Kick up the Brum

Already some are labelling this weekend's visit of Birmingham City as the dismal six-pointer, even though it's still only September and 32 more Premier League games are still on the agenda afterwards.

For all that overreaction, fuelled by a bad fortnight for the Tigers generally which involved rumours of financial problems and the bad feeling over Michael Turner's sale and his subsequent dominant (and goalscoring) performance against his old team, there is no doubt that victory over the newly-promoted Blues would do Hull City the power of good.

And power is key to how City should go about it. The power of strong midfield running and the power of fearless centre forward play. Both were visibly lacking at Sunderland, especially the latter where Craig Fagan had one of the worst games of his career, and so the full Premier League debut of Jozy Altidore or Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink is surely on the cards.

That Altidore has yet to start for the Tigers, except in the Carling Cup exercise against Southend United, remains something of an irritant when so much expectation and excitement has been invested in him, and indeed his online habits suggest he is ready and desperate to grasp the responsibility such expectation creates. Sadly, so far, Phil Brown has chosen to not allow him that chance yet. And unless we play 44-2, which almost certainly would involve the peculiar redeployment or even removal of Geovanni, it isn't going to occur againmt Birmingham either.

The power of midfield industry can return in the shape of Dean Marney, fit again after hurting his knee at Chelsea and who is currently benefitting from a "devil you know" situation thanks to Kevin Kilbane's visible shortcomings and George Boateng's sudden inability to earn a shirt. Marney is one of the most frustrating Tigers players in recent times - obvious talent but with a capacity to use it only sparingly - yet a real box-to-box player who can also pick a pass and have the odd shot is something City simply haven't had lately, and his involvement is more crucial in a 4-5-1.

We shall see. Brown never fails to surprise us when the team news beeps into everyone's ether, and he may choose so to do for this match. But given the opposition's poor goalscoring figures so far, and their lengthy injury list of mediocre but recognisable names, the Tigers must see this as a chance to earn a rare and much-needed victory.