Football Story

04 July 2009 16:49 BST

There is no "I" in Tigers

Defeat in last night's unlikely top-three clash against Chelsea should take none of the shine off what has been a remarkable start to the season for Premier League new boys Hull City.

The way Phil Brown's side have adapted to life in the top flight has proved an inspiration to fans, ambitious lower league chairmen and yo-yo clubs alike – even before the superb away wins at White Hart Lane and the Emirates Stadium are taken into account.

And while three points against the Blues may have been one wish too many for the Tigers – with a squad largely consisting of cast-offs, misfits and journeymen - for the club itself, merely competing alongside the likes of big-spending Chelsea represents a great victory.

Other than a low-key encounter in last season's Carling Cup, the last meeting between the two sides saw the Blues smash six past their lowly Division Three hosts in an FA Cup third round tie in December 1999.

At the time, Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli had recently forked out £10 million on Chris Sutton to complement an already star-studded squad, while Hull were something of a soft touch at Boothferry Park.

Indeed, as much as the club's recent triumphs have come to characterise its current existence, for a decade or more City were the flag bearers for mediocrity.

Rough, rugged and dedicated exponents of route one football, the Hull City teams of the 1990s all too frequently found themselves hovering in the nether regions of the basement division.

Behind the scenes, the prognosis was often even worse.

A player shortage in 1994 forced Terry Dolan to field goalkeeper Alan Fettis as an outfield player, something of an embarrassment for the club with the largest unrivalled catchment area in the Football League.

Then, as recently as 2001, the club was locked out of its own ground by landlord David Lloyd, adding further insult to the injury of a Customs and Excise winding-up order for £500,000 in unpaid VAT.

Fast forward seven years and this long-unfashionable club dazzles as the shining light of Yorkshire professional football, its own meteoric rise contrasting with a slump in fortunes across the rest of the White Rose county.

Hull City have rapidly progressed through the league pyramid, built on the firm foundations of sound financial backing and measured ambition, perhaps with a touch of over-achievement on the pitch thrown in for good measure.

When former Leeds director Adam Pearson took the helm in 2001, the low profile of the club was perhaps only matched by the expectations of success among a largely apathetic fanbase.

For decades City had lived in the shadows of two more successful clubs - namely the rugby league rivals Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers. However, a move to the council-owned KC Stadium in 2002 proved to be something of a catalyst for the Tigers.

As results improved so did attendances, and true enough, the cloud of gloom which had surrounded the club since the 1980s began to lift.

Successive promotions in 2004 and 2005 under the stewardship of Peter Taylor were followed by two seasons of quiet consolidation in the second tier, but few could have predicted the events of 2007/08 when Phil Brown led Hull to the top flight for the first time in the club's 104-year history.

A fantastic team spirit, a solid spine and the goals of loanee Frazier Campbell helped the Tigers stay the pace at the top of the Championship, before a 1-0 play-off final win over Bristol City capped a remarkable season.

With ageing local favourites Dean Windass and Nicky Barmby among those to make a vital contribution during the last campaign, Brown was left with the tough decision of whether to stick with his promotion heroes or scout for reinforcements.

Ultimately he settled for a combination of the two, a policy which appears to be working based upon the early exploits of his team.

Four-goal Giovanni has shone in particular, the Brazilian's dazzling form belying his largely ineffective showings for Manchester City last year.

While new signings George Boateng, Anthony Gardner and Marlon King have all proven to be shrewd acquisitions, it is the likes of Michael Turner, Andy Dawson and captain Ian Ashbee who have been the real revelations so far.

Previously unheard of to the Match of the Day masses, these are hard-working players firmly built in the traditional Hull mould - and the bedrock of the club's initial success this season.

Ashbee, in particular, has played an instrumental role, as he did in each of the club's three recent promotions.

Rare it is these days that a newly-promoted side can establish themselves in the top half of the Premier League. And for a play-off winning team built on a shoestring budget, this task is doubly difficult.

With this in mind, Hull's league position after ten games must be applauded, although Phil Brown will be fully aware that the real challenges still lie ahead this season.

The Tigers may have exceeded all initial expectations, but with the games coming thick and fast over the winter period, the only real target will be to amass enough points to guarantee survival in May.

Pessimists may claim that the Chelsea result represents the bubble bursting for Hull. But losing to one of Europe's top sides is no disgrace.

The coming weeks and months will reveal the true mettle of Phil Brown's team.

Is a sustained European push a possibility? Probably not, but the English game would be all the better for it.

Kevin Owers