2012/2013: 2nd (Championship)
Transfer(s) In: Yannick Sagbo (Evian, Undisc), Danny Graham (Sunderland, Loan), Steve Harper (Newcastle, Free), Allan McGregor (Rangers, £2 Million), Curtis Davies (Birmingham, £2 Million), George Boyd (Peterborough, Free), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Athletic, Free), Ahmed Elmohamedy (Sunderland, £2 Million), Calaum Jahraldo-Martin (Dulwich, Free), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham, £5 Million), Jake Livermore (Tottenham, Loan), Mohamed Nagy (Al-Ahly, Loan), Medo (Al-Ahly, Loan)
Transfer(s) Out: Corry Evans (Blackburn Rovers, Undisc), Andy Dawson (Scunthorpe United, Free), Seyi Olofinjana (Sheffield Wednesday, Loan)
Transfers Review:
As you can see from the lists above, Hull's incomings this campaign far outstrip their sales this summer. This clearly implies their intentions and their spending power, with their Egyptian owners clearly happy to splash the cash. In Yannick Sagbo and Danny Graham they have two strikers highly capable of scoring goals in the Premier League. The Tigers have also improved their defence, with Curtis Davies and Maynor Figueroa having the necessary Premier League experience to keep them in the league this year. Goalkeepers in McGregor and Harper will also be very useful in their first season back in the top flight.
Similarly to the other two promoted clubs, Hull have managed to keep hold of many of their top players from their promotion winning season. Players like Sone Aluko and Robbie Brady will have been wanted by several other clubs, and Hull will do well to hold onto them until the end of the window. This, coupled with the incomings, leave Hull with a promising squad for survival at the end of May 2014.
Pre-Season:
Hull's pre-season was dominated by the news that, due to the commercial benefits, the club's name would be changed, from the traditional Hull City AFC, to the more commerically attractive Hull City Tigers. This has been met by mixed reviews from the Hull City fans, and football fans in general. My personal opinion is that this can only be a negative move for football. I dislike the changing of the majority of stadium names (having lived in Newcastle I am well aware of the anger a name change can make-Sports Direct Arena!), and I think that changing the name of the club is an even worse step. Even more annoying, rather than just changing the ending from 'City' to another generic name like 'United', they have added the club's nickname 'Tigers' to the end. In my opinion, this makes Hull City sound more like an MLS team, where ridiculous names like San Jose Earthquakes and Montreal Impact are commonplace. I would hate to see a Premier League with names like 'Manchester Volcanoes' or the 'Chelsea Rhinos'. Whilst Hull's suffix at least has some relevance to the club, other foreign owners may not be so considerate of the traditions of the club.
In terms of their matches, Hull started their preparations for their first season in the Premier League for 3 years with a couple of matches against Championship opposition. Matches that the newly promoted Premier League side would have expected to win. However, they left those matches without a victory. Beginning with a boring 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday, they moved onto Birmingham, where they lost a tight game 2-1. After these disappointments, they moved back to their home ground, with a final match against Real Betis. There they produced a much more promising performance, with goals from Danny Graham and Sone Aluko before the break. George Boyd topped the match off with a third, as Hull won 3-0. This is the perfect platform for the start of the Premier League season, as the Tigers will want to carry their form into the league.
Key Players:
The first player that I believe will be able to make the transition from the Championship to the Premier League is George Boyd. The ex-Peterborough man only recently made the step up from relegation battle to promotion push, and I feel he will take the next step in his stride. Scoring on a regular basis, the Englishman quickly became an integral part of the Hull City setup, and he will continue to do so in the Premier League.
Secondly, I think that Allan McGregor will play a crucial role in any success Hull has. A goalkeeper of proven ability and continental experience, McGregor will relish the opportunity to get back to the highest level of football, after a couple of years in the wildnerness in the Scottish lower leagues. He will also be critical in terms of defensive organisation and will aid in the keeping any clean sheets and victories the promoted side gets.
Key Fixture Dates:
24/08/2013: Hull vs Norwich
14/09/2013: Hull vs Cardiff
23/11/2013: Hull vs Crystal Palace
14/12/2013: Hull vs Stoke
18/01/2014: Norwich vs Hull
28/01/2014: Crystal Palace vs Hull
22/02/2014: Cardiff vs Hull
29/03/2014: Stoke vs Hull
Top Goalscorer:
After a season of anonymity since his break-through onto the Premier League scene, I strongly suspect that Danny Graham will find form again at Hull. At Swansea, he had proven that he had the ability to find the net on multiple occasions, and I expect him to recover that when given regular football. In his second season in the Premier League, neither Swansea, nor Sunderland provided the right fit for the English striker. Hull, I believe, will provide the right type of football for Graham to thrive.
Prediction:
Of all of the promoted teams, I fancy Hull to be the one to beat the drop. There is always one side that performs better than expected, and I fully expected this year to be Hull's year. If we remember the last time that Hull were promoted, they had a superb start only to fall to within points of relegation by the end of the season. I suspect that the same may be the case this time, but I am certain that most Hull fans would take that now if it were offered! Their experience and key members of the team mean that I believe that Hull are the best equipped of the three, and I think that there are three teams that are worse than the Tigers.
Hull City 2013/2014: 15th
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