And now we can move on

Paul Duffen has reportedly handed over "millions of pounds" as part of the out-of-court settlement finally confirmed yesterday by Hull City in their legal dispute with the ex-chairman.

Millions of pounds? That's a lot of money, obviously. And given that Adam Pearson uncovered millions of pounds worth of debt upon scouring the accounts that Duffen left behind, it is quite an achievement to get this unspecified but sizeable sum back from a man who, for all his business savvy, must have known his creaming of club cash would be unearthed by a diligent successor.

Duffen could still be subject to an FA inquiry but meanwhile it is another feather in the cap of Pearson. Perhaps Duffen thought that a successor other than Pearson wouldn't have had the bottle or sensed enough goodwill from the staff and supporters to make a go of taking him to court. Duffen left the Tigers, only officially, on the Friday and Pearson arrived, again only officially, on the Monday. We were told Duffen had resigned when he was, in fact, sacked; we were not told about Pearson's arrival until the man himself walked into a swathe of flashing bulbs on the Monday, despite his presence at the Burnley game mid-shuffle and quick transmission among supporters and media of one of football's worst kept secrets.

Pearson took a calculated risk when it came to suing Duffen and it worked better than he could have imagined. Of course, a court case could have doomed Duffen further but maybe his offer, made away from prying eyes, was all he could afford and the club felt it right to quit while substantially ahead. Duffen would have been ripped apart in a court of law but would have given as good as he got too. And given his obvious annoyance at not being credited more for his role in the promotion to the Premier League and subsequent survival, he wouldn't have shirked in trying to ruin the club's name entirely, even if he went down with it.

Anyway, the millions of pounds now returned to City coffers can ease some of the instant financial woes that Pearson gravely revealed within days of returning to the hotseat. His belief that this money would return to the club could also explain his insistence that Wolves' ever-rising offer for Stephen Hunt, which peaked at £5 million on the last day of the January window, would be rejected. After all, who needs another club's money when you're due to get back your own? Contrast that Duffen's absolute insistence that Michael Turner had to go, even though Pearson has subsequently said there was no obvious financial reason for it and the player himself was entirely settled and happy.

As for Duffen, one hopes he doesn't get involved in football again. He will now have his assets, including his yacht, back in his possession - a judge froze them at City's request during the action - and maybe he should go for a long sail and try to figure out over a few glasses of bubbly why he will not be fondly regarded by supporters who fulfilled their dreams under his chairmanship. If he doesn't get it, then there are a good few thousand people happy to fill him in.