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20 teams in 20 days – Hull City

By on August 2, 2014

Manager: Steve Bruce
Stadium: KC Stadium
Nickname: The Tigers
Finish Last Season: 16th

Hull City are a club which, for the most part, only have just enough to get by in whatever league they are in, until one incredible season sees them promoted. For instance, last season, when the club finished in sixteenth place just four points outside of the relegation zone. Or, during a three season period from 2005/2006 to 2007/2008, in which the club twice ended up just outside the Championship relegation zone before finding themselves promoted just next season. This season looks like it will be one of those special ones for Hull City.

Namely, for two common reasons a club can have a special season. Firstly, because of newfound money. Assem Allam bought the club back in 2010, but this has been the second summer running in which he has invested more than €20,000,000 on preparing his side for the new season. Now, their squad features the likes of exciting young talent including Jake Livermore and Thomas Ince, but a barrage of players entering their prime – Curtis Davies, Tom Huddlestone, Nikica Jelavic, and Shane Long to name just three. And secondly, actual European football. For a club that finished sixteenth in the league last season, European football will be a big treat if they can finish the remainder of qualifying. Having finished runners-up to Arsenal in the FA Cup last season, they entered Europa League qualification. It will be their first ever time in modern European football, and just what Allam would have been looking for when he invested in the club.

But in the league, they will still be fighting for relegation, for the most part. So while the Europa League may be a treat, it will severely dent their league form. With those pesky Thursday fixtures, Hull will not be able to feature their best lineup in both competitions when they have to play in the league on Saturday. And since they are likely to put at least some focus on their first ever European campaign, their league form will undoubtedly suffer. And for they are already living on the edge of relegation, that little bit could be what tips them into the bottom three. Hull City really will need a special season if they are to survive both the league and at the same time make it far in the Europa League.

This, for the most part, is where Allam’s money will come in handy. The Egyptian businessman has invested just enough money in the club to make sure that not only is their starting lineup of enough quality, but that they are relatively deep in that talent as well. For instance, up front they have Long, Jelavic, as well as Yannick Sagbo. Those are three forwards in which Hull have purchased in just the past two seasons. And Allam still has more time to bring in a few more players. Namely, another center-back or one more creative midfielder to fill in the midfield five manager Steve Bruce often implements. Just a little bit more and Hull may have that special season.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.