Not many teams arrive at Old Trafford higher up the Premier League table than champions Manchester United — especially in their first top-flight season. Yet that is the position Hull City find themselves in as they prepare to take on Sir Alex Ferguson’s star-studded side today.
Promoted via the play-offs, Hull are currently fifth in the table, two points ahead of United. However, something approaching normal service was resumed when title contenders Chelsea won 3-0 away to Hull in midweek.
But Tigers manager Phil Brown takes heart from the way in which his team bounced back from a potentially far more damaging 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Wigan Athletic, a team nowhere near as wealthy as Chelsea, in August. Far from doing long-term damage to their morale, that defeat provided the catalyst for a six-game unbeaten run that lifted Hull to the dizzy heights of third place.
PHOTO: AP
“Does lightning strike twice? Of course you take heart from that, but we had two weeks to prepare after that defeat. We have only got two days to prepare for this one,” Brown said. “Most of the time players have stepped up to the plate when the challenge has been thrown at them and hopefully that will be the case on Saturday.”
Leaders Liverpool, three points in front of second-placed Chelsea following a 1-0 win at home to Portsmouth, travel to White Hart Lane to take on a revitalized, but still bottom of the table, Tottenham Hotspur.
New Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, after seeing the team achieve the near-impossible by securing a 4-4 draw away to north London rivals Arsenal despite being two goals behind in the 89th minute, was in understandably bullish mood.
“Bring on Liverpool,” said the former Portsmouth boss, who has seen Spurs take four points from his first two games in charge. “They will come to the Lane to look for a result, but will find my team giving it a real go.”
Portsmouth, who start the weekend in seventh place, will look to give new manager Tony Adams his first win in sole command of the south coast club when strugglers Wigan Athletic, now in the relegation zone after a 2-0 loss to Fulham, visit Fratton Park.
“It is hard to be pleased when we have lost 1-0, but for my first game I am pretty pleased with the performance,” Adams said. “If they show that level of commitment to me, to themselves and the club, we will not go far wrong.”
Aston Villa may have been deposed from fourth place by the time they kick-off against Newcastle United on Monday.
For several seasons United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have monopolized the top four places, but Ferguson thinks Martin O’Neill’s men might be able to end the old quartet’s dominance.
“I do not see anyone breaking in, other than Aston Villa,” Ferguson said. “It is possible they might do it — but no-one else.”
However, O’Neill fears the demands of the season may be catching up with the Midlands club after they labored to a 3-2 win over Blackburn Rovers.
“We will have to do a bit of rotating now because we looked tired. We play next Monday, Thursday in Prague, then Sunday now and it will be asking a lot for the same group of players again,” O’Neill said.
Everton, having ended a run of nine winless games with a 1-0 success over Bolton Wanderers, face Fulham, with striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni aiming to repeat last season’s hat-trick against the Cottagers.
Chelsea face a Sunderland side who came back down to earth following a derby victory over Newcastle United with a 1-0 defeat on Wednesday at the hands of Stoke City.
“For a long time now this club has been inconsistent and it is something I have to sort out,” Sunderland manager Roy Keane told the club’s Web site.
Stoke, still hovering above the relegation zone, are aware of what awaits them against an Arsenal side determined to make amends for their derby display.
“We know what Arsenal are all about,” Stoke coach Gerry Francis said. “They are an exceptional side, but on our day we know we can cause anybody problems.”
Elsewhere, Gianfranco Zola will hope his West Ham United side can end a run of four straight defeats away to Middlesbrough. The weekend’s other fixtures feature clubs all looking to bounce back from defeats. West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers meet today, while tomorrow sees Bolton Wanderers at home to Manchester City.
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