I am normally glass half full, eternal optimist, and a stubborn sod for refusing to jump on any bandwagons. However I cant escape that stench. Although we have a cracking first xi or so, we probably have the weakest squad to grace the EPL in recent years. Pretty much every club has a minimum of 2 players per position. This squad with the inevitable injuries and suspensions isn't good enough to even be competitive. Because of the honeymoon purple patch as caretaker manager, our owners had to give MP a contract and so now have to give him a decent run despite many now wondering if he has any idea (many wont agree but SB was always gonna be a hard act to follow). I am struggling to blame Allams for this, although we maybe need to go back to before he was appointed when several managers clearly turned down the job, and then remind ourselves why. 6 defeats on the trot is hard to turnaround. We are entering a period of the season when we needed to pick up points, We go into this with no confidence, not enough players (quality or quantity) and no feel good factor. The exodus of coaching staff tells its own story. It must be pretty **** for them leave a Premier League club. Those who's contracts allow them to leave, pretty much have. Says a lot about the morale in the club. Suggests to me if players contracts allowed it, they'd be leaving the sinking ship. Not a happy camp at all. The above is mainly down to leadership from the owners. The chance of a sale appears to be less likely than ever before. For it to actually happen in sufficient time to give us a proper go in January window is even more remote. And yet despite fairly desperate times, we... us who actually care have lost our fight. The owners have ground us down. We are in a far worse position than when we previously showed some rebellion, ie at the back end of last season/ beginning of this , and yet where has the will to protest gone? Do we need to grow some cojones? Thoughts?
The backs to the walls, lack of first team players mentality of the first few games wasn't backed up by a takeover which would have had the effect of an oasis in a dessert. Phelan has been expected by Ehab to hold things in place with some selotape and blue-tack but the fickle realities of a PL club valuation have hampered progress. Add in a sprinkling of greed, incompetence & the overriding feeling of alienation from the rest of the city of Hull.
It's all down to leadership from the As If some of the problems were caused by a maverick employee then it's still down to a leader to remove them. This feels, and stenches, like people skulking off from a business that's going down the pan and everyone apart from the leadership know it And yes I agree, the place felt better when there were decent protests, despite the occasional booing from fellow fans.
Get interested in something else that isn't corrupt and ruined. Something that doesn't blatantly disregard you and hasn't been hijacked by ****s in suits Gardening ,for example
And yet despite fairly desperate times, we... us who actually care have lost our fight. The owners have ground us down. We are in a far worse position than when we previously showed some rebellion, ie at the back end of last season/ beginning of this , and yet where has the will to protest gone? Do we need to grow some cojones? Thoughts? Yes. I can't think of any club's support being as meek, apathetic and accepting as ours. As someone else posted recently, it's almost a case of our support deserves the Allams because they are both equally sh_ite. If you are boycotting, that's one thing. If you are attending, home or away, then there surely has to be clear protests. (not least so the rest of the world don't just think we have shi_te support ... which actually we do truth be told). By implication there is a responsibility on those that have put themselves forward for supporters groups. Time to ask what are they doing. And finally, our local media continues to be an absolute joke. "We left a message on their answer machine but if they don't call back what can we do" FFS, GTF. Do your job, represent and campaign for your readership, ask the tough questions, hold those responsible to account, etc etc. So yes, 'we' do need to grow some.
I agree that the Champioship is in many (most) ways a better league than the Premier league, at least for clubs of City's size and standing. But there is a world of difference between going down fighting with everyone pulling together and what is happening at City. I agree with the OP, it's odious. Not relegation itself but all the circumstances around it at this point in time.
Yes I agree. I was more making a point about relegation in general but the situation here is painful.
In some ways the getting to the EPL is like looking forward to Xmas or your holidays, the looking forward and the anticipation is often better than when the day comes or you actually get there. The main reason I want City to be in the EPL is for financial benefits that should make us a stronger club, and be able to compete in this league. Unfortunately there is no point in being in the top league under the Allams tenure, as they don't have the vision, experience or the will to take the club forward. From the beginning all the bluster about doing for the community was bollocks, they saw a chance to make money and that is all that interest them. Bizarrely now it seems that they also just want to spite the supporters to boot, so the sooner they **** off the better.
Its not that **** to leave a Premier League club if your going to a Championship club for more money, that's not **** it's greed. Obviously we are in a relegation dog fight as we were the minute this season kicked off. It is mainly our own doing too because we never strengthened the team in the summer. Probably because of the dithering over the sale of the club. Someone took their eye off the ball and we are where we are today because of it This mess we are in at the moment is all self inflicted. I also think the managers that turned us down in the summer did so because of greed, they wanted too much money over a long period of time. So the club loses value with every defeat. But if someone seriously wanted to buy us I think they would have done so by now by offering a fair price up front and not simply trying to prise the club off the Allams using the clubs future income to do so. Stalemate. The clock is ticking though and the Allams either have to make a decision to accept what is on the table whilst we still have a fighting chance of staying up this season or hang onto the club and see the value plummet. I don't foresee a very Merry Christmas.
But I don't think we are in a dog fight Tubby. To me relegation is a certainty, we aren't good enough or competitive.enough to be in a dog fight. At least in previous relegation seasons, we were competitive (apart from the first time round after Pearson came back to prepare us for life in the Championship). I quite enjoy a relegation dog fight and as others have alluded to, there's plenty to like about the Championship. What I don't like is the club just lying down and accepting the inevitable, which seems to be happening.
Good post Driff but some of us have simply had enough. Call it meek and apathetic if you like. I'll agree to differ. The majority of people who go to the KC to see City these days? They want to see good 'footie' and the premier league 'stars' I don't want to sit with the dull ****s
getting relegated for me isnt a problem , a team playing like they have no longer the heart does , i probably had higher expectations under Hateley
I think you have it right, John. What disappoints me is that so many did not see this coming, or the base nature of the Allam family as human beings. We should never have collabored with them, but folk who were prepared to try did so; they were not at fault, as they trusted manipulators and liars. Folk demand protest, but what will it achieve? Very little in my opinion. If a buyout is imminent then fine, but that won't guarantee PL survival. Some have said survival isn't the be and end all; I agree with them. Some others want MP gone, they have abused him from a very early, very indecent stage of his appointment. They should hang their heafs in shame over the manner of their childish campaign on here. So, what should we do? Support the team and manager in whatever way you can. We know (or should know) that the squad is cobbled, that the coaching team is weak, but why attack them, on here or anywhere else? It won't change, so focus on what might. The fact that some (me) consider us to have been unlucky against ManU and Watford is a clear sign that we just might get our share of luck, too. It's football, let it develop. Don't waste your collective energy and resources on protesting against the owners, it will change nothing but it will heap more negativity on an already daunted team. Get behind the team, support them in every way you can, but make it very clear it is support for the team and not the owners. This is about pride and priorities, not points and pissants.
' Folk demand protest, but what will it achieve? Very little in my opinion.' I don't agree. They may be thinking that they can cling on to power and just need to 'ride the storm'. We should be giving them a very clear message that we aren't going to accept it. And that we are certainly not going to accept that they are making HCAFC a laughing stock. Nor the North Korean PR coming out of the club. Unless an organised protest though, it would be seen as the noisy minority. Seems HCST have decided (I'm a member and wasn't asked) because the Leicester protest wasn't well supported, red cards aren't the way forward. The point there though was that Allams scuppered it by claiming we were on the brink of a takeover. So, we give up. But absolutely agree, support the team unequivocally (though we are loudest when we protest)
I don't think there was any manager approached at all in the summer and Phelan was always the man to get the gig in their minds, a knowledgeable coach itching for a shot at management who wouldn't rock the boat instead of a top rated manager who would want to do things his way and we had to sit back and watch as all those linked with us got snapped up one by one by other clubs. The greedy ****ers in charge armed with their tv cash couldn't even stump up the wages for a couple of loan signings so **** knows why they spent that on Mason, I can only assume they think they can get that back when hes sold.
Simple, dignified statements through supporter groups, letters to the media, social media. That's all that's needed, dignified comdemnation of the owners, but not at games - that ship has sailed - and full support of manager and team, regardless of results; no one should need to be told how to do that part. (Although some do )
