http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/29/hull-west-ham-premier-league-match-report
No footballer has ever appeared for England while on the books at Hull City. Old Carthusians, Grimsby Town, Uxbridge FC and the 1st Surrey Rifles are among the 123 clubs who can boast of having provided the national side with at least one player, but not Hull.
But that may and perhaps should be about to change. Roy Hodgson called up Tom Huddlestone for the friendly against Sweden last November and a trip to east Yorkshire would inform the England manager that the former Tottenham midfielder is in the sort of form which seriously merits consideration for international recognition.
"Why not? I don't think there's a better passer of the ball in today's game," said City's manager, Steve Bruce, after watching the latest in the series of midfield masterclasses Huddlestone has staged since unexpectedly becoming Hull's record signing in August.
"He has great players ahead of him â the Gerrards and Lampards and Wilsheres â but he's a scarily gifted footballer who is only getting better by playing week in, week out. He likes the style we play, he's settled far quicker than he had a right to, and maybe it suits him being a big fish in a small pond too."
That the 26-year-old is revelling in being fully fit and an automatic selection is obvious, though he would dearly love a goal. After his last he said he would fundraise for Cancer Research by not cutting his hair until he scored again. Over two years on, the charity is more than £12,000 better off and the Huddlestone afro has reached Hair Bear proportions.
"It is getting a bit out of hand," he said. "But playing regularly is helping me find the rhythm and sharpness you lose when you don't play every week. And I think we're showing we're not one of those newly promoted teams which lump it forward."
Nor are they, but Hull still had to rely on two generous decisions by the referee, Kevin Friend, to pick up another three points on Saturday. First when he gave a penalty when City's midfielder Robbie Brady went down after feeling the arm of the West Ham defender Joey O'Brien on his back early in the first half, and then in turning down the visitors' second-half appeals for a spot-kick when Jake Livermore appeared to clear the ball with an arm.
Between whiles both sides had headers cleared off the line and Livermore's drive thumped against Jussi Jaaskelainen's right-hand post with the West Ham goalkeeper well beaten.
Bruce accepted decisions had gone his side's way but felt they deserved the win anyway. West Ham's Sam Allardyce, whose side have failed to score in an away game this season, was as fed up with his players' failure to take their chances as he was with the referee.
"Of course we're missing [the injured centre-forward] Andy Carroll," he said. "You can't have your best players unavailable for too long or you head towards where we are headed now, towards the bottom of the league, where we shouldn't be."
Persisting with Modibo Maïga up front in Carroll's absence has baffled many supporters but Allardyce appeared to indicate the Mali international's failure to score in seven appearances will now have consequences. As he also pointed out, however, his options are limited.
Man of the match Tom Huddlestone (Hull City)
You know it makes sense Roy.
