A team Hull City can be proud of… shame about the fans
Article by DWClick here to follow e-Hull City on Twitter!
Abel Hernandez and Mo Diame proved to be money well spent in front of the Sky Sports cameras at the KC Stadium on Monday night in a thrilling 2-2 draw against a fast, direct West Ham side.
Record signing, Hernandez, opened the scoring on 39 minutes when he headed home from a superb Ahmed Elmohamady cross. He later followed it up with a thumping 25-yard drive that rattled the crossbar only for Nikica Jelavic to follow up from an offside position.
The lead only lasted until the 50th minute when Enner Valencia scored for the visitors with what is quite possibly the best strike of a ball I’ve ever seen. McGregor stood no chance as the ball whipped past him into the top corner. Even I applauded, much to the anger of some nearby City fans.
Fourteen minutes later though, City’s lead was restored when Mo Diame scored against his former club by pouncing on some hesitation from the Hammers’ defence before curling in a neat finish from just inside the box. Diame, booed by the travelling support for comments he made after leaving the club, was a nuisance all night long – breaking down West Ham attacks and building from midfield to give Elmo and Robertson chance to support from full-back positions – but the goal was the icing on the cake. Before the match, Big Sam was asked how he would feel if Diame scored against them and his response was, “He hasn’t scored for us in 30-odd matches so I’m not too worried.”
You can take your foot out of your mouth now, Sam.
The KC was still celebrating when an error from McGregor led to the ball being fumbled over the line by Curtis Davies for West Ham’s equaliser.
Despite a very decent all-round performance, City fans left the KC Stadium disappointed because this was a game we could and possibly should have won. Nonetheless, Steve Bruce will take away more positives than negatives. Two of his deadline day signings scored and the other two, Ramirez and Ben Arfa, looked lively and skilful.
Unfortunately, as is often the case with Hull City, there were events that will overshadow the football. When the clock on the scoreboard reached 19:04, there was the usual chorus of City ‘til I Die from some areas of the ground in protest of the proposed name change. This prompted boos from other areas of the ground as some fans opposed the remonstrations.
A ‘chant off’ between fans ensued until, finally, the ground united as they all sang We’re Hull City.
Whatever your views on the name change or the Allams, nobody wants to see divided support. As readers of previous articles will know, I’m on the fence. I don’t want the name change but I don’t oppose it enough to let it ruin my enjoyment of the football or indeed my support for the players and manager. Unfortunately, according to some fans I heard on Monday night, you’re not a true supporter unless you oppose the change.
I have a problem with those “fans”. Why does your opinion make you any more or any less of a fan? What about the people who didn’t do either (sing at 19:04 or boo those who did)? Are they “bigger” fans because they didn’t boo or “lesser” fans because they didn’t sing? Or maybe, they were simply watching the game, applauding a good pass or cheering a strong challenge?
There were 21,275 supporters at the KC on Monday night so you’re never going to get them all to agree on everything, but supporting the team has to come first.
The City ‘Til We Die organisation has, I believe, the best interests of the club at heart but, in his own way, so does Assem Allam. CTWD have put forward many well-constructed arguments but one thing they have clearly stated is that they support Assem and Ehab Allam (just not the name change) and they’ve regularly expressed their gratitude for their involvement in the club.
I’m sure the CTWD organisers will have been embarrassed by what they heard at Monday’s match. The last thing the supporters’ group wants is fighting amongst our own.
I’m looking forward to putting this nonsense behind us and focusing on football again, starting with the build up to a crucial match in the North East on Saturday. The West Ham match gave us a taster of what we can expect from this new-look side and I liked what I saw. Pity about what I heard.
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At last some common sense, I just wish fans did not protest at the ground as it cannot help the team. Please protest outside the ground, through media but not at the match.
ReplyDeletewell said i think the majority feel the same way
ReplyDeleteSaid it before the game. Allam has spent money not just on forums like last year but on importing fans for games to be vocal and cause problems. Next media report may include confrontation, all good for Allams hearing and very cheap.
ReplyDeleteNorth stand
Hit the nail on the head. Too many hysterical notohulltigers decreeing any other opinion but there own is somehow anti hull city .I don't want us to be called hull tigers but all this chanting on 1904 is becoming tiresome even if Allem has restoked it.support the team and drop the nonsense .
ReplyDeletesimple, KEEP IT ALL OUTSIDE THE GROUND!! Game time is just that:- its all about the game. I do fee that the 1904 chants and others where disrespecting to Bruce after he asked for non of it to occur at the game and the last thing we need is for him to feel disrespected by the fans. get behind the team and get behind Bruce Almighty!
ReplyDeleteVery well said! simple, KEEP IT ALL OUTSIDE THE GROUND!! Game time is just that:- its all about the game. I do fee that the 1904 chants and others where disrespecting to Bruce after he asked for non of it to occur at the game and the last thing we need is for him to feel disrespected by the fans. get behind the team and get behind Bruce Almighty!
ReplyDeleteGood article. CTWD ... a joke ... daren't protest outside the ground anymore after their earlier attempts were laughable. A bunch of hooligans, neo-nazis and kids who are brave in their little corner of the East Stand. Do us a favour Dr. Allam and ban them, refund their passes using the extra income from re-branding the club. Hull Tigers? What's wrong with it? Remember "Tigers 2000"? not "City" or "AFC" 2000 .... this fetish for "AFC" is new and fabricated.
ReplyDelete"A bunch of hooligans, neo-nazis and kids"
ReplyDeleteI'm a conservative, law-abiding, 40 something, and I don't hold with this "Hull Tigers" malarky. Allow everyone to have their opinion. Plus the chant "City Till We Die" has been sung at CITY games for 20 years that I know of, and there was nothing wrong with it before. If you support the owner, why not show it, instead of sitting in the West Stand like a statue.
City till I die is a chant we used atleast 20 years, however 'we say no allams we say no' is disrespect. I fully agree and joined in with the booing as CTWD is a minority and didn't even win the vote for the name change and most fans the support or don't care didn't vote. Form your protests outside the ground. Even better why don't they protest by not going to the game
ReplyDelete