PHOTO CREDIT: Guardian
PK’s Premiership/PATRICK KINMARTIN
What the Hull bandwagon needed most was some pizazz. It had plenty else to offer, but still.
Beating now-serious Fulham at home? It was opening week of the season — at that, the promotion season a century in the making. Sometimes, adrenaline counts for more than merely a figment of overzealous pre-match hysteria too easy to embrace.
Beating Newcastle at St. James? Current events have made Magpies monkeys no longer comfortable in their own jungle. Actually, vice-versa. Whatever the case, road teams winning there was hip five years ago.
Draw against Everton? Plus, a draw against Everton where there was a 2-0 lead? Really on to something here, just not something to yet shake a stick at.
The Premiership is built around big-league performers, and most people check for home runs when looking at the back of big-league baseball cards. Hitting it out of the park in this setting doesn’t even guarantee survival from relegation, but it is that oh-so-telling sign about the ability to compete at a higher level.
Six surly matches into their first season on English football’s top tier, Hull delivered that blast Saturday against Arsenal, who mine as well have been Sandy Koufax on the mound considering the circumstances at Emirates Stadium.
There was nothing tricky about the Gunners’ first 11. Robin Van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor, Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, also status-questionable Gael Clichy … just so you know straight-up.
No “tire” marks, either. With a completely different group than the one that was active in the midweek Carling Cup win against Sheffield United at home, Arsenal were by all indications their spry selves.
More evidence came once the match actually started — the 63-37 advantage over Hull in possession, the 25 shots put forth. Indeed, the inability to translate all that pressure into tangible quality continues to haunt. Among the top five scoring sides in the league, only Liverpool is worse at converting recorded opportunities.
“Human beings are not machines,” Gunners manager Arsene Wenger said. “Perhaps subconsciously we thought we would make it. After we went 1-0 up, we were a bit careless in not pushing on to score the second goal.
“We don’t know how costly it could be but they were committed and it was a good lesson for us. We now know that if our attitude isn’t right, we can lose games … if we had had the same level of concentration as Hull we would have won the game.”
As usual, Wenger had no trouble clearing the smoke to get to the truth of a match, but his comments did seem a little too eager to dismiss Hull from being the enforcer of result.
That’s what the Tigers were, albeit after Arsenal toiled in stages during 0-0 and a little bit also at 1-0. So it was up to Hull to barter a fair exchange: win the last 3/8 of the match convincingly for a victory to signal that Arsenal’s early inability to pounce was taken full advantage of. It’s a fair and perhaps the most commendable way to beat a Big Four opponent.
Both the Tigers’ goals were born out of competent defending. Setting up the first, a series of steals was capped with an aggressive snatch on the right from Paul McShane that led to the passing rotation setting up Marco Geovanni’s lash past Manuel Almunia.
Daniel Cousin’s header for the match-winner in the 66th minute brought on individual acclaim for the weeks to come. Nevertheless, Cousin’s most crucial move came in the sequence that shifted toward the fateful corner kick for Hull.
As Arsenal was already having enough difficulty navigating up field with 10 men back awaiting behind the half-line, Cousin lurked toward the fray from his spot in the pure forward’s realm. Fabregas eyed just enough of Cousin drifting into the scene to thrust a 25-yard pass out to the left, and McShane with a dive was able to close in for the interception.
Possession became Hull’s, and the satisfying triumph as well it urned out in the moments that followed. These types of scenarios may seal the Tigers’ image as being the blue-collar heroes promotion success stories are often forced into being. Then again, watching the goals Geovanni and Cousin netted, not to mention the play of Marlon King when he is at this bursting best, and the label might require more flair.
Their penchant for prevailing often early in the year — officially now a pattern with the Arsenal takedown — has given Hull the privilege to be choosy over such a title.
Wrapping up the rest of the Prem weekend…
OWED DRINKS: Blackburn striker Jason Roberts. Anything for a guy who suddenly again may have to get to re-establishing himself for the umpteenth time as an important force after Paul Ince inexplicably opted to start Matt Derbeyshire in the Newcastle win while waiting until the 84th minute to insert the consistently effective 30-year-old.
OWES DRINKS: West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola, just to show any type of gratitude for not having to worry about his first truly lose-worry challenge on the league schedule as a new manager until Oct. 26 against Arsenal, when the Hammers could imaginably be a clean 4-0 since the regime change.
GOAL FULFILLED: Aston Villa front man John Carew’s back heel in the 2-1 win over Sunderland. The 6-foot-4 Norwegian knocker continues to strengthen his cause as the most elegant among the top flight towers.
LET IT BE: The Newcastle nightmare isn’t straight relegation-bound at this stage in October. Points-wise, there is much to be concerned about. In the context of the struggle, however, it has to be kept in mind how much the team’s affinity for applying offensive pressure under the circumstances will be enriched substantially once dynamo Obafemi Martins returns from injury.
SAY IT IS SO: That Portsmouth’s 2-1 defeat of Tottenham is a sign of Redknapp over riches. The effusive Pompey boss might now finally focus on what his depth-filled side does have to offer as opposed to how much they lack in the face of summer spending sprees by Spurs, Manchester City and Fulham. It wasn’t a stark turnaround from last week’s 6-0 loss to City, just a firm signal Portsmouth isn’t close to being lost in the woods.
3-POINT FINISH: Dirk Kuyt is quickly becoming the scene’s true workman. With another active performance for Liverpool in their 2-0 humbling of Everton, Kuyt now has recorded 13 shots, endured four fouls suffered and committed four himself in the three matches since an uneventful outing against Villa on Aug. 31. In that match, he was subbed for in the 70th minute. He has not missed one in the trio of matches since. … The Reds will be City’s second Big Four challenge of the season this Saturday, the first with a fully-acquainted Robinho aboard. That will actually pit the Brazilian extraordinaire against fellow former La Liga star Fernando Torres for the first time since two full seasons ago March 4, 2006. In the two Madrid derbies during the 2006-2007 year, Torres’ last in Spain, Robinho did not appear for Real Madrid. … Don’t be surprised if the league follows a trusty NFL trend by cracking down on players like Adebayor who wear wrist bands or other uniform paraphernalia not consistent with their teams’ kit colors.
