The secret of Hull City’s success

Phill Brown

Hull City’s success story is one of the most remarkable ones in football history. The club has managed to climb from the fifth bottom of League Two (fourth division in England) to sixth place in the Premier League in just five years. Hull’s recent rise started in 2003/04 season, when the Tigers finished runners up in League Two, repeating their success next season in League One, which gave them chance to play in the Championship.

That was a remarkable success in just two years, but a lot of people thought that Hull has nothing to look for in the Championship. The first two seasons in the second tier of English football saw them fight for survival, but they were successful both years. Chairman Adam Pearson decided to step down the following year, stating that he had taken the club as far as he could, and the club was sold to consortium led by current chairman Paul Duffen. Phil Brown took over as manager in 2006, and he did a great job in the next two years. After two years of relegation struggle, the team surprised everyone by qualifying for the play offs, where they managed to win the final at Wembley, with Hull native Dean Windass scoring the winning goal.

Thus, Hull qualified for the Premier League, and Phil Brown had a big job to do and prepare the team for one of the strongest competitions in the World. Everybody knows that the gap between Premier League and Championship is enormous, and Brown needed to significantly reinforce his squad. He faced a difficult task, as Hull is a low profile club, and it was difficult to attract players despite the Premier League status. While he knew that he needs new players, Brown didn’t want to impair team spirit that was a big part of their success. He opted to bring good players, but those who had their chance at the big stage, and for one reason or another didn’t make it. They were desperate for another chance, and prepared to give their best to help team’s cause. Another positive is that they were available at discount prices.

Some of you have maybe forgotten Brazilian Geovanni, who was once a big hope of Barcelona, but couldn’t fulfill his potential. Bernard Mendy is former PSG player, who alighted the Premier league with his performances while on loan at Bolton, but he too didn’t progress as it was expected. Marlon King and Daniel Cousin are some of the players looking to prove themselves in the Premier League. Still, Brown believes in players like Ashbee and Dawson who have been playing with Hull through the whole league system, and they are both the part of the starting eleven even in the Premier League.

Team spirit is something that keeps all these players together, and it brought them the status of the biggest surprise in the Premier League this season. Players’ work rate is unbelievable, and Phil Brown has to take credit for that. Even though he has a large squad, he was able to explain the players that they are all part of the team, and this produced excellent results. Even though Hull was predicted swift return to the Championship, the Tigers have battled bravely and already won 11 points after six rounds, with the win at the Emirates the highlight of their campaign. It was expected that Brown will discard his attacking style of play, and field just one striker, but he didn’t do that. Even he didn’t attack Arsenal, as that would be a suicide, he did something similar by not fielding only both King and Cousin, but also Geovanni behind them, in an attempt to hit the hosts on counterattacks. It was a very brave thing to do, but that is something that differentiates big managers from the average ones. The tactic produced excellent results and Hull City won that game, leaving the Gunners shocked.

Kingston upon Hull is buzzing at the moment, and the team has given their fans a lot to be proud of. Their first Premier League season has started brilliantly, and everybody will hope that continues for as long as possible. The players will continue to fight like the Tigers, led by magnificent Phil Brown, and only good can come from that approach. Whatever happens, Hull City’s success will remain one of the most extraordinary football stories ever ‘written’.

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