Simon Grayson, Steve Bruce, Ahmed Elmohamady, David Meyler, Paul McShane: a Hull of a connection

Jake: looking back

John McCormick writes Did we get rid of Simon Grayson too early? There are some stats that say we could have and you might want to look back on my end of season review before reaching a conclusion. And what about Steve Bruce? It’s just on ten years since he was appointed by Sunderland, only to be sacked some 2½ years later when we were mid-premiership. Only ten years? Mid-Premiership? It seems like a lifetime.

Bruce then went to Hull, where he became a hero before walking out, which appears to be the norm for Hull managers this past decade, with Nigel Adkins having followed Marco Silva and Leonid Slutsky in not completing or renewing a contract (Mike Phelan is the exception, he was sacked).

After Nigel Adkins announced his departure Simon Grayson seemed to be an early favourite to take over. Perhaps he still is, although I haven’t seen his name for a couple of days. Personally, I wish him well although Hull could prove to be a poisoned chalice, and he’s drunk enough from them recently.

We’ve exchanged a few players with Hull, too. Frazier Campbell is still with them, having re-signed in 2017, and others who have worn both sets of stripes are still plying their trade in various leagues (even Paul McShane until his  release by Reading at the end of the season), so I thought I’d dip into the archives and take a trip back to June 16th 2013, when our guest, Sam Campbell, looked back on a few tempestuous years, for Hull, not us.

Will Hull’s tempestuous years continue? Assem Allam is still there, apparently holding out for better offers, so they might  Until we know, here’s the excellent piece Sam wrote exactly, and only,  six years ago, with an introduction that also reflected our status at that time:

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Hull City ‘Who are You?’: brilliant Brucey, enigmatic Allam, dance icon Elmo

Jake : 'we have ways of making them talk'
Jake : ‘we have ways of making them talk’

Here’s the place for some interesting thoughts on Hull City’s Sunderland connections. Brad Rial*, a Tiger with a platform (he’s a part-time trainee at the Hull Daily Mail), has a lot of time for Steve Bruce and a trio of ex-SAFC players at his club. He’s more than a little concerned about the deteriorating relationship between owner Assem Allam and the fans … oh, and he thinks we’ll lose at the KC but stay up …

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Hull City FC: it used to be Hell and High Water, now it’s KC stadium and the sunshine band

Sam Campbell
Sam Campbell, the second Hull University student to write for M. Salut

John McCormick writes: Monsieur Salut has still not returned so I’m continuing my sojourn as assistant editor, which once again allows me to introduce a guest writer. Those of you who followed the account of my journey to Hillsborough in ’73 will know that I was at  Hull University at the time. In those days Hull City were a nondescript  team playing in nondescript  Boothferry Park, which I last visited in 1973 or 4, when they beat an equally nondescript (but cupholding) Sunderland 2-0.

How things have changed. We’re an established  top-league team with a  top class stadium and Hull, with an even newer stadium, have now returned to the Premiership to join us

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