Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
It had been 370 days since Steve Bruce and Hull City were relegated from the Premier League. Their fans could have been forgiven for having an identity crisis with an owner wanting to change the club’s name to Hull Tigers and a team that didn’t appear to know which league to play in!
Relegated from the Premier League in 2010, promoted in 2013, FA Cup finalists in 2014, relegated in 2015 and promoted once again in 2016, Hull are now the third consecutive side to win the play-off the year after being relegated, following QPR and Norwich.
After nine months of another fascinating Championship season, Hull City deservedly claimed the final promotion slot by defeating Sheffield Wednesday and will be joining the riches of the top flight, with trips to the Olympic Stadium and an expanding Anfield among the away days to come.
The Owls, who will be celebrating their 150th year since being formed, are set for another year in the second tier – a division that will be feverishly competitive, with Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United and Nigel Pearson’s Derby County among the many, many contenders for promotion. Yorkshire neighbours Barnsley will also be there having won their own play-off final at Wembley.
The Championship play-off, however, always known as the richest game in football, has become worth even more thanks to the latest TV deal. Deloittes calculate that Hull City will receive a minimum amount of £170m and that rises to £290m if they avoid relegation.
It’s a grand pay day for a side full of inconsistency; something manager Steve Bruce acknowledges cost his side automatic promotion.
If you include the pre-Wembley 2-0 play-off home defeat to Derby County (fortunately they had won the first tie away 3-0), The Tigers lost 12 games in total. Many of these losses came against sides in the bottom half of the table and included defeats at Bolton Wanderers, Rotherham United and Leeds United, yet when they played the leading teams, Hull City came into their own.
They demolished Middlesbrough 3-0 and were one of the few teams to inflict a defeat on new champions Burnley. Whatever the ups-and-downs of their season, like a ship on the high seas, the Tigers have not been hindered by a leaky hull with their defence frequently holding strong.
And, so it proved once again as, from front to back, they blunted the threats posed by the maverick Owls in Saturday’s thrilling fixture, a much-more enjoyable affair than the later Champions League Final between the Madrid sides, even with a penalty shootout decider.
Hull City started confidently and former England international Tom Huddlestone, masterful throughout in midfield, was the first to have an effort on goal after a neat passage of play. But the Owls’ threat grew. Their main striker Fernando Forestieri, who scored 15 goals in the Championship this term, burst into life after 10 minutes, racing past Michael Dawson and the Hull captain was forced to bring him down and take a booking.
Forestieri tried his luck from the resulting free-kick, but Eldin Jakupovic punched well clear. Stand-in goalkeeper Jakupovic was also on hand to beat away once more just minutes later when Ross Wallace took aim.
Abel Hernandez, who netted 21 goals for Hull City across the course of the season, almost grabbed the opener after a through ball from Mo Diame, but Westwood got the vital touch to send the ball over the crossbar. Moses Odubajo also fired wide from 25 yards with a wicked left-footed strike.
Man of the match Diame almost turned goalscorer soon after, rounding three Wednesday players with some brilliant trickery, only to see his shot rebound off the post.
Odubajo came close once again as the Tigers began to take control, this time from close range, as Elmohamady slid in a luscious through ball. Westwood did enough to make a second crucial stop, in what was a brilliant individual performance from the 31-year-old.
Carlos Carvalhal’s side would have been down an out had if it was not for Westwood. Again he saved from close range, this time from Dawson in the second half, who was lurking at the back post.
The best chance of the match came just before the hour mark, when Hull’s full-backs combined. Odubajo fizzed a ball across the Wednesday box, and picked out team-mate Andy Robertson, but he blazed over to the despair of his supporters.
The game looked to be heading for extra time until Diame picked up the ball from Snodgrass and, from a central position, bent his shot round Westwood from 25 yards with a strike worthy of winning the tie.
The goal silenced an otherwise bouncing Sheffield Wednesday end of the stadium, who had been in strong voice all afternoon, and sealed Hull’s return to the top flight at the first time of asking.
Sheffield Wednesday may have been the better-supported team by some distance but they were lacking where it counted most.
As Hull City claimed the trophy to the theme of Gladiator, Steve Bruce, their manager took his turn holding the trophy aloft. In taking the Tigers to the top-tier for the second time he becomes the first manager to have claimed four promotions (adding to the two achieved with Birmingham City), leading some to suggest that he would have been a safer bet for the Old Trafford job than Jose Mourinho, a Manchester United team he once captained to glory.
While the City fans are celebrating it is rumoured that their owner, Assem Allam, is close to selling the club to an American consortium. This latest win will likely have just put the price up!
