Irish winger Robbie Brady is a player Hull City will hope stays fit this season (Picture: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

This could be a good season for Hull City – if these five things don’t get in the way.

1) Thursday night – Channel 5

The Europa League has a reputation for being a season killer. The Thursday-Sunday schedule, particularly during the group stage, is often blamed for poor performance.

However for a club that has never featured in European competition – the excitement far outweighs any fear.


The squad is, by and large, young and fit and should embrace an opportunity that may not come around again. It is a squad that is light in a couple of areas so manager Steve Bruce will still be on the lookout for new signings before the deadline.



2) Accident & emergency

The Tigers’ achievements last season came in spite of numerous injuries to defensive players that made consistent selection difficult. With a small squad, a change of luck in that area would be most welcome.

That is especially true in the case of Robbie Brady who endured a cruel 2013/14. It started brightly as the former Manchester United man weighed in with four goals and looked every bit a top level player in his role as left wing-back.

Unfortunately groin problems put paid to his season and appearances became fleeting. Having Brady back at peak fitness is a huge boost for the team.

3) Long gone

Replacing striker Shane Long, who joined Southampton for £12.5m this week, is a new priority.

In Tom Ince, the club may already have a ready-made alternative but it still leaves the squad short on out and out strikers as Matt Fryatt and Nick Proschwitz also moved on this summer.

As Long and Nikica Jelavic were cup-tied last season, it meant Bruce was forced to ‘rest’ them for FA Cup fixtures – keeping things fresh. So having a pool of strikers to choose from will aid the manager in ensuring the players cope with that potential Sunday-Thursday schedule.

Hull City manager Steve Bruce will have transfers and tactics on his mind (Picture: Getty Images)

4) Away day blues

The club’s away record was questioned halfway through last season, which was unfair as we had taken on most of the big boys in the first 10 trips.

However, as the fixtures reversed – the poor form became a source of disappointment. The Tigers were beaten tamely at Crystal Palace, Stoke, Norwich and Aston Villa and more unfortunately at West Ham. Results which could have seen them dragged into the relegation dogfight. Collecting more points at similarly matched rivals has to be a priority this time out.

5) Tactical warfare

Steve Bruce has been an exponent of the 3-5-2 formation that is suddenly the height of fashion for the last two years.

It will be interesting to see if he sticks with the system now others are setup similarly or whether he reverts to playing with wingers to accommodate summer signings Tom Ince and Robert Snodgrass.

With Long having moved on it may also be an opportunity for Bruce to develop a system that doesn’t require two strikers – though he tends to favour a front pair.

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