Ipswich Town v Hull City preview and matchday thread
Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 8:59 pm
Ipswich Town v Hull City AFC 
Tuesday 23rd February 2016 – 19:45
Portman Road
Opening Thought – Jamma
So, another 3 points dropped – our fourth away defeat on the bounce – and the play-offs appear to be as far away as ever. And yet one look at the league table shows that Town are just a handful of points (plus a hefty goal difference deficit) off the top six. If I can draw an analogy with the Premier League, Ipswich are in a similar kind of position to Manchester City. I’m obviously not talking about the two clubs’ respective resources and ambitions (or the manager’s disregard for the FA Cup, for that matter!), but the way in which both teams are enduring a stuttering patch of form and yet still find themselves well in contention. City’s recent two league losses may have been against title rivals Leicester and Spurs but no one is ruling them out, with some still naming them favourites to win the league. The Blues, for their part, have been leapfrogged by Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham and now Cardiff in the play-off race but have in turn made up ground on a Derby side in freefall. But any comfort which may be derived from this has been dramatically overshadowed by our paltry points return from the last few matches. The win against Leeds, widely considered to be our best performance of the season, was a mere six weeks ago, but already seems a distant memory. Discussion on this board, as well as amongst the wider Ipswich Town community, has been dominated by the ‘substance v style’ debate. Some supporters, their patience understandably tested by years of mediocrity in the second tier, insist that winning is all that matters. Others, equally frustrated by the quality of fare on show, are simply keen to be entertained. Earlier in the campaign, Mick McCarthy’s team were managing to combine the two but, Leeds aside, one or both have been severely lacking since the New Year. Even when we have won, it tends to have been at the cost of the style of play, as was the case against Reading the other week.
I was interested to read Tommy Miller’s thoughts in the East Anglian Daily Times this week. In a nutshell, he was warning Town fans questioning whether McCarthy has taken their team as far as he can to ‘be careful what you wish for’. He went on to compare the current situation at Portman Road to that of seven years ago, when Jim Magilton was sacked – the day after we effectively sent Norwich down, remember – due to a perceived lack of progress. Having finished 9th in 2008/09, after a three-game flourish under Roy Keane, Town memorably went on a 15-match winless run at the beginning of the following season, starting a downward spiral which only came to an end with Mick’s arrival. As Miller points out, expectations among football supporters escalate when times are good just as quickly as apathy can set in when things aren’t going so well. If we go back to this time two years ago, we found ourselves in a similar position as now, and having endured a near-identical run of form since the turn of the year. The difference in 2013/14, of course, was that we were coming off the back of a campaign in which we had only just escaped relegation, with our expectations that much lower as a result. That is not to say that I don’t understand and share the frustration over how our season appears to be going a similar way to last. Let’s just remember that 2014/15 did end up being our best finish in a decade, though. If we are to replicate or better that, this is a critical juncture in our season, with two of the play-off chasers to come in our next five fixtures. Before that, we have the small matter of a Tuesday night (yes, Tuesday night!
) game against the side who currently occupy top spot…The Opposition – Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club was founded in June 1904. Previous attempts to found a football club had proved difficult because of the dominance in the city of rugby league, with teams such as Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers. These early matches were played at the Boulevard, the home of Hull F.C.. After disputes with landlords at the Boulevard, Hull City moved to Anlaby Road Cricket Ground. Hull City were admitted into the Football League Second Division for the 1905–06 season and finished the season in fifth place.
Hull City and Grimsby Town were the only two professional teams which had official permission to play league football on Christmas Day because of the demands of the fish trade. That tradition has now disappeared following the dramatic reduction of their trawler fleets in recent years. The following season, a new ground was built for Hull City across the road from the cricket ground. Hull continued to finish consistently in the top half of the table. They came close to promotion in the 1909–10 season, recording what would be their highest finish until they matched it in 2008. Hull regularly finished in the top half of the table before the First World War, but after the war the team finished in the bottom half in seven seasons out of eleven, culminating in relegation to the Third Division North in 1930.
Hull's greatest achievement in cup competitions until 2014 was in 1930, when they reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
After the Second World War, the club moved to another new ground, Boothferry Park. In the 1948–49 season, Hull won the Third Division North championship. Yo-yoing between the second and third tiers of English football, Hull City had promotion seasons from the Third to the Second Division again in 1959 and 1966, winning the Third Division in the latter.
By the early 1980s, Hull City were in the Fourth Division, and financial collapse led to receivership.
Don Robinson took over as chairman and appointed Colin Appleton as the new manager. Promotion to Division Three followed in 1983.
Hull reached the Second Division in 1985. They remained there for the next six years, before finally going down in 1991. Hull finished 14th in the Third Division in the 1991–92 season, meaning that they would be competing in the new Second Division the following season.
In their first season in the rebranded division, Hull narrowly avoided another relegation, but over the next two seasons they achieved mid-table finishes. Financial difficulties hampered City's progress, as key players had to be sold to fend off winding-up orders. In the 1995–96 season, Hull were relegated to the Third Division.
In 1997, the club was purchased by former tennis player David Lloyd. Hull's league form was steadily deteriorating, to the point that relegation to the Football Conference was looking a real possibility. Lloyd sold the club in November 1998 to a South Yorkshire-based consortium, but retained ownership of Boothferry Park.
Despite briefly being locked out of Boothferry Park by bailiffs and facing the possibility of liquidation, Hull qualified for the Third Division play-offs in the 2000–01 season. A boardroom takeover by former Leeds United commercial director Adam Pearson had eased the club's precarious financial situation and all fears of closure were banished as he ploughed funds into the club.
Hull relocated to the new 25,400-seater KC Stadium after 56 years at Boothferry Park.
Hull were Third Division runners-up in 2003–04 and League One runners-up in 2004–05; these back-to-back promotions took them into the Championship. The 2005–06 season, the club's first back in the second tier, saw Hull finish in 18th place and their highest league finish for 16 years.
Adam Pearson sold the club to a consortium led by Paul Duffen in June 2007, stating that he "had taken the club as far as I could", in order to attract "really significant finance into the club". Under Paul Duffen and manager Phil Brown, Hull City improved greatly on their relegation battle of 2006–07 and qualified for the play-offs after finishing the season in third place. They beat Watford 6–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals and played Bristol City in the final on 24 May 2008, with Hull winning 1–0 at Wembley Stadium. Their ascent from the bottom division of the Football League to the top division of English football in just five seasons is the third fastest ever.
Despite being one of the favourites for relegation in the 2008–09 season, Hull had only one defeat in their opening nine games and found themselves (temporarily) joint top of the Premier League table on points (third on goal difference). Ten years previously, they had been bottom of the fourth tier of English football.
Hull's form never replicated the highs of the early autumn, with the team winning only two more games over the remainder of the season, but they secured their top-flight status on the last day of the season due to other results.
On 29 October 2009, chairman Paul Duffen resigned from his position with the club, and was replaced by former chairman Adam Pearson. On 15 March 2010, manager Phil Brown was put on gardening leave after a run of four defeats left Hull in the relegation zone. Brown's replacement was former Crystal Palace and Charlton boss Iain Dowie, and the appointment was met with some disbelief by supporters, who were hoping for a "bigger name" replacement. Hull City's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed on 3 May 2010
A reported block on player transfers into the club, set in place by the Hull City board on 28 July 2010 until transfers out, would substantially reduce the £39 million-per-year wage bill. This at first cast doubt on the new manager's (Nigel Pearson) efforts to build a squad capable of a quick return to the Premier League. The team set a new club record on 12 March 2011 with 14 away matches unbeaten, breaking a previous record held for over 50 years.
On 15 November 2011, Nigel Pearson left the club to return to Leicester. Nick Barmby was appointed as his successor, but was sacked in May 2012 after publicly criticising the club's owners in an interview given to a local newspaper. In the same month, the club's consultancy agreement with Adam Pearson was terminated.
On 8 June 2012, Steve Bruce was appointed manager of the club on a three-year deal, and he guided Hull back to the Premier League on the final day of the season.
On 13 April 2014, the club reached its first FA Cup final. Their place in the 2014-15 Europa League, regardless of whether they won the 2013-14 FA Cup, was confirmed on 3 May as Everton's failure to win meant that Hull's FA Cup final opponents Arsenal would compete in the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League.
On 31 July 2014, Hull made their debut in European competition, in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, with a 2-1 aggregate win over Slovakian side FK AS Trenčín. An away goals aggregate loss against Belgian outfit Lokeren marked the end of Hull's first foray into European football.
In March 2015, Steve Bruce signed a further three-year deal with the club. Hull were relegated from the Premier League after the 2014-15 season, finishing eighteenth with 35 points.
One To Watch – Sam Clucas
I could quite easily go for any of the Tigers’ squad for my ‘One to watch’, such is the strength in depth that they possess from their latest stint in the Premier League. As it is, I have decided to profile one of their lesser-known talents, 25-year-old Sam Clucas.
The left-sided midfielder, who can also play at full-back or up front, has had something of a roundabout journey to the Championship, having initially been with Leicester’s academy. After featuring for Midlands non-league side Nettleham, he won a contract with Lincoln City following a successful trial. He only spent one season at Sincil Bank, though, before gaining a place at Glenn Hoddle’s Academy in Spain. As part of his scholarship, Clucas played for Jérez in the Tercera División. Returning to England in November 2011, he signed for Hereford United, scoring 9 goals in 62 appearances over the following two years. He was on the move again ahead of 2013/14, as he joined Mansfield, before making the step up to League 1 with newly-promoted Chesterfield a year later. Clucas’ rapid development continued apace with the Spireites’ rise, being named the club’s Player of the Year as they qualified for the play-offs. Chesterfield were ultimately outclassed by Preston in the final but the young midfielder had proved his worth with his return of 12 goals from 49 games. He has carried on in that vein this term, with his 5 goals complementing the Tigers’ threat across the front.
The Manager – Steve Bruce
Bruce was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham. Bruce was offered an apprenticeship and went on to play more than 200 games for the club before joining Norwich City in 1984.
In 1987, he moved to Manchester United, with whom he achieved great success, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup. He also became the first English player of the twentieth century to captain a team to the Double.
Despite his success on the field, he was never selected to play for the England national team. Commentators and contemporaries have described him as one of the best English players of the 1980s and 1990s never to play for his country at full international level.
In 1996, he joined Birmingham, where he made 72 appearances before finishing his career at Sheffield United.
In his first season as a manager, Bruce guided Sheffield United to eighth place in the First Division. In May 1999, Bruce resigned from his post after just one season in charge, citing turmoil in the club's boardroom and a shortage of funds for transfers. He contemplated leaving football for a job in television but was persuaded by Huddersfield Town owner Barry Rubery to become the club's manager.
Huddersfield were early promotion contenders in the 1999–2000 season but lost form and failed to reach the play-offs. The team continued to struggle at the start of the 2000–01 season, gaining just six points from eleven matches, and Bruce was sacked in October 2000. He then became involved in a dispute with Rubery, who accused him of "wasting" £3m on players and having "an ego to feed".
Bruce remained out of the game until he was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in April 2001. The team reached the Second Division play-offs but lost in the semi-finals, and Bruce left the club almost immediately, having been in charge for less than two months, to take over as manager of Crystal Palace.
Although his new club began the 2001–02 season strongly, topping the First Division table and looking well placed to return to the Premier League, Bruce tendered his resignation less than three months into the season in order to return to Birmingham City as manager. By now, he had acquired a reputation as a manager who rarely held down a job for a significant length of time.
Upon his arrival, the Blues were in a mid-table position in the First Division, but a lengthy unbeaten run saw the team qualify for the play-offs. The team went on to beat Bruce's former club Norwich City in the final after a penalty shoot-out to gain promotion to the Premier League, ending a 16-year absence from the top level of English football. Birmingham spent the early part of the 2002–03 season struggling near the foot of the Premier League table, but ended the season in 13th place.
The following season began well for Birmingham, who climbed as high as fourth in the table, but the team's fortunes declined and they could only finish in tenth place at the end of the season. Despite this disappointment, Bruce signed a new contract in June 2004 designed to keep him at St Andrew's for a further five years. Initial expectations were high for the 2004–05 season, but the club once again finished in a mid-table position, ending the season in 12th place.
By February 2006 of the 2005–06 season, Birmingham were struggling in the league, but Bruce insisted that he would fight on as manager. The team managed to climb out of the relegation zone for the first time in nearly six months but were ultimately relegated at the end of the season.
Although Bruce had the largest transfer budget in the division made available to him, Birmingham made a slow start to the 2006–07 season in the Football League Championship. However, they secured promotion to the Premier League with one match of the season to play.
In May 2007, Birmingham's board agreed a new contract for Bruce, but the unwillingness of the club's prospective purchaser Carson Yeung to ratify it left his future uncertain. In October 2007, Wigan Athletic requested permission to speak to Bruce about their managerial vacancy and he was receptive to their approach. As required under the terms of his contract, Wigan agreed to pay Birmingham a then world record compensation fee for the loss of his services, of around £3m. On 19 November, Wigan announced the signing of Bruce for a second time.
Wigan spent the remainder of the season struggling against relegation, but the club secured Premier League survival in the penultimate game of the season.
Bruce led Wigan to an 11th place finish in the 2008–09 season.
Bruce was confirmed as the new manager of Sunderland on 3 June 2009, after signing a three-year contract. In his first season at Sunderland, despite a run of fourteen games without a win, Bruce led the Black Cats to a thirteenth place finish in the Premier League. In February 2011, Bruce signed an extension to his contract, keeping him at Sunderland until 2014. Bruce was dismissed as manager on 30 November 2011, with Sunderland in 16th position following a poor run of form.
On 8 June 2012, Bruce was appointed as manager at Championship side Hull City on a three-year contract. In his first season with the club, he led Hull to promotion to the Premier League, clinching second place in the Championship on the final day of the season. The following season, the Tigers reached the final of the FA Cup for the first time.
In March 2015, Bruce signed a three-year contract extension with Hull. A run of poor form left the team near the bottom of the table and they were relegated to the Championship.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
The action from the return fixture, when the Tigers showed why they were amongst the favourites for promotion:
Trev's Trivia
Cameron Stewart ITFC 2014-present Hull 2011-2014
Jimmy Bullard ITFC 2011-2012 Hull 2009-2011
Jonathan Walters ITFC 2007-2010 Hull 2003 (loan) 2004-2005
Stephen Hunt ITFC 2013-2015 Hull 2009-2010
Media Watch - K L Blue
Bartosz Bialkowski signs a new two-year deal:
http://www.itfc.co.uk/news/article/bart ... 62472.aspx
Ian Holloway on the final top 6:
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/02/17/ia ... p-top-six/
Town's 3 most underrated players this season:
http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-most ... -season/4/
Joe Royle's opinion on MM's money issues:
http://www.sudburymercury.co.uk/sport/j ... _1_4422252
Not football-related, but Ipswich related, and a nice giggle!
http://www.suffolkgazette.com/news/amat ... perm-bank/
Stat Time
Head to Head
Ipswich Wins......................8......(25.00%)
Hull City Wins....................14.....(43.75%)
Draws..............................10.....(31.25%)
Ipswich Goals....................42 (ave. 1.31 per match)
Hull City Goals...................48 (ave. 1.50 per match)
Head to Head at Ipswich
Ipswich Wins......................7.....(46.67%)
Hull City Wins.....................3.....(20.00%)
Draws...............................5.....(33.33%)
Ipswich Goals.....................20 (ave. 1.33 per match)
Hull City Goals....................11 (ave. 0.73 per match)
The Predicted Teams
Ipswich Town
Apart from giving us time to mull over the last couple of results, the ten days since our last outing have at least allowed one or two injuries to clear up. Jonathan Douglas is a near certainty to regain his place in the middle of the park after suspension, while it will be interesting to see if McCarthy backs up his praise of Kevin Foley by again naming him in the starting XI… Perhaps not such a surprise will be if we revert to Mick’s favoured 4-4-2.
33 Bartosz Bialkowski
4 Luke Chambers
5 Tommy Smith
6 Christophe Berra
3 Jonas Knudsen
20 Freddie Sears
19 Luke Hyam
22 Jonathan Douglas
15 Ben Pringle
9 Daryl Murphy
11 Brett Pitman
Hull City
Hull have had two matches since we last played, the second their FA Cup clash with Arsenal at the weekend. This could come into Steve Bruce’s thinking when naming his team but he has been pretty consistent in his selection, and should again go for something like this rather formidable-looking line-up:
1 Allan McGregor
2 Moses Odubajo
6 Curtis Davies
21 Michael Dawson
26 Andrew Robertson
8 Tom Huddlestone
14 Jake Livermore
17 Mohamed Diame
10 Robert Snodgrass
11 Sam Clucas
9 Abel Hernández
Marko’s Caption Contest
Very funny few weeks of captions there, and here are the scores:
Birmingham
Nicscreamer 5pts
Derick 4pts
Ando 3pts
Number 9 2pts
QPR
Blueblood 5pts
Frosty 4pts
Herforder 3pts
Ando 2pts
Bristol City
Ando 5pts
Derick 4pts
Blueblood 3pts
Frosty 2pts
LEAGUE TABLE
Ando 62
DerickIpsw 60
Frosty 56
Blueblood 52
Nicscreamer 46
Barmy Billy 42
James Scharmann 41
Number 9 38
Herforder 32
Shed on Tour 25
IpswichtownNO1 24
Quasar 23
Bluemike 19
Ashfordblue 17
Floors 16
Watership Down 15
Tangfastic 10
Hallamblue 10
Charnwood 10
Longjohn 9
Kerry Blue 8
Foxy Lady 8
Loudnproud 6
Ohiotractorboy 3
Karlywoo 1
Quite enjoyed the Alex Neil picture so here is another:
Match Referee – Brendan Malone
Final Thought - Frosty
Although facing the top side in the league isn’t a great proposition to bounce back from the loss against Bristol City, there are a number of reasons why Tuesday night’s fixture looks winnable on paper. We have had a decent break, unlike Hull, who played away at the Emirates on Saturday coupled, with the fact that midweek night games at PR have treated us kindly this season. It wouldn’t surprise me to see us nick this one.
The key to a victory will be breaking through Hull’s very miserly defence, which is a big reason they lead the goal difference in the Championship this season. Our last win against Hull was back in 2008 so they certainly have the edge over us in recent fixtures.
Their recent form excluding FA Cup ties contains wins over Blackburn, Fulham and Charlton and a draw against the Seagulls, with their only ‘blip’ being a 1-0 away loss at Turf Moor.
Although we have a game in hand against three sides ahead of us on the table (Derby, Wednesday and Cardiff), so do Birmingham, who sit one place above on the table on goal difference. They probably have the easiest fixture of our promotion chasing rivals as they host struggling Bolton. Boro host Cardiff on Tuesday, which is probably the pick of the fixtures, whilst Wednesday receive a visit from QPR. Wednesday night’s fixture sees Derby at home to Blackburn.
Although there’s plenty of fixtures remaining this season, I am not sure that we could sustain a form drop like what happened in March last year as I feel the top 6 are on the verge of breaking away. Therefore, I do hope we keep closer in touch with these guys over the coming weeks, ideally starting Tuesday.
Have a great evening if you are off to the ground.
IPSWICH TOWN 2 HULL CITY 1
