Hull City Fan View: October Report Card - The Top Three Tigers

Seven games into the new season and fans of all 20 Premier League clubs are starting to get an idea of how their side might do this season, and in particular, which players are set to become fans’ favourites and which might be on their way in January. Personally, I always find these early season fan assessments, usually most visible on social media, most interesting among the fans of the three promoted clubs in the Premier League. How is their Championship squad adapting to life in the big league? How is that new signing from the French league, that nobody had ever heard of prior to August, doing up-front? Is the manager manging to deal with the additional stresses of the Premier League? It’s fascinating.

Of course, as a Tigers fan, the example of Hull City interests me the most this season. After a very solid start, with wins against the Champions Leicester City and away at Swansea, the side who had just 13 fit senior players when the season kicked-off have struggled in recent weeks. However, this isn’t to say we haven’t performed well in these games. Discounting last Saturday’s match against Chelsea, in which I believe we played our poorest football of the season, performances against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United have been impressive, despite unflattering scorelines.

But which members of Hull City’s very limited squad have caught the eye this season? Well, here are the three players that I think hold the key to the Tigers’ Premier League survival this season.

Curtis Davies

The former Aston Villa and West Brom man has been faultless in the heart of defence this season, and one of the few players who I actually believe has benefited from the departure of Steve Bruce. Davies, who has regained the captain’s armband due to the absence of Michael Dawson, in many ways has held the club together in recent months, visibly keeping the players focused on their job and welcoming the promotion of Mike Phelan as caretaker manager, despite the owners of the club’s apparent determination to make Hull City a national laughing stock. Quite incredibly, until the middle of September, according to Opta statistics Davies was in fact the best all-round defender in European football, once again making his omission from two England squads hard to understand for the Hull City faithful. The 31-year-old’s ‘Captain Marvel’ status is exactly what City sides have lacked in recent seasons, perhaps ironically ever since Bruce stripped Davies of the captaincy following the Tigers’ highly successful 2014 FA Cup run, with Michael Dawson becoming Bruce’s preferred captain. If Davies can stay fit and his good form continues he will certainly have a big role to play in Hull City’s season, and if you ask me, is already an early contender for Player of the Season.

Sam Clucas

Clucas has unquestionably been Hull City’s surprise package this season. The former Chesterfield and Lincoln City man, who I have discussed in detail in earlier blogs, has been given a much less restricted role in Mike Phelan’s midfield this season, playing almost exclusively as a deep lying midfielder rather than in his more familiar role as a winger. The 26-year-old, who was prematurely nicknamed ‘Sam Clueless’ by a small minority of City fans last season, is certainly proving his worth and growing into a quality Premier League midfielder, joining the likes of Charlie Austin, Ashley Williams and Jamie Vardy in an exclusive club of footballers who have worked their way up from non-league to the Premier League in less than five seasons. With City heading into a spell of ‘winnable’ games, Clucas has the ability and, perhaps more importantly, the relentless work-rate to get Hull City’s season back on track and help steer the Tigers away from the relegation zone.

Robert Snodgrass

Perhaps the most obvious player to be included on this list in the eyes of non-Hull City fans is Robert Snodgrass. The midfielder has enjoyed a phenomenal start to the season, and in many respects is the side’s talisman going forward. The Scot, who had a nightmare start to his Hull City career following a dislocated kneecap two years ago, has started this season in the form of his life, scoring three goals in the league, on top of a recent hat-trick for Scotland during a World Cup qualifier against Malta. The 29-year-old, like Clucas, has found a new lease of life under Phelan and has looked a threat in every match so far this term. As well as his venomous left foot and set-piece prowess, Snodgrass also has a tireless work-rate and often can be seen doggedly defending for his team – a side of his game that is regularly overlooked. If City are to stay up this season, I would wager City fans will have Snodgrass to thank. His attitude and passion is second to none in City’s squad, and his sheer amount of assists and goals surly make him Hull City’s biggest asset this season.