Hull City

Once again the footballing community is left scratching its head over an unexpected resolution that seemed to have an obviously different outcome.

Spitting in another player's face or breaking another player's leg, what would you think would be the incident worthy of an intervention from the Football Association?

West Ham v Arsenal 1999

The Barclays Premiership match between Arsenal and West Ham in October of 1999, Patrick Viera was sent off for a second yellow card offence.

As Viera walked from the pitch, he lost his temper and pushed Neil Ruddock in the face before being seen to spit at the West Ham player.

Despite Patrick Viera's automatic ban for the sending off, the Football Association deemed it necessary to increase his ban to six matches as well as adding an extra 30,000 pounds to his fine.

Hull v Newcastle 2008

Fast forward to September of 2008 and the Premiership game between Hull and Newcastle.

Newcastle are two one down and the game is in its 90th minute, a Hull player is retaining possesion near the corner flag and trying to run down the clock.

Newcastle player, Danny Guthrie appear's to try and win possesion with a tackle that clearly doesnt attempt to get the ball.

He instead takes a very wild swing that connects high on the opposition players leg.

The tackle resulted in a broken leg, meaning the Hull player will be out for between six weeks and three months.

The Football Association's Decision

Despite having the power to alter the suspension, the Football Association has decided not to increase the punishment for the Newcastle player and believe that the initial red card and three match suspension are adequate enough.

During the first few weeks of the new ''Respect the Game'' scheme initiated by the Football Association, its hard to believe that they have decided not to make an example of Danny Guthrie, despite his complete lack of respect for the rules of the game and his fellow player's on the pitch.

The Football Association claim they cannot extend Guthrie’s suspension because they have no powers to increase an automatic suspension for a violent conduct red card.

They have been quoted as saying, “The only circumstances in which we could take any further action would be to issue an additional charge against a player.”

But despite this addmission to an obvious way of punishing Guthrie, they will not further the Newcastle player's punishment past three matches, despite the length that the Hull player will be sidelined with injury.

Cowardice from the Football Association?

Many people are baffled as to why The Football Association can not bring their own charges against the Newcastle player and make an example of his actions and prove there is no place for such obvious violent behaviour in the sport.

But once again the only thing they seemed to have proven is their inconsistencies and double standards when applying the rules of the game.

Respect is the new key word of the season.

Surely its about time the Football Association started showing it.

Every season, it seems like there is one newly-promoted team that makes a solid case for staying afloat right from the first match.

In 2005, it was Wigan keeping Chelsea at bay until the 92nd minute of their opener, and then going to second in the table by November.

Reading won their first match in spectacular fashion during the 2006-2007 season, coming from two goals down to beat Middlesbrough. The Royals also held Manchester United and Chelsea to draws, making many believe in their chance for survival.

Sunderland opened their 2007-2008 campaign with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Though they didn't secure survival until late April, the early season result made them seem a favorite to survive.

This year, Hull City AFC got off to the torrid start. Well, torrid by newly promoted Championship club standards. Hull currently sits with four points from three games, a very respectable haul. It's currently good enough for 12th place in the English Premier League, six spots above the relegation zone.

Hull started the season with a 2-1 home win against Fulham. Next week, they went on the road to Ewood Park and took home a 1-1 draw against Blackburn. There has also been a 2-1 victory in the Carling Cup against Swansea.

So with those results, there isn't any cause for concern, right?

Wrong.

Wigan absolutely thumped Hull over the weekend, recording a 5-0 win. To make it worse, Wigan manager Steve Bruce was quoted as saying, "That's probably the worst we've played this season." So if Wigan was clicking on all cylinders, they might have pushed across seven or eight goals, which would not have been pretty for Hull. Not least of all because they were at home.

So what happened?

Basically, everything that could have gone wrong for Hull went wrong. They started ten players who played in the Championship last season. George Boateng and Marlon king were absent through injury and 'loan-tie', respectively. Hull out-shot and out-possessed Wigan, yet had nothing to show for it. And then there was the defending.

Wigan's first goal came via a huge mental mistake by Hull defender Sam Ricketts. He left the post on a corner kick, opening up space for Wigan to score. There's no excuse for that. Players learn how to defend corners at a very early age. A mistake like this should be as rare as a botched throw-in at this level of football.

The goalkeeping was sub-par as well. According the match report on ESPNsoccernet, Wigan only managed four official shots on goal. Where was the keeper during all of this?

That said, things could potentially be looking up yet again for Hull. They just completed the signing of former Rangers striker Daniel Cousin. He has had experience in the French top flight as well, and arrives in Yorkshire fresh from scoring in the Old Firm match.

Will adding another piece with top flight experience be enough for Hull, or were the first two results of the season a fluke?

I think it might just be enough to keep them in the Premier League for one more season. This is not by virtue of the talent at their club, it's because of a lack of talent in so many other places. Their only win of the season was against Fulham, a team who had to pull off a miraculous escape at the end of last season to survive. They then drew with Blackburn, who isn't top of the table material, either.

But...Fulham is defintely weak enough to make the drop. So is Bolton, Stoke and West Brom. Sunderland is also not a solidly mid-table Premier League team yet either, so they can't be considered safe. There is not room for all of these teams to make the drop, so Hull may be able to do just enough to survive.

Like the famous joke goes, if you're in the water with a shark, you don't have to out-swim the shark. You just have to swim faster than Fulham.

I've given my thoughts on Hull. Let's hear some of your predictions.

Is there really any reason why we should be so surprised that Hull currently lie 4th in the Premiership? After all, they have a strong team, with a great mix of new talent and veterans; plus a manager (Phil Brown) who got relegation candidates promoted after two seasons.

Back in the 2000-01 season, former Leeds United commercial director Adam Pearson became chairman; easing financial worries. Within the next two years perhaps the two main reasons Hull got to where they are today occurred. Firstly, Peter Taylor was made the new manager; and Hull moved from deteriorating stadium Boothferry Park into the brand-new KC Stadium.

Taylor got Hull promoted in his two full seasons at the club, finishing runners-up in both league 2 then league 1. Star player and Northern Ireland International Stuart Elliot (Now at Doncaster) scored 27 goals, from the left wing, winning the Golden Boot in the process. Taylor left for Crystal Palace and was replaced by Phil Parkinson, who stayed for half a year before being replaced by current manager Phil Brown. At this point Hull were in the relegation zone, and Brown would have a hard road ahead if he wanted to keep Hull's status as a Championship side.

In June and July 2007 Pearson sold the club and resigned as chairman, saying that he had taken the club as far as he can. Paul Duffen became the new chairman.

In the January transfer window, he signed home-town boy Dean Windass on loan from Bradford City. Perhaps this saved Hull, we will never know if it made the crucial difference to keep Hull in the Championship. Hopes for a top half finish, let alone promotion, were very slim going into the 2007-08 season.

However, Brown has given Hull a renewed vigour; and much to everyone's surprise (including Hull fans) they were fighting with West Brom and Stoke for the top 2 positions. Hull narrowly missed out on promotion, but several pundits commented on how Hull and West Brom were the only two teams in the league playing "pretty football". Hull beat Watford 6-1 on aggregate in the play-offs, before beating Bristol City 1-0 in the final.

Brown has made several high profile signings this summer, including Geovanni, Marlon King, Péter Halmosi and Anthony Gardner, which are sure to bolster an already strong squad. Players such as Richard Garcia and Craig Fagan have shown in the first two games why Hull have a Premiership-standard team; both scoring exceptional goals. Whether or not this carries on for the rest of the season remains to be seen; but after two games Hull have acquitted themselves more than adequately, retaining all the style they had last year in the Chanpionship.

There is a formula at work for the teams that are set to struggle in the Premier League this season and it involves a magic points total of 40 points from 38 games.

In the past three seasons any team that has reached this magic number has comfortably avoided the drop and ensured their survival for another season.

Hull City started out in a game that would have slipped beneath the radar of a lot of the English Premier League's international audience as the newcomer to the league put one over one of its more established rivals.

Fulham would obviously have been looking to start their seventh consecutive season in the top tier with a victory at the expense of the newly promoted Tigers at Hull's Kingston Comms stadium, but it was not be.

Despite a flying start in going ahead in only the eighth minute courtesy of a Ki-Hyeon header they were unable to capitilise on early chances and Hull new boy Geovanni, signed on a free transfer from Manchester City, equalised with a well taken goal in the 22 minute.

While the eventual victory was absolutely the best possible start that Hull could have hoped for it was this equaliser and the belief that it instilled in the side that became the key moment in the match.

After conceding an early goal in the manner they had, it could have gone horribly wrong for them and very nearly did. Fulham went up a notch after the goal and looked to apply the screws with some pressure that almost led to the Londoners extending their lead.

The defence of the homeside was steadfast though and when the Brazilian who last season scored the winner in the Manchester derby equalised it was a match again.

Veteran Nick Barmby in a triumphant return to the top flight went close with a header before the break.

Barmby turns out for his home town club in a season that could be his last at this level as he approaches his 35th birthday. He gives the team a much needed boost in the experience he has had at this level most notably with Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool.

In the second half the home side continued to make chances and were unlucky not to score a few times before Phil Brown played his trump cards with the introduction of two players who combined to create the matchwinner.

Craig Fagan and Caleb Folan came on and within minutes Fagan robbed a dithering Konchesky on the byline and he squared to Folan who scored easily into the empty net.

With strong games from several of the side and a manager that appears to know when a change is needed they will no doubt give some other sides a scare.

This is the formula from here on in for the Premier League new boys. It involves 38 matches with an even number of home and away fixtures. In these fixtures it is necessary to win at least ten and draw ten giving a side at least 40 points.

40 points in all games looks to be a conservative approach from a total of 38 games but it is no easy task in a league where the dispersal of talent is in the favour of established clubs and big European players.

But looking at the last few seasons of the Premier league a trend is seen in that any club that does not reach this magic points total is struggling severely and is very lucky if they avoid the drop.

With three points on the opening day the Tigers have definitely started things off on the right note and as a survival total now are looking at 37 points from 37 games.

As we all know the easy way to accumulate is with wins, but with the quality of opposition that they will face this season being the highest this club has seen on a week to week basis anytime in its history it is obvious that draws will become as vital as wins for this team in the coming months.

Can they build on this and avoid the plunge back to the championship? I, like a mad catholic in the time of Henry the Eighth, will put my neck on the chopping block and say, yes.

After the new Premier League campaign kicked off at the weekend, there is no doubt that Hull City were the best of the new boys.

The Tigers made a fantastic debut in top-flight football, beating Fulham 2-1 at the KC Stadium. Goals from Brazilian Geovanni and Craig Fagan secured the win for Hull, after they had earlier gone 1-0 down to a Seol Ki-Hyeon header.

Hull were the better side and deserved the win, and if their new signings continue to perform they could do much more than just survive.

Elsewhere, West Brom lost 1-0 on their return to the Premier League, although most would agree they had the most difficult fixture of the new boys, playing Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

A debut goal for Samir Nasri, after just 4 minutes, condemned West Brom to defeat on the opening day. However, despite the early setback, the Baggies held on and didn't concede another—even having a few good chances themselves.

That will give Baggies manager Tony Mowbray a lot of positives to take away from the game, and if they offer similar performances against the "lesser" teams, West Brom are definitely in with a very good chance of survival.

Stoke City also made their Premier League debut on the weekend, but were unable to emulate the performances of Hull, losing 3-1 away to Bolton Wanderers.

Goals from Gretar Steinsson, Kevin Davies and club-record signing Johan Elmander saw Bolton breeze past their visitors, with Ricardo Fuller netting an injury time consolation.

Stoke caused Bolton some early problems with their strong, physical style of play, but Bolton's quality shone through and in the end.

With Fuller's consolation barely deserved, Bolton could have done much more damage if they had not simply decided to settle at 3-0.

If the Potters are to survive in the Premier League, they need to up their game next time round and use more of their strong, physical style of play. They will also need to try and make a few more quality signings with Premier League experience.

Otherwise, they could end up being like another Derby County, something that would not only be bad for them, but for the Premier League as a whole.