October 5th 2002 – Hull City are stranded in 18th place in the fourth tier of English football.
May 24th 2008 – 39 year old, local hero, Dean Windass fires Hull into the Premiership as they narrowly defeat Bristol City at Wembley to gain promotion from the play-offs.
December 13th 2008 – Hull draw 2-2 away at Liverpool following Premiership wins against Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham. “The Tigers” sit in 6th place in the Premier League.
Nobody could have predicted the meteoric rise of Hull City, who just five years ago were dwelling near the bottom of the then named Division Three. Even after the play-off glory and the promotion to the Premiership, few predicted that just a few months on, five times European Cup Winners Liverpool would come away from Anfield feeling fortunate to have gained a point with Hull.
Impressive wins against Newcastle and West Ham were topped by the astonishing “North London double” as Hull defeated both Arsenal and Tottenham away in consecutive weeks. Despite heavy losses to Wigan and Chelsea, Hull scored three goals at Old Trafford and gained a point against the worlds’ richest club Manchester City.
Hull’s recent success is testament to their young manager Phil Brown whose shrewd summer signings bolstered the squad and boosted the morale. Whilst it may have been the Brazilian Geovanni who has received most of the plaudits from the press, arguably the purchase of George Boateng from fellow Premiership side Middlesbrough was the best bit of business by Brown.
The experienced Ghanaian midfielder, who previously played for Dutch giants Feyenoord before making his move to England where he signed for Coventry, Aston Villa and then Middlesbrough, has been a crucial element in Hull City’s dream start to the season. Having been a runner-up in the FA Cup, UEFA cup and winner of the League Cup as well as representing his adopted nation (The Netherlands) four times, Boateng’s wealth of experience has solidified a largely inexperienced team. Furthermore the grit and determination that resonates in his play has spread throughout the Hull side. Boateng’s inspirational form has had an undoubtedly instrumental role to play in Hull’s surprise success story.
Whilst it is important to remember the football season is a marathon and not a sprint, if Hull and Boating can keep up their good form then anything is possible for “The Tigers.”
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