It's an understandable comment, people simply haven't heard of our players because they aren't big names and haven't been famous before coming to us. They will be known before long though like the other players at recently promoted teams. Aluko, Brady, Chester, Meyler, Quinn are all definitely fine for the PL and I'd suggest that Hobbs, Rosenior, Dudgeon, Boyd and others will do a decent job too. We'll need to add a couple of stars, particularly up front but so does every team.
In 2008 a lot of people were saying the players coming up weren't good enough. Many proved them wrong - in fact our best players in the Championship (Windass and Brown) were the one's who couldn't step up. We still brought in a new team to help. We did well until Brown panicked and changed our tactics. This year even the mid-table clubs are willing to spend £10m on strikers. We need to be spending £3m - £8m and/or £30k - £50k per week on the most needed players and £20k - £30k per week on some others. If we shop in the bargain basement too often we'll be relegated.
I agree in your assessment about the players and as you say we need some stars. We also need more players because the number you mention plus 2 stars is only 11.
To be fair - how many did 'step up'? Ash, Turner, erm is that about it? Bo was regularly dropped for Duke, Daws was very hit and miss, people say Ricketts but forget he was dropped for McShane and that coincided with our best ever run. Most of the others were new signings.
Ricketts was suspended/injured (one of the two) and then Macca came into the team when we were on a good run so obviously Brown didn't want to change a winning team, and I'm pretty sure Ricketts went left back for a while didn't he?
Nah, Mcshane was left back and not right back. Wasnt he?!? I remember everyone raving about him cos he was out of position. And he signed Macca after the 1-5 home drubbing to Wigan making his debut in the 1-2 away win at the Jawdies. I thought Ricketts was dropped not injured / suspended.
Macca only played right back. Ricketts occasionally played LB but mainly RB. Ricketts was sent off against Sunderland so that could be the suspension CityCalv was talking about.
Ash, Turner, Myhill and Dawson (occasionally) made the step up. Myhill should never have been dropped for Duke, that was a completely stupid decision on PB's part.
Ignorance is bliss. Something similar back in 2008 was also written and look what happened and where we were come Xmas time ? Lol.
The squad we have now is miles better Quality Wise than what we started with in 2008. Once Bruce adds the players he wants then i am expecting a Southampton(2012./13) type season for Hull City.
To be fair, Hull do have alot of unknowns in your squad, the reporter should have researched your team in more detail though. Bruce always has his teams well organised and up for it, but I think you will struggle for goals. As a Saints fan I know what its like when everyone writes your team off. We managed to prove them correct in the first 10 games when we shipped 28 goals( a PL record ) and managed only a few points on the board, but then the team settled, we changed afew players like Shaw for Fox, Cork came back from injury and we went on an unbeaten 12 game streak. During the season we have beaten Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool and ran Man Utd close twice, yet we also lost to QPR and Wigan. Your squad may be abit thin and you may suffer like Reading, however I believe the gulf between to Championship clubs and most PL clubs is not that great. It annoys when people write off clubs like Hull saying clubs like Leeds, sheffield or Forrest should be in the top flight as they are big clubs, you have earned your chance to play the big boys over the course of last season and I wish you all the best, except against The Glorious Saints of course.
The longer it goes without the likes of white ****e, forest and the wendies getting back in the PL, the more the likes of Hull City (bigger population than Soton as well) will be thought of as a so called big Club. Come on you Tigers.
