Hull City Struggling to Score; Relegation a Reality
For a team that made it to the FA Cup Final last season and was part of the Europa League qualifying process, Hull City have shocked many this season for all the wrong reasons. The Tigers made a statement in the summer transfer window by adding the likes of Gaston Ramirez, Mohamed Diame, Hatem Ben Arfa, and Abel Hernandez to the side. Hopes were high and expectations were that the club could finish mid table.
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Fast forward to now, 48 hours away from the close of the January transfer window, and Hull are coming off the heels of another shambolic performance where they were architects of their own destruction. The Tigers dropped a 3-0 decision at home today against a Newcastle side who were struggling since the departure of former manager Alan Pardew.
Defending was poor from Hull and the midfield continued to give the ball up in dangerous positions, as was evidenced on the giveaway that led to the opening goal of the fixture by Remy Cabella. Hull conjured up a few opportunities, but the quality simply was not there to finish. This is rather alarming as relegation is a scary reality that Hull City are facing dead in the eye.
Unless Steve Bruce pulls off a transfer window miracle for a forward, Hull City will pray that one of their strikers finds an avenue of profit magically. The Tigers have not scored since New Year’s Day, a strike from Nikica Jelavic that put the side up 2-0 vs. Everton.
Since then, they have seen shots go high, wide, or straight at the keeper for 407 minutes of Premier League and FA Cup football. That is 4 hours and 47 minutes!! Can you imagine 9 goalless halves in a row? That’s what Hull City fans are going through and that obviously needs to change if Steve Bruce’s side want to find themeselves in the Premier League next season.
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Additionally, the incoming players have not worked out as anticipated. After making their marks earlier in the season, Abel Hernandez and Mohamed Diame saw extended periods of time on the treatment table. There must be a rule that says Hull City cannot have nice things because Diame was absolutely destroying opposing attacks as the defensive midfielder.
With him out of the lineup, the back line have been exposed. The other additions have been or were disappointing. Gaston Ramirez has not found what made him successful at Southampton and Hatem Ben Arfa had trouble with management, which is not surprise considering his history, and is no longer with the club.
Midfield linchpin Tom Huddlestone, who was a valuable part of Hull’s success last season, has struggled badly to regain that form this season. His decisions have been questionable to borderline disastrous, and many have found the ball in the back of the Hull City net. More is going to be needed from the leader to get the Tigers out of relegation and he may be the most important player to a team revival in the final 3+ months of the season.
Hull City face an uphill battle as they find themselves in 18th place at the time of writing; a spot that will see them relegated to the Sky Bet Championship next season. Hope is not lost, but there needs to be a turnaround and it needs to be fast.
What are your thoughts on Hull City this season? Will they be relegated? Let us know what you think in comments or by answering the poll!