Read the article before revealing the spoiler. 
http://www.theguardian.com/football...ull-city-relagated-premier-league-qpr-burnley
Hull City are in a perilous position after a weekend in which they were the only remaining team in the relegation battle that failed to pick up points. Their home defeat to Burnley (who were relegated despite their win) has left a sense of impending doom looming over the KC Stadium.
Hull’s plight has been a drawn out process, with the fans suffering for some time in the league. Since the beginning of the 2014 calendar year they have picked just 0.87 points per game. However, what seemed to be a torrid run-in, facing Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in their final two matches, seems more favourable after the weekend’s results. Spurs have very much packed in for the season, falling to a dismal 3-0 defeat to Stoke on Saturday, while Liverpool’s failure to beat Chelsea meant that Louis van Gaal’s side have almost certainly assured their place in next season’s Champions League qualifiers. The task ahead remains unenviable for Bruce’s men, who have beaten Tottenham just once in thePremier League and have never picked up a point against United in the top flight.
Just why Hull find themselves in such a daunting position is not that easy to explain. Leicester couldn’t buy a win before their remarkable run of form; Sunderland were dismal at home before Dick Advocaat’s arrival; Newcastle have been in freefall since January; and Villa couldn’t score a goal in a month of Sunday’s under Paul Lambert. But, when you consider that Hull City spent more money then any of the sides around them this season, totalling at over £40m when including the January transfer window, their current situation becomes more troubling, and a damning indictment on their manager.
They have spent over the odds on a number of first team “stars” who have fallen short of expectations and the strength in depth has been lacking. The £10m purchase of Abel Hernández seemed baffling at the time given his sporadic goalscoring record in Italy and the £8m they spent on securing the permanent transfer of Jake Livermore was probably celebrated more in Tottenham than in Hull.
The former Spurs midfielder has been partnered in midfield by Tom Huddlestone, another man who moved from White Hart Lane, but they have had relatively disappointing campaigns, securing modest ratings of 6.72 and 6.79. That neither player’s place has come under a real threat, albeit in the prolonged absence of the injured Mo Diame, has been an issue.
The pair are far from the guiltiest culprits – Sone Aluko (6.33) and Allan McGregor(6.42) are among the league’s lowest rated players – but the fact that they are two of just five outfielders to start more than 21 matches this season shows that they have been too comfortable despite offering relatively little at times. Bruce has struggled to find a settled side, or indeed formation, in a team littered with new faces since their promotion to the Premier League. Flitting between a back three and back four becomes harder for players when personnel are changed so frequently.
Hull don’t rank among the league’s bottom three for any of the usual key statistics, with 11.1 shots per game putting them in 17th, a possession share of 44.2% possession leaving them in 16th, and a pass accuracy of 76.5% as good as 13th in the division, but neither do they stand out in any category. Their averages in terms of shots conceded per game, tackles and interceptions are all middling in the league.
They have come unstuck this season because they have struggled to finish goalscoring chances. Since the start of last year, Hull have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League (49) of the 17 sides that have featured in the last two campaigns, despite investing heavily in their front line. Hernández has been joined by Dame N’Doye (£3.5m), Nikica Jelavic (£6.5m) and Shane Long (£7m) on the arrivals list at the KC Stadium, with a total of £27m spent on strikers alone.
Bruce has clearly been given enough money to keep the club afloat but he is looking increasingly unlikely to succeed, be it through poor decisions in the transfer market or bad luck. Long-term injuries to the likes of Robert Snodgrass and Mohamed Diamé, who looked likely to improve the squad, have been felt.
Regardless, Hull City have had the resources to compete and defeat a number of their rivals at the bottom but their form under Bruce has been a concern far beyond this season. They are not dead and buried just yet, but the toothless Tigers need more of a return on their considerable investments in the coming games to beat the drop.
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http://www.theguardian.com/football...ull-city-relagated-premier-league-qpr-burnley
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Hull City are in a perilous position after a weekend in which they were the only remaining team in the relegation battle that failed to pick up points. Their home defeat to Burnley (who were relegated despite their win) has left a sense of impending doom looming over the KC Stadium.
Hull’s plight has been a drawn out process, with the fans suffering for some time in the league. Since the beginning of the 2014 calendar year they have picked just 0.87 points per game. However, what seemed to be a torrid run-in, facing Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in their final two matches, seems more favourable after the weekend’s results. Spurs have very much packed in for the season, falling to a dismal 3-0 defeat to Stoke on Saturday, while Liverpool’s failure to beat Chelsea meant that Louis van Gaal’s side have almost certainly assured their place in next season’s Champions League qualifiers. The task ahead remains unenviable for Bruce’s men, who have beaten Tottenham just once in thePremier League and have never picked up a point against United in the top flight.
Just why Hull find themselves in such a daunting position is not that easy to explain. Leicester couldn’t buy a win before their remarkable run of form; Sunderland were dismal at home before Dick Advocaat’s arrival; Newcastle have been in freefall since January; and Villa couldn’t score a goal in a month of Sunday’s under Paul Lambert. But, when you consider that Hull City spent more money then any of the sides around them this season, totalling at over £40m when including the January transfer window, their current situation becomes more troubling, and a damning indictment on their manager.
They have spent over the odds on a number of first team “stars” who have fallen short of expectations and the strength in depth has been lacking. The £10m purchase of Abel Hernández seemed baffling at the time given his sporadic goalscoring record in Italy and the £8m they spent on securing the permanent transfer of Jake Livermore was probably celebrated more in Tottenham than in Hull.
The former Spurs midfielder has been partnered in midfield by Tom Huddlestone, another man who moved from White Hart Lane, but they have had relatively disappointing campaigns, securing modest ratings of 6.72 and 6.79. That neither player’s place has come under a real threat, albeit in the prolonged absence of the injured Mo Diame, has been an issue.
The pair are far from the guiltiest culprits – Sone Aluko (6.33) and Allan McGregor(6.42) are among the league’s lowest rated players – but the fact that they are two of just five outfielders to start more than 21 matches this season shows that they have been too comfortable despite offering relatively little at times. Bruce has struggled to find a settled side, or indeed formation, in a team littered with new faces since their promotion to the Premier League. Flitting between a back three and back four becomes harder for players when personnel are changed so frequently.
Hull don’t rank among the league’s bottom three for any of the usual key statistics, with 11.1 shots per game putting them in 17th, a possession share of 44.2% possession leaving them in 16th, and a pass accuracy of 76.5% as good as 13th in the division, but neither do they stand out in any category. Their averages in terms of shots conceded per game, tackles and interceptions are all middling in the league.
They have come unstuck this season because they have struggled to finish goalscoring chances. Since the start of last year, Hull have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League (49) of the 17 sides that have featured in the last two campaigns, despite investing heavily in their front line. Hernández has been joined by Dame N’Doye (£3.5m), Nikica Jelavic (£6.5m) and Shane Long (£7m) on the arrivals list at the KC Stadium, with a total of £27m spent on strikers alone.
Bruce has clearly been given enough money to keep the club afloat but he is looking increasingly unlikely to succeed, be it through poor decisions in the transfer market or bad luck. Long-term injuries to the likes of Robert Snodgrass and Mohamed Diamé, who looked likely to improve the squad, have been felt.
Regardless, Hull City have had the resources to compete and defeat a number of their rivals at the bottom but their form under Bruce has been a concern far beyond this season. They are not dead and buried just yet, but the toothless Tigers need more of a return on their considerable investments in the coming games to beat the drop.
