Serious question. I keep thinking we've done well and played really good football only to get home and see we actually had 30-odd percent possession and 1 shot on target all game. Our stats make us look like we've been battered most weeks. Even at home against West Ham and Norwich they looked appalling. Are the stats misleading or are we thinking we're better than we are due to some very tight wins?
I think we are very good apart from the fact WE STILL DON'T CARRY A GOAL THREAT! That is making life difficult for the whole of the rest of the team and making life easy for our opponents. If only we'd got Long I think we would be at least 4 points better off than we are right now. Let's hope we can somehow hang on in there until January!
I think we are the best Hull City team that has ever been. Even in the games we have lost it wouldn't have been a surprise if we'd got something. The next month however will be critical. A good start can be quickly thrown away by a string of poor results.
Tottenham away will be tricky - presume Livermore can't play. Then a game we should be scoring highly in Sunderland at home, presume Graham can't play in that one (if fit)
By our (Hull City) standards we are very very good, by Premier League standards we are mid table, enjoy.
I'd say pretty decent so far this season, a lot of possession stats are the other team just passing it around with no threat going forward. There was at least 1 game this season where we had greater possession & it was all just keeping the ball. Spurs is tricky but next month we have 2 games we must win, Sun'lan & Palace. Hopefully we can get the monkey of Liverpool off our back too & get 3 points, however I'm never optimistic about November as it always seems to fall apart in that month. Hopefully not this year though!
We'll be fine against Spuz, we've got Alex Bruce to come in and fill the defensive midfield role. (I should get a fee for this!!!)
We are currently the highest placed team out of all the ones which might have a possibility of going down. (I suppose Southampton is slightly debatable - but all the others are the top teams). Obviously, only 8 games in, that doesn't mean too much. But we haven't had a particularly easy schedule either - 3 of our away games have been incredibly tough, and we won the other one. We have got something from every single game this season if you exclude teams that are competing for the top 4. On the whole, we have got our luck in the right games (i.e. West Ham), and been unlucky in the tougher games. Which is quite a good way to have it. That won't last all season - and we will drop points - but I think our record proves we have the quality to avoid relegation.
I think if you were to break the league up into three brackets; - Chasing Europe - Mid Table - Avoiding Relegation Then I'd say you're in the bottom one. However, you've got the midfield and defence of the middle one but you don't have the strikers to push yourself into the next tier. You need a striker who will get you a goal in games where you get one shot on target. Goals win points. Luckily for you, there is no rush. I can think of 3 teams who will get relegated and you're not one of them.
I'd agree with that apart from the last bit. There's no way you can predict whose off down yet. There's ages to go. Our fixture list in April is shocking, so we really need to pick up the points before then or else we'll struggle.
Ten wins is the target number for safety. Three down, seven to go. Win v Sunderland and we would need a startling collapse for them to finish above us. Ditto Palace- they aren't very good full stop.
We are not as good as our league position but we are better than a good number of teams. I think finishing around 14 is doable.
15th this season. Improving a little in the next 2 or 3 seasons. Becoming a decent long time premier league club That finishes mid table to just above mid table Right now.... Best Hull City team ever...
Good thread, difficult question. We definitely sit deep and allow teams to have the ball, so we arent going to have the lions share of possession. We are superbly drilled though, very few chinks in our armour. We just dont break quick enough for me. We still lacka nasty bastard and someone to get in the refs face. When Barry was booked Baines (diving ****) was all over the ref pleading,wheedling him. We had no one in the refs ear.
Said similar today - if the tackles Barry did happened the other way around we would have been down to ten men. Players like Barmby and Ashbee always talked to the refs during the games. This is something we are missing. When the tackle from Barry happened (I forget which) Huddlestones first reaction was towards the ref. We need more of this streetwise mentality. It's sad that the game comes down to this but it is an area we need to compete at.
Firstly to come up into this league and compete like we have not getting outplayed by anyone except the first half against Chelsea is excellent, the problem we have and everyone knows it is the lack of goals and because of this our defence as got to be very good every game and soak up a lot of pressure, i am sure if we can get to January and have twenty plus points (hopefully) then the owners will back SB to bring in a quality striker. The next three games i would be happy with 3 points Spurs and Southampton away are very difficult a point at either would be outstanding winning the home game against Sunderland will be crucial but not easy in fact when you don't score many no games this season will be easy. Lets hope we do enough to stay up
I thought you were certs for relegation, but from what I've seen so far, you will be more than fine. You are a damn site better than Sunderland, Palace, Fulham, Stoke, West Ham and Norwich Probably on a par with West Brom, Cardiff & Villa - could even finish in the top 10 is you buy a goalscorer in January
