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Amid a string of tough fixtures, this home game against struggling Blackburn stood out as a chance for a precious win. But a poor game and over-defensive tactics saw the Tigers claim only a point from a scoreless 90 minutes. Report by Mark Gretton. |
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And so the one genuinely encouraging result of the season - the unexpected point at Manchester City - recedes further into the past as, following the debacle of last weekend we squander 2 points against a poor side with an away record that is even worse - as bad as ours, in fact. We're not in the bottom 3 yet, but it's hard to think we won't be as the stagger unwinds over our murderous Christmas and January programme. On the plus side - and I won't be hitting the optimism pedal very hard over the rest of the report, so enjoy this whilst you can - we did get a point. And the game, though utterly frustrating and at time embarrassingly short of quality, was never dull and even at its frequent most gruesome it commanded attention, like watching a runaway steamroller crush an abandoned pram. Except for a bit of smart goalkeeping by both custodians and a whole raft of shoddy finishing, either side could have won it. A fair point then, probably more satisfying for them than us. Not being very good were: Myhill I'm not really sure if that was the formation. It seems hard to believe that we started a home game that we had a decent hope of winning with Fagan upfront alone, but that was how it worked out. At various times Geo, Hunt and Garcia joined him, but as none of those is a striker, their hearts clearly weren't in it. Mind you, it seems hard to believe that we start a premier league game with Fagan in the 11 at all. If we'd started most of our game from the last promotion season with Fagan and Garcia as our strikers I think most of us would have watched appalled. We would also have watched us not get promoted. And as people patiently point out to me, what striking options are there apart from Fagan, if you ignore Hesselink, Altidore, Ghilas and Cousin as the manager is clearly keen to do? Still, it was good to see Geovanni back, although he obviously isn't going to be allowed to play in his best position, not with a Galactico like Marney occupying it. And there was one overwhelming positive, the people's Bo back in goal in place of the Iron-gloved Duke, proof were any needed that the manager can eventually see a point if it kicks him in the balls often and hard enough. Myhill had the sort of solid game interspersed with the occasional fine save that has characterised his play for us these last few years, though his refusal to roll the ball out to players without the skill to control it and the vision to know where to send it will I'm sure have disappointed many. He deserved the clean slate and the chance to flick the Vs at the manager's back after the game. We started off towards the Northish Stand but were quickly into the afternoon's poor work as a Marney/McShane cock-up produced a freekick that Benni McCarthy, who had a fractious and frankly poor afternoon curled over in the modern rubbisher fashion. More poor defending then allowed the East Lancs men to get the ball in the net, but the whistle had long gone. Then we got our game's defining moment. Boateng swept a fine ball into the path of Fagan, one on one with Robinson. As he advanced, there couldn't have been one person in the ground who thought he'd score, as he stuttered, dithered and then rolled the ball straight at Robinson. The keeper generally gets credit for standing up in those situations - I've no idea why, it's a skill possessed by most apart from old ladies in icy conditions - but even had he fallen over, or danced a hornpipe, Fagan would have found a way to miss. Lack of control, poor in the air, no shot with either foot, a complete absence of vision, Fagan really has got it all. In truth, he deserves as much credit for the 0-0 score as the keepers. Stattos, has there ever been a striker who has played so many games in the premiership and scored so few goals? If there's one worse, you wouldn't want to have watched him play for your team. Then, nothing much happened until half time. McCarthy stalked around and bollocked his colleagues. Fagan wandered lonely as a clown upfront. We wondered what Geovanni's role was. He looked like he was wondering that too. Marney just made us wonder, particularly when he advanced on goal after a good McShane pass but then with a good shooting opportunity inexplicably squared for Hunt to screw it up, although Robinson was again alert. After the interval Listmeister Medcalf patted your reporter who was staring in misery at his lack of notes, kindly on the back. "It can't be worse than the first half," he averred. A better second half? Well, yes and no. Mostly no. We did start off with a bit more purpose, generally bustling forward and huffing and puffing, but there was a depressing lack of quality about it. Hard to believe, I know, with the side this manager has assembled, but there it is. Fagan plumbed new depths of incompetence but was matched by "strike partner" Garcia who from a freekick controlled nicely with his right foot, set it up for a left foot shot which he had time to line up and which just managed to get to their keeper. Garcia's a good guy, a trier who has thrilled us all with his incisive runs and comically high-pitched voice. But not in this division, where he looks as out of his depth as a pigmy surfing a tidal wave. Brown took him off soon after and it's a measure of the appallingness of Fagan that this was still not the right decision. Altidore came on and immediately settled into making no difference at all. Blackburn seemed to finally wake up to how poor we were and, with McSulky having been withdrawn for Kalinic, the Croat showed that shocking finishing was not just an East Yorkshire attribute. He ran on goal, was fouled by Dawson, but as he went down still got in a shot that Myhill saved well. Anyone wondering why forwards go down so cheaply in the area shouldn't do; the referees will only give the correct decision if the player leaps into the air with his hands above his head. Following his sportsmanship blunder, Kalinic then lashed one into the side-netting causing the simple-minded former mill-working folk behind the goal to celebrate erroneously. Dolts. Kalinic completed his hat-trick of should've scoreds with his best, a volley 4 yards out that he managed to get out for a goal kick. Up the other end the manager had finally put Fagan out of our misery and replaced him with Vennegoor of Hesselink who marked it by winning a good header from a high cross - just the sort that had been flying over Fagan's head for much of the afternoon - and flashing it just wide. Promising, we thought, but then he had a Fagan moment of his own, controlling a long ball well, sizing up the outrushing keeper 3 yards away and lobbing the bouncing ball carefully into his hands. I think offside had already been given, but there was no doubt that our striker hadn't been aware of that and it was another cringe-making attempt at a finish. The generally ineffective Altidore had what looked like a good penalty shout as one of their giant defenders clipped his heels, but the replay showed that Jozy had first tugged his opponents arm, so the award of a freekick to the defending team was probably fair enough. There was just time for Olofinjana to come on and dribble us into trouble in his own area before the referee mercifully ended it, adding on just 2 minutes extra, 5 substitutions notwithstanding. Good man. So that was that and we hover just above the drop zone with 5 of our next 6 games against proper teams good at football. Now as we are all aware, it's a funny old game, but it'll have to have the hilarity of a Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special if we are to garner anything more than 2 points from these. In truth, no points at all is the most likely return. This seems to make the December 29th game at Bolton of the first importance. Whether we have a team to do it, as players proving themselves not up to the job are replaced by others who seem no better, is quite another thing. Difficult to blame the manager for that, you might think, until you remember that this is entirely his team and that it's his job to make it play. Then it becomes very easy to blame him indeed. So I will. |
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HULL CITY (4-5-1): Myhill; McShane, Zayatte, Gardner, Dawson; Garcia, Marney, Geovanni, Boateng, Hunt; Fagan. Subs: Altidore (for Garcia, 66), Olofinjana (for Fagan, 78), Vennegoor of Hesselink (for Marney, 78), Kilbane, Barmby, Mendy, Duke. Goals: None Booked: Altidore, Marney Sent Off: None
BLACKBURN ROVERS: Robinson, Chimbonda, Nelsen, Samba, Emerton, Givet, Grella, N'Zonzi, Hoilett, Di Santo, McCarthy. Subs: Andrews (for Grella, 41), Kalinic (for McCarthy, 59), Roberts (for Di Santo, 76), Pedersen, Salgado, Diouf, Brown. Goals: None Booked: Kalinic, Samba Sent Off: None
REFEREE: C Foy ATTENDANCE: 24,124 |
Last revised: December 25, 2009