"This is the beginning of something, not the end of anything."
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
On his Wayne
Thanks Wayne, and best of luck. The image of you leaping on Boaz Myhill when he caught Bristol City's final cross at Wembley will live with us forever.
This blog was devised in the summer of 2008 in order to illustrate the highs and lows of Hull City's historic inaugural season in the Premier League after 104 years of attempting to get there. The aim was for that glorious seventeenth place, and that is exactly what happened, before relegation in 19th place a season later. This blog ceased to be active on May 23rd 2010 and now stands as a record of exactly how the Tigers performed in 76 Premier League games and how life off the pitch proved exciting, eventful, controversial and turbulent.
"Dean Windass's wonderful, magical goal - the cleanest and purest of strikes - has meant that his boyhood dreams, and that of a footballing city, have come true here in north London this afternoon." Bill Leslie, Sky Sports commentator
"At some stage, somebody was going to win the game, and how fitting for Dean Windass to get the winner. These boys have played their heart out all season for me. Now we need a big effort in the Premier League." Phil Brown, Hull City manager
"It's a fantastic achievement. This is a history-making day for the city and the football club and I think it's important to remember those generations of Hull City fans who never saw us at Wembley and have never seen us in the Premier League, so this is on behalf of the Tiger Nation, past and present." Paul Duffen, Hull City chairman
What They Said - 2009
"Let us not forget some of the great things Hull have given us this season - the win at Arsenal, the win at Tottenham, the draw at Liverpool, the three goals at Manchester United. It's been a bad second half of the season but they stay up because of a wonderful first half of the season, and fans young and old can celebrate." Jeff Stelling, Sky Sports presenter
"It's about 38 games and the boys deserve to be in the Premier League for what we've put in this season." Phil Brown, Hull City manager
"You can't take away the incredible performance this squad of players has put in this season. They've been the underdogs since the beginning of the season, they were written off early on. It's great for all of them. For the whole football club to be doing it for a second time in 106 years is a very sweet feeling." Paul Duffen, Hull City chairman
What They Said - 2010
"We now need a complete overhaul of everything connected to the football side of the organisation. We need a proper strategy putting in place for every aspect of the football club. This will be my focus and I intend to put a proper blueprint in place to make sure everything and everyone is looked at and refocussed in time for us to be competing next season in a very challenging league." Adam Pearson, Hull City chairman
"It's the sign of a quality blog when a match report involving teams you don't support keeps you reading until the end, and then on to the next one too." Ian Plenderleith, When Saturday Comes, January 2009
We are Premier League
Extra special thanks... (off-pitch club heroes up to May 2010)