I’m feeling a certain sense of antipathy at the moment. When Huddersfield scored on Saturday, such was my nonchalance I thought I had been reborn a Parisian. I didn’t even remember that City were playing Derby the Tuesday before until 10pm that night (occasionally fate is kind).
Before the season started, my aim was for us to finish in the play-offs, win more games, score more goals and start rebuilding for the future. I didn’t particularly want to get promoted back into the Premiserable League.
You’d be hard-pushed to argue against the achievement of those goals.
But then we went top. And I realised that I’d never seen City as champions of any league.
Now, sitting 12 points off the top, there is next to zero chance of automatic promotion. 7th is far more likely than 1st. I am still considering taking 100-1 on us missing out on the play-offs that Sky Bet are offering.
.
We should stumble into the play-offs but I don’t fancy our chances at all. Brighton we can beat, Sheffield Wednesday would be a very tough challenge – Derby – well I don’t need to elaborate on why I don’t fancy our chances against them. If bookies were offering odds on Tom Ince knocking us out, I’d take it right now. Not in a literal sense.
It seems strange but I really don’t mind what happens from now until the end of the season. Winning is preferable but I’m not going to kick the nearest car door after 6 pints if Wolves beat us on Friday night.
Why is this?
I suspect that I am not unique in having this sense of antipathy.
It doesn’t feel as though there is this clammering within the fan base to be promoted. I doubt that I am the only one that isn’t especially keen on us losing 60% of our games next season in exchange for seeing Premier League greats such as Ronaldo, Messi, Gerrard, Neymar and Romario at the KC.
Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday fans seem particularly keen on promotion – which makes sense given their time away from the top division. The argument I often hear within our fans is that we’ll lose our best players if we don’t get promoted. Any desire of promotion seems to be an avoidance of disaster as opposed to a desire to be playing the biggest clubs every Sunday/Monday.
Do the players want it? I’m sure they do. But really, really want it more than the players in the teams around us? If we did go up via the play-offs, do you imagine scenes replicating those from the players in 2008? Can you see Diame screaming his head off like Brady did in 2013? Will Elmo manage to become as blurred as he did back then?
How much does Bruce want it? He often seems confused as to why we are losing and continues to be linked to clubs. I am starting to lose my faith in Bruce. Just starting to.
Do the Allams want it? Sure, for their investment it would certainly be preferable. But they are now distant supporters, allegedly watching games from their sofa, similar to many fans who feel pushed out, except I doubt the Allams are constantly reloading the link and trying to find the hidden close buttons on the multitude of adverts.
I am finding it hard to truly care about the rest of the season. Win or lose, I care little. I doubt I’ll even be going to my local game – Reading away.
My Hull City antipathy has truly set in. Please tell me it will go away and we’ll have a glorious May 28th.
I agree, but from my own point of view. Since the membership scheme was announced I have lost all interest in the club ( upper west for last 8 years, occasional visitor previously due to work ). The supporters who concern themselves with the players who may leave should be glad these mercenaries go if we don't get promoted, Diame the latest to make noises about moving, pity he doesn't move better with the ball instead of either falling over or being dispossessed to easily. I would rather watch City in the Championship or lower leagues and have players that could fight to win, and have owners that could re engage with the fans instead of P***ing them off . My opinion, glad to here others more positive to cheer me up.
My main concern is that I don't think Bruce is tactically astute; or very clever (see common theme below). He seems to treat team selections as a Friday night flutter at your local Napoleons casino, bringing his son along for a good time. Yes, he has friends in high places, but Hull have always had Warren Joyce. We have contacts as well, Steve. This intellectual half-life in City's management has rekindled a number of times. I hum the wizard of oz tune "if I only had a brain" on behalf of a number of "characters" to join Hull's ranks in recent years: Iain Dowie – I don't need to elaborate-, Phil shout at your players in public Brown, Nigel disturbed by my own melancholy ostriches or my racist son Pearson and Nick nice but… Barmby. It hurts to name Nick among the rest but he fits the criteria: failing the management IQ test. I'm not an unstable football owner (also key criteria in the modern game) but if I were, I'd call Paul Clement up and offer him a job. His team trounced Hull not so long back and he suffered under another clinically insane owner; derived from the abstract cult belief in a "Derby way" which centred on not winning and not being promoted. Yes, antipathy is the result of a long list of management embarrassment. As the city of culture 2017, we all know, and expect the culture of the game should be better; from Boothferry. To Wembley. Via the KC.
What about Terry?!
I believe you've got that one covered..!
City of Culture 2017? With the city being home to the only club that does not give concessions to children and seniors. I live near Manchester and yet IO've seen all but 5 of City's matches this season, home and away. I even went to Ipswich via the KC getting home at 5 am. From then on…..the team stop scoring, the owners decide I can't have my seat next year and have to sit in the corner with the other white haired supporters, the manager looks lost, and after 50 + years I find myself laughing when we lose. It's that bad. It feels like a bereavement.