to win his place back. He went to Everton on loan and got another injury, which helped the Tigers to sign him but yet again he has suffered by long term injuries.

The team has looked more solid at the back whenever he has pulled on the Amber and Black of the Tigers but so far in his Hull City career it has been on too few occasions. Coupled with this the loss of Michael Turner to Sunderland for a bargain basement price his return to full fitness could not have come at a better time.

Another string to the Tiger's resurgent bow is the gelling of a team that has had to swap and change due to new players, and international fixtures. The players brought in to the fold this season have been playing all over the world in vital World Cup clashes.

Jozy Altidore was playing for the US National team in Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica. For a young player with undoubted talent, the challenge of getting to know your new team mates and international travel, it can leave you jetlagged and fatigued. It has been an uphill struggle for the young man.

Yet, despite this, we are starting to see the players full potential. His strength, pace and energy are making the Hull City forward line a formidable force, and a definate handful for defenders.

Kamel Ghilas was away playing for Algeria in the hot bed of Egypt then the sudden death play-off in the Sudan to qualify for the World Cup. Stephen Hunt, Kevin Kilbane and Paul McShane have all been involved in a little match with no small amount of controversy.

The Republic of Ireland's recent playoff against France could have distracted them but if anything it has made them more focused and determined to demonstrate their abilities.

As a fan of football and Hull City in general, I find the thought that Hull City's season was destroyed by the half time team talk at Eastlands ludicrous. Football isn't that simple. The players on the field that day knew they had let down their manager, their fans and their team mates. Brown didn't loose the dressing room that day, he lost the media that day, the PR battle was lost.

Pearson's return has made Brown, the players, and the fans get realistic about the Hull City again. Paul Duffen, for all of his media background, was not very good at the public relations game. After the club's fine start to last season telling the world that we would be qualifying for Europe was naive in the extreme.

Pearson is more level headed and grounded. he knows that we need time to grow. We need to get our football boot truly in the door of the Premiership and get established as a team and that doesn't come over night.

Brown isn't without fault but if he had had good leadership form his chairman then he would not have been put in the situations that he has by the media. Brown has made some very good signings and if they can remain fit and healthy, his team will flourish in the Premiership.

Premier League Preview: Manchester City Vs Hull City

Carolina Tiger — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:41:22 -0500

Premier League Preview: Manchester City Vs Hull City, City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, England, Saturday, 28th November, 2009, 15:00GMT.

When these two teams met last season things were very different. Manchester City were a team on the up but before the influx of huge amount of Arab investment money made them a bloated club full of stars but short on team spirit.

Hull City were sitting 6th in the Premiership still riding high on the adrenaline of their first season in the top flight. The Blues were at the opposite end of the table sitting third from the bottom of the table.

This season the roles are reversed with the Tigers sitting just above the relegation places in 15th and Manchester City in 6th place.

Despite Manchester City's all star team they have been without a win in the Premiership in seven games when they beat West Ham 3-1 at Eastlands. What will be most worrying for Manchester City boss Mark Hughes will be the amount of goals conceded in that period. In those seven games they have leaked nine goals and only Liverpool and Aston Villa were opponents that Mark Hughes would expect to be difficult games. The rest been Fulham, Burnley, Wigan and Birmingham, all teams that Hughes would be expecting to gain three points against.

Phil Brown's Tigers are going through a purple patch at the moment gaining seven points from their last three games, all at home in the KC Stadium. What will be a doubt for Brown and the Hull City management is the clubs in effectiveness on their travels. The Tigers have only picked up one point from a possible 18 points.

The last time the two teams played at the City of Manchester Stadium the infamous half time team talk was the major talking point from the game. However, despite the drama that the press made out of the incident the performance of the Tigers on that day was shockingly poor and the team deserved much worse than the 5-1 drubbing.

This time the Tigers are a very different outfit from the team that played on Boxing Day 2008. Gone are Hull City's forward line of Marlon King and Dean Windass. Windass to retirement via a loan spell at Oldham and King to a stint in jail for Grievous Bodily Harm. Brown has brought in Jimmy Bullard, Jozy Altidore, Stephen Hunt and Jan Vanegoor of Hesselink to bolster the Tigers lacklustre attacking options

Manchester City are now a team of world beaters, everyone an international. They will be without the services of Kolo Toure who is doubtful and Martin Petrov is out. Hughes may have the opportunity to pick Vincent Kompany and Michael Johnson again after they both featured for the reserves in midweek.

Hughes will also be bouyed by the availability of Robinho who should be back from a three month spell out with an ankle injury. The want away Brazilian will be a welcome addition to the underperforming Blues who have been lacking some inspiration.

The east Yorkshire club will be happy to see the possible return of Bullard who sat our the 3-2 victory over Eveton midweek along with Craig Fagan who also missed the game with a shoulder injury and Bernard Mendy who was suspended for that game. Brown will not have the services of Seyi Olofinjana who sustained a hamstring injury whilst on international duty with Nigeria in Kenya.

The Tigers face an uphill task with Hull City not having won a game against Manchester City in Manchester since 15th February 1930. Brown will be hoping though that his charges can sustain their current fine form for another week. Whilst Hughes will be hoping that Robinho will turn the tide back in the Blues favour.

Premier League Preview: Hull City v. Everton

Carolina Tiger — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:47:46 -0500

Hull City vs Everton, Kingston Communications Stadium, Hull, England, Wednesday, 25 November 2009, 19:45GMT.

David Moyes' Everton team take the trip to East Yorkshire with the decent away record of six points from six games. The valuable points were from two of this season's strugglers, West Ham and Portsmouth.

Moyes will be hoping that they can gain another three valuable points at the expense of Phil Brown's Hull City team.

The Tigers' home form has been much better of late with 11 points from seven games, with three wins, two draws and two losses. The Tigers haven't lost at home in over a month when they lost by four goals to nil against Everton in the Carling Cup. However, on that day Brown fielded an under-strength side including three of the club's young prospects.

The Tigers are without a number of key players for the clash, most notably Seyi Olofinjana—who suffered a hamstring injury whilst away on international duty with Nigeria in Kenya and is expected to be out for up to a month. Dean Marney is expected to fill his role again as he did at the weekend.

Hull City right back Bernard Mendy is also out suspended after getting sent off against West Ham at the weekend in the 3-3 draw. Paul McShane is expected to replace the attack-minded defender to give the side some much needed stability at the back.

Brown will be looking to give Boaz Myhill a late fitness test on his injured knee but may stick with Matt Duke who has performed well as Myhill's understudy. The Tigers will still be without inspirational skipper Ian Ashbee who isn't expected to return until next year.

Everton will be without the services of midfielder Marouane Fellaini who is suspended for picking up five bookings this season. Fellaini was instrumental in Everton's victory over the Tigers at Goodison Park last season, scoring a dubious goal from an offside position.

He was also lucky to be on the pitch after a series of very serious incidents which many Hull City fans and neutrals alike felt warranted a red card.

The Toffees will also be without the influential Mikel Arteta who is still suffering with a knee injury. The Liverpool club's long injury list also includes James Vaughan, Steven Pienaar, Phil Neville, Victor Anichebe, and Phil Jageilka, who are all out with knee injuries.

However, Steven Pienaar could be set for a return in time for Everton's derby clash against local rivals Liverpool next Sunday. Leon Osman is also a doubt due to an ankle injury.

Moyes will be hoping that despite the long injury list and the 3-0 drubbing that his players received at the hands of Manchester United at the weekend, that they will be able to bounce back and beat fellow strugglers Hull City.

However, Brown will be hoping that his charges will be able to maintain their current run of good form that has seen the club score five goals in two games.

The Highest Scoring Matches in Premiership History

Carolina Tiger — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:32:56 -0500

After the demolition of Wigan by a rampant Jemain Defoe and Tottenham Hotspur's side, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some of the Premierships other goal-fest. There have been two other strikers apart from Defoe that have scored five goals in the Premier League, Andy Cole for Manchester United and Alan shearer for Newcastle United but were they in the highest scoring games?

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Jimmy Bullard, the Spark in Hull City's Engine

Carolina Tiger — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:40:23 -0500

When Hull City signed 31-year-old Jimmy Bullard in the January transfer window at the beginning of this year, it was hailed as a giant coup for the Tigers.

Despite reservations at the huge record breaking price tag of £5m and the astronomical wages of around £45,000 a week it was seen as a display of the club's ambition to be an established member of the Premiership.

Bullard had lost much of the previous two years for Fulham to an anterior cruciate ligament injury and many pundits and fans alike questioned the validity of Phil Brown and the Tigers signing a player with his injury record at the wrong end of his career.

Brown saw the introduction of a player of Bullard's quality as a catalyst who could take the Tigers to the next level. At the time, Hull City were still flying high in the Premiership, despite a dip in form at the tail end of the previous year.

Bullard made his debut in the away defeat at Upton Park against West Ham. Bullard was playing well and getting to know his new team mates when disaster struck. A robust tackle after 37 minutes and his season was over.

It was originally thought that the injury was not too serious; but after seeing renown sports medicine specialist, Dr. Richard Steadman in Colorado, Bullard's season was officially over. Steadman had been the doctor who rebuilt Bullard's knee the previously and Bullard had full faith in his ability to bring him back again.

So, it was after another large operation and much rehabilitation that Bullard made his long awaited return against his old club, Fulham. It was a lacklustre performance for the Tigers with Bullard coming on as a second half substitute.

Unfortunately, Bullard couldn't turn the team's performance around.

However, Bullard was able to make his long awaited home debut against Stoke City, and what a debut it was. Bullard was involved in both of the Tigers' goals in a stunning 2-1 victory were he controlled the midfield like a general as well as winning the
Man of the Match award.

His fine form continued after the enforced international break with Bullard controlling the midfield again in the 3-3 home draw against West Ham. Bullard was instrumental in all three of the East Yorkshire team's goals, scoring his first goal for the club from the penalty spot. Once again winning the Man of the Match award for the second game
in a row.

However, despite the turn around in form, it is the manner in which Bullard has marshalled the Tigers since his return which has been the most impressive. Bullard has been like a magnet for the ball. He always wants the ball he has become a conduit for the Tigers. He is becoming the channel through which everything moves forward.

Bullard has the uncanny ability to somehow make space for himself where it looks like he has none. He would make the difficult pass-and-run movement, that should be a staple of any professional footballer, look like the simplest of things.

Where others struggle to break free of their marker, he does it with ease.

He makes telling crosses with pinpoint accuracy and is not afraid to take a long-range, speculative strike at goal. Quite simply, he is becoming the heartbeat of the team. His bubbly, effervescent demeanour is rubbing off on a team that has been listless at times.

Players that have been playing well but not great have caught his bug, and it has changed the team's dynamics, with phenomenal success.

Brown has noted the similarities of Bullard to the inspirational figure of Jay Jay Okocha. Okocha signed for the Tigers in the promotion-winning season from the Championship and much of the Tigers' good play came through Okocha in that successful season, even without him scoring a single goal for the club.

The worry for the Brown and the Tigers is that as other clubs start to notice just how influential he is, they will start to make Bullard a target for special attention. Not that they will necessarily do anything to injure him, but he will obviously be marked closer to stifle his style of play.

If the Tigers are to survive and prosper in the Premier League, they will need Bullard to stay fit and hopefully he will be the catalyst for other great signings for Yorkshire's only Premiership club.

What Adam Pearson's Return Means to Phil Brown and Hull City

Carolina Tiger — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:31:19 -0500

It's been three weeks now since Paul Duffen resigned from his position as chairman of Hull City, following the release of the club's finances. In his place came Adam Pearson, seen as a returning messiah by many fans.

Pearson is the man who turned around the Tigers' fortunes and dragged the club into the 21st Century with its head held high. Prior to his arrival, the club had languished as perennial underachievers for much of its long history, lurching from one disastrous situation to another with a few high spots along the way.

Pearson bought the club for next to nothing in 2001 and helped orchestrate the move from the crumbling and dilapidated Boothferry Park to the shinny new all-seater Kingston Communications Stadium.

Pearson wasn't afraid to wield the axe if he thought a manager wasn't working out right, as Brian Little found out after he was sacked despite taking the Tigers to the Third Division playoffs—an action Pearson would go on record that he regretted for not giving Little more time.

However, after some faltering steps in the early days, Pearson found his grove, and so did the Tigers under manager Peter Taylor. Pearson was loyal and hardworking, helping to forge an excellent working relationship with Taylor that allowed the club to gain back-to-back promotions, leaving the Tigers in the Championship.

However, despite this, Taylor expressed interest in pastures new at his old club, Crystal Palace. Pearson felt betrayed and let Taylor know this, ultimately leading to Taylor leaving the club that had restore his reputation in the game.

After another failed managerial appointment in the form of Phil Parkinson, Pearson appointed Phil Brown as Parkinson's assistant to give him some experience to help guide him.

During this period Pearson saw that he had taken the Tigers as far as he could. He didn't have the financial backing to make a real and sustainable push from Championship relegation battlers unless he could get more money into the club.

He managed to do this in the form of Russell Bartlett, who had looked at buying West Ham but had found the asking price too high. So it was that Pearson sold Hull City to Bartlett for £10 million.

His last act before handing over the reigns to new Chairman Paul Duffen was to promote Brown from assistant to Hull City's full-time manager.

The new regime helped to bring about the unthinkable for Hull City fans, promotion to the Premiership, and survival for another season. However, after all of Pearson's prudence and emphasis on financial sustainability, that soon disappeared under Duffen's tenure.

So after a fantastic 2008, the year 2009 was a complete disaster, culminating in the return of Pearson this month, but where does that leave Brown?

Pearson was in discussions with Bartlett about taking the executive chairman's position prior to the away fixture at Turf Moor, Burnley, and was in the director's box watching the display. Unfortunately for the Tigers, despite a valiant and spirited display, they were undone by a shocking display form the ref.

However, the performance from Brown's Tigers was enough for Pearson to let Brown keep his job, at least for another week. Stoke City traveled to the KC the following week, and Brown's players did not disappoint. An emphatic display from the team, led by fit again Jimmy Bullard, saw Hull control the game for all most all of the 90 minutes, beating the Potters 2-1.

The last two performances have left Pearson with a reasonably easy scenario to handle. Brown's handling of the team and the performances have meant that Pearson can leave well alone and concentrate on getting the club back on the right financial track.

It also appears that he has told Brown to control his media appearances. Prior to Pearson's return, Brown has had a number of foot-in-mouth situations that have left the club as the hunting ground for the story-hungry media.

The handling of the media after the Stoke City victory by the club's assistant manager, Brian Horton, would appear to be the result of Pearson's direct interjection. This will allow Brown to focus his attention on the team and take the target off his back that the media have firmly attached.

If the result of the Stoke game had been different, or at least the display had been as lacklustre as some of the club's recent outings, then Pearson would have had to have addressed Brown's recent failings on the field. There have been rumours circulating that Darren Ferguson left Peterborough because of interest from the Tigers.

This rumour seems hard to believe. When Pearson appointed Parkinson after the debacle of Peter Taylor's switch to Crystal Palace, Pearson set his standard to a new up-and-coming manager that was supposed to be the one to take the club to the next level. That didn't happen, and it would seem quite hard to believe that he would let lightning strike twice.

Pearson has not been in charge very long, and it is still too soon to say whether he will stick with Brown as manager in the long term, but the Tigers have an overbloated roster either way. However, the players that are available if fully fit are more than capable of keeping the club in the Premiership, and Pearson knows this.

He also knows that you don't become a bad manager overnight. By making Brown take more of a back seat at press conferences and post-match interviews, he can concentrate on the team's on-field actions. It will once again allow the name of Hull City to be on the forefront, not Phil Brown's.

Ultimately, it does not matter what happens behind the scenes with the new regime. For Brown and Hull City's survival, it is vitally important that the players remain fully fit and the performances on the field remain 100 percent committed.

If that happens, Adam Pearson, Phil Brown, and Hull City fans will be happy.

Hull City Go to the World Cup

Carolina Tiger — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:25:17 -0500

When I was a kid watching the Tigers, there was not much to cheer for in the way of Hull City players in the World Cup finals. The Tigers' teams were usually made up of low-level British players with no chance of anyone playing for Scotland or Eire, let alone England.

The Tigers have had some England and Scottish internationals, but usually after they have finished their international careers—most notably Hull City legend Raich Carter, who played for England in the post-war years. However, when he was leading the Tigers as our player-manager, his international career was a thing of the past.

Our most high profile internationals of recent history are Theodore Whitmore and Ian Goodison, who sprung to fame after representing Jamaica's "Reggae Boyz" at France 1998, a year before joining Hull City. Unfortunately they weren't Tigers at the time of the Reggae Boyz' finest hour.

However, we would on occasion have current Welsh internationals or Northern Ireland internationals, but nobody that actually played during a World Cup finals. The only player that springs to mind as a Hull City player to actually be a currently serving player during a World Cup is Manuel Rui Marques .

Rui Marques was on loan with the Tigers from Leeds United when he represented Angola in the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany. With the South Africa 2010 World Cup Finals, the Tigers actually have currently serving players that will be ever present in their national teams.

From the current squad, the Tigers have Jozy Altidore representing the United States of America, Richard Garcia of Australia and Seyi Olofinjana from Nigeria, but there is still the possibility that Algeria's Kamel Ghilas could make the World Cup finals if they can beat Egypt in a playoff game.

The club's Republic of Ireland trifecta of Kevin Kilbane, Stephen Hunt and Paul McShane will have to overcome the loss to international giant France when they play them in Paris to qualify for South Africa.

Hull City's current squad of players is a far cry from the championship playoff winning squad of two years ago that had only two known British players in Jay Jay Okocha and Richard Garcia. Currently the club has players from 16 different nations and from every continent.

How things change in football. It is a testament to the international nature of the English Premiership that clubs need to scour the globe for players to stay in the World's favourite league.

So too for the Tigers, who will have a few representatives in the World's favourite football competition—the World Cup—for the first time in the club's history.

Hull City's Ian Ashbee, Unsung Hero of English Football

Carolina Tiger — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:13:57 -0500

English football is littered with heroes from every generation, from every team, and every division. Manchester City's Bert Trautmann's heroics in the 1956 FA Cup final playing 17-minutes with a broken neck instantly springs to mind.

Steve Bull of Wolverhampton Wanderers is another, who was one of the most prolific goal scorers of his generation. Winning a call up to the England team whilst in the second tier of English football, yet despite this refused to leave the Wolves and play for a Division One club.

However, none come bigger than Hull City skipper Ian Ashbee, who just won an extended contract with the club 'til 2011, even though he is not expected to play again due to injury till March 2010.

Ashbee was born in Birmingham on Sept. 6, 1976, and was a Birmingham City fan as a kid, but it was with Derby County that he got his first chance in professional football. He made one senior appearance for the Rams in Roy McFarland's last match in charge at the Old Baseball in the 1994/5 season.

He would make a couple of preseason appearances for the Rams under Jim Smith but would not make another first team appearance for the Midland's club. The following summer, Ashbee was loaned to IR Knattspyrnudeild of Iceland, where he scored three goals in eight games.

In December of 1996 Ashbee made the switch to Cambridge United, joining up with Roy McFarland again, as his first signing. Ashbee would go on to 11 goals in 204 appearances for the club. During his tenure at Abbey Stadium, Ashbee became a fans favourite for his tenacious style of play.

Ashbee was able to play in the midfield holding role and right across the back. It was this versatility that made Ashbee an ever present in the U's 1999 promotion winning team that were runners up in the Football League Division Three.

It was Ashbee's no-nonsense style of play that attracted Hull City's new manager Jan Molby. He signed Ashbee on a free transfer as his third signing of his less than distinguished time with the Tigers in 2002. Despite Molby's inability to progress with the Tigers, Ashbee would go from strength to strength.

However, Ashee's debut for the East Yorkshire club was less than auspicious when he was sent off for a second bookable offence against Southend United at Boothferry Park. His combative no-nonsense style of play quickly made him a great addition to the Tigers team that were clearly a mid-table team in the fourth tier of English football.

His clear authority on the pitch made him an ideal choice to lead the Tigers and Molby made him the team skipper. After Molby was replaced by new manager Peter Taylor, he remained the custodian of the Hull City, Captain's armband.

In Peter Taylor's first game in charge at Torquay United, Ashbee scored a fantastic volleyed goal that was voted "Goal of the Season" by City fans for the 2002/3 season. Unfortunately, his season was cut short when he suffered a season ending ankle injury against Shrewsbury Town.

The 2003/4 season would prove to be the start of the Tiger's rise through the divisions and Ashbee's first historic promotion as Hull City's captain. It was fitting that it was his stunning goal away to Yeovil that would be the goal that secured that elusive runner's up place.

Ashbee would go on to produce another piece of Hull City history when he captained the club to back to back promotion in the following season. The 2004/5 season was were he scored his first goal for the club at home with one of the goals in the 6-1 demolition of Tranmere on the way to winning promotion.

Peter Taylor was so convinced that Ashbee should lead the Tiger's in the Championship that he confirmed him as captain for the Championship campaign before the start of the season. Unfortunately again for Ashbee after leading the Tigers to a fantastic start to the season, leading the Tiger's to ninth in the Championship he was diagnosed with a fractured knee.

Under further examination, it was discovered that his injury was much worse. He was suffering from a osteochondral defect. The doctors weren't saying that he might not play football again, but that he might not walk again.

He underwent surgery which involved having 14 holes drilled in his knee to promote new bone growth to try to save his career. It also mean that he would miss the rest of the 2005/6 season.

Fortunately, for Ashbee and Hull City, the surgery was a success, and after four months of walking with crutches, even more months of rehab, and slow hard work with physical therapists, he managed to recover.

Ashbee said in 2008 of his injury, "I'd felt the knee a year before and it was niggling. I didn't think it was going to be as drastic as it was.

"The bone was coming away so if I hadn't gone in at that point and the bone had come away, I might not have been walking again, never mind playing football. Not walking again is a different scenario to not playing football again, but I was lucky.

"I wasn't thinking about not playing again at that point. I was thinking about not being able to go down to the park with my kids and stuff like that. That's how serious it was, but we were lucky enough that the bone had not come away and we just drilled the holes and luckily enough it grew back".

Ashbee returned from injury in the 2006/7 season and despite the departure of Peter Taylor to Crystal Palace, his replacement Phil Parkinson and then Phil Brown both saw that Ashbee was the heart beat of the Tiger's and retained him as the club captain.

The season was not a successful one with Parkinson's time with the club far from auspicious but Brown managed to do enough to help the Tiger's survive in 17th place. For some fans it was seen as Ashbee's inability to "step up" that was one of the factors in the club's poor season.

However, Brown stuck with Ashbee as the club captain for the 2007/8 campaign, with fantastic results. The 2007/8 season was the most successful seasons in Hull City's 104 year history. The Tiger's had done so well over the season that they were challenging for automatic promotion for much of the second half of the season culminating in a first trip to Wembley for the club for the Play-off final against Bristol City.

Ashbee had the proud distinction of leading the Tiger's out at Wembley Stadium as the Tiger's beat Bristol City one nil with a stunning volley from Hull native Dean Windass. He also had the added privilege of leading Hull City into the top flight of English football for the first time in the club's history.

Another achievement for Ashbee in winning promotion to the Premiership along with Boaz Myhill, Andy Dawson and Ryan France was wining promotion through all four professional tiers of English football. Ashbee also had the singular distinction of captaining the same club through all four professional English divisions.

So, during the short summer of 2008 the Tiger's rebuilt for the club's first assault on the Premiership. Signing some quality and Premiership experience in Geovanni from Manchester City, George Boateng from Middlesborough, loaning Marlon King from Wigan Athletic as the main new additions to the club.

However, on a beautiful early August afternoon, Ian Ashbee stepped out onto the Kingston Communication's pitch leading the tiger's into their first game as a Premiership club. Brown had once again entrusted the Captain's armband to Ian Ashbee and yet again some fan's questioned his ability to make the step up to the next level.

Could his no nonsense style fit in with the silky smooth skills of Premier League midfielders? The answer was a resounding, yes. In a very tense opener, the Tiger's managed to gain three valuable points in their first outing as a Premiership club, in no short part to the sterling leadership on the field of the calming leadership of Ashbee.

Ashbee's leadership and committed presence was invaluable in the Tiger's fine start to the season that saw the pundit's relegation favourites rise to the lofty heights of third in the Premiership. It wasn't too last though as by the end of November despite one of the finest openings to a Premiership season from a Play-off winning team result's started to slide.

Once again, fans started to question whether Ashbee was able to cut the mustard in the Premiership but it is an interesting fact that during the season the Tiger's only managed to two points when Ashbee wasn't playing.

By the end of April the wheels had totally come of the Hull City wagon. The early season adrenaline and form had dissipated. The established Premiership clubs had discovered how to counter the Tiger's counter attacking style, but the early season victories against the likes of Arsenal, West Ham, Spurs and Newcastle United were enough to ensure survival for another season for the Tigers.

Unfortunately, not for Ashbee who sustained a posterior cruciate ligament injury in the away game to Aston Villa in early May 2009, which has so far seen him miss the start of the 2009/10 Premiership campaign for the Tigers.

During the 2008/9 season with his goal against Balckburn Rover's Ashbee marked another remarkable high point by been one of a very small handful of players to have scored for the same club in all four divisions. He was awarded the Piers Morgan on Sport, Sport's Personality for 2008 at the end of the season beating out Christiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Steven Gerrard.

A fitting achievement for such a loyal and passionate player who lives in the community and is always open and willing to talk with fans, but he deserves much more for his achievements so far in a remarkable rags to riches career. Long may it continue.

What a Difference Three Points Make

Carolina Tiger — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:22:40 -0500

Last season the Tigers won three home fixtures. The Kingston Communication Stadium was far from been a fortress. This season Phil Brown went on record that he wanted to turn the KC Stadium into a fortress for the Tigers.

This hasn't materialised, yet. However, this afternoon the Tigers equalled last season's home record with an impressive 2-1 victory against last season's promotion rivals Stoke City.

The Potters came to the KC on the back of an impressive season so far gaining 16 points from a possible 33, with the clubs only losses to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

The Tigers were not on the same sort of form sitting in the bottom three with a paltry eight points from 11 matches.

So, how did Phil Brown and the Tigers turn the tables on their recent form? In recent outings the East Yorkshire club had been playing a restrictive 4-5-1 formation with a sole striker up front in the shape of Jan Vanegoor of Hesselink.

Vanegoor of Hesselink has valiantly kept the link for the Tigers but with little in the way of support as the midfield have been trying to bolster up the defense, and as such he has been a victim of the Tigers' frailties at the back.

Brown has been playing reactive football. Making changes to the team to counter the opposition. Today was different, he played proactive football. Instead of his usual 4-5-1 he reverted to 4-4-2 and the team delivered, just as it did when he used the same formation in the last thirty minutes against Bolton at the KC a few weeks back.

Vanegoor of Hesselink was sacrificed for the more athletic Altidore and Fagan was brought in alongside him. Both players play fast and aggressive football that unsettles defenders.

In the midfield Jimmy Bullard made his long awaited home debut and what a debut it was. Bullard was magnificent in the middle, controlling everything that came his way.

The only blip for the Tigers today was an error that cost them a goal well against the run of play, but things like that happen and it is a great mark of the teams fortitude that they played so well for Brown.

So, Brown has finally hit a winning formula. Can the team follow through and produce again against West Ham in the next game after the international break.

At the last international break, Hull City went into it with a deserved victory against Wigan and came back to a thoroughly lacklustre display in the loss to Fulham.

So, the Tigers have finally emerged from the bottom three. The Tigers' fans will be hoping Brown can keep the same team with the introduction of Geovanni (back from suspension) in place of Garcia and keep the momentum going. Fingers crossed.

Hull City and an Uncertain Future

Carolina Tiger — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:58:03 -0500

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.

The last day Houdini act meant that the club seriously needed to find new blood to bolster a team that had the Premier Leagues second worst defence, and the one of the worst home records ever recorded in Premiership history.

Hull City's Championship goal scoring hero Fraizer Campbell was a major target from Manchester United and a fee of around £6 million was accepted but Campbell was away on England Under-21 at the European Nation's Cup, and he stalled to the point that he joined Sunderland.

Michael Owen was also a target after getting relegated with Newcastle, but when Manchester United came calling, the Tigers lost out again. Marc-Antoine Fortune was targeted but he chose to team up with his former manager at Celtic rather than signing with the Tigers.

It was looking like Hull City were the Bridesmaid never the Bride in their attempts to sign a much needed Striker.

Then came the signatures of Stephen Hunt from Reading for £3.5million, and Seyi Olofinjana for £3million from Stoke City, Kamel Ghilas from Celta Vigo for £1.7 and Jozy Altidore the young American striker on loan from Villareal. Leaving the club and it's fans feeling better about the club.

The club also captured the signature of the Dutch international Jan Vanegoor of Hesselink who was out of contract after rejecting a contract at Celtic during the summer.

During this period Sam Ricketts was sold to Bolton Wanderers with no replacement immediately on the horizon, which seemed to be a very bizarre turn of events. This was to look even stranger when at the start of the season Michael Turner, arguably the Tiger's best player was sold to Sunderland for an undisclosed fee, with Paul McShane going in the opposite direction.

The new season continued as the last one ended with the team playing back to the wall football and conceding goals like the Titanic taking in water, and the strikers failing to find the net.

The new signings brought with them huge wages with the club allegedly having an annual wage bill in the region of £40 million, which puts the club as the seventh highest in the Premiership. Add to this the £5 million that the club paid out to player agents involved in the transfers and it is not looking rosy for the club.

The financial miss steps ultimately lead to the resignation of Duffen as the Club Chairman, and with the late filling of the Club's taxes and his inability to get any of the high profile signings that the Club targeted it was proving harder for Duffen to have any credibility.

Duffen's staunch faith in Brown has not helped him keep his position. He has on a number of occasions backed his manager and friend even insulting Hull City fans in the process.

However, it appears that amongst his many failings it is the disastrous sale of Michael Turner to Sunderland that was the final straw. At the time of the sale the transfer fee was classed as undisclosed. It appears that the club made only £2.8 million for a player that was valued at approximately £12 million at the start of the season.

The transfer has also raised the prospect of a Premier league investigation into the deal after complaints from Charlton Athletic and Brentford who had sell on clauses built into Turner's contracts. To their dismay they failed to reap much of a reward for the supposed £12 million man.

With the appointment of Adam Pearson the Club is looking to stabalise after a turbulent couple of years. Pearson has already said he will give Brown some time to sort out the club's on field woes. He is also attempting to off load some of the club's bloated playing staff, which currently has 29 full time professionals.

He is hoping to off-load at least 10 players that are not Premiership quality in an effort to shrink the clubs ridiculously high wage bill. He is also trying to bring in some much needed investment to help cement the club's place in the Premiership.

Whether Pearson is successful or not is tied very closely with the affairs of the team on the playing field but if Pearson can steady the financial ship it should make the waters calmer for the good ship Hull City on the playing field.

Liverpool Just a Mid-Table Team

Carolina Tiger — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:11:25 -0400

A few weeks ago, I was roundly told where to go by many a Liverpool fan for asserting that my club Hull City were beaten by Fernando Torres and a lucky Steven Gerrard, not by their glorious Liverpool team. Liverpool's game today at the Stadium of Light makes me believe it even more.

Liverpool set themselves out pretty much the same as when Gerrard and Torres were removed against the Tigers at Anfield last month. Sunderland were not Hull City, who had just been roundly beaten by Torres and a fluky Gerrard goal so it was a different game.

The Liverpool defence were fodder under Darren Bent's relentless attacks, with his striking partner Kenwyne Jones. Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, and Johnson could not cope with the quality in-front of them.

However, it was a stroke of luck that gave Sunderland the lead as a crisp strike from Bent deflected off a Liverpool supporters ball that was on the field. The ball deflected past Liverpool stalwart keeper Pepe Reina, probably the best player for the Reds.

Reina managed to stifled so many strikes and the whole of Sunderland and Steve Bruce must have been wondered just how they managed to only be one goal up as the game drew to the end of the half.

The second half proved to be no better for Liverpool who again stripped of Torres or Gerrard had no bite up front which allowed Sunderland to get fast breaks through the Liverpool midfield. Andy Read and Lee Cattermole were relentless and cut Liverpool to pieces on numerous occasions.

Unfortunately for Sunderland, Cattermole who had played so well had to leave the field due to an injury but still Liverpool couldn't break Sunderland down. Michael Turner was marshaling the Sunderland defence magnificently. Anton Ferdinand was certainly feeling the benefit of Turners experience and was playing superbly.

In Injury time Craig Gordon saved Sunderland from disaster with two fantastic saves from a Dirk Kuyt strike and David N'Gog that were probably Liverpool's best chances on goal.

Was this what Liverpool fans have to look forward too without their talismanic players Gerrard and Torres? A good team but toothless, leaderless and without Gerrard's remarkable luck. Rafa Benitez should be getting really worried about his job.

Hull City: a Comparison

Carolina Tiger — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:49:03 -0400

After eight games last season the Tigers were sitting third in the Premiership table only three points behind leaders Liverpool and Chelsea. This season, there is a very different look to the Tigers.

The league standings and points gained doesn't tell the whole story. Take a look at the corresponding games played against like teams.

First game this season we lost to Chelsea 2-1, last season it was a 0-0 draw and lost Scolari his job. That means Chelsea zero points in comparison to one point last time.

Second game, a loss to Tottenham Hotspurs, last season a loss to Spurs. Still zero points compared to one from last season.

Third game, a home win to Bolton Wanderers, last season we lost to the Trotters at home. So three points compared to one point last season.

Fourth Game, Wolverhampton Wanderers a 1-1 draw last season we didn't play Wolves but they were Champions of the Championship so I will replace them with the team coming third bottom in last season's Premiership. Last time we beat Newcastle 2-1 so that would have us at four points as opposed to four points last season.

Fifth game, a lost to Sunderland as compared to a loss to Sunderland so still four points this season as opposed to four points last season.

Sixth game, against Birmingham City as before I will replace a promoted team with a relegated team. Birmingham were runners up in the Championship and Middlesbrough were runners up for the Premiership wooden spoon. This season a loss to the Blues and last season a win against Boro, so four and seven.

Seventh game, against Liverpool and a loss this season but last season a deserved draw. So still on four points but last season we would have been on eight.

Eighth game, last time a huge loss to Wigan Athletic but this time a great victory. So seven points compared to eight last time.

Looking at the season in a linear way with x-number of games in, as opposed to x-number of games last time. It is not a much more clear way to demonstrate how a season will pan out. It depends on who you are playing and in many cases how a club is fairing on the field.

You only have to look at Yesterday's fixture of Hull City Vs Wigan Athletic. Wigan came off of an famous victory against Chelsea and the Tiger's came off a mauling of Liverpool.

I suspect that Roberto Martínez Gutiérrez the Wigan boss would not have wanted to play Hull City after we lost to Liverpool. All the pressure is on his team to repeat the victory over Chelsea and go one better and do what Liverpool did to us. That was never going to happen.

By looking at like for like(ish) meetings it is a better comparison of how any club are fairing in the league.

As it stands the Tigers are only down to the tune of one point. If we can keep up this level then we will be safe come May and be playing Premier League football for a third season.

Hull City: Brown Is Barmy for Battler Barmby

Carolina Tiger — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:06:57 -0400

Speculation has been rife in the Tiger-nation as to the name of the new Hull City Skipper.

The Tigers have seriously missed long term Captain and Hull City legend Ian Ashbee. Ashbee, the first player to captain the same club through all four English Divisions, was injured in the May 4th clash with Aston Villa last season.

Phil Brown said of the influential captain, "A lot of people have made reference to Ian Ashbee not being able to play Premier League football, but you don't realise what you have until it's gone."

Since Ashbee's absence from the side with possible career ending posterior cruciate ligament injury, the Tiger's have been rudderless. Brown has handed the Skipper's arm band to a number of players such as Michael Turner, who has since left for pastures new at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland.

Veteran midfielder George Boateng has been a custodian of the armband as has Paul MacShane and Ibrahima Sonko, but it was announced today that Kingston upon Hull native Nick Barmby would become the Hull City skipper.

The appointment of Barmby, the 35 year old ex-England international, has raised some eye brows amongst Hull City's frustrated fan base. There is no doubting Barmby's credentials to be the team captain, just his ability to play a full 90 minutes of a game.

Brown said of Barmby on the Official Hull City website, "this is something that has got Nicky's name written all over it."

"He has matured into a leader, none more so than over the last couple of years at Hull City. He's had a lot of close relationships with managers during his career and I feel as though I have got a close relationship with him.

"We speak frankly about things and we share things, none more so than about what is happening at Hull City at the moment.

"He is a strong enough character in the dressing room."

However good he may be as a leader, managerial confidant and strong character it doesn't address his playing time.

This season Barmby has only played around 170 minutes of a possible 630 minutes of Premiership football, and most of those have been from the bench. Last season Barmby would only play approximately an hour of a game if he started.

So, for Brown to appoint him as the team captain seems like an odd act. There seems to be no logic to the appointment. The team will be bereft of the captain on a regular basis if Barmby role isn't to change.

Hull City: Why Couldn't Torres Have Been Injured?

Carolina Tiger — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:14:35 -0400

It's 15:11 on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Anfield, Liverpool, and the Fernando Torres show starts.

Hull City were the visitors to Anfield, and sitting second bottom of the Premiership, there should be a huge gulf in class between the Tigers and Liverpool who are sitting slightly higher up the totem pole in third place.

However, with the exception of the sublime Spaniard Torres the famous Red were not totally out playing the Tigers. The Hull City team were breaking up the Liverpool attacks fairly easily, but how do you stop a El Nino?

The Tigers' players were like the red neckerchief wearing idiots that run against the Bulls in Pamploma. No matter what you do, you can't really stop that bull. Torres was poetry in motion and all his goals were majestic examples of the goal scoring art, a wonderful first touch to control the ball and a better targeting system than a smart missile.

With the exception of Senor Torres, the Hull City team dealt fairly well with the rest of the Liverpool team for the first hour of the game but then up crops Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard, who had been securely ensconced in Kevin Kilbane's and George Boateng's pockets for the best part of an hour, escaped his aging and tiring minders and produced what Liverpool fans are calling a wonder goal no less, a piece of pure Gerrard genius.

Neutrals and Hull City fans alike have been less effusive of his goal. A lucky strike or a fluky goal is the general consensus from the non-Liverpool footballing world.

Which ever way you look at it, the wonderful Torres hat trick and a goal from Gerrard totally killed off the Tigers. They had fought valiantly against last season's runners up and were still in the game at the half but fell away tired and dejected after Gerrard's killer strike.

The Liverpool team greatly changed from the starting line up over run the lacklustre Tigers but only managed to score two more goals against the East Yorkshire team that were so abjectly pedestrian it is a bigger shock that Liverpool didn't get into double figures. Maybe, it demonstrates more that devoid of Torres and Gerrard the Reds are not much better than a mid table team.

Hull City: Unrealistic Expectations Placed on Small Premiership Club

Carolina Tiger — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:58:59 -0400

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.

There was also the long and drawn out and ultimately unsuccessful negotiations for Real Madrid's Alvaro Negredo. Though only a bit-part player for the Galacticos, following a successful loan spell at Spanish side Almeria, he was a player that Real wanted to keep but were willing to sell on a buy back basis—he ultimately signed for FC Sevilla instead.

However Kamel Ghilas, the Algerian International from Celta Vigo, who had scored 13 goals in 33 appearances for the famous Spanish club, quickly followed instead. Meanwhile other positive moves included that of Stephen Hunt, who had wanted to leave Reading after Steve Coppell had resigned as manager, and the re-signing of Paul McShane from Sunderland.

McShane, who had been instrumental in our glorious start to last season, had been recalled in the last January transfer window by then-Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia, following some fine performances for the Tigers. McShane's arrival meant Hull had a replacement for Bolton-bound Sam Ricketts.

With the late departure of the Michael Turner to Sunderland, a player who had been on standby for an England call-up whilst playing in every single minute of the Tigers' first season in the top flight, Hull were clearly thin on the ground in the centre back position.

But, late in the transfer window, Hull managed to secure the signing of Ibrahima Sonko on loan from Stoke City.

Though not a like-for-like exchange, Sonko was a player who had performed very well for Reading during their Premiership campaign's, but had found himself banished to the Stoke City reserves, after he was sacrificed following Stoke's poor start to last season.

During the summer Tigers fans have gone from being upbeat at surviving their first season in the Premier League, to very disappointed at Campbell's rejection. While the speculation regarding Owen was a great fillip but ultimately a forlorn hope, the daily will-he-won't-he of Fortune to the almost arrogant dismissal by Zamora to us as a club were great disappointments over the summer.

But, in stark contrast, the signing of Altidore, Olofinjana, Hunt, and Ghilas filled the fans with tremendous optimism. Still, the loss of Turner was the end of the world again for some.

However, there was one last piece of business for the Tigers and that was the signing of Jan Vennegoor or Hesselink. He was a free agent having decided not to sign another contract at Celtic, and chose to sign up with the Tigers.

The season began with a daunting trip to Chelsea's Stamford Bridge where the Tigers more than held their own and were unlucky not to come away with a point after Didier Drogba's fluky injury time winner.

What followed was a master class from a very well disciplined Tottenham Hotspur side. Harry Redknapp has built a side that could successfully be challenging the top four come May.

The first points of the season came in a game of two halves. The first was a dogged back-to-the walls onslaught as Bolton looked to be cruising to an easy victory, but with an hour gone the game was turned on its head.

Brown introduced Altidore and changed the team formation and it was all one way traffic with Altidore's first touch setting up fellow new signing Ghilas for his first goal for the club.

A successful victory against Southend in the League Cup followed, with Altidore scoring his first goal for the Tigers. Then a draw against newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers, where Michael Turner would prove why he was so valuable to the Tigers by playing a blinder in what turned out to be his final game in the Amber and Black of East Yorkshire's finest.

The international break followed, with the Tigers tally of four points after four games looking alright. The following game was against Sunderland, the team who led Hull on such a merry dance throughout the transfer window.

The scoreline of 4-1 to Sunderland was unfair given the balance of the game. However, when recently departed Michael Turner scored against us, it only added insult to injury, especially because it was his absence in the middle of our defence that was the worst element of the game. Sonko is a solid enough player but time will tell if he can fill the giant hole that has been left by Turner.

There are other elements to the start of this season that should be taken into account. Anthony Gardner, who is arguably a better centre back than Turner, is on the injury list again and the energy of Dean Marney and Ian Ashbee have been sorely missed.

The International break was a blessing and a curse. A well-earned break allowed the new players to gel, but Hull lost many players because of international duty, which in the case of Jozy Altidore meant he returned fatigued and jet lagged.

The transfer window overlapping the start of the season and the early international break has meant that preparations for the new season have been disjointed and irregular at times.

Obviously this affects all teams but when there have been some very major changes of personnel as there have been at Hull City, it doesn't make the manager's job any easier.

As it is, there are calls for Phil Brown to be replaced by members of the Tiger nation. Fans are fickle and have very unrealistic ideas of where Hull City should be. This is compounded by the phenomenal start to last season which continues to cloud the objectivity of many fans.

Hull City are in their infancy as a Premiership club and you don't just build a dynasty overnight. Fans seem to be getting frustrated with the Tigers' transfer dealings and club chairman Duffen, but what do they expect?

We may be demonstrating our ambitions with interest in the likes of Owen but would we ever have managed to get either him or Negredo to sign. The expectation of some of the Tiger nation have been very unrealistic.

As a club that in its 105-year history has only had one year in the top flight it is a bit naive to think that we can be duking it out with anyone but the yo-yo teams in the Premiership. Even then it is still a tough ask when most other Premiership clubs are in London, the Midlands, and the North West.

Hull City are a team out on a limb, in more ways than geographically. Players will have looked at the Tigers as a club that scraped another Premiership season by a whisker. Yes, we looked very good at the start of last season but that is now consigned to history.

We are a team that has always struggled to sign players, but if we can survive for another season and not succumb to second season syndrome, then we have the chance to build as a club and given time can become an established Premiership team.

As it stands, Turner's transfer included, we are a better equipped team this season than last. We are better in all areas if players perform to their abilities and we can get influential players back to fitness.

Bullard's return will be huge, as will Gardner's return to full fitness. Vennegoor of Hesselink, Altidore, and Ghilas will all play important roles for the club, but they are all better than who we had last season. Hunt is far better than either Peter Halmosi or Richard Garcia.

Yes, we haven't had a great start to the season, but the start of this season has seen the Tigers in flux. The next eight games are the key to how the rest of this campaign will pan out.

Games against the teams we will have to beat to stay in the Premiership all take place in the next two months. Home fixtures against Birmingham, Wigan, Portsmouth, Stoke, and West Ham and away games against Fulham and Burnley.

The next couple of months will help to tell the tale of the 2009/10 season for the Tigers but if all doesn't go well on the field it certainly won't be because of the players that the club has brought in, or the manager.

Hull City: Tigers Pounce on Bateleur Eagle, Benjani

Carolina Tiger — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:05:29 -0400

Manchester City's Zimbabwean striker Benjamin "Benjani" Mwaruwari looks set to sign for East Yorkshire's finest, Hull City. Speculation is rife in the Tiger-nation that Benjani has been at the Kingston Communication undergoing a medical today.

The Yorkshire club have been seeking more strikers to bolster their lacklustre attack all summer and were linked with moves for the likes of Bobby Zamora and Marlon Harewood earlier in the summer. Last season the Tigers were the lowest scoring Premier League club with a poultry 39 goals all season.

Benjani, who only managed 21 appearances for Manchester City since signing from Portsmouth for £3.87 million, most of them coming from the subs bench, managed to score four goals in total for the Eastlands team, one of which famously came on his debut against great rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Zimbabwean international has become surplus to requirements since the Eastlands team's takeover, which has seen the likes of Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry, Emmanuel Adebayor, Joleon Lescott, and Shaun Wright-Phillips arrive at Manchester City.

Prior to his disappointing time at Eastlands, Benjani had productive spells at Portsmouth, where he scored 19 goals in 70 appearances and became a cult favourite among their fans, and at French side Auxerre where he scored an impressive 39 times in 72 appearances.

The Zimbabwean will join new signings Jozy Altidore and Kamel Ghilas in a battle for one of the striker's jerseys at the KC Stadium. After a disappointing start to the transfer window Hull City manager Phil Brown has managed to pull off some impressive signings.

Not least the aforementioned Altidore, a USA international wonderkid, and energetic Algerian striker Ghilas, who have formed a productive partnership in the few games they have played together.

Meanwhile Hull City have also announced that they have signed former loanee Paul McShane from Sunderland for £2.5 million. McShane had an impressive loan spell with the Tigers at the start of last season, playing an important role in helping the Yorkshire club to enjoy one of the best debut starts ever seen in Premier League history.

However, then Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia had other ideas. After seeing how well McShane was doing with the Tigers he decided to recall him to the Stadium of Light from his loan spell, thus depriving the Tigers of his services. This was a decisive act for Hull City, and was one of the reasons they endured such a slide down the Premier League table after January.

Hull City boss Phil Brown will be hoping that the signing of McShane will help to give the Hull City defence the steel that has been lacking since his January exit, and with the addition of Benjani this famous old club may finally have regained that cutting edge that has been sorely missed since their flying start to last season.

The Arab and the American Find a Home at Hull City

Carolina Tiger — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:26:35 -0400

On a warm East Yorkshire Saturday afternoon Kamel Ghilas the Algerian International striker had toiled long and hard in the sun. His tireless running and harrying or the Bolton players was almost totally fruitless, with next to no chance of a shot on goal.

However, with an hour gone of the battle of the unfashionable Premiership clubs, the fourth official holds up the substitution board for the Tigers. It reads 18 and 9, Caleb Folan off and Jozy Altidore on.

Folan had grafted hard just as Ghilas but for all his bluster and hard work his first touch is just not good enough for the lone strikers role.

BANG, Altidore's first touch is a deft chest down and a swinging right foot chip over the Bolton back line. A swift footed Ghilas latches on and with a couple of touches and smashes it past the huge Finnish goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen.

In the two previous meetings between the Bolton and Hull City last season the fighting Finn had been the only thing between the Hull City and six vital Premier League points.

The introduction of Altidore by Hull City manager Phil Brown proved to be the crucial moment of the match. From a one sided match with Bolton looking like it was only a matter of time before they would walk away with the spoils from the Kingston Communication Stadium, the game was turned on it's head.

The New Jersey native breathed a new lease of life in to the Tigers and gave them the much needed strength up front. His hold up play was superb and with the extra space he created for the midfield to move forward it allowed the Tigers to go on the offensive.

For much of the game Geovanni the mercurial Brazilian had spent his time chasing the Bolton midfielder's shadows but with the extra space he was like a player reborn. He made some telling passes and runs. Not least a beautifully threaded pass for Alitdore who squandered the chance as he was dragged wide by the Bolton defense.

In another wonderful opportunity for the Tigers and Altidore, the American shot just wide of the Bolton post, leaving him holding his head in his hands in despair. Ghilas not to be left out had a beautiful shot ricochet off the crossbar that left him holding his head in his hands as well.

The Tigers ended the game in the acendancy and Gary Megson's Bolton team rueing their missed chances. Just like last season were the Tigers felt that it was only the fantastic play of Jääskeläinen, so will Bolton feel that it was the superb play of Hull City's other American, the Californian born Boaz Myhill that stopped them from gaining three valuable Premiership points.

Although, the Tigers were clearly second best for a huge chunk of the game Phil Brown will be left rubbing his hands in glee. His team were clearly a more potent force with Altidore in place of the toothless Folan.

The combined forward line of Altidore and Ghilas looks like a match made in heaven for the Hull City Gaffer. With influentiel players coming back for the Tigers in Craig Fagan and Jimmy Bullard set to return to full training in mid September things are looking rosy.

He will feel that in the remaining nine days of the transfer window he can sign a replacement for Sam Ricketts and an other striker and the team will be equipped to survive for another Premiership season.

Lucky Blues Sink Hull City

Carolina Tiger — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:48:26 -0400

In today's opening game of the 2009/10 Premier League season Chelsea's Didier Drogba's brace stole a well deserved point from Phil Brown's Hull City.

In the first early kick-off of the season, the Carlo Ancelotti's Blues came out with all guns blazing, with Drogba going close with a shot on goal from an Essien cross with in two minutes.

Chelsea piled on the pressure in the first 10 minutes but the Tigers held firm and then started to get into thte game more with some counter attacking football, with Dean Marney just heading over the Chelsea cross bar.

However, Chelsea did not sit back and pressed back pegging the Tigers in their own half before Stephen Hunt, who had fractured Petr Cech's skull whilst playing for Reading in 2005 season, scored from a shambolic piece of defending in the Chelsea penalty area.

This gave the Tigers a one-goal lead against the Premiership favourites, but it would not last for long. It was only nine minutes before referee Alan Wiley incorrectly penalised Seyi Olofinjana for a foul on John Mikel Obi four yards outside the Hull City penalty area.

With Frank Lampard and Drogba standing over the ball the Cote D'Ivoire international deftly floated the ball over the Hull City wall and past a disparing Boaz Myhill dive to level the tie at one a piece.

Hull City's Dean Marney was unfortunate to twist his knee in a robust challenge and was subbed by ex-England international and Hull native Nick Barmby on 43 minutes.

It would stay all square for the rest of the half with the Tigers hanging on to a very slender looking point.

Half Time score 1-1

Mikel replaced by Michael Ballack as the teams return for the second half.

In the second half the Blues yet again came out fired up but the stalwart Hull City defence were more than a match for the Blues. Ancelotti's team playing in his customary diamond formation seemed devoid of width and the Yorkshire team exploited this.

The Hull City midfield were channelling the powerful Chelsea team in to the middle of the field and nullifying almost every attack. The lone Hull City striker Caleb Folan chasing shadows trying to get a hold of the ball and hold it up for a Hull City counter when ever possible.

The Londoners came close on a few occasions but to no avail. On 66 minutes, Hull City's goal scorer Hunt, who had suffered from boos every time he was involved in the action, was replaced by Algerian international Kamel Ghilas. Chelsea also used their first substitution at this time, taking off Florent Malouda and bringing on the Portuguese International Deco.

Both subs invigorated their teams attacking options Ghilas was very lively and would come close on a couple of occasions, and Deco gave the Blues some much needed guile.

On 77 minutes, another substitution from both sides as Deiberson Geovanni is brought on for Hull City's Bernard Mendy and Salomon Kalou comes on to replace a lacklustre Nicolas Anelka.

The Tigers were penned in their own penalty area for long periods but yet again they managed to survive the Chelsea onslaught but with the fourth Official inexplicably revealed that six added minutes should be played.

The raising of the time board was greeted by load cheers from the Stamford Bridge faithful and a rueful smile from the Hull City manager.

Only two minutes later on 90+2 minutes Drogba received a wonderfully threaded pass from Deco in the left of the Hull City penalty area and with a speculative looping cross, found the back of the Hull City net.

Drogba was then booked for undue celebrating by the referee but it was all over as Chelsea then controlled possession.

Final Score 2-1

EPL Preview: Chelsea vs Hull City

Carolina Tiger — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:31:17 -0400

EPL Preview: Chelsea vs Hull City, Stamford Bridge, London, Saturday 15th August, 12:45BST.

Premier League survivers Hull City travel to Community Shield holders Chelsea for the opening game of the 2009/10 Barclays Premier League season.

In the same fixture last season the Tigers battled for a credible 0-0 draw that saw the Chelsea boss Phil Scolari receiving his marching orders from Roman "Oligarch'' Abramovich for his team's failings.

The Blues will be without the services of their new signing Yuri Zhirkov. The Russian signed from CSKA Moscow is unlikely to play due to a knee injury along with England's Joe Cole and Portugal's Paulo Ferreira who are both out with knee complaints.

The Tigers boss Phil Brown will have to blood some of his new signings due to the absence of Club Captain Ian Ashbee, current record signing Jimmy Bullard and Australian Richard Garcia who are all out with knee injuries.

Jozy Altidore will possibly be on the Tigers bench for Saturday's clash. After playing 30 minutes for the US National team in the high energy encoounter in Mexico's Azteca Stadium it thought that the young talent will have to wait till mid-week to make his full Premiership debut.

However, it suspected that Hull City's other new signings Stephen Hunt and Kamel Ghilas will start for the Tigers.

Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea team will be favourites to win after their win against the current Premier League Champions Manchester United in the FA Community Shield at Wembly Stadium.

The Italian who managed to stave off the advances of Manchester City's Mark Hughes for the services of John Terry will be hoping to get the 2009/10 campaign off to a flying start with three points at the expense of the Tigers.

Arsenal's Myopic Manager, Admits Lies

Carolina Tiger — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:37:35 -0400

Arsene Wenger, the "Emirates Mole," has opened a can of worms by admitting that he has lied to defend the actions of his players.

The Arsenal supremo said: "At times I saw it, and I said I didn’t to protect the player, because I could not find any rational explanation to defend him."

This admission comes in the wake of last season's "Fabregate" scandal, in which Hull City's assistant manager Brian Horton claimed to have been spat at by Arsenal's club captain, Cesc Fabregas.

When asked of the his captain's actions at the time, Wenger claimed he had seen nothing of the incident. Does this now mean that Wenger actually did see his captain spit at Horton?

Admittedly, Wenger fails to see how anyone could do such an act, but it would also mean that Wenger had brought the game into disrepute by failing to tell the truth during the FA's official investigation in to the incident.

In light of this new information, it would be prudent for the FA to keep a very close eye on Fabregas.

Hull City: Bobby Zamora Still a Cottager

Carolina Tiger — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 09:22:53 -0400

Fulham Boss Roy Hodgson thinks that Hull City target Bobby Zamora will reject the offer from Hull City's Phil Brown.

Hull City had tabled a bid for the out of tune striker that was accepted by the London club and passed a medical. However, Hodgson was reluctant to let him leave until a replacement was found.

Fulham had been trying to bring in Peter Crouch from Portsmouth but it now looks like the altitudinous striker my well be on his way to Tottenham Hotspurs to join up with his old coach Harry Redknapp.

This would leave Fulham sans replacement for Zamora, and Hull City once again out of luck in their striker search.

Hull City: Which Came First, the Chicken Or the Egg?

Carolina Tiger — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:31:07 -0400

Well we are almost a month into the summer transfer window and the Tigers are still without a summer signing.

We have been in open negotiations with a few players, not least Fraizer Campbell of Manchester United (following a season long loan to Spurs), Marc Antoine Fortune of Nancy, France (following a five month loan spell with West Brom) and now Bobby Zamora of Fulham. All strikers that we so desperately need but with no success in making a signing.

Why is this? Some people would say it is because Phil Brown chastised his charges on the field at Eastlands. Some would have you think it is just Phil Brown and his antics in general.

Some would say it is Paul Duffen's inability to handle players agents. Others would suggest that we won't meet player wage demands.

Whilst some people would argue that players don't want to be in a relegation battle all season long.

I would argue that it is all of them and none of them at the same time.

Currently we have failed to sign three strikers. Michael Owen who signed for Manchester United from relegated Newcastle United. This one is a "no-brainer" as our American cousins would say. Who in their right minds would sign for Hull City if they had the choice of signing for Manchester United?

Secondly Fraizer Campbell. He had a instrumental part to play in propelling Hull City into the Premiership with some all important goals in our promotion-winning season and is highly regarded by the management and the fans of Hull City. However he chose to join Sunderland where he sees there being more potential for his future.

Marc Antoine Fortune had a very successful loan spell with the Baggies at the Hawthorns where he displayed a degree of talent that drew attention to him from other clubs, not least Celtic when his former WBA manager took the vacant managerial position. Tony Mowbray managed to lure Fortune to Celtic with the promise of European football.

Now, the three high profile players that we have failed to sign so publicly show one thing from the club and the management in general and that is intent. Okay, we didn't manage to sign any of them and the loss of Campbell probably hurt most of all after his spell with the club, but it shows that we are not intent on just making up the numbers in the Premiership.

The reason they didn't sign for the Tigers was probably because they saw their futures panning out better at other clubs rather than with Hull City in the short term.

Ah, you say but Phil Brown's antics caused them to not sign? That may be the case but when Phil Brown started getting more and more brazen in his comments that saw his stock tumble in the media the team's performances had already started to take a nose dive.

Brown's attempt to stop the rot at Eastlands was an attempt to nip the slump in the bud. That Boxing Day game was on the end of a series of games that had seen us only record one win in ten games and that was a lucky 2-1 victory against Middlesborough. We had picked up only six points from a possible 30.

It would have been interesting to see how the second half of the season would have panned out if in the following game of the season the Tigers had clung on for the draw they clearly deserved. Aston Villa, who had been scoring freely in the Premiership up to that point, were the Tigers' opponents at the KC and they left with a very lucky victory.

This was compounded by the defeat to Everton in the next game where the Tigers out-played the Toffees only to lose to a side that should have been down to ten men within 15 minutes. To add insult to injury for the Tigers, Felliani—who should have got his marching orders—scored a grossly offside goal to seal the three points.

Phil Brown's attempts to nip the slump in the bud were the reason for his change in style with the media. His shenanigans were in my opinion a well-crafted attempt to draw attention away from his ailing side. Luck and good fortune were in full measure for the Tigers last season but when the chips were down for the East Yorkshire club Phil Brown drew attention to himself to deflect it away from his players.

During the club's tumble down the division Paul Duffen, who had proudly proclaimed that we could be in Europe next season, saw just how tough the Premier League can be, as we slid slowly down the division to rest on the knife edge of the relegation zone.

The club as a whole has had some very bad times in its long history, most of it in the past 10 years. Locked out of its ground. Bankruptcy, almost relegated out of the Football League altogether.

One of the things that the club has learned is that just throwing money at a problem is no way to have long term stability. You only have to look at other clubs that have speculated to accumulate, such as Leeds United; or even Newcastle United last season.

Adam Pearson, our previous Chairman, knew this after his time with Leeds United and he has passed this onto Paul Duffen the current incumbent of the Hull City chairmanship. Under his stewardship the club has taken its first tentative steps into the unknown land of the Premier League.

Every fan, and I am sure every member of the club from top to bottom, would have taken 17th place in the Premiership last season if offered that at the start of the campaign.

However, we haven't broken the bank in doing so. Even signing the unlucky Jimmy Bullard for a record £5 million fee wasn't going to break the bank for the club and still kept his wages within the club's wage structure.

This transfer window has raised a whole new set of challenges for the club. With the ridiculous money coming into the Premiership from the takeover of Manchester City to the £80 million that Real Madrid spent on Cristiano Ronaldo, it has artificially raised the prices of the most ordinary of players.

You only have to look at the money Fulham are asking for striker Bobby Zamora, a player that only scored two goals for the London club last season. Is £5 million a lot for a player with his goalscoring abilities? Add to this the amount of money he willl expect in wages and it makes for a difficult situation for the chairman.

Does Duffen bite the bullet and pay the money asked for Zamora and then have to pay the high wages he expects and in the process rip up the club's wage structure? It's a tough nut to crack but does the club want to end up going down the route of Leeds United?

Ultimately, the club ended up in 17th place despite a fantastic start to last season. Does any player want to be involved in a relegation battle all season long? I would suspect the answer to that one is, no.

Any player signing for Hull City should be in no doubt that the up-coming season would be a tough season but so too would a season with Wolves, Birmingham, and Burnley who won promotion last season.

In the mix with the newly promoted team and Hull City should be added Bolton, Blackburn, Portsmouth, Stoke City, Sunderland, and Wigan. All of these clubs know that it isn't easy to sign players to struggle through a tough season but all players want to play at the highest possible level.

When the big clubs have divided up the players they want then the rest of us strugglers will get to feed on their scraps. Like dogs around a medieval knights' table.

Ultimately it's still too early to gauge the success of the summer transfer window as there are still six weeks left for clubs to make that all important "blow your socks off" signing.

If by Aug. 31st Hull City haven't signed any strikers then I will worry but until then I will worry about the loss of Sam Ricketts to Bolton and the attempts of Manchester City and Spurs to poach Michael Turner away from the KC Stadium.

Oh, and stop blaming everything on Phil Brown.

Newcastle United Slash Price of New Away Shirt, Dubbed "Worst Kit of the Season"

Carolina Tiger — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:37:13 -0400

Newly relegated Championship side Newcastle United have slashed the price of their horrendous new away shirt for the 2009-2010 season.

Many newspapers and Web sites are calling the recently released shirt "the worst kit of the season." And it would appear Toon fans agree because the club has already reduced the price of the new shirt.

What do you think? Follow this link to see who has worst new kit in England so far?

Couldn't Hit a Barn Door With a Banjo Striker to La Liga

Carolina Tiger — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 10:02:59 -0400

Angolan striker Manucho has left Manchester United and signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Real Valladolid.

Manucho, who spent the second half of last season on loan with newly promoted Premiership side Hull City, scoring one goal in 13 games for the Tigers.

His solitary goal was an all-important last-minute winner against Fulham at Craven Cottage, to give the East Yorkshire outfit three much-needed points in their quest for Premier League survival.

Manucho had hoped to remain with the Tigers after his loan spell, but Paul Duffen and Phil Brown have decided that he was surplus to requirement at Hull City, so he returned to Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson has also seen fit to release the 26-year-old striker who has also had a loan spell with Panathiniakos whilst on Manchester United's books.

Fraizer Campbell To Be a Black Cat, Not a Tiger

Carolina Tiger — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:28:31 -0400

It was announced to day that Hull City's No. 1 transfer pick Fraizer Campbell will be heading to Sunderland's Stadium of Light, rather than his old home of the Kingston Communication Stadium in Hull.

Tiger's boss Phil Brown told the Hull Daily Mail that, "I took a phone call from Sir Alex (Ferguson) and he was apologetic that the player had not come to us. He firmly believed this was the right club for Fraizer but he's obviously getting advice from somewhere else."

The Tiger's tabled a successful £6m bid for the young English striker with Manchester United but due to the European Under 21 championships, and Campbell's advisors haggling with Manchester United for a severance package meant the transfer dragged on. This allowed Sunderland's new manager Steve Bruce the time to table a counter offer.

Bruce a long time admirer of Campbell tried to sign the forward last season to Wigan when both Hull City and Wigan were unsuccessful as Campbell was switched to Tottenham in a season long loan deal as part of the Berbatov deal.

Campbell is reported to have signed for £5m with the North Easts only Premiership club. Which would give the appearance of the player following the money train with Black Cats out bidding the Tigers who offered the player in excess of £1m a year in wages.

Michael Owen, Who Cares; He Obviously Doesn't

Carolina Tiger — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:07:24 -0400

Yeah, Michael Owen has made a great signing. Yeah, really, he has, hasn't he?

All the speculation over the past couple of weeks has been about Owen wanting to play first team football. This so that he can catch the eye of a certain Italian with an office at Lancaster Gate, London.

Has he done this or has he just made a move to help with his gambling and help pay for his love of horse racing?

I would say the latter.

By signing for Manchester United he has put himself firmly in the position of "Bench Warmer" for the famous Old Trafford club.

Okay, he may be thinking, that signing for Manchester United worked out well for Teddy Sherringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Sherringham signed as a veteran and Solskjaer who played a bit part at Old Trafford and both won Champion's League winners medals with the Red Devils.

The problem is that Owen for all his undoubted talents is way behind Berbatov and Rooney in the Manchester United Pecking order.

He is possibly even behind Frederico Machada and Danny Welbeck as well as anyone else that Sir Alex Ferguson signs before the summer transfer window closes. Ferguson is after all flush with a huge pile of cash after selling Christiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

Ah you say, all the top teams have huge schedules and they all rotate their teams to accommodate the needs of the team.

The problem for Owen is that to catch the eye of Fabio Capello he needs to be playing football. Whilst at Newcastle he hasn't played enough football or a good enough level, whether through injury of the poor quality of Newcastle's football.

He will get the level and quality of football at Manchester united but will he get the paying time he needs. Probably not, which leads to the problem of why he has actually signed for Manchester United?

It's all to do with money that's all. When Newcastle United fans were calling him mercenary because of his lack of interest and his huge weekly pay packet I was surprised but now I actually think they are right.

The Premiership: Greatest in The World Or the Most Boring?

Carolina Tiger — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:07:42 -0400

I have just been reading an article by one of our new writers about who can break the top four monopoly of the Premiership. They are in for a big shock if they ever really think another club can make a dent in the current regime.

It isn't football that is the problem but the Premier League which has ruined English football. The money that it generates for the top clubs is ridiculous and although some of it is distributed down to the Football League to teams in the lower divisions it is designed so the top clubs can retain their preeminence.

You only have to look at the teams that have won the Premiership in its first 16 seasons of existence. Only four teams have won it. Manchester United 10 times, Arsenal three times, Chelsea twice, and in the early days Blackburn Rovers once.

Now if you look at the 20-years before the emergence of the Premiership, Liverpool won the title 11 times, Arsenal twice, Everton twice, Leeds twice, Derby, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa once each.

Eight teams in total.

Now as you can see there was a major team of dominance during that time frame as well in Liverpool Football Club but the mix was different.

The runners up tell just as much about English football as anything. Arsenal were runners up four times, Manchester United and Chelsea three times, Newcastle United twice, and Aston Villa and Blackburn just once each during the Premiership years.

Before the Premiership yet again more variety in teams were involved in the championship race. Liverpool as the dominant team of the period were runners up seven times, Manchester United three times, Ipswich Town twice, Arsenal once along with Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Queens Park Rangers, Watford, Everton, and finally Southampton.

Now the fact that each generation or so generates great teams is with out question. From the turn of the 21st Century it has been Manchester United before them through the 80's and 90's it was Liverpool.

The 70's which is arguably one of the best periods of English football was a great mix. That era saw the dawn of the great Liverpool side that also ruled over Europe.

The 60's were the domain of Manchester United, the 50's Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 40's well we won't go there. In the 30's Arsenal ruled the roost, in the 20's it was Huddersfield Town, etc etc.

That one team is usually dominant is invariably because of a great managers rather than the actual teams. Sir. Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Liverpool's Paisley and Shankly. Brian Clough at both Nottingham Forest and Derby County in the 70's. In the 1960's Manchester United were under Sir Matt Busby, Wolves were marshaled by Stan Cullis, Arsenal by Herbert Chapman but before he moved south to Arsenal he took Huddersfield Town to three Football League Championships.

Now the Premiership has not changed the dominance of particular teams and that will always happen but what it has done is reduced it to a race for the super wealthy teams. The only teams that can keep up with the Manchester United or Arsenal's of this world are ones that have rich benefactors.

Chelsea were a good mid-table team that were bought by a mega-rich oligarch from Russia and overnight they were challenging for the Premier League title. That is the only way to break into the top of the table party anymore. Manchester City are currently trying this very same route with mixed results. Would Chelsea ever have won a title without Mr Abramovich as their owner? It is very doubtful.

For fans of teams like Hull City (my team), Spurs, Fulham etc. will we ever reach the zenith of English football? Probably not in this era of super rich clubs and the Premier League that is a closed shop to any team other than the top four.

The saddest part of this is that when other European leagues have for much of their pasts been two or three horse races the English top tier has been a mixed bag of teams vying for the title. In England 23 different clubs have won the title. In Italy it is 17 with an overall dominance of Juventus, AC Milan, and Internationale.

In Spain it is only nine different teams with Real Madrid and Barcelona the dominant teams.

This demonstrates that instead of improving the game for the better with more competition the Premiership has diluted the game into a set of mini leagues within the Premiership. There is the top four of five with includes Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, plus a super rich benefactor club or two.

Then the second tier of the Premiership is the teams that may be able to get a UEFA Cup spot, then followed by the relegation fodder mini league that will 99% of the time be fighting it out for survival.

If our Bleacher friend who wrote Cracking the Premier League's Big Four seriously thinks that Everton, Villa, Spurs or Fulham can do it, they are sadly mistaken. Manchester City are the only team that have a chance of cracking the big four but to have a dynasty such as Liverpool's or Manchester United's takes years to build and nurture.

Manchester City could do a Chelsea and buy on recent successes but unlike Chelsea who were flirting with UEFA Cup football under Matthew Harding, Manchester City have gone from one misadventure to another.

They never gave Keegan a chance so he jumped ship (as Keegan always does when the going gets tough), Pearce was sacrificed for Eriksson, who was sacrificed for Hughes.

Successful teams need stability, at least on this occasion Manchester City have not sacked Mark Hughes just because he struggled to construct a team out of his primadonnas and wanabe's.

Maybe, if Hughes is given time he could make the top four the top five but I seriously doubt it. If anything the top four will just change to a different top four with Manchester City replacing Chelsea; as Abramovich gets tired of bankrolling an unsuccessful team.

Are the Old Firm On the Finacial Slide?

Carolina Tiger — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:09:54 -0400

This is a question that has been niggling me for sometime, but recent comments from Glasgow Celtic's new boss Tony Mowbray has made me think this could be true.

In days gone by, the old firm of Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic have been able to duke it out with the the elite of English football on a relatively level playing field when it came to transfers and income.

You only have to look at Andreas Thom, Henrik Larsson, and Stiliyan Petrov for Celtic and Terry Butcher, Ray Wilkins, Paul Gascoigne, Lorenzo Amoruso, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, and Ronald De Boar at Rangers to see that both clubs have up until recently they have both had some great pulling power in the transfer market.

However, with only four huge games in the Scottish Premier League every season, the classic "Old Fird Derby" where Glasgow's finest clash head to head. There is little else in the way of substantial revenue in the SPL from playing revenue.

The lucrative television rights for the SPL are nowhere near as high as any of the big leagues in Europe. The English Premier League for example, gains £625 million from overseas television rights alone.The EPL earns approximately £2.7 billion from all sources per year, with individual clubs earning in the region of £45 million.

In 2004, the SPL agreed a television deal with Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports worth £54m over four years. In 2008, it was announced that a further four-year deal would commence for the 2010/11 season, with the deal worth £125m.

Unfortunately for the SPL, Setanta has gone into administration so that revenue stream has now disappeared and the SPL are currently in negotiations to find a new broadcaster.

This has lead to a drop off of the quality of players that the Glasgow clubs can actually afford to bring in. This week Celtic's new manager Tony Mowbray has been in a transfer "Tug-O-War" with Hull City over Marc-Antoine Fortune.

Mowbray had been Fortune's manager whilst on loan at West Bromwich Albion last season from French club Nancy, and had agreed a fee in the region of £1.5 million for him if WBA managed to retain Premier League status. Unfortunately for Mowbray and the Baggies this wasn't the case and the team were relegated.

However, in his time with Mowbray, Fortune made a favourable impression on the gifted manager who hoped to make Fortune his first signing at his new club.

Lamentably for Celtic they appear to have been out bid to the tune of £2.5 million by the Premiership club. More worrying for Mowbray and Celtic is that they appear not to be able to lure players to the club even though they have the offer or European Football, the great chance of winning Silverware.

The fact that Hull City, (however ambitious they are) one of the smaller Premiership clubs can take the lead over Celtic when it comes to transfers then the future doesn't look rosie for the famous old club.

Breaking News: Hull City and Michael Owen Agree on a Three-Year Deal

Carolina Tiger — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:31:11 -0400

Image is a mockup of a Sky Sports headline currently doing the rounds on the Internet.

It is reported that Michael Owen will be in talks with Hull City manager Phil Brown about a possible move to the Tigers sometime next week.

Brown told the Hull Daily Mail, "We'll speak to him within a week. I wouldn't sit down with him if I thought I was wasting my time."

Hull City Chairman Paul Duffen also stressed, "Michael's a consummate professional and is not going to talk to any club until his current contract with Newcastle expires on June 30, and therefore there's no active conversation."

Duffen added, "It's obviously a long shot because there'll be a number of other clubs lining up to turn his head in their direction as well, but it would be absolutely right to say we are very interested."

Brown also said, "I don't think Michael will go for the best financial offer. I don't think it's about that for him at this stage of his career. He'll want the best offer for his future.

"He needs to spend a high percentage of next season's games at the highest possible level, and that's where we can come in.

"There has been a lot of documentation about injuries and being unable to fulfil contracts because he can't get on the field of play.

"But as far as I'm concerned, with a good preseason under his belt, he's still a quality player."

It is rumoured that the Tigers would be offering in the region of £40,000 a week with £20,000 per game and £10,000 per goal.

Who Has The Worst New Kit In English Football, 2009/10?

Carolina Tiger — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:41:42 -0400

Possibly the greatest football shirt ever designed. The 1992/3 Hull City home shirt. A cornucopia of amber and black delicately fused in a tiger skin motif to celebrate the Tiger's aggressive nature. Oh, and a huge dollop of Bonus on the front as well. Often voted the worst football shirt ever but if you are a Tiger's fan it's a beautiful classic to be savoured. However, with the new season only a few agonizingly long weeks away I though I would take a look at some of the new offerings and see if any of the new kits will grace the top worst kits of all time pantheon.

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