Lucky buggers. What a life. These lot come good and we're in for a good season. Lots of potential. Five Hull City players who must step up in pre-season Hull City reporter Philip Buckingham selects five men who have to make an impression when training for the Championship campaign resumes this week. 16:00, 24 JUN 2018 Updated16:11, 24 JUN 2018 Hull City play their opening fixture against Aston Villa in six weeks. Nigel Adkins will expect to strengthen a depleted squad but there are several within his current group who need a big pre-season to show they can step up and fill voids left by others. David Marshall If a City career began badly in 2016 as the exposed figure behind a porous defence in the Premier League, they have got little better since for the experienced Scot. Just two league starts have come in the last 18 months and last season was effectively a write-off when serving as understudy to Allan McGregor. The exit of City’s Player of the Season last month, however, has now left the door wide open for Marshall to step up in 2018-19. please log in to view this image Hull City goalkeeper David Marshall Nigel Adkins has often praised the keeper’s professionalism in trying circumstances at the KCOM Stadium but Marshall must now prove he can fill McGregor’s shoes. Although there is currently no senior alternative for Adkins to consider, Marshall will know the next six weeks can set the tone for a season of resurrection. Stephen Kingsley A first season at the KCOM will not be remembered fondly following a groin injury that cost him six months but Kingsley’s return in the closing weeks of last term were encouraging. The five starts included the excellent results at Wolves and Burton and showed Adkins he had a dependable figure to call on at left-back. Kingsley will believe there is far more to come when back up to match speed, something that should come with a clear run through pre-season. Kevin Stewart The midfielder called his first season with City “annoying” after starting just 10 Championship figures and there is still much to do before he can justify the £4m outlay that brought him in from Liverpool last summer. A delayed start to Stewart’s season did not help when sitting out a lengthy period with an ankle injury and he will want to begin the new campaign at full speed. please log in to view this image Kevin Stewart of Hull City (Image: Focus) There are certainly openings in the City midfield. The departures of David Meyler and Seb Larsson leaves only Markus Henriksen and Dan Batty as rivals for those two central roles. Adkins is expected to land another midfielder but Stewart can at least promote his claims with a big pre-season through July. James Weir Two years after flying the Manchester United nest with ambitions of playing regular first-team football, Weir is still awaiting his break. The versatile midfielder will turn 23 on the season’s opening weekend and he will hope pre-season can help him earn a timely present after a campaign lost to knee surgery. Weir is yet to start a league game for the Tigers and that lack of experience leaves him at a clear disadvantage in a squad already short of Championship regulars. please log in to view this image James Weir, training in the 2016/17 campaign. Adkins, the fourth different manager he has worked under at the KCOM, will offer a clean slate in the coming weeks but it will be an uphill challenge to establish himself as a lead figure in the head coach’s plans. Will Keane After spending 16 months on the sidelines with the second major knee operation of his career, Keane admits he did not want last season to end after finally breaking his goalscoring duck in City colours. The summer break will have allowed Keane to restock but he will know this could be the biggest season of his career on the horizon. Nouha Dicko and Fraizer Campbell are the competition for now and forcing his way beyond those two with a productive pre-season has to be the first target. please log in to view this image Will Keane of Hull City battles with Joe Ralls (Image: Getty) Perhaps enjoying a campaign free of injury is the only real aim for Keane but soon to enter the final 12 months of his City contract, he has to deliver in front of goal in 2018-19.
suppose thats enough to play 5's, How does positive Nige get team morale up and sell the dream to the players when in reality they can look round and think we are ****ed
I think we only have 16. Marshall Lichaj Kingsley Mazuch MacDonald Stewart Henriksen Irvine Toral Evandro Weir Grosicki Bowen Keane Dicko Campbell Grosicki and Irvine are at the World Cup. MacDonald and Mazuch are injured aren't they? So that's 12. Wonder who the other two missing are? Maybe Lichaj is getting time to move over here?
Can you imagine what the players must be thinking and how they must be feeling? Yeah, of course they're earning good money and are doing what most of us would love to do for a living. But, to have been sold the story (ex PL club aiming to be challenging to return blah blah), only to find out they're caught up in an ongoing car crash. They would have had options but swallowed the lies hook line and sinker. You could say it serves them right, at least those who joined more recently, as they only had to look back at whats been happening since before Bruce left. Stitched up, just like Nige will now be feeling. Here we go again. Utter shambles.
Yes those 5 have under performed. But I think the pivotal player for us next season will be Markus Henriksen. He has quality, he has a good engine and he is an established international. He can be the fulcrum of a team, that’s a TEAM, that drags City out of this ****storm. I hope he’s up for the challenge.
Whats amusing me is the terminology/tripe being spouted in the press regarding there sale of Bowen. Something along the lines of being sold to finance a promotion push!!!
So thats 7 signings to come (or 9 whe Bowen & Grosicki move on). Should be an exciting 4 weeks of transfer activity ahead.
