1. There’s much speculation about Nigel Adkins being made to wait for a new contract from the characteristically inept Allams. But isn’t there a possibility that even if he is eventually offered one, he opts against staying? His public utterances thus far indicate a willingness to stay, but frustration is clearly mounting. He must know he’ll have a reduced budget to work with and a squad once again stripped of everyone saleable. The Allams set City up for a relegation battle this season, and it’s only because of the efforts of the manager and his players that we thrillingly pulled clear of it. But for a long time, that looked unlikely. 2. Next season will be worse. Bowen will be off to the Premier League, while Grosicki will once again want to leave. Fraizer Campbell is making dissatisfied noises about the club’s lack of interest in his retention, while David Marshall is out of contract. It’s clear that anyone of quality who may have the temerity to earn a wage commensurate with that ability is going. So we ask again: the Allams aren’t busting a gut to keep Adkins, or retain any of the tools he’ll need. Why would he even want to stay? 3. Let’s continue our thought experiment and suppose that Adkins does opt against staying. What then? There’s always, ALWAYS someone who’ll want the job, no matter how wretched the owners are and how unpromising the circumstances may be. But that isn’t a prospectus for attracting the brightest and the best. Adkins has proven us wrong when we thought he was something of a bargain basement appointment, and we hold our hands up to that. But next time we go manager shopping, it’s hard to imagine us getting anything close to his quality. It’ll be League two cast-offs, in charge of League one players. And that isn’t how you avoid bottom place. It’s almost as if the Allams’ primary concern is with driving the club into the ground, isn’t it? 4. Markus Henriksen sounds very much like a man weighing up his future options, doesn’t he? Let’s face it, Ligue 1 Bordeaux or preparing-for-a-relegation-battle-to-the-third-tier Hull City? It isn’t an impossibly tough choice to make, and the fact that City opted to extend his contract suggests the club know which way the captain is leaning. We’d certainly miss him if he went. 5. Ipswich at the weekend. They’ve won three times all season, lie an impossibly distant 13 points from safety and will be in League One next season. Even overhauling a stricken Bolton to finish in the top 23 looks a tall order for the Championship’s longest serving occupants. Do we need to brace ourselves for some world-class TypicalCity, or are we finally about to reverse this patch of poor form away from home? Hmm. 6. That leads us into two extremely winnable home matches, Reading then Wigan – 21st and 19th as we speak. They’ll both have plenty to play for, with the final relegation place still open to quite a few teams. At least it’s none of our concern any more. 7. The accounts are out! And they reveal that Allamhouse – City’s parent company owned by the Allams – has seen its profits fall markedly. That’s interesting, but not wholly unexpected. There were no major player sales, parachute payments are coming to an end and club policy is to deter supporters from attending games, so it isn’t a surprise that City’s contribution has fallen. It’ll only get worse. It was interesting to see the engineering division showing reduced turnover, however. Wonder what’s happening at Allam Marine? 8. Tomorrow is the first fans’ meeting with the club of the year, and the first in quite a long time. As usual, plenty of those with the ability to represent fans have been excluded, most notably the Hull City Supporters’ Trust. The club’s infantile approach towards the largest fans’ group is absolutely pathetic, and their attempts to spin this as somehow not their fault last week were pitiful. Until the club invites supporters and supporters’ groups who can genuinely collate concerns and feed back to the fanbase, everyone will rightly conclude that this is a pointless box-ticking exercise. 9. One side City seem certain to finish ahead of is Birmingham. They were deducted nine points last week for breaching new sustainability guidelines, which has taken from the fringes of the play-offs to the fringes of the relegation places – though in truth, they’ll probably do what they were always going to do, and stay in the division. There are also no future penalties – no transfer embargo, or fines, so they’ll start next season with a clean slate. So is that enough? Nine points sounds a lot, and many Championship clubs would suffer their loss considerably. But if you’re stuck in midtable with the season approaching its end, losing them is no big deal. It isn’t clear quite how Birmingham have been punished here. 10. No City at the weekend, so no podcast this evening. Back next Monday to review the Ipswich game.
Yeah, spot on as usual - but perhaps the words 'it's almost as if' (at the end of point 3) aren't really needed.
That's just childish and playing to the gallery... No wonder they pick and choose who they meet. No point in meeting with people who have well-publicised hostile or confrontational opinions. They're multi-millionaires ffs, they don't waste their time discussing pie forks and bogus fire alarms.
Not sure what you are trying to say there City Man. Are you really suggesting that our owners are NOT running the club into the ground? Have you not noticed how few people now attend home matches for example? Childish? Surely the most childish issue here is the Allams not having the maturity to admit that they got things wrong, very wrong. That and going out of their way to upset people. 'Pick and choose who they meet?' They have hardly ever met anyone have they? They don't even attend the meetings with their very own hand picked fans now do they? The 'bogus fire alarm' highlighted some serious safety issues - it became clear that the stewards in the KCOM stadium were completely unaware of what to do.
I think it's an insult to call the team without Bowen Growshitski and Campbell league one players. A right ****ing insult tbh Lichaj. De Wijs Burke Kingsley Batty Stewart League one my arse.
Number 3. I would suggest the Allams did sign a bargain basement manager. Luckily he reverted to Scunthorpe/Southampton form rather than Reading/Pigs form. For that I give him immense credit, Adkins that is, not **** number 1 and 2.
Q. Are you really suggesting that our owners are NOT running the club into the ground? A.They fund the club as they see fit.They are the owners. They are not bothered about other people's opinions. Q. Have you not noticed how few people now attend home matches for example? A, Having thousands of new fans who haven't known adversity doesn't help. I've also reluctantly concluded that the Hull (and ER) public are somewhat fickle. Q.Childish? Surely the most childish issue here is the Allams not having the maturity to admit that they got things wrong, very wrong. That and going out of their way to upset people. A.They are the owners - they aren't answerable to the man in the street Q.'Pick and choose who they meet?' They have hardly ever met anyone have they? They don't even attend the meetings with their very own hand picked fans now do they? A.They are the owners- they have better things to do. Q.The 'bogus fire alarm' highlighted some serious safety issues - it became clear that the stewards in the KCOM stadium were completely unaware of what to do A.Why does this need the Allams' personal involvement???
I realise that you are one of the few remaining fans of our owners but surely even you must realise there are many things wrong at Hull City AFC but 'having thousands of new fans' certainly isn't one of them and nor is it likely to be an issue until long after the Allams have left.
Chortle I realised they were wrong uns after Barmby (best footballer this city has ever produced) was unceremoniously gagged and dumped. That was about 6 months after the excellent Pearson/Walsh/ Shakespeare were forced out and gagged.That;s when the doubts started. All these gagging orders eh? What is there to hide? Signs of ruthless and unsentimental businessmen, and dispensing with two winning and respected managers was conclusive proof these two had a different agenda. Meanwhile many on here chose to rubbish Pearson then Barmby rather than see the elephant in the room. So sadly I was on their case before most on here, who now belatedly hurl childish and harmless insults at them.(Helpful hint: they are thick-skinned and busy millionaires who don't fret about petulant forum posters) Why bother?
OK happy to stand corrected on that front. I also had concerns in the very early days and for similar reasons too. Not sure that being millionaires makes them thick skinned or immune to criticism. I think they are very weak and cowardly. They have not shown themselves to be capable of meaningful or constructive debate. Remember the time Amanda White interviewed Assem and showed him up to be the disrespectful bully that he is. Historically Assem got lucky, very lucky for a number of reasons which isn't necessarily down to being a clever businessman. I know that people will say that demonstrating or complaining won't change anything but I believe people said the same when others complained about apartheid and getting votes for women, etc. Just like them - we will win in the end!
But protests won't do it. They don't attend games. They will leave when they can sell it at their price, whenever that may be.
Your more recent posts seem to me, to be appologist. Have you embraced the dark side? Are you blaming Hull City fans for this mess we're in? Or did you just fancy a bit of wumness in your life? In short. Stop been ****
Or realising that the petty vindictive childish ****s are holding all the aces. They are not going until they want to. Sad but true.
And after 5 years of 'Enob' this and 'Clown' that, nowt has changed. What use is this daily name calling? Is there any sign of it having an effect yet?
Protests won't do it? Maybe not - but they did say the same about protests against apartheid in South Africa and women protesting about not having the right vote and the women at Greenham Common, etc. I don't think all the name calling was ever expected to change anything - but it probably makes people feel slightly better. Sell it at their price? Maybe they will eventually or maybe they will just continue to run the club into the ground.
