It’s crunch day on Sunday for Hull and Newcastle, with Sunderland’s draw at Arsenal meaning only those two clubs can join the already-relegated Burnley and QPR in the Championship.
Hull face what seems an impossible task – needing to beat Manchester United at the KC, while they also need Newcastle not to win against West Ham.
We don’t think Hull’s fans should get too downbeat though, and here’s why.
1. Big Sam will have a plan
Not only does Sam Allardyce have good reason for wanting to see Newcastle go down – though he’d never admit it – after they sacked him unceremoniously, Big Sam is also said to be good mates with Hull manager Steve Bruce.
That effectively means he has a triple incentive to make sure his West Ham side beat Newcastle, with the final reason being he obviously wants West Ham to do as well as possible.
Big Sam’s got your back, Hull fans.
2. Home advantage can count
While Manchester United are second in the Premier League table on home performances alone, they drop down to seventh when it comes to away games. Now, that’s not too shabby, but in a game with such high stakes the Hull fans will be up for it and can make the KC stadium an intimidating venue.
That being said, Hull have only picked up 19 points from 18 home games this season – but it was never going to be easy, was it?
3. Hull have the quality
In some ways, Hull have had it the best of the teams at the bottom this season. They’ve got the quality that the likes of Burnley have lacked, while they’ve also got passionate players that maybe QPR and Newcastle have missed.
Bruce has spent a fair bit of money assembling a squad, and has strikers at his disposal that have proven this season they can compete with the best.
4. Remember that Chelsea game?
At the end of March Premier League Champions Chelsea travelled to the KC, and got a bit of a shock. Though Hull were quickly 2-0 down, they fought their way back to 2-2 before half-time and for large parts of the game looked the most likely to go on and win.
They did eventually lose, but they were playing Chelsea – who Manchester United are not.
Hull also managed a win against Liverpool at home. Liverpool are arguably worse than both of the teams mentioned above, but it’s a win that will give the Hull players confidence going into such a big game.
5. Steve Bruce has never won against United
Okay, so, this could be used as a point for why Hull fans should definitely be pessimistic – but we’re choosing to view it in another way.
Bruce has faced United as a manager 21 times with four different clubs, and only managed four draws, losing the rest. There have been a couple of times when he’s come close though, only to lose out to own goals from his own players on two separate occasions. One of those occasions was against David Moyes’ Man United last season.
We reckon it’s about time he’s due some luck against his old club, and it couldn’t come at a better time than on Sunday.
6. They’ve been here before
Again, this is a point that could be used to illustrate why Hull definitely won’t beat United – but what’s with all the negativity?!
During Hull’s first season in the Premier League, back in 2009, it came down to a game against Manchester United on the final day of the season, at the KC stadium, for Hull to secure their safety. They lost the game 1-0, but salvation was theirs because none other than Newcastle had also lost, meaning they were relegated.
A different result at the KC this time around could have the same outcome – a relegated Newcastle and another season in the Premier League for Hull City.
You might as well dream, Hull fans, what’s the worst that can happen?
Source: SNAPPA
