A season that appeared to show so much promise in the early stages ended in disaster for Hull City when the injury bug ravaged club. As a result, they finished with just 35 points – the third-fewest in the English Premier League and three points short of 16th-place Aston Villa. As a result, they were unable to avoid relegation. There is little doubt that Hull City would have had a much easier time had they not been forced to deal with so many key injuries but now the focus shifts to the future and trying to dig out the hole. But before we look ahead, let’s recap and look back to the four most important things we learned from Hull City this past season.
Remembering What There Was At The Beginning
For everything that Hull City has had to deal with this past year, it’s important to remember that this same team made history with its first European appearance in August. Not even a full year ago, optimism was high and they appeared primed for big things. They exited the transfer window with Gaston Ramirez, Hatern Ben Arfe, Abel Hernandez and Mo Diame on their roster. That appearance must seem like ages ago now but Hull City can take some solace in the fact that when they were healthy and at full strength, they looked like a club that was destined to be competitive in England’s top flight.
Replacing Robertson Will Not Be Easy
The demotion will mean a lot to Hull City in terms of the changes the team is forced to make. If there is one loss in particular that stands out, it is the one of left back Andrew Robertson. Robertson was an excellent signing when he was stolen away from Dundee United for under 3 million euros but after an excellent season, the odds are that another top club will swoop him and pull him away this summer. The only silver lining will be that they get more money for Robertson than they paid to acquire him but they likely won’t get another caliber player like him at that price. It’s just not as much of an attractive situation any longer to draw those types of player bargains unless they move back up to the Premier League next season.
Steve Bruce Is Not The Problem
Manager Steve Bruce took a ton of flak for his team’s relegation but the bottom line is that it might not have mattered who was patrolling the sidelines at Hull City this past season. The team was absolutely ravaged by injuries and while Bruce might have drawn the ire of the fans, the bottom line is that he did a pretty good job with what he had. Even though the injury ward housed a lot of their offensive players, which excuses the mere 33 goals they scored in 38 games this season, the truth is that they were still a decent defensive club. Hull gave up 51 goals, which isn’t great but not the worst. It ties them for 12th in the EPL and shows a decent quality given that they finished 17th in the standings.
There is absolutely no way that Bruce should be blamed for the team’s shortcomings this season.
There Is Hope For Next Season
Fans of Hull City need only look back at the way this year started for a reminder of what this team is capable of achieving. If they can find a way to avoid the injuries – and the truth is injuries are very much related to luck – and if they can fill the holes on their roster with some decent talent, they will have every opportunity to bounce back. There wasn’t another Premier League club that dealt with the health issues that plagued Hull City this year and they should be primed for a much better performance next year.
