'There is a bit of trepidation around Hull'

By Nick Teale
 
At the start of February Hull City shocked the Premier League by drawing with Chelsea and defeating Manchester City within a week.
 
But since then they have suffered three straight defeats, losing out on the road to Blackburn, West Ham and in emphatic style to Everton last weekend.
 
That 5-1 defeat worsened The Tigers' relegation woes and Phil Brown's side now lie 19th in the Premier League. With every team in their position looking for a turning point to steer them for safety, Hull know a win over Arsenal wouldn't just dent the Gunners' title chances, but also elevate their own hopes.
 
Ahead of the match Arsenal.com caught up with Hull Daily Mail reporter Nick Wood but he was in a less-than-confident mood.

IMPRESSIONS OF ARSENAL
"Arsenal are in fantastic form at the moment. They also have the easiest run-in of the title contenders, so I dare say there is a bit of trepidation around the KC Stadium at the moment, particularly given Arsenal's current form. A win over Arsenal would be extremely unlikely but also extremely welcome. It would probably also end Arsenal's hopes of winning the title."

BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL
"Phil Brown has admitted that spirits were quite low in the camp after the 5-1 defeat to Everton last weekend. It was a massive blow psychologically and Burnley's point against Stoke in midweek pushed Hull further into the bottom three. They are 19th now and will need a massive effort to pull out of the relegation zone."

CAUSE FOR CONCERN
"They need to start scoring goals. Hull have scored 26 goals all season, clearly not enough. Their leading scorer is Stephen Hunt and he has just six goals. They need somebody who can put the ball away. They tried Amr Zaki up top on his own against Everton but that didn't really work. They tried Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Jozy Altidore but neither have clicked. They need a striker but none of the combinations they have tried this season have really worked."

THE STORY SO FAR
"They won't be as optimistic about this game as perhaps they were a few weeks ago. The draw with Chelsea and win over Manchester City really raised a few heads at Hull. Last season they got an away win at Fulham which helped keep them up but they've now gone a full calendar year without an away win. So their home form is very important. I think the Arsenal game is probably beyond them but they still have Burnley and Sunderland to come at the KC Stadium."

MAN OF THE MOMENT
"Jimmy Bullard didn't look completely fully fit against Everton but he is slowly returning to full fitness. At the moment Phil Brown is only using him in a five-man midfield because he needs help. That obviously means they can only play one up front. If they can revert to 4-4-2 with Jimmy Bullard going forward as well as two strikers they would have far more threat." 

TALKING TACTICS
"I think they'll start with a 4-5-1 with Amr Zaki up front. I think you'll see Jimmy Bullard, a youngster called Tom Cairney, and George Boateng in the middle three with Stephen Hunt on the left and Craig Fagan returning from suspension on the right."

THE MAN IN CHARGE
"I think the tide has turned back on Phil Brown. He had won over a few fans after the chairman Paul Duffen left. He tried a new attacking approach which got them well clear of the bottom three but they have dropped back into the relegation zone now and have won just six games from the last 50 Premier League matches and I think that would put any manager under pressure. Certainly he is feeling that at the moment. I certainly think if they are relegated come the end of the season he'll be struggling to stay in a job."

[Friday, March 12, 2010]

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