Hull City

Unfortunately I can't get the image of Hull boss Phil Brown singing karaoke out of my head.

It was a truly undignified sight, not to mention X-rated to listen to as well.

How a manager can celebrate with such gusto after watching his struggling side survive in the top flight, virtually by default, is at the very least galling.

His Tigers side managed just one win in their final 22 Premier League games, and that was a fortunate last-gasp smash and grab triumph at Fulham, to somehow stave off the threat of relegation.

I've got to say my dislike for the former Bolton assistant boss goes back to December when he handed his men a public dressing down on the pitch at Eastlands after going in 4-0 down to Manchester City at half-time.

Then there were indications Brown had got ideas above his station after guiding Hull to four straight wins in September and October, including away triumphs at Arsenal and Spurs.

Of course he should be happy at avoiding relegation in his first season in with the big boys, but the undignified way in which Brown grabbed the microphone and the limelight after Hull's 1-0 defeat by a third-string Manchester United side on Sunday was shameful.

In stark contrast on the very same day, Sunderland found themselves in a similar situation to Hull.

They also knew a win would secure their survival, but they were beaten 3-2 by Chelsea and had to rely on defeats for Middlesbrough and Newcastle to confirm their top-flight status.

Indeed defeats for the Magpies and Boro meant Sunderland, like Hull survived, but boss Ricky Sbragia showed a certain humility.

Sbragia recognised the fact that his men had been fortunate and then announced he was stepping down in order for Sunderland to appoint a "big name" manager.

It was a humble act from Sbragia and one which Brown could do with taking note of.

In the beginning half of the season, Hull were the surprise package. They were fun and exciting, taking scalps left, right, and centre. Arsenal, Tottenham, and Fulham were their best results in the first few months, with other impressive performances making them a top 10 team.

Brown had seemingly assembled a decent team with a quality player in Geovanni who was capable of scoring wonder goals.

Brown was thrust into the limelight and he seemed to revel in it. He may have deserved the spotlight, but what I noticed was that he was openly taking full credit as a miracle worker, a top boss, and yet they were not even half way through the season.

Getting ahead of yourself always comes back to haunt the offender and Brown was no exception. Gravity begun to work as effortlessly as usual and the bad results began.

Sunderland beat them 4-1 at home and then the infamous away day defeat at Man City. With his team losing 4-0 at half time, Brown decided to conduct his angry team talk in front of the corner of the pitch where their travelling support resided.

You can tell by the way the players walked to their crucifixion that they were disturbed by this. This has never been done in the history of the game and commentators and experts across the country expressed their opinions on this, most of them negative.

My feeling is that this belittled the players—washing his hands of any blame and siding with the fans against them. It's not as if Hull, who had just been promoted through the playoffs, were exempt from a beating or two, it was always going to happen.

These are pro players not Sunday league players, and there are ways of conduct in the professional game. This for me was a step to far. Brown's lust for the limelight and love of his own abilities had crossed a line never to be crossed.

This was bound to stir up the players. They may not have made a big noise about it but you damn well know were seething about it within their private circles.

So followed a complete capitulation of form, with just one win in their last 22 league games.  Fighting now in a relegation battle, form like that does not deserve to be celebrated.

They survived through no fault of their own, relying on teams with equal or worse form than them. Come the final whistle, Brown celebrated with champagne, singing, yes actually singing to fans on an open mic as if he had anything to do with their survival.

Why should he be taking any credit? If anything he should be having a quiet word with his players over a serving of humble pie.

He really does think he is something, but if Newcastle had pulled a finger out and scored just one goal the outcome of his season would have been completely different.

I couple this with various fights with other clubs, such as Arsenal and the infamous Fabregas spit-gate, and all I see is an arrogant big mouth who has lost the respect of a lot of his players.

His lust for the camera has overshadowed his players but maybe he just wishes for 11 of himself to be on the pitch and perhaps he could win the Premiership, or even better, fame.

Managers should have humility, respect, and control and this man is just a massive pain in the backside.

So it comes down to the last weekend of the Premiership campaign for the once invincible Tigers (well I can dream). A last gasped chance for Hull City to stay in the top flight that took us so very long to achieve.

We sit on the cusp of dropping back into the Championship for another season only one point off the bottom three with the rest of the North East in the mix with us. Any two from ourselves, Boro, the Mackems and the Toon Army could join the inglorious Baggies for the drop in the Championship.

16	Sunderland	37	-19	36
17	Hull	37	-24	35
18	Newcastle	37	-18	34
19	Middlesbrough	37	-28	32
20	West Brom	37	-31	31

The Tigers have a tough task in facing the newly crowned Premier League Champions. "No" the rest of the North East cry. They seem to think that their upstart new rivals have an unfair advantage because Manchester United have the undaunting matter of a trip to Rome and a Champions League Final against Barcelona three days later.

The feel that Sir Alex Ferguson (a manager who never likes to lose anything let alone a football match), might field an under strength side agaisnt Hull City. They sight the games two season's ago against West Ham were they had already won the title and lost on the last day of the season sending Sheffield United down to the Championship.

The team fielded that day wasn't too shabby either with quite a few internationals and Champions League winners. Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Patrice Evra (Ryan Giggs), Gabriel Heinze, Darren Fletcher, Kieran Richardson, Michael Carrick (Paul Scholes), Alan Smith (Cristiano Ronaldo), Wayne Rooney, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The three subs used all came on at the hour mark so not just token appearances either.

Now the press has been saying that it is not right for Manchester United to field a team of kids against Hull City when other "bigger" more "famous" clubs are needing them to be fair. However, you have to look at the people saying such nonsense. There are Alan Shearer's pals from Match of the Day.

They predicted Hull City to be relegated from before the start of the season. They begrudgingly gave the East Yorkshire team some respect after beating Arsenal at the Emirates and Spurs at White Hart Lane, then after our battling loss to the Champions at Old Trafford.

However, since our performances have started to slip and we are in the mire of a relegation dogfight there are lots of "told you so's" coming our from the erstwhile pundits of the BBC's Match of the Day studios.

Even the press seem to be against the Tigers now. Like the MOTD pundits the are ganging up on Phil Brown and the club that don't belong in the top flight. Maybe they think they will have more readers wanting to buy their rags in Newcastle, Sunderland or Middlesbrough?

But why do they think Sir Alex Ferguson will field an understregth side. The players he will field will I am sure be feeling that if they can put in a good performance they could be sitting on the bench in Rome or if one of their team mates gets a knock in training they may just get a shot at the biggest prize in club football.

A bigger question to ask is what do Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough's opponents have to play for?

Sunderland V's Chelsea

Aston Villa V's Newcastle

West Ham V's Middlesbrough

Well the answer to those questions is clearly nothing. Chelsea can't get any higher, they can't get any lower. They can't get anymore prize money. Simply their season is over but they still have to run out against a team with a relegation dog fight in mind.

Villa have secured a Europa League spot for next season and can possibly finish fifth but they are in Europe and with little else to play for.

West Ham are out of the race for a Europa League spot so just pride.

All told the team with the hardest game is without a doubt Hull City.

I can hear the bleatings from the North-East already as Sir Alex Ferguson prepares to rotate his squad on the final day of the Premier League season.

Fergie takes his Manchester United side to relegation-haunted Hull on Sunday and with the champions in action in Europe’s biggest club competition the following Wednesday, Sir Alex will rightfully rest his star men at The KC Stadium.

That’s not going to go down too well in the north with Middlesbrough and Newcastle both dependant on United doing the business in East Yorkshire.

It looks like a safe football bet that Boro are doomed and need to win and hope for a four-goal swing as well as relying on defeats for Hull and Newcastle.

The Geordies on the other hand, who face Aston Villa at Villa Park, are a point behind Hull and need to better the Tigers’ final day result.

Toon boss Alan Shearer will be praying that Fergie throws his big guns into action against Hull, but with the title already sewn up and the date in Rome so close it seems unlikely.

Ferguson will field a second-string side, but players such as Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov, Rafael and the suspended Darren Fletcher could all feature, however that is unlikely to appease the Newcastle management.

They are nailed on to voice their disapproval, but Fergie won’t buckle under pressure and why should he with another European title at stake?

In truth the modern game is about managing a squad and Fergie certainly knows how to do that. He’s the best in the business at picking the right team for the right occasion.

The only grumble Shearer and co can have is that they haven’t already picked up enough points to be safe.

The question arises every sports season. When is the best time of year in the sports world?

Football fans, January and February probably seems like heaven. The BCS bowls and National Championship followed by the pinnacle of the pigskin: The Super Bowl.

Maybe you're a baseball fan. The best times of year are certainly book ends for you. Many try to suppress elation when pitchers and catchers report, but most find their pastime bliss in October and early November.

Basketball and hockey fans seem to have an eternity of a season. Ask most and you'll certainly here about June.

For me, none qualify as the best time in sports. As the title states, the best time of year is the end of May. Not because the English Premier League will be crowning a champion, but due rather to the battle at the other end of the table: the fight against relegation.

For those unfamiliar with relegation in soccer, allow me for a moment, soccer connoisseurs, to explain to those novices like me reading.

Take all levels of professional baseball for example: A, AA, AAA, and the Major League. Eliminate the whole farm system affiliations and make each team its own business entity that can hire and fire as it pleases.

The EPL replicates this idea with the Premier League (Majors), League Championship (AAA), League 1 (AA)and League 2 (A). The only difference is the top three teams get promoted at season's end, and the bottom three teams get relegated.

So based on last season, the Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners, and San Diego Padres would be competing this season in AAA.  The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, Louisville Bats, and Pawtucket Red Sox, all of the International League, would be playing Major League baseball in 2009.

Think of how that might change professional sports in America.

Even though I'm a basketball guy, the last few weeks of May present to us something quite unique in sports.

The majority of sports fans are average Joes, but more times than not, professional sports is a tale of nobility. The biggest, strongest, richest, and athletically gifted win the championships.

Players who could not be further from who we are or the roles we have in society prevail while the ordinary begin reciting the infamous sports maxim, "there's always next year."

Sure we want our favorite teams to win, but since that is rarely the case, we often look for an underdog. Why? Because the underdog represents us.

Why do you think the best story come March is a Cinderella team? It's a reflection of who we are.

Every season, The bottom the EPL becomes a perfect microcosm of middle-class America. The CEOs, like Manchester United, continually challenge for the top spot while the average employee, such as Sunderland,  just wants to survive another day with the company.

The rich prosper and bask in the glory of championships and trophies. Meanwhile, the peons like me struggle to make ends meet month-to-month and are left only with delusions of grandeur.

American sports are unrealistic. If a team fails miserably, there's no consequences. In fact, fail bad enough, and teams get rewarded with picking the new hot shot player for next season.

Not in the EPL. Finish in the bottom three and it's a punishment. Moreover, teams won't be bidding on top players; they'll struggle to keep those who are good enough to be loaned to Premier league team. That's more representative of life.

Time and again we see smaller clubs fighting for their Premiership lives by the end of May. Big clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea may feel dejected if they don't win a championship, but smaller clubs, like Fulham last season, feel uninhibited respite when they narrowly avoid being relegated.

The joy of fans' faces as the referee blows the final whistle exudes a feeling not often seen in sports: the feeling of accepted mediocrity only relative to those bidding adieu to the topflight football.

West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough, Hull City, Newcastle United, Sunderland, and Portsmouth will all be playing for the Premiership lives in the final two weeks of the 2008-2009 season.

Their respective matches are sure to be entertaining and hard fought. Fans will either sob for their club's demise, or, for those lucky clubs who narrowly avoid the bottom three, revel in the fact that for another season, even if by only an inch, they can say that they're competing with the best.

I'm a little guy. I love my teams, but they aren't me; they suffer no consequences if they tank a season.

So you can have your NBA Finals, Stanley Cup, and game sevens. Take your Super Bowl Sunday and Mr. Octobers. Every year, I can't wait for the end of May to watch the purest form of sport on display in any professional league.

Where teams are playing at their highest level until the very end. Where fans are more than proud to finish seventeenth. Where the common man takes center stage and plays with more heart and grit than a jaded, inflated payroll ever could.

EPL Preview: Aston Villa Vs Hull City, Villa Park, Birmingham, Monday 4th May, 20:00BST.

It was the last game of 2008 that the Villains met the Tigers at the KC Stadium and the game was full of incident, but not for the right reasons.

It was the game after the Eastlands affair for Hull City, where Phil Brown famously had his half time team talk on the pitch. The team had five major changes from the Manchester City game.

Within minutes the referee was involved with his assistants. Hull City's Nick Barmby had a goal disallowed on five minutes for a foul on Brad Friedel when in fact it was one of the Villa defenders that committed the offence.

In a game that was more like a poor game of chess the bad early decision from the referee could have made all the difference for the fans at the KC stadium.

In the closing minutes of the game Ashley Young managed to race clear of Ricketts for the first time in the game and put in a superb cross to the Hull City near post for the Tiger's Kamil Zayatte to turn past the despairing dive of Boaz Myhill.

1-0 to the Villans, but that wasn't the end of the show. On the stroke of full time a a shot on goal from the Tigers was adjudged to have been handled of the line by Luke Young. The referee (if you could actually call him one) Steve Bennett blew for a penalty for the Tigers.

With the Aston Villa players surrounding Bennett and remonstrating that it wasn't a penalty the Villa skipper Gareth Barry spoke to the linesman who informed him that he had been told it wasn't a penalty on the video.

Barry then asked the ref to speak to the linesman. Bennett succumbed to the pressure and talked to the linesman. He then did a full 180 and changed his mind, and overturned his earlier decision.

What was witnessed was the first instance of video evidence overturning a referees decision in an actual game. Much to the annoyance of the East Yorkshire team as they deserved more from the game than to lose from an unlucky own goal and to be cheated by the use of video evidence which is against the FA's own rules.

Monday's game sees both the Tigers and the Villans form in disarray. The Tigers haven't won since a last minute winner against Fulham at Craven Cottage at the beginning of March.The Villains are similarly struggling for form having not won since Feburary 7th but meet the Tigers on the back of three straight draws.

Martin O'Neill will be hoping to see the return of three influential players. Right back Luke Young has been suffering from a foot injury, Nigel Reo-Cocker (knee) and Gabriel Agbonlahor (hamstring) all face late fitness tests.

Phil Brown has an almost fully fit squad to pick from, with the exception of long term injured Anthony Gardner and Jimmy Bullard. Although the Tiger's boss was particularly upset at Irish international Caleb Folan's foolhardy challenge last week against Liverpool that saw him dismissed with a red card.

The Story so far.

When we left our hero, he was returning to his beloved Tigers with his tail firmly between his legs from the distant land of Oldham.

He had gone to try to salvage the Kingdom of his old friend John Sheridan from obscurity and the ignominy of another season of Coca Cola League One football. What Deano didn't count on was a loss of form after a bright start.

His turn between the sticks to thwart run away leaders and now crowned Champions Leicester City was not enough as both he and Sheridan were sent packing by the Oldham hierarchy.

So, Deano returned to home to Hull City with renewed vigor and optimism. He was to be allowed to return on condition that he stop with his mischief making blog but as part of his loan contract with Oldham he would only be able to play in the Hull City reserves.

So after two months in Oldham exile he returned to the KC Stadium. His return saw him training with the Hull City first team but only making two reserve team appearances, scoring in both. Unfortunately, the chance of a coaching role seemed to have diminished to the point that it was none existent.

How the mighty have fallen.

With only eight weeks left on his current contract 40-year-old veteran striker Dean Windass has been asked not to return to the club. The old warhorse and the Tigers have agreed to go their separate ways, with only one more reserve team fixture in the campaign.

A ray of hope.

Dean Windass' second home of Valley Parade, the home of Bradford City could be the next port of call for our hero. The place where many a Deano chant has been heard, are in dire trouble.

The Bantams second favourite son Stuart McCall has struggled to win a play-off berth for the West Yorkshire club and is considering resigning as Bradford City's player-coach. It has been reported that one Dean Windass could return to the club that he has played for on two separate occasions, scoring 76 goals in 216 appearances.

With all his UEFA pro-coaching credentials in hand Dean Windass could well be set to rise to the ranks of Football League manager as Bradford City's prodigal son returns (again).

This is not the end but mearly the end of the beginning.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/139897-hull-city-dean-windass-the-neverending-story-part-ii-coaching-for-the-tigers

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/124918-dean-windass-the-never-ending-story

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/108887-dean-windass-loaned-from-hull-city-to-oldham-athletic

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/107352-dean-windass-the-last-straw

Picture demonstrates two Liverpool players clearly in off side positions for the first goal.

In the opening exchanges of this top vs bottom clash, the team at the bottom made the Premiership leaders Liverpool look like the team at the bottom. The industrious way in which the Tigers tenaciously harried the Liverpool players made them make mistakes.

The Liverpool team looked decidedly second best until the stroke of half time when the referee gave Liverpool a totally undeserved free kick on the edge of the box.

Mascerano was tripping over his own feet as Boateng came in to challenge, and Liverpool's 12th man, Martin Atkinson, gave Liverpool a gilt-edged opportunity that they put away from the resulting rebound by Xabi Alonso, with two Liverpool players in clear off side positions.

The teams went in to the half time break with the second best team on the day in front. What do the Tigers need to do to win in this division.

The two teams come out for the second half with the Mersysiders finding their feet earlier, as the East Yorkshire side's heads were still with the unlucky goal. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Liverpool's 12th man took a hand in helping the League leaders to a win.

From a Hull City through ball, Folan and Skrtel tussled for a 50/50 ball that Skrtel fell from, clinging to his face as if he was shot at point blank range.

Folan, falling forward, counterbalanced by putting his left foot forward to try and continue for the ball rather than diving to win the penalty.

The referee, Mr. Atkinson, yet again officiated in favour of Liverpool, but what a mighty decision it was, giving Caleb Folan a straight red card for some wonderful acting from Skrtel that would have been worthy of an Oscar. The referee made the all-important decision from the half way line.

Things went from bad to worse for the Tigers, as Liverpool was awarded a corner kick that was taken from outside the corner markings, so it should have been called back and re-taken. The subsequent cross is handled by Lucas then Hull City can't clear their lines for Kuyt to put away his chance.

The game is put back in the hands of the Tigers, as Cousin collected a great ball from Mendy and took it to the Liverpool left. He beat Skrtel to put a cross across the Liverpool box and bang Geovanni slotted it in the back of the net.

From then on, the Tigers were chasing the game, and they were tiring all the time. Liverpool took advantage of this and slotted a third goal in the Tiger's net to take the three points, 3-1.

A game was ruined by some very bad officiating, and yet again, the Tiger's were undone against Liverpool by the ref.

This is the return fixture for the two clubs sitting at opposite ends of the table. Liverpool is battling it out for supremacy in the Premiership title race with Manchester United and Hull City is fighting tooth and nail for Premier League survival.

At Anfield in mid-December the game saw the Tigers take a deserved two goal lead only for the Reds to score two dubious goals to draw level from Steven Gerrard, and eventually tie the game at 2-2.

Officiating aside the Tigers looked like the only side to win the game in the opening 30 minutes until a clash of heads saw Paul McShane go off injured and Dean Marney come on. Bernard Mendy who was terrorising the poor over priced Dossena on the Liverpool left was forced to revert to the right back position vacated by McShane's departure.

This turned the game on its head. From the Tiger's rampant attacks it became a battle of attrition with wave after wave of attacks from the Red horde. However, it was two very poor decisions from the referee, Alan Wiley, that was to provide the talking points.

On two occasions Hull City's stalwart central defender Michael Turner was blatantly fouled to allow Gerrard the space to score and tie up the game.

The Hull City management team will be hoping that home field advantage will help the Tigers this weekend to battle for some much needed points in a relegation battle that is getting closer with each week.

The East Yorkshire outfit will be without the services of their influential skipper Ian Ashbee who will be serving the last game of his two game ban for ten yellow cards.

Rafa Benitez' Merseysiders will also be without their Captain Steven Gerrard for the game having sustained a groin strain that has kept him sidelined for the last few weeks and seen him miss out on their Champion's League Quarterfinal exit to Chelsea and Liverpool's 4-4 goal fest against Premiership rivals Arsenal earlier this week.

Barney Corkhill (the Liverpool Community Leader here on B/R) and I have been discussing the important fixture this weekend between Liverpool and Hull City at the Kingston Communication Stadium.

It's a game of vital importance for both teams. For the Tigers, a victory will mean almost certain survival, and for Liverpool, it will be the chance to keep on track for that elusive Premier League title.

With this in mind we looked at just how our teams would be able to unlock each other's defence. This is our opinions.

How Hull City can unlock Liverpool, by Carolina Tiger.

Possible team:

                Myhill
Ricketts, Turner, Zayette, Dawson
              Boateng
Mendy, Barmby, Geovanni, Fagan
              Cousin

The formation is 4-5-1, but with Boateng sitting as a sweeper and Barmby as the link man between the sole striker and the midfield to follow up on any loose balls.

This has the added advantage that if it all goes pear-shaped, then we can revert to a classic 4-4-2.

In the earlier game this season at Anfield, the Liverpool defense looked decidedly shaky, especially on their left, where Dossena was outclassed totally by Bernard Mendy, the French International. Dossena was made to look pedestrian for pace and third rate as a defender by the mercurial winger.

Unfortunately, for the Tigers that day Paul McShane had to leave the field necessitating Mendy reverting to a role of right back and nullifying the threat down the Liverpool left. If the Tigers are to get anything from this game, Mendy has to exploit the lack of pace in the Liverpool defence.

Aggar has replaced Dossena at the back for Liverpool since the last meeting but with Aggar, Carragher, Arbeloa and Hyppia in the back four for the Reds there is still a lack of true pace for the Reds.

If Mendy and Fagan are used out wide with Barmby and Geovanni able to pass the ball out wide to the men with speed then they Tigers could turn the Liverpool defence to great effect.

Our weakest link would be the lack of a striker. Manucho, on loan from Manchester United, has not been very productive, despite being our only goal scorer for weeks. He is easily knocked off the ball for all his appearance of strength.

Phil Brown will be hoping that Daniel Cousin, the Gabon International Striker, will be fit as he is better at holding up the ball and fighting off a challenge. He has a better temperament for the big game.

Having scored in Old Firm games whilst at Rangers. Cousins' strength at holding the ball allows the cunning Barmby to latch onto anything knocked down in the box.

The loss of Gerrard for the game is a big plus of the Tigers, as he was the lucky recipient of two very dubious goals to help Liverpool to an undeserving draw at Anfield.

His absence for the return fixture is good for the Hull City midfield who will not have the services of our own Captain Ian Ashbee due to suspension. It is not just Gerrard's great goal scoring ability that Liverpool will miss but his leadership as well.

Above all else, we need to show no fear.

How Liverpool can unlock Hull City, by Barney Corkhill.

Possible team:

                    Reina
Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio
       Xabi Alonso, Mascherano
Kuyt           Gerrard           Benayoun
                  Torres

I expect Rafa Benitez to stick to his preferred formation of two defensive midfielders and a man (hopefully Gerrard if he is fit) off Torres.

Liverpool's recent goalscoring form has been phenomenal, and Hull will have to find a way of stopping that to get anything from the match, as I can't see them doing what Chelsea and Arsenal did in matching Liverpool's scoring.

If Steven Gerrard plays, I'm not sure whether to expect the scoring rate to increase, due to him being a decided goal threat, or decrease because he would calm things down if they got too frantic, as they did on Tuesday.

Due to his performance against Arsenal, I expect Benayoun to play again, and if he has another game of that calibre, I can envisage him opening up the Hull defence on numerous occasions, creating chances for himself, Torres, and Gerrard.

Should Gerrad not play, I'd expect Benayoun to fill in behind Torres with Riera on the left.

The match between these two back in December came at a time when Hull were in great form, and still riding the wave of momentum they got from being promoted.

Now, however, they are in poor form, while Liverpool are in great form. Alonso and Mascherano have become experts at winning the ball then distributing it well. If anything gets past them, then Carragher and Skrtel, or perhaps Daniel Agger, will be ready to mop it up.

Despite the mistakes against Arsenal on Tuesday, I can't see the Liverpool defence having too much trouble from Hull's attack, as it doesn't seem to be firing on all cylinders at the moment. As Carolina mentioned, however, there is a lack of pure pace there, and we may be vulnerable to Hull's wide threat.

Carragher and Skrtel/Agger should be able to cope with most of the high balls in the air, but all they need is for one to get through and we could have lost the game.

Aurelio and Arbeloa will have to be alert to the threats of Hull's wide men, especially if and when they go bombing forward to join the attack.

Saying that, I do expect the majority of the game to be played inside Hull territory, and the defence will have to be on their toes if they want to stop Torres adding to Liverpool's 27 goals in eight games.

We have scored four against Blackburn, Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and against Arsenal without Steven Gerrard so, if he is ruled out, I don't think it will have too much of an effect on the team.

It may be that Benitez chooses to start him on the bench, bringing him on as a sub so he can get some minutes under his belt.

Overall, I don't think Liverpool will have nearly as much trouble as they did back in December. It may be at the KC Stadium, but with Liverpool knowing they need a win to stay in the title race, I can't see past a win for the away team.

I predict either 3-1 or 4-1 to Liverpool, and can see the match going a similar way to the Blackburn one.