Joker Jimmy

Based on the big point they picked up in Eastlands against favoured Manchester City (1:1) and the recent good results, it seems that Hull City players are on their way out of the crisis. Two wins and two draws in the last four games and four points ahead of the relegation zone give them the right to believe that the new positive stage is ahead of them. Is it just form or something else?

The start of last season, their Premiership debut was a dream come true for popular Tigers that made it to elite through the play-offs. They won games in continuity and also took three points from Arsenal at Emirates Arena, a point from Liverpool at Anfield and almost snatched a point at Old Trafford. Manager Phil Brown was thrilled, but then started the fall. The crucial moment of the fall is the end of December 2008, in the game against Manchester City, when Brown on halftime with the terrible result 1:4 took his players out on the pitch in front of Hull fans and gave them a public lecture about their attitude towards the play and the jersey they are wearing.

The picture of ashamed and humiliated players in orange-black jerseys dragging their feet behind their boss is available online and since that moment nothing worked in the team. Hull managed to win only one more game until the end of the season, having taken only eight points and barely survived in the Premiership thanks to goal margin. Last season’s final game was the biggest disaster, when Hull had to win Manchester United juniors to survive but they were terrible on the pitch and deserved to lose. Fortunately for them, Newcastle were even worse and they were the ones to go down.

Summer transfer window was equally terrible, as almost none of established Premiership players wanted to come to Kingston-upon-Hull. They got off to a poor start this season and Brown was the main contender for the first sack in Premiership season 2009/10. Instead of sacking the manager, the club changed the president and Adam Pearson is now managing the club. Brown got the support of the club and the players united around the manager, which resulted in few good results.

How they managed to unite is beyond me. No job can be done right when the people are not getting along. Even though Brown claimed that he didn’t regret his unusual method last year, it was obvious that the players responded to that on the pitch. They also found it in them to support the boss in his last attempt to change their destiny. The midfielder that was the pillar of Fulham and Wigan, excellent Jimmy Bullard, the power engine of the team, great technician and motivator has recovered and he is back in the team. Bullard earned the trust of his boss and after the goal against Manchester City he performed a little parody on him.

Celebrating the Hull goals, scored through a penalty, Bullard sat his teammates in front of Hull fans and with raised index finger imitated his boss from last seasons’ lecture. Phil Brown also laughed at this, showing that he got the joke and this mantra seems to have finally chased away the evil spirits from Tigers’ locker room. They obviously needed to settle that to start over. I believe that there is a lot of unused potential at KC stadium and Hull management and the players have definitely left the past behind.

Welcome back, Tigers!

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