Season Preview: A point to prove for Hull City on Humberside

Following on from achieving promotion from League One at the first time of asking last season, Grant McCann’s Hull City find themselves back in the Championship with all to prove.

After a fairly dramatic fall from grace at the height of the global pandemic the Tigers have not panicked when it may well have been easier to have hit the reset button.

Instead, they have steadied the ship, reflected on what went wrong and have since bared the fruits from strategic club planning, which has brought about much-needed harmony at the hierarchy of the club.

Building off the euphoria, however, presents a new challenge in itself. Considering the financial gap between League One and the Championship, let alone the levels of consistency demanded from matchday performances, City are not going to have it easy this season.

Management

Not that McCann would have had it any other way. Having survived a baptism of fire at the outset of his tenure, here lies a more seasoned manager that will be relishing the challenges that the step up in quality will present.

Throughout the rigours of the last campaign, the eyes were always on the prize of promotion, and nothing less would have satisfied – from a club perspective, let alone the fan base.

The drive and measured approach to succeed as Champions was fully invested in from those within the camp. Phase one of City’s rebuild has been achieved but there is no room for complacency and McCann has been pleased with preparations for the next challenge.

“It’s gone really smoothly. I’ve been really impressed with how preseason has gone and delighted that we’ve kept nearly, the majority of the group, fit and in good spirits, so it’s been a good five-six weeks, where we obviously are just chomping at the bit now for the first game.”

Investment

In many respects, preparation has been good despite the embargo that Hull were sanctioned with in July. Most importantly, they have kept the core of their promotion-winning squad together whilst adding strength in depth with a number of arrivals which on paper look as astute as their highly successful summer transfer recruitment in 2020.

On-loan Chelsea goalkeeper Nathan Baxter is an interesting addition to City’s backline given the form of Matt Ingram in goal last season. However, with the departure of George Long, competition will certainly have been needed but Baxter will not have moved to Humberside to get splinters sat on the bench.

Manchester youngster Di’shon Bernard arrives from Old Trafford looking to make a breakthrough into City’s rearguard. With Jacob Greaves and Alfie Jones expected to be the first choice centre half pairing, Bernard may well need to be patient in getting his opportunity.

Former Portsmouth midfielder Andy Cannon has already shown glimpses of what he can bring to City’s midfield with a rasping 20-yard strike against Scunthorpe United in preseason.

George Moncur arrived on a free transfer from Luton Town and the well-travelled midfielder has a reputation for his ability with the ball. City very much rely on retaining possession in the centre of the park to link defence and attack and Moncur may well be a valuable addition to keep Hull ticking over when called upon and could be a very shrewd addition to the ranks.

On loan from Brighton Hove Albion, Ryan Longman had spent last season at Wimbledon in League One. The young forward will bring in extra competition and look to make his mark in making the step up.

“For the upcoming season, I was actually fairly confident that we could be dark horses in some capacity for maybe a top-half finish but probably didn’t take the current financial climate for football clubs properly into account.

“We’ve still recruited well, but obviously there’s a lack of Championship experience in the squad barring one or two players. I hope that we can play with the same enthusiasm and attacking impetus that we showed last season.

“McCann will need to have some tricks up his sleeve in regards to some tactical switch ups as we all remember how the last Championship season ended and we need to avoid falling into another rut.

“I think we have enough in terms of goals and creativity to stay up, so I’m gonna say a happy 17th place finish.” – City fan and To Hull & Back Podcaster Ant Northgraves

Challenges

Despite scoring a record number of goals in their last campaign, City are undoubtedly going to find the stubbornness of Championship defences a far tougher nut to crack.

With a relatively unproven strike force at this level, the challenge for McCann will be for his side to score enough goals to allay any fears of relegation.

With a reasonably robust defence and midfield, pressure will be on the likes of Josh Magennis to deliver at the top end of the pitch. The Northern Ireland International has shown he can do it on the big stage and with a best-ever personal goals haul in his previous season it promises to be a significant opportunity for the fiery Tigers talisman.

The influence of fans back in at the newly named MKM Stadium should not be under-estimated. It would be fair to say that the last time Hull fans were in, it was a fairly toxic atmosphere as they watched their beloved club drop like a stone into the third tier having experienced a whirlwind of success that had taken them into Europe during a golden era of the club’s history.

“I hope that we consolidate with our embargo affected squad. I’d hope some of the young lads get their chance as well – Andy Smith in defence and Olly Green in Midfield are my key stand outs from the U23 squad.

“Predicted finish – 20th. I’d be happy surviving this year and I think we may just do it – but we will struggle to score goals, I think. We’re not in League One any more!” – City fan and Tigers Blah Podcaster Luke Flanagan

In many respects, when City were wobbling around December time last season, the lack of fan pressure inside the stadium may well have been a benefit to Grant McCann with the fanbase still split over whether he was the right man to take the club forward.

McCann needs the fans behind the team. I doubt that he’d pay much attention to personal abuse – he will take it all day long if it means shielding his players from criticism.

Ones to watch

• Jacob Greaves

In the last campaign, the left-sided centre half enjoyed a solid debut season for his hometown club, making 39 league appearances in a side that kept 20 cleans sheets. Having built on a successful season at Cheltenham the previous year, Greaves has established himself as a ball-playing defender that has coped with the physical demands of the lower divisions. This promises to be a big season for the young City defender.

• Greg Docherty

Very much the wingman for George Honeyman, Docherty’s start to the season will be important for Hull without their aforementioned Player of the Season. ‘Doc’ showed last season that he could drive his City teammates onto success with his all-action approach from midfield even without Honeyman next to him. The ex-Rangers man will be relishing the opportunity to make the step up and show the Championship what he is made of. As an old fashioned box to box midfielder, Docherty’s energy sees him get across the pitch as both tenacious ball-winner and playmaker. He’ll be one to keep an eye on.

• Keane Lewis-Potter

The young left-sided forward has already had a taste of life in the Championship during City’s ill-fated relegation campaign from the 2019-20 campaign. Following a resurgence in form from the new year, Lewis-Potter showed real quality to his game in finding the goals and assists to make a crucial difference to City’s promotion charge. Another homegrown talent, finding the levels of consistency will arguably be the youngsters biggest challenge. There is no doubting his talent in cutting inside from the left-hand side and running at the opposition.

Prediction

Hull won’t have it easy this season, and it will be a learning curve of a season back in the Championship for McCann and his hungry squad.

I don’t think they’ll make life easy for themselves, but with character in the team, I’d expect them to pull results out of the bag when needed. If the returning fans invest in the vision, they can consolidate and build once more when the embargo has lifted. Predicted finish: 16th.

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