MATCHPREVIEW
Saturday 3rd April 2010
Stoke City vs Hull City
Barclays Premier League
Britannia Stadium
Kick-Off 3:00pm
INTRODUCINGHULL
IAIN DOWIE'S survival mission received a major boost when Hull City took advantage of a weary and under-strength Fulham side to record only their second win in 17 games . . . yet the situation could have been so much better for him but for a couple of disastrous minutes.
The victory over Roy Hodgson's Europa League heroes could so easily have been the second of Dowie's short reign as the club's Football Management Consultant after the Tigers had been so close to giving him a winning start at bottom club Portsmouth a week earlier.
Two goals from the recalled Caleb Folan had set up the prospect of victory over Pompey in Dowie's first match in charge when Jamie O'Hara and Kanu struck in the last two minutes to condemn them to a 3-2 defeat and a fifth successive loss in the Barclays Premier League.
But Hull ended that run of defeats with a 2-0 victory over Fulham as goals from Jimmy Bullard and Craig Fagan secured a triumph which moved them level on points with West Ham even though an inferior goal difference meant it didn't lift them out of the relegation zone.
What made the win at the KC Stadium all the more satisfying was that they had to overcome injury setbacks which robbed Dowie of the services of key men Andy Dawson and Stephen Hunt, while a further blow saw Folan also ruled out shortly before the kick off due to illness.
Hull had certainly hoped that a change of management would have an impact with time running out for them after such a disappointing sequence of results and that prompted them to place Phil Brown on gardening leave in order to make way for Dowie to take charge.
They will be encouraged by the fact that four of their remaining six matches are at home following today's visit to the Britannia Stadium with fellow relegation battlers Burnley the first of the visitors to the KC Stadium followed by Aston Villa, Sunderland and Liverpool.
While Dowie has recalled a number of players who had been left out in the cold by Brown, most notably Folan and our on loan defender Ibrahima Sonko, there is little doubt that the fitness of midfield livewire Bullard will have a strong bearing on Hull's destiny.
The club record signing from Fulham has been plagued by knee injuries over the past three years and has only recently returned to first team action following another lay-off.
Bullard was at the heart of their best spell of the season when they beat ourselves and Everton at the KC Stadium back in November and the midfielder scored from the spot in thrilling draws with West Ham and Manchester City during that same period.
He tucked away another penalty last weekend to set them on the road to victory over Fulham and his presence over the next few weeks will undoubtedly be as much of an influence as the 'Dowie effect' as they look to haul themselves clear of the relegation zone.
MEETTHEGAFFER
HULL CITY will be hoping that Iain Dowie can bring some 'bouncebackability' to their battle to avoid relegation from the Barclays Premier League after he was appointed to the role of Football Management Consultant last month.
The former Northern Ireland international coined that phrase during his time in charge of Crystal Palace to describe their ability to bounce back in the face of adversity and in particular their habit of conceding early goals in matches.
Dowie enjoyed his most successful spell as a manager at Selhurst Park where he took over a team in relegation trouble and steered them to the play-offs where a victory over West Ham earned them promotion to the Premier League.
Palace lasted only one season in the top flight and after missing out in the promotion play-offs, he left the club by mutual consent and subsequently became manager of Charlton Athletic where he spent only 15 matches in charge.
After a year as Coventry City's manager, during which he guided them clear of relegation trouble. Dowie was back in charge at Queen's Park Rangers where he had served as caretaker manager for a brief spell in the autumn of 1998 between the dismissal of Ray Harford and the appointment of our current first team coach Gerry Francis.
Just as he had done at Charlton, he lasted only 15 games at Loftus Road before he was relieved of his duties even though Rangers were ninth in the table and seemingly in good enough form to mount a challenge for the promotion play-offs.
Dowie also had a spell as number two to Alan Shearer for the closing six weeks of last season when the pair were given the onerous task of trying to rescue Newcastle United from relegation trouble, something they failed to do in the end.
CLUBDETAILS
Founded: 1904
Nickname: The Tigers
Stadium: KC Stadium
Capacity: 25,404
Chairman: Adam Pearson
Record League Victory: 11-1 vs Carlisle United, January 1939
Record League Defeat: 0-8 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, November 1911
Record Transfer Paid: £5,000,000 for Jimmy Bullard from Fulham, 2009
Record Transfer Received: £4,000,000 for Michael Turner to Sunderland, 2009
HEAD2HEAD
League: Won 20 Drew 17 Lost 16
FA Cup: Won 3 Drew 0 Lost 1
Total: Won 23 Drew 17 Lost 17
FASTFACTS
* Until 2008, Kingston upon Hull was the largest city in Europe not to have had a top flight football club.
* Their captain Ian Ashbee has skippered the club in all four English professional leagues from League Two through to the Premier League.
FLASHBACK
Stoke City's Second Division Championship winning season of 1992/93 saw a win for either club when they met first in August and then in February.
The season began at Boothferry Park and it was the Tigers who enjoyed a winning start to the season.
4,000 travelling Stokies made the trip up to Humberside and saw Kevin Russell hit the post before Paul Hunter secured the points for Hull with eight minutes remaining.
Come the return fixture in February, the Potters had lost just one further game and were 23 games through a superb 25 match unbeaten run.
Terry Dolan's side had little time to settle at the Victoria Ground and Paul Ware tucked away Mark Stein's cross to break the deadlock after just five minutes.
Stein then has a goal disallowed before setting up Steve Foley for the second two minutes before the break.
The Golden One was to round off a superb display with a goal, however, when he curled a 20 yard strike beyond keeper Steve Wilson for what he described after the game as his best strike of the season.
Lou Macari's men went on to scoop the title with 93 points whilst Hull escaped the drop by finishing three points ahead fourth bottom Preston North End. How they would take a similar achievement time around.
The teams for the second game were as follows:
Stoke City: Ronnie Sinclair, John Butler, Graham Harbey, Ian Cranson, Lee Sandford, Nigel Gleghorn, Steve Foley, Kevin Russell, Mark Stein, Graham Shaw, Paul Ware.
Hull City: Steve Wilson, Dave Hockaday, Nicky Brown (Rob Miller), David Mail, Russ Wilcox, Greg Abbott, David Norton, Graeme Atkinson, Gary Lund, Dean Windass, Leigh Jenkinson.
PLAYEDFORBOTHCLUBS
Neil Franklin
Franklin was renowned for his skills as a brilliant centre-half whose main talents included his positioning and heading of the ball.He commanded his defence with great strength.
Born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1922, Franklin's career began as an amateur at City and lasted for 24 years, although there was a seven year respite due to the World War Two between 1939 and 1946. He did, however play in three England internationals during wartime, where he was a reliable member of the team, as he was for City.
Seemingly though, the lure of the money and lifestyle associated with football in Colombia, where there was no maximum wage, was too much for Franklin.He left the Club under bad circumstances in 1950 for Independiente Santa Fe.
Unfortunately he failed to settle in Colombia and returned to City within months, where he was not welcomed back.A suspension from the Football League and spells at Hull City, Crewe Alexandra and Stockport County ensued.
Amidst other moves, Franklin eventually became a relatively successful manager with Apoel in Cyprus, and Colchester United.
He was named in the Football League 100 Legends list in 1998 after making a total of 162 appearances for the Potters.
Other players to have been at both clubs include Dave Bamber, Dave Hockaday, Tony Kelly, Leigh Palin, Billy Whitehurst, Jon Parkin, Seyi Olofinjana and Ibrahima Sonko.
FORMGUIDE
Stoke City: LLDDLW
Arsenal (h) Lost 3-1
Chelsea (a) [FA Cup] Lost 2-0
Burnley (a) Drew 1-1
Aston Villa (h) Drew 0-0
Spurs (h) Lost 2-1
West Ham (a) Won 1-0
Hull City: LLLLLW
Blackburn (a) Lost 1-0
West Ham (a) Lost 3-0
Everton (a) Lost 5-1
Arsenal (h) Lost 2-1
Portsmouth (a) Lost 3-2
Fulham (h) Won 2-0
MATCHOFFICIALS
Referee: Lee Probert
Assistants: A Newbold & P Thompson
Fourth Official: P Tierney
BETTINGNEWS
THE Potters are priced at 4/5 to secure all three points at the weekend whilst the visitors are at 5/2 to complete a league double over Tony Pulis' side. If you fancy a draw then our official online betting partner bet365 are offering odds of 7/2.
