Hull City

Chelsea recovered from their defeat to Liverpool at the weekend by dispatching a below-par Hull side 3-0.

There were some shaky moments—most notably when Daniel Cousin hit the post in the first half—but Luiz Felipe Scolari can be happy with his side’s response to the first significant setback of his short reign.

Stung by losing their unbeaten record on Sunday, the Blues quickly made amends, going ahead after just three minutes. Florent Malouda battled well in the box and forced Paul McShane into a hurried clearance which broke to Frank Lampard, who sent an audacious chip looping up over Boaz Myhill and into the net—his 99th in the top flight.

Joe Cole—who had become the game's first booking minutes earlier—forced Myhill into action on 12 minutes, but in truth the returning winger’s shot was easily dealt with by the Hull stopper.

High on confidence after his goal, Lampard tried his luck with a free-kick from 35 yards that wasn’t too far away. Chelsea were playing the ball around well, and a second goal seemed simply to be a question of when, not if.

Cousin set alarm bells ringing in the Chelsea defense soon afterwards, hitting the post with a shot from outside the area. That effort was the closest Hull were to come to scoring.

Myhill was finding himself in demand, and had to be at his best tip an effort from Nicolas Anelka over the bar.

One of the features of Hull’s meteoric rise this season has been a succession of spectacular goals by the Brazilian Geovanni, and he almost added another to his collection just before half time. His 40-yard free kick was well struck, but Cech managed to get down and save.

Any hopes of Hull fashioning a way back into the game were well and truly finished as a result of some truly shambolic defending that allowed Nicolas Anelka to rob Myhill of the ball and tap in to an empty net.

Chances were falling to Chelsea players left, right, and centre, but a number of Blues players were guilty of wasting good chances to extend the lead.

Malouda made amends for his wasteful finishing with 16 minutes to go, tapping in from Ricardo Carvalho’s neat cross, and although there were hints that the Frenchman was offside, the goal stood.

Hull threatened to pull back a consolation, but only in fits and starts. Too often Chelsea just passed it around them and the Hull fans sat in near total silence, only breaking it to boo Ashley Cole every time he touched the ball.

Ian Ashbee came closest for the home side in the closing stages, sending a header marginally wide of the post.

Chelsea’s night ended on a sour note when Ricardo Carvalho was forced off with a hamstring injury. Injuries are becoming a part of Scolari’s life at Chelsea, but the equally familiar feeling of winning has returned after a brief lull.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa (Ivanovic 85), Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole; Mikel; J Cole (Belletti 53), Deco (Kalou 77), Lampard, Malouda; Anelka.

Scorers Lampard 2, Anelka 49, Malouda 74,

Booked J Cole 14, Deco 55.

Hull (4-4-2): Myhill; McShane, Turner, Zayatte, Dawson; Marney (Garcia 71), Ashbee (c), Boateng (Halmosi 62), Geovanni; King (Windass 83), Cousin.

We take a quick overview of the Premier League teams and their player rankings as they stand in the Offical ACTIM Premeir League statistics.

Liverpool:

• Total Actim Points: 897
• Total Players: 7  (1-25) 4 (26-50) 2 (51-75) 1 (76-100) 0 
• Total Top Ten Players: 4  (GK) 1 (D) 2 (M) 0 (S) 1
• Highest Ranked Player: Dirk Kuyt (3) 188 Points

Chelsea:

• Total Actim Points: 1330
• Total Players: 12  (1-25) 2 (26-50) 4 (51-75) 2 (76-100) 4 
• Total Top Ten Players: 4  (GK) 1 (D) 2 (M) 1 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Frank Lampard (2) 192 Points

Hull City:

• Total Actim Points: 1080
• Total Players: 9  (1-25) 4 (26-50) 2 (51-75) 3 (76-100) 0 
• Total Top Ten Players: 6  (GK) 1 (D) 3 (M) 1 (S) 1
• Highest Ranked Player: Micheal Turner (8) 151 Points

Arsenal:

• Total Actim Points: 792
• Total Players: 7  (1-25) 2 (26-50) 2 (51-75) 1 (76-100) 2 
• Total Top Ten Players: 3  (GK) 1 (D) 0 (M) 1 (S) 1
• Highest Ranked Player: Neves Denilson (12) 141 Points

Aston Villa:

• Total Actim Points: 1181
• Total Players: 9  (1-25) 6 (26-50) 2 (51-75) 0 (76-100) 1 
• Total Top Ten Players: 6  (GK) 1 (D) 1 (M) 2 (S) 2
• Highest Ranked Player: Gabriel Agbonlahor (1) 194 Points

Manchester United:

• Total Actim Points: 738
• Total Players: 7  (1-25) 1 (26-50) 3 (51-75) 2 (76-100) 1 
• Total Top Ten Players: 2  (GK) 1 (D) 0 (M) 1 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Darren Fletcher (25) 126 Points

Portsmouth:

• Total Actim Points: 809
• Total Players: 7  (1-25) 2 (26-50) 1 (51-75) 3 (76-100) 1 
• Total Top Ten Players: 3  (GK) 1 (D) 0 (M) 0 (S) 2
• Highest Ranked Player: Peter Crouch (5) 157 Points

Manchester City:

• Total Actim Points: 810
• Total Players: 7  (1-25) 2 (26-50) 1 (51-75) 2 (76-100) 2 
• Total Top Ten Players: 4  (GK) 1 (D) 0 (M) 2 (S) 1
• Highest Ranked Player: Robinho (4) 183 Points

Sunderland:

• Total Actim Points: 268
• Total Players: 3  (1-25) 0 (26-50) 0 (51-75) 1 (76-100) 2 
• Total Top Ten Players: 0  (GK) 0 (D) 0 (M) 0 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Steed Malbranque (65) 98 Points

West Ham United:

• Total Actim Points: 601
• Total Players: 6  (1-25) 0 (26-50) 3 (51-75) 0 (76-100) 3 
• Total Top Ten Players: 3  (GK) 1 (D) 1 (M) 1 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Lucas Neill (30) 120 Points

Blackburn Rovers:

• Total Actim Points: 448
• Total Players: 5  (1-25) 0 (26-50) 1 (51-75) 0 (76-100) 4 
• Total Top Ten Players: 0  (GK) 0 (D) 0 (M) 0 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Ryan Nelsen (49) 104 Points

Middlesborough:

• Total Actim Points: 348
• Total Players: 4  (1-25) 0 (26-50) 0 (51-75) 1 (76-100) 3 
• Total Top Ten Players: 0  (GK) 0 (D) 0 (M) 0 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: David Wheater (70) 94 Points

West Bromich Albion:

• Total Actim Points: 482
• Total Players: 5  (1-25) 0 (26-50) 0 (51-75) 5 (76-100) 0 
• Total Top Ten Players: 1  (GK) 1 (D) 0 (M) 0 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Paul Robinson (53) 101 Points

Everton:

• Total Actim Points: 292
• Total Players: 3  (1-25) 0 (26-50) 1 (51-75) 0 (76-100) 2 
• Total Top Ten Players: 1  (GK) 0 (D) 0 (M) 1 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Mikel Arteta (31) 120 Points

Newcastle United:

• Total Actim Points: 122
• Total Players: 1  (1-25) 0 (26-50) 1 (51-75) 0 (76-100) 0 
• Total Top Ten Players: 1  (GK) 0 (D) 1 (M) 0 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Steven Taylor (29) 122 Points

Wigan Athletic:

• Total Actim Points: 126
• Total Players: 1  (1-25) 1 (26-50) 0 (51-75) 0 (76-100) 0 
• Total Top Ten Players: 1  (GK) 0 (D) 0 (M) 0 (S) 1
• Highest Ranked Player: Amir Zaki (22) 126 Points

Fulham:

• Total Actim Points: 110
• Total Players: 1  (1-25) 0 (26-50) 1 (51-75) 0 (76-100) 0 
• Total Top Ten Players: 0  (GK) 0 (D) 0 (M) 0 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Brede Hangerland (41) 110 Points

Bolton Wanderers:

• Total Actim Points: 542
• Total Players: 5  (1-25) 1 (26-50) 0 (51-75) 4 (76-100) 0 
• Total Top Ten Players: 1  (GK) 0 (D) 0 (M) 0 (S) 1
• Highest Ranked Player: Kevin Davies (9) 149 Points

Stoke City:

• Total Actim Points: 0
• Total Players: 0   
• Total Top Ten Players: 0

Tottenham Hotspur:

• Total Actim Points: 104
• Total Players: 1  (1-25) 0 (26-50) 1 (51-75) 0 (76-100) 0 
• Total Top Ten Players: 0  (GK) 0 (D) 0 (M) 0 (S) 0
• Highest Ranked Player: Vedran Corluka (48) 104 Points

For an in-depth explanation on how the ACTIM statistics are worked out and their accuracy visit the Official Barclay's Premier League website

Ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League clash between Hull City and Chelsea, Alan McGuinness provides you with all you need to know, rounded off as ever with a prediction of the final score.

Initial Thoughts and Points of Interest

So 86 and out it is to be. Liverpool (as much as it pains me to say it) were worth their win and Chelsea looked short of ideas and lack the sparkle and bluster that typified their recent performances against Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.

Still, the show must go on. Hull City await for Scolari’s troops, and complacency will prove fatal against a team that has defied expectations and stunned the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham with wins in the capital.

After an ineffectual showing against Liverpool, Kalou, Malouda and Anelka could face the axe, although a look at the bench in recent weeks suggests that Scolari doesn’t really have much to call on in reserve - Didier Drogba is still around a week away from full fitness.

If Scolari is feeling particularly bold he could thrown in Franco Di Santo for his first Chelsea start, but such a prospect seems highly unlikely.

Team News

Hull City: Andy Dawson is expected to feature for the Tigers after recovering from a dead leg.

Chelsea: Joe Cole is expected to make a return from injury for the game, but Wednesday’s clash will come to soon for the likes of Michael Essien, Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack.

Hull City (from): Myhill, McShane, Zayatte, Dawson, Ricketts, Marney, Ashbee, Boateng, Geovanni, King, Cousin, Hughes, Dawson, Mendy, Folan, Gardner, Windass, Giannakopoulos, Barmby, Duke.

Chelsea (from): Cech, Hilario, Cudicini, Ivanovic, Ferreira, Malouda, Obi, Deco, Kalou, Bosingwa, Terry, Lampard, Anelka, Belletti, Alex, Carvalho, Mancienne, Bridge, Di Santo, J Cole.


Recent Form

Hull City: If you had said to Hull City fans that they would be level on points with Chelsea at the end of October they would have laughed in your face. But that is the happy reality that Hull fans find themselves experiencing.

They have already beaten Tottenham and Arsenal away from home and will be looking to complete an astounding treble over Chelsea in this game.

Chelsea: Sunday’s performance wasn’t Chelsea’s best, and it is worth noting that both times Chelsea have come up against a team from the Big Four, they have failed to dazzle.

However, there is plenty of time for the Blues to claw back their position at the top of the league and a win here would be a good start.Quotes

Nearly all of the talk ahead of the game has focused on the end of the unbeaten record.

Assistant first team coach Ray Wilkins believes all the club can do is move on and try to bounce back as soon as possible.

“No one likes being defeated and when you have a group of winners like we have they find it very difficult to take that defeat, so they will be trying doubly hard to make sure the next result is positive,” Wilkins said ahead of the game.

“They are in good spirits, but it is difficult for the lads.

“Petr Cech has been at the club four seasons and hasn't even lost a home game in the league, it's a phenomenal record, but it's gone. A bit of history has been made but it's in the past and we just have to crack on and see if we can make another one.”

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech acknowledges that going 86 league games unbeaten at home is a great achievement, but stresses the need to forget about it and move on.

“Defeat happens in football and you have to forget about it and start again,” said Cech referring to Sunday‘s result.

“Of course it has been a great run, 86 games, I don't think someone can really come close to that in the future because it is a fantastic run.

“But now it is all behind us and we have to think about the game on Wednesday when we go to Hull.

“We have the same number of points and we have to bounce back with a victory.

“We say that with something ending, something new begins, so we hope that is the case here.'

Young winger Scott Sinclair admits he has been shocked by Hull’s form so far this season.

“I've been massively impressed with what they have done, I am quite shocked,” admitted the 19-year-old, who scored his first Chelsea goal in Carling Cup tie against Hull last season.

“I think everyone is, they have the same amount of points as us, so it is certainly not going to be an easy game.

“We've just lost against Liverpool so need to go up there and make sure we get a result.”

Hull City boss Phil Brown admits his side are looking forward to the game - and that confidence is high amongst his players.

"It is a massive game for us because, one, it is the next one and, two, we have won four on the bounce,” said Brown.

"Confidence levels are sky high but what that manifests itself in is us looking forward to the game rather than being frightened.

"At the start of the season people would have been fearing this fixture but now all of a sudden we're not, we're looking forward to it."


Prediction

After Sunday’s disappointing result, I expect Chelsea to fired up and ready to get back to winning ways. Hull will certainly be no pushover, but I expect Chelsea to come out on top. 2-1 Chelsea is my prediction.

Will Chelsea bounce back against Hull? Or will Phil Brown’s men inflict more misery on the West Londoners? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

When the 2008-09 fixture list was released, Oct. 29's match between perennial powerhouse Chelsea and newcomers Hull City wasn't expected to be much of a contest.

After all, Chelsea has been re-established as a European power since the turn of the century, culminating in last season's appearance in the UEFA Champions League final. West London's Blues haven't finished worse than fourth in the Premier League since 2001-02 season, and have been a major presence in English and European tournaments in that same time frame.

Upon comparison, Hull City seems to be a diminutive side. The Tigers have spent all but one season in their 104-year history playing outside of the top tier of English football and have never advanced significantly in any major international tournament.

The boys from Kingston-upon-Hull have made every bit of their first two and a half months in the Premiership count, though. Heading into Wednesday's match at Kingston Communications Stadium, Hull City has secured 20 points, good enough for a second-place tie in the Premier League table...with Chelsea.

While the Hull City faithful surely don't plan on being generous hosts to their opponents Wednesday, the visiting side won't be in any bit of a mood to bring anything short of their A-game.

Chelsea had its outstanding home mark broken Sunday in a 0-1 loss to Premier League leaders Liverpool. Prior to the loss, no Premier League team had left Stamford Bridge with a victory since February 2004—a streak of 86 consecutive unbeaten matches for Chelsea.

It was also the first loss Chelsea had suffered since May's Champions League final defeat by Manchester United.

Hull City will continue to lean on midfielder Deiberson Geovanni and striker Marlon King. Geovanni leads the side with four Premier League goals while King, on loan from Wigan, has three goals in 2008-09.

Despite rampant injuries, Chelsea is still one of the most dangerous offensive sides in all of Europe. The three-headed scoring monster that is Frank Lampard, Nicolas Anelka, and Salomon Kalou has tallied 15 goals thus far in 2008-09.

That scoring is infinitely important, as midfielder Michael Essien will miss the majority of the 2008-09 campaign due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered Sept. 5.

Also stricken with the injury bug has been striker Didier Drogba, who is suffering the ill effects of a leg injury suffered in a 0-0 Champions League draw wity CFR Cluj.

Home goal differential has been a weakness for Hull City and must improve for Hull to beat Chelsea. Goalkeeper Boaz Myhill has allowed eight home goals while his teammates have scored only five.

In the opposing net will be Chelsea's Petr Cech, who has allowed only four goals this season.

The odds seem to favor Chelsea but Hull City has ignored odds such as these all season.

On the 20th of October 1998, exactly ten years ago today, Hull City were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Exeter City. The result placed Hull 24th in Division Three, the lowest placing possible in the Football League.

They were 92nd out of a possible 92.

At that time, Arsenal were reigning champions, and Manchester United were starting their march towards the historic treble.

Ten years on, however, and Hull are placed higher than both those teams, and have moved up a mammoth 89 places.

Hull just managed to stay in the Football League that season, pulling off "The Great Escape" to survive. But their troubles weren't over just yet. Despite improved performances on the field, the off-the-field problems were getting out of hand.

The club actually once got locked out of their then home ground, Boothferry Park, by the bailiffs. Liquidation looked an almost certainty for the Tigers. Yet they still managed to reach the play-offs in the 2000-01 season, losing in the semifinals.

Hull needed major investment. They were one of the poorest clubs in the country, and administration was lurking around the corner. Step up Adam Pearson.

The former Leeds United commercial director poured money into Hull, and suddenly their money woes were a distant memory. In addition to this, the manager could use money to build a competitive team.

Things didn't quite go as planned, though, as Hull finished 11th and 13th in the next two seasons. But in 2002 they relocated to a brand new stadium—The KC Stadium—which replaced Boothferry Park, their home of 56 years which had seen more bad times than good during those years.

The new stadium seemed to galvanize Hull. They gained automatic promotion from Division Three by finishing second, and followed that up with another second place finish in League One the following year, giving them back-to-back promotions, and placing them in the Championship.

Survival was their main aim, and they achieved just that in their first season back in the second tier. The next season wasn't as successful, and saw the arrival of Phil Brown as new manager.

He brought in hometown hero Dean Windass from Bradford and, with a new chairman in charge, built a team not aiming for survival, but aiming for the Premier League. They reached the play-offs in the 2007-08 season, and beat Bristol City in the final. Dean Windass scored the most lucrative goal in English football, to send the club to the top flight.

They had gone from the bottom tier to the top of the Football League, in just five seasons.

And now, after the vast majority of people predicted them to be the whipping boys, they have gained 17 points from eight games, 15 more than bottom place Tottenham (who, by the way, have less points than Derby did at this stage last season).

They have been magnificent so far this season, enjoying success against mainly London clubs such as Arsenal, Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham.

So, from 92nd out of 92 to 3rd out of 92 in exactly ten years, we can safely say that it has been a marvellous decade for Hull City.

Currently, the Premier League's four Champions League slots are occupied by Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Hull City.

Wait, what? Don't you mean Manchester United?

Nope. Hull City sits in third place in the Premier League right now after an unprecedented streak of great form to begin their inaugural campaign in England's top flight.

Hull won their first ever Premier League contest with a 2-1 result over Fulham at home. A draw away to Blackburn was then followed by a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Wigan. After the Wigan result, many people, myself included, wondered if Hull's first two games were lucky victories or if the Wigan matchup was just an unfortunate hiccup.

Hull has since proved their doubters wrong. Ever since that Wigan matchup on Aug. 30, Hull has not lost a game in the Premier League.

It's not as if these four straight games without defeat have come against bottom tier teams, either. Sure, Hull captured six points against two teams that currently occupy seats in the relegation zone in Newcastle and Tottenham.

But the Tigers also managed a draw against a club that could challenge for a UEFA cup slot in Everton. Even more surprising was Hull's 2-1 victory over Arsenal, in which Hull was responsible for all three goals.

Hull is not a club with a previous resume in the top flight to fall back upon. In fact, their seven matches in the Premier League this campaign have been the only seven top-flight matches in their history.

Prior to this season, their best finish in the league was twice finishing in third place in the second division. Their greatest cup achievement was reaching the semifinals in the 1930 FA Cup.

This team has not approached the current season like newcomers without any major silverware. Aside from the Wigan match, Hull have come out like they are Premier League veterans. They haven't backed down from any opponent yet, despite much of their roster not having any top-flight experience.

They've been led by Geovanni, the former Manchester City, Benfica, and Barcelona midfielder. He's already managed three goals for the Tigers, scoring against Arsenal and Tottenham in spectacular fashion from distance. Hull have smartly placed a large price tag on his services, hoping to ward off interest from other clubs.

Aside from Geovanni, there is not a lot of other top-flight experience on the books. Dean Windass, George Boateng, Daniel Cousin, Marlon King, and Stelios Giannakopoulos are the most notable of the rest of the roster.

This team, with a mixture of experience and youth, has sent a message to the rest of the Premier League that they are not to be taken lightly. As Arsenal learned, if one of the Top Four has an off-day against Hull, they could find themselves going home without a single point to show for their efforts.

Hull has also shown that the 2008-2009 Premier League season will not necessarily play out by the same script as it has in the past. Some members of the Top Four may find themselves adrift of the Champions League spots if they struggle to find form at times during the season.

Manchester United currently sit in eighth position, outside of any European slot. Granted, the season is young but there are a finite number of games in which to move up.

The Tigers have seen their opportunity to make some noise and have seized it without a second though. Teams with storied histories and plenty of silverware are staring up at Hull this season, wondering what is happening at the KC Stadium.

The teams ahead of Hull are having to watch their back because Arsenal showed that it is not impossible for a perennial Champions League team to lose to a newly-promoted side.

Hull have shaken up the established order of the Premier League, and it's been quite exciting to watch so far. How far can they take their success this season?

Things at Tottenham have gone from bad to worse. Not content with their worst start in 53 years, the team conspired to lose against Hull and begin the season with two pts from their opening seven games, the clubs worst start since 1912.

Hull scored after nine minutes through a Geovanni special and despite their best performance this season Spurs could not find a way back. Spurs dominated for long periods and put Hull under severe pressure hitting the post twice and missing several gilt edged chances.

But the Premiership new boys were well worth the three points as they tried to take the game to Spurs and now find themselves in 3rd place with 14pts from seven games.

The implications of the result on Spurs means that the Spaniard is now in real danger of being sacked before Christmas. Privately Ramos has been assured of his position but Spurs face Stoke and Bolton next before they take on Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City at the Eastlands.

And if Spurs fail to pick up less than 6pts from the next two games it would be difficult to see Ramos turning things around for the North London derby against Arsenal and then welcoming Liverpool to White Hart Lane a week later.

The Spurs board seem to be jaded and are looking for new owners for the club, Joe Louis £3 billion fortune was reduced by up to £500M in the latest share crashes and the Briton is eager to increase his capital by offloading Tottenham. Spurs are one of the jewels in Louis' empire and current ENIC director Daniel Levy is said to be dis-enchanted with life at White Hart Lane after trying numerous pairings as manager and director of football.

But the answer lies within the question. Why bother with a Director of Football? Damien Comolli undermined Martin Jol to the point where Jol was sacked by the board and after publicly chasing Ramos while Jol was in charge, the Spaniard will be only too aware that the board are not to be trusted.

Only this week Daniel Levy issued a statement saying Spurs were happy with Ramos and were giving him time to turn it around. In the same statement they also said they were not chasing Man City manager Mark Hughes.

The general feeling about Hughes is that he is living on borrowed time as the City board have so much money they will want to signify their aims for the club by signing a high profile manager. Spurs could do worse.

But for the moment there is a battle going on at Spurs. Ramos, like his predecessor Jol, has been highly critical of Damien Comolli and of the players he has brought to the club. Both managers have publicly stated that Comolli has not brought in their recommendations but players who fit a profile that the board are looking for. In other words Spurs have become a selling club and have only signed young players who they feel they can sell on at an inflated price.

This is one of the problems Ramos faces at the moment. Comolli allowed not only their best two players but the only real leaders Spurs had to leave in the summer. Both Keane and Berbatov had been integral in Spurs finishing 5th two seasons on a row. But they were allowed to leave for a combined fee of £51M without ever being replaced.

And this is where the battle lines have been drawn. Ramos wanted Diego Milito and Luis Fabiano. Comolli signed an unfit cup tied Pavelychenko. Ramos had also told Comolli to sell Darren Bent as he wasn't wanted and to hold onto Keane whatever the price.

After the Hull game Ramos came out fighting as he spoke about his frustration with his strikers "The position of the striker is the most weak, it was the decision of the club (to sell Keane, Berbatov and Defoe and to sign Pavelychenko), all of the people are responsible...for the good, and the bad"

And the general feeling within White Hart Lane is that Comolli didn't want to sell Bent at a reduced fee (Sunderland bid £8M) because it would have drawn attention to the £18M Comolli had payed one year previously. Comolli has also been questioned on some of his other signings. Kevin Prince Boateng, Gilberto, David Bentley, Younnes Kaboul have all been signed for huge money. Arsenal, Comolli's old club made £7.5M when Spurs signed Bentley for £15M.

Now there's a race to the bottom. Comolli needs Ramos to fail to keep his job and Ramos needs to turn things around with a poor squad to save his.

Currently Spurs are rudderless. There are no leaders on the pitch. Ledley King is Spurs best defender on his day, Ramos is aware of this. But King underwent knee surgery in August and has yet to recover. He can't train fully, he isn't fully fit and Ramos plays him in certain games.

As a result Spurs have not been able to forge a decent defensive partnership as the defensive pairings change for every match. Alan Hutton a player Spurs signed without Ramos' knowledge is out injured. Vedran Corluka was signed as cover for King at an inflated £8.5M and is playing right full.

But Spurs real problems are in midfield. Jenas, Zokora, O'Hara, Modric, Bentley, Lennon are all light weight players. You wouldn't turn to any of them when the chips are down and the entire midfield are easily out fought. Ramos has tried to rectify this by playing five across midfield but the same problem Jol faced is still apparent. There is no natural left sided player. The balance of the midfield is completely wrong.

Up front Ramos has only Pavelychenko and Bent to choose from as his main starters. Frazier Campbell must be wondering what he did to Ferguson to have ended up in this mess. Ramos didn't want the Russian centre forward and he wanted to get rid of Bent so now he finds himself with the enviable task of going to these two players to help turn the season around.

How Tottenham let this mess happen is any ones guess. Ramos must be scratching his head wondering how he agreed to leave a formidable Sevilla team where he had brought them so much success to end up in White Hart Lane on a windy October evening.

He is a good manager, there's no doubting that. But if he is to survive and outlast Comolli he will have to produce his greatest feat as a manager.

For Spurs sake I hope he does. If he can take over the transfer reigns and bring some kind of stability to the club the future under him could be great.

But he faces his greatest battle. Not only has he to overcome Spurs opponents, he has to motivate a team that just are not good enough, and he has to beat his greatest enemy...

His own board and Director of Football.

Hull City A.F.C are certainly something. The Tigers, who defeated Tottenham on Sunday, moved into the third place spot in the table ahead of Arsenal. They are also only three points behind both Liverpool and Chelsea (lets not discuss the goal differential, though).

For a team that has spent most of its existance in lower league play, something has happened to the Yorkshire team that now sits in one of the coveted top four spots in the table.

The Tigers will likely collect six points from their next two games, West Ham and West Brom, before facing two giants in the form of Chelsea and Manchester United. After those games though, Hull face a rather lackluster November. Dealing with Manchester United and Chelsea might be the toughest thing they face prior to the New Year and the open transfer market.

While it is still early in the season, there is a reasonable chance that Hull will not see relegation troubles come May. While it is unlikely that they will net a top four spot once the season is over, it is a reasonable assumption that they will finish free from relegation worries.

When looking over the results from the league, talk about Hull and Tottenham focused around Spurs boss, Juande Ramos and how his time at White Heart Lane may be coming to a close. No one, however, is focusing on the great things that Hull are doing.

Usually when a team gets promoted, they end up near the bottom of the table for the season. The field trip into the Premiership usually ends when the lads realize that they aren't quite ready for the big boys. However, they return with some knowledge on how to get theirselves back and maybe do a bit better the next time around.

The current campaign for Hull represents the highest position that they've had in English football ever. They haven't done the league hoping game that other tier two teams have. Yet, they are heading through the league with a full tank of steam.

Coming off of two losses at the end of August, the Tigers have tied or defeated their last four opponents, including top four regular Arsenal. And with two seemingly easy fixtures in the coming weeks there is further fuel to fill the engine that is powering them right now.

Everyone loves and underdog and Hull represents that. A team that has clawed its way into the top flight and is taking teams on and winning. You can argue that the win over Newcastle was because of the managerial crisis but all that does is overshadow the fact that Hull are playing in top form and may serve as the element that shakes the Premiership up just enough this season to see a shift in the top four and the subsequent spots in the table.

Premiership first timers Hull City have definitely ruffled some feathers since their arrival. The Tigers as they are generally called due to their traditional striped amber and black jersey, have made rapid strides,  rising from the fourth tier of English football to the first in only five seasons at their Kingston Communications Stadium.

For the first time after 104 years, their first step in the elite league was a triumphant one, as the Tigers tasted blood against Fulham in an enthralling 2-1 win at home.

In their away game against Blackburn, Tigers extended their unbeaten start with a 1-1 draw. Not only Hull City managed to keep last season’s sensational Roque Santa Cruz in check, but they also managed to constantly test Blackburn’s defense through Dean Marney and Craig Fagan.

After a 5-0 thrashing from Wigan Athletic at home, Tigers roared back in style beating Newcastle 2-1 at St. James Park. At home, Hull City showed great determination and tenacity to hold onto a 2-2 draw with Everton.

When Hull City stepped into the Premiership, the expectations from them were pretty low after last year’s newbies Derby County managed to pull off just one win coincidentally against Newcastle. But the Tigers have surpassed everyone’s imagination with some scintillating performances.

They have made their intentions quite clear that they want to stay in the elite league for another season. Through their dogged determination and some good sensible football, they have managed to start off on a brighter note.

It’s interesting to observe that unlike Derby County, the Tigers have not been intimidated by their elite counterparts and have scored in all but one game which they lost. They have trusted their killer instincts by pushing forward to test rival defenses, while effectively falling back to guard their own.

It will be quite interesting to see how Hull City performs against the top teams in the league, since dropping points against Hull City could eventually affect their title hopes in the league too, though it’s a far fetched possibility. It would not come as a surprise if the Tigers do end up as giant killers.

With two kills all ready in the bag, the question that remains to be answered is how long the Tigers can maintain their hunger to succeed.

Though it is quite early in the season to predict whether they can survive in the Premiership for another season, yet it is evident that they are ready to fight for every inch on the field before their opponents can manage to take even a single point away from them.

Tigers face Arsenal at the Emirates this Saturday. Though Arsenal are clear favorites, Hull City are quite capable of springing up a few surprises.  

Good luck Tigers!