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Overview
Did you know: Hull City is the only team in the English Football League which hasn't got a single letter that you can colour in? City's early matches were played at The Boulevard, the old home of rugby league side Hull FC? Up to 2008, the nation's favourite trivia quiz question was: which is the largest city in England to have never had a team in the top division? The answer, of course, was Hull – but promotion in May 2008 rendered the question defunct and the search is now on for an updated version. The Hull City Miscellany – a book on the Tigers like no other, packed with facts, stats, trivia, stories and legend. Now, with the club tasting previously uncharted highs, look back at what has made this club what it is today – the players and characters that have represented City over the years and the events that have shaped the club. If you want to know the record crowd for a home game, the record appearance holder or longest-serving manager, look no further – this is the book you've been waiting for. From record goal scorers, to record defeats; from Boothferry Park to Dean Windass – it's all in The Hull City Miscellany – can you afford not to own a copy?
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780752490632 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The History Press |
| Publication date: | 09/01/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 144 |
| File size: | 504 KB |
| Age Range: | 12 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Hull City
Miscellany
By David Clayton
The History Press
Copyright © 2012 David ClaytonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7524-9063-2
CHAPTER 1
FIXED PENALTY NOTICE
When it comes to penalty shoot-outs, generally speaking, City are pants. In fact, no self-respecting supporter of the Tigers would ever back their team to come out on top if a match went to the dreaded spot-kick drama to settle the game.
Of course, City entered the history books when they lost a Watney Cup tie to Manchester United in 1970. With the scores level after extra time, the match became the first on English soil to be settled by a shoot-out and the scene was set for 30 years of misery when United edged the game 4–3 at a packed Boothferry Park. It would be 17 years before City were again forced to settle a match this way, losing a League Cup tie against Charlton Athletic 5–4 on penalties at Selhurst Park.
Then, in November 1995, the Tigers again failed to roar from a penalty shoot-out, losing 3–1 to Wrexham in an FA Cup first -round replay. An Associate Members' Cup (Auto Windscreens Shield) tie against Rochdale became City's fourth failure in 2000 when, after a 0–0 draw in normal and added time couldn't separate the teams, Dale edged the spot-kicks 5–4 to inflict a fourth consecutive loss on penalties. In 2004, the Tigers outdid themselves losing two penalty shoot-outs in the space of a month, firstly 3–1 to Wrexham in the League Cup and then 4–1 to Hartlepool in the Associate Members' Cup (LDV Vans Trophy) to make it six defeats on the bounce. Finally, at the seventh attempt, City won a shoot-out, beating Hartlepool 3–2 in 2007 in a League Cup second round tie at the KC Stadium.
Does this mean the curse has finally lifted? We'll have to wait until the next time the Tigers are involved in a penalty shoot-out to find out....
HOW SWEET IT IS ...
The Needler family assumed control of the Tigers in the late 1940s and were associated with City up until 1997 when former tennis player David Lloyd bought the club. The Needlers famously first introduced boiled sweets to Hull – and to the world – and for a time, the tooth-breaking candy was thrown out to the crowd prior to home matches.
RAIDERS OF THE FER ARK
Towards the end of Boothferry Park's days as the Tigers' home, the stadium became affectionately known by City fans as 'Fer Ark'. Owing to the lack of finances for repairs, the scoreboard didn't actually show the score throughout the matches towards the end of the club's tenure at the ground and the only letters that were illuminated on the large Boothferry Park sign were 'BoothFERry pARK.'
CAPITAL RESULT!
The Housemartins' 1986 album, London 0 Hull 4, arguably put the city of Hull on the nation's radar and during the 2008/09 Premier League season, the Housemartins' album took on a mystical aura when the Tigers recreated the record's title by beating Fulham, Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham to make it four wins out of four against clubs from the capital. Art imitating life? Who knows, but the fact is, it really was London 0 Hull 4!
RECORD BREAKERS
Following the Tigers' successive promotions from the Fourth Division to the Second, local musicians Amber & Black celebrated by recording a song for the club – little did they know they'd have to wait 25 years to do a follow-up! On reaching the Premier League, Amber & Black released 'The City's On Fire' – here are the lyrics:
Time runnin' out, that was for definite
A sleeping giant with barely a breath in it
So-called saviours making a mess of it
They padlocked the gates ... Thanks a lot!
A hundred years of not much to shout about
Not many days to truly be proud about
But now here's something to really get loud about
This party, it ain't gonna stop.
Oh, The City's on Fire
With a burnin' desire
Tiger's are roaring,
And destiny's calling
Cos now is the time
Yeah the City's on fire
We're goin' higher and higher
There's no turning back 'cos you're Amber and Black
Till you die, i-i-ie, i-i-ie.
Here we are, have we got a team again!
The KC Army daring to dream again
A tiger nation that's raring to scream again
And we're going to sing 'til we drop
(Repeat chorus)
H-U-L-L C-I-T-Y
H-U-L-L C-I-T-Y
H-U-L-L C-I-T-Y
H-U-L-L
C-I-T-Y
H-U-L-L C-I-T-Y
H-U-L-L C-I-T-Y
H-U-L-L C-I-T-Y
H-U-L-L
C-I-T-Y
... That's all we need
(Repeat chorus)
The sleeping giant with barely a breath in it
Time runnin' out, that was for definite
But heroes came, making the best of it
The tigers are back. Fancy that!
© Amber & Black
TIGER BEAT
There are several songs City have run out to prior to home matches over the years. Mud's 'Tiger Feet' was the choice in the 1970s, while Survivor's 1980s No.1 'Eye of the Tiger' inspired one or two Rocky-esque displays by the hosts. 'Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright' is another offering, though Phil Brown's version of the Beach Boys' classic 'Sloop John B' will take some beating!
GRIM UP NORTH!
Celebrity Tigers fans are few and far between, but anyone who grew up in the 1970s will be relieved to hear that Basil Brush's human sidekick, Roy North, is a City fan.
YOU CAN CALL ME, AL
During the 1994/95 Third Division campaign, City were going through something of an injury crisis. Boss Terry Dolan was so desperate for outfield players that he named second-choice goalkeeper Alan Fettis as one of his outfield subs for the home game against Oxford United on 17 December 1994.
With City leading 2–1, Fettis made his entrance from the bench and within minutes had extended the Tigers' lead and secured all three points!
However, the story doesn't end there; the popular Fettis, who played more than 100 times during a five-year stint with City, repeated the feat. In the final match of the same campaign, Dolan handed Fettis the no. 8 shirt for an away trip to Blackpool. With the match poised at 1–1 and the game entering its final minute, up popped Fettis to net the winner – no wonder the fans loved the big Northern Irishman.
CROUCHING TIGERS, HIDDEN MEANING?
You'll probably already know this entry so let's get it done and dusted straight away – Hull City is the only team in the English Football League which hasn't got a single letter that you can colour in – but the real mystery is, which anorak took the time to discover this to be true?
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS ...
Up to 2008, the nation's favourite trivia quiz question was: which is the largest city in England to have never had a team in the top division? The answer, of course, was Hull – but promotion in May 2008 rendered the question defunct and the search is now on for an updated version of the said question.
GEO THE FIRST
Geovanni Deiberson Maurício Gómez – 'Geo' to the City fans – has a number of notable firsts and records under his belt for the Tigers. The first Brazilian to play for the club and, with in excess of £23m spent on the player during his career to date, he is also the most expensive talent the club has ever had, though cost manager Phil Brown nothing after he signed from Manchester City on a free transfer in 2008. Capped five times by Brazil, he was the first player to join Hull City as a Premier League club and he wrote his name into the history books by scoring the club's first Premier League goal when he struck home a 23rd-minute equaliser against Fulham in August 2008 – and that game also led to him receiving City's first Premier League Man of the Match award.
Geo has proved a hugely popular signing for the fans and his spectacular goals during the Tigers' first campaign in the top-flight have ensured his place in City's folklore. Continuing his 'firsts' for the club, the former Barcelona and Benfica forward became the first Tiger to win Match of the Day's Goal of the Month with his spectacular effort away to Arsenal – a goal that also won him the City supporters' Goal of the Season. Geo kept his fine personal record of goals scored against Manchester United when he scored a penalty at Old Trafford during a 4–3 defeat – he'd scored the winner for Manchester City against United the previous season and also scored against the Reds for Benfica in 2005. Geo had his contract cancelled by mutual consent in 2010 and moved to San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS where he became the club's first 'designated player' – whatever that means!
ROARY THE TIGER
Without doubt the best mascot in British football is City's Roary the Tiger. Roary became the club's mascot at the start of the 1999/2000 season, and was christened 'Roary' through a competition run in the matchday programme. Roary hit the headlines in November 1999 when he was sent off during an FA Cup first-round match at Hayes for causing trouble on the touchline. While the ref wasn't pleased with his behaviour, the City fans thought Roary was grrrreat....
BROWNY SAID IT ...
'We've survived and I can say it's the greatest achievement of my career.'
Forget the poor run, it was job done as far as the boss was concerened
'There would be no better man to replace Eriksson. Sam [Allardyce] would have no problems dropping big-name players.'
Browny comments on his old mate being in the running for the Man City job
'There was only one manager who wanted to win the game and that was me. Micky Adams came here for a draw and he got the result he wanted.'
Browny – not overly impressed by then Coventry boss Mickey Adams
'I was beginning to think either my managerial career or Pride Park was cursed.'
It was Pride Park, Phil....
'A European place is the ultimate aim, either through winning a trophy or by way of position in the Premier League. I have got my personal ambitions, and all I can say is that I want to realise them in the near future.'
Ambitious to the last – Tigers in Europe, Browny? Why not?
'The tension was unbearable. The score was only 1–0, both here and at Villa Park, and I was thinking, "Do we need to score a goal or can we afford to lose?" At half-time Steve Parkin said, "We need to score a goal here" and I must admit I did a double-take. It was a negative vibe that was unusual for me, but it was enough for us today.'
The Tigers boss relives that agonising but ultimately joyous final day of the 2008/09 Premier League campaign
'He was adamant he wanted to play, but I didn't think he was fit enough to play in the Premier League aged 40 – that was our difference of opinion.'
The Gaffer's verdict on Dean Windass' decision to join Oldham on loan and not Doncaster Rovers
CHEAP, WARM POP
Long before Peter Kay recalled the cheap pop his mum used to buy from the supermarket – namely 'Rolla Cola' – City chairman Don Robinson introduced the equally nasty-tasting Tiger Cola. Sold in a no-frills white plastic carton, Tiger Cola didn't go down well with City fans when it became available as the soft drink option at Boothferry Park and it disappeared before too long. Rumours that the chairman had been seen emptying Rolla Cola into plastic cartons prior to matches were never confirmed, though there was one thing the home support were sure of: Tiger Cola certainly didn't earn its stripes!
THE TIGERS HAVE NEVER WORN SPOTS ...
As the club's nickname depicts, Hull City have, for the majority of their existence, worn a 'Tigerish' kit using the colours black and amber. However, this has not always been the case and there have been many different versions over the years. The kits have gone from plain to garish, resulting in some of them being placed on unofficial 'Worst Kits in the History of Football' top tens.
For the first game that the club played, back in 1904, a plain white shirt was fashioned for the players. However, by the first full season the following year, a kit change had been agreed and a uniform consisting of black and amber shirts and black shorts was produced for the players.
This style continued up until the Second World War, apart from the 1935/36 season when the board decided to adopt the sky blue colours of the City of Hull. The move was met by protestations from the supporters and the amber and black was reinstated for the following season. The blue did return for a season after the Second World War, but again for only one campaign.
From the late 1940s onwards, stripes took a backseat as a plain shirt was developed and the side wore amber upon their torsos. The tiger element returned to the club's kit in the 1960s when stripes were reintroduced for four seasons, until the original idea of just having two horizontal black stripes placed across a gold shirt was put into practice. Like most extreme changes to the kits, this also only managed one season, and a stripe-less shirt was back for the following campaign.
Stripes went in and out of fashion throughout the 1970s and early '80s and the next major change to the tops was the addition of some red shoulder sections which lasted for five years from 1986 onwards.
The following decade brought some of football's most infamous outfits. In 1992, the club wore a kit which aimed to make the players look like a human version of City's nickname. A tigerskin shirt design was put in place and three seasons of hideous-looking kits ensued, as well as rumours that big game hunters were seen stalking the areas close to Boothferry Park. The kit was a disaster that only succeeded in bringing mild humour to opposition fans. Sanity prevailed and black and amber strips were once again employed from the mid–1990s onwards.
In recent times, a small amount of white has been incorporated into the shirts, but it has not been a staple of the kits since 2001. In 2004, for the club's centenary, it was decided that the shirt would resemble the one that was worn in their first season in the football league, and so a traditional black and amber striped kit was commissioned. Up to the 2011/12 season the side ran out in the 'norm' of black and amber stripes, but thankfully tigerskin seems to be out of fashion – for now at least....
PLAY-OFFS
The fact that City made the Division Three 2000/01 play-offs at all was remarkable considering the Tigers were bottom of the league after nine games and on the brink of financial ruin. Brian Little somehow turned the club around and the push for the play-offs began, ironically, with a 1–0 win over Leyton Orient in February. With only two defeats since that result, City were the dark horses for promotion and faced Leyton Orient in the play-off semi-finals. After John Eyre's 68th-minute goal settled the first leg, Orient fans must have wondered if their play-off curse had returned – two years earlier they had failed to score in both legs of their semi-final yet went through on penalties and in the final they again fired blanks, losing to Scunthorpe United. The second leg at Brisbane Road, however, saw Orient score goals in the 44th and 70th minutes to progress to the final and leave City fans with a tearful journey back to Humberside.
The Tigers' second experience of the play-offs was much more enjoyable. After an agonising last day in the Championship which saw City finish third and narrowly miss out on automatic promotion to Stoke, the Tigers faced Watford over two legs for a place at Wembley. With the first leg at Vicarage Road, Phil Brown's side knew they'd have to return home with something to aim for in the second leg, but few could have hoped for the 2–0 victory they actually got. After the hosts had a 4th-minute goal controversially rubbed off by the referee, veterans Nicky Barmby and Dean Windass both scored inside 23 minutes to leave City fans dreaming of an historic first Wembley appearance.
A packed KC Stadium was at fever pitch for the return match but it was Watford who scored first, on 12 minutes. However, goals from Barmby, Folan, Garcia and Doyle – the last three coming in the final 20 minutes – set up a final with Bristol City.
In front of 86,703 fans – the highest crowd the Tigers have ever played in front of – it was fitting that Dean Windass should score the only goal of the game, sending City into the Premier League for the first time.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Hull City by David Clayton. Copyright © 2012 David Clayton. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
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