The new Premier League season is just a few days away now, and before a ball has been kicked, many are writing off Hull City and backing the Tigers to make an immediate return to the Championship.
Just as they were 12 months ago when City were predicted to be relegated to League One, the Tigers have little chance of upsetting the odds, according to many pundits and ex-players.
That will be music to the ears of boss Sergej Jakirovic and his players, who will revel in the role of being arguably being the Premier League’s biggest underdog since Luton Town a few seasons ago.
Here’s a look at what some of the pundits have been saying about the Tigers ahead of this weekend’s big kick-off….
Michael Owen
“Hull are the obvious one, aren’t they? They shouldn’t have even got promoted. I obviously do the TV, so got to be aware of stats and numbers and things like that, but apparently Hull, based on all the metrics that they use, these very intelligent people, they say Hull shouldn’t have even been in the top half of the Championship last season, they got promoted; they over-performed unbelievably.”
Courtesy of Midnite
Glen Johnson
“It’s so tough for promoted teams to survive in the Premier League now, and you can understand why they are always the favourites to go down.
“However, Sunderland proved last year that if you spend money wisely, you can break the mould and survive in the Premier League. I think the Premier League is split into three leagues. The top six, the bottom six and the middle eight. I think Hull should take encouragement from last season. Last season showed that five or six teams could have easily gone down and you only have to get more points than three of them.
“I’d advise Hull to try and make a few shrewd signings. Players who know the league and can bring Premier League experience into the dressing room. If they are on the older side, that’s okay because you can just sign them to short-term deals.
“Then after you get some experience, you need someone who can create chances against top defences. They won’t be able to keep teams out as often as they did last season, so scoring goals is the priority.
“Sunderland signed really well last summer and set the standard for how to survive in your first season in the Premier League. Promoted teams need to emulate that as best they can, but it is always going to be an uphill battle.”
Courtesy of SeatPin
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page
Don Goodman
”Hull City are effectively in the exact same position that Sunderland occupied last season, in that almost everyone across football is writing them off before a ball has even been kicked. Nobody truly gave Sunderland a hope of staying up the moment they secured promotion in that play-off final against Sheffield United. It is not particularly surprising that people view them as underdogs.
“While they’ve signed players such as Matt Target and Jack Butland, it requires a ruthless approach, which might feel harsh to the group that earned promotion. It is absolutely necessary, unfortunately, if you want to compete at the highest level. We saw Sunderland take a ruthless approach, Leeds were ruthless, and Burnley were ruthless in overhauling their squads upon promotion. “To give yourself any fighting chance of survival in the Premier League, you have to remove sentiment and recruit players capable of raising the bar immediately.
“They are facing a massive task and are firmly up against it, but I’d fully anticipate a lot more movement between now and the end of the transfer window. There will almost certainly be several more new arrivals coming through the doors at Hull, as well as a number of existing players moving out.”
Courtesy of BoyleSports.
Alan Hutton
“I think Troy Parrott should be looking at the three teams who have just been promoted to the Premier League. These are the teams that need goals more than any others to stay in the Premier League, and he’s going to go into any of them playing every single game, hitting the ground running.
“Don’t forget about Parrott’s overall game, too. He is a well-rounded player. It’s not just the goals he scores. It’s everything else he brings too, running in behind, the pace he’s got, and he can hold up the ball too. I think you need all those attributes in your striker to keep a newly-promoted team up in the Premier League.
“It’s about where he is going to get the most games. He might enjoy a move to a club higher up the pecking order, but I think at this stage he needs to go to whoever will make him a regular starter.”
Courtesy of BoyleSports
Pat Nevin
“You have to be honest, you worry for Coventry, Hull and Ipswich. It’s always difficult when you’re newly promoted. I’m hopeful for Coventry, largely because of Frank. They had a great season last year, and he’s done a really good job.
“However, the jump to the Premier League is huge, though not impossible. Sunderland has shown that it can be done. It’s a tough challenge for Ipswich, given their history. We’ll have to wait and see.
“I’m attending the Coventry vs. Hull game, so I want to see them in action first. Hull, in particular, face a tough task, they finished sixth last season and went through the playoffs, which is incredibly difficult to do before stepping up to the Premier League level.
“So, yes, there’s some apprehension; they are perhaps the three favourites to go straight back down. Does that mean they definitely will? No. They may not be the biggest names coming up, but if even one of the three survives, that would be a success. It’s just that difficult in the Premier League.”
Courtesy of OLGB
Alan Smith
“This gritty style they have means that they’ve got to keep a few clean sheets and hope to nick a few 1-0 wins. I don’t think they’re going to be full of goals. Really tough.
“They need to get some points on the board early on to give those players just a little bit of belief, because they’ll be going into it and thinking, are we actually good enough? Some of the opponents they’ll be facing.
“There’s this inferiority complex that can hit a promoted side. So to get early points on the board, that will help. But no, I don’t think that grittiness will be enough.”
Courtesy of BestBettingSites.co.uk
Here at Hull Live , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group.
You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.