Premier League Relegation 2015: Hull City Join QPR, Burnley in the Championship
May 24, 2015
Hull City were relegated to the Championship on Sunday as Newcastle United obtained the win they needed to ensure survival.
The Tigers join Queens Park Rangers and Burnley in the lower league next term after their goalless draw with Manchester United on the final day of the Premier League season.
Manager John Carver's Geordie side beat West Ham 2-0 at St James' Park—with billionaire owner Mike Ashley displaying a huge smile of relief from the stands.
Here is the final Premier League table, confirming the worst for Hull City manager Steve Bruce and Co.
| Final Premier League Standings | |||||||||
| # | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Chelsea | 38 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 73 | 32 | 41 | 87 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 38 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 83 | 38 | 45 | 79 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 38 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 71 | 36 | 35 | 75 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 62 | 37 | 25 | 70 |
| 5 | Spurs | 38 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 58 | 53 | 5 | 64 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 52 | 48 | 4 | 62 |
| 7 | Southampton | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 54 | 33 | 21 | 60 |
| 8 | Swansea | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 46 | 49 | -3 | 56 |
| 9 | Stoke | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 48 | 45 | 3 | 54 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 47 | 51 | -4 | 48 |
| 11 | Everton | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 48 | 50 | -2 | 47 |
| 12 | West Ham | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 44 | 47 | -3 | 47 |
| 13 | WBA | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 38 | 51 | -13 | 44 |
| 14 | Leicester | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 46 | 55 | -9 | 41 |
| 15 | Newcastle | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 40 | 63 | -23 | 39 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 38 | 7 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 53 | -22 | 38 |
| 17 | Aston Villa | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 31 | 57 | -26 | 38 |
| 18 | Hull City | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 33 | 51 | -18 | 35 |
| 19 | Burnley | 38 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 28 | 53 | -25 | 33 |
| 20 | QPR | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 42 | 73 | -31 | 30 |
| Source: PremierLeague.com | |||||||||
Toothless Tigers Fail In Their Quest
In a game which meant nothing to Manchester United, with their Champions League berth secured, Hull City had the perfect chance to apply pressure to Newcastle and force the Geordies to face their own demons.
But instead, Bruce's side were unable to break down United despite the referee sending off Marouane Fellaini and an early injury to Angel Di Maria—and Newcastle found the result they were looking for at St James' Park.
TalkSport host Adrian Durham berated both teams on show at the KC Stadium:
Hull have only won EPL games back-to-back just the once this season, per Squawka.com, and have lost seven of their last 12 league games.
But it was the start of the season when the team lost vital points, winning only two of their first 17 games, winning away once during that period—on the opening day of the season against QPR.
The Guardian's David Conn has pointed the finger at the owners of the club, with the ongoing dispute between fans and chairman Assem Allam often overshadowing events on the football pitch:
It was a happy last day for John Carver at Newcastle, who grabbed their first win in the Premier League since Feb. 28. The 2-0 defeat of West Ham was not a surprise, considering manager Sam Allardyce's impending exit at the Hammers, per BBC Sport, and Newcastle's own desperation.
Goals from Moussa Sissoko and Jonas Gutierrez were enough to save the Geordies and send the home crowd into utter delirium.
Match of the Day's Gary Lineker gave credit to Gutierrez, who recently returned to the first team after serious illness:
Newcastle should never have been involved in the relegation dogfight—but the tenure of Carver has been a disaster for the football club. The team won five consecutive matches before Christmas but after only won another five from their remaining 26 games of the season, per Squawka.
This will surely be Carver's last game as head coach, despite Ashley's insistence on stamping his personal business mandate on the club. The team needs to find itself an inspirational manager who will lead the Geordie army, and Carver has proved he is not able.
However, Bruce should remain as boss of Hull in the Championship and retain the hub of his squad—who will perform in the second tier. They have battled in the majority of games this term but have struggled to convert, with lady luck often against them.
Hull can bounce straight back up, but they must give Bruce the financial tools to do so. Otherwise, a sustained period outside of the EPL will occur for the Tigers.