Hull City stand firm as rival duo eye swoop for Robert Koren
HULL City intend to stand firm against any approaches for in-demand playmaker Robert Koren, despite the continued interest of Leicester and Reading.
Koren has been consistently linked with a move away from the KC Stadium this summer and national reports have suggested a £500,000 bid has been tabled by the Foxes' boss Nigel Pearson.
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Robert Koren
However, the Mail understands the offer in question was rejected at the end of last season and, as yet, City are still to field any follow-up bids for Koren ahead of pre-season training on Monday.
The future of Koren, who won the Tigers' Player of the Season award in 2011-12 after a return of 10 goals, will be one of the first priorities for new boss Steve Bruce to address ahead of the new campaign.
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It is believed the former West Brom midfielder was assured that talks over a contract extension would take place this summer, but the exit of Nick Barmby has left those discussions shelved.
Koren has made no secret of his desire to return to the Premier League and will seek assurances from Bruce that his ambitions can still be realised at the KC Stadium.
City, meanwhile, have no immediate wish to cash in on the Slovenian but both Leicester and Reading will hope an improved offer could yet alter the Tigers' outlook.
Although owners Assem and Ehab Allam have stressed none of their prized assets will be off-loaded this summer, the prospect of seeing Koren's market value reduced to nothing in 12 months cannot be easily ignored.
A seven-figure offer for a player set to turn 32 in September would represent an attractive bid, but nothing will be decided until Bruce runs the rule over all his squad in the opening two weeks of pre-season in England and during a warm-weather camp in Portugal.
Pearson, who brought Koren to the KC Stadium in 2010, and Reading, newly promoted to the Premier League, will lie in wait with a keen interest.
Bruce will begin his preparations for the new season when his newly-inherited first-team squad return to training on Monday.
No new signings are likely to be in attendance but Bruce will hope to be flanked by a new-look backroom set-up on his first day in the hot-seat.
Deals have been agreed with Sunderland for the Tigers to land coaches Keith Bertschin and Stephen Clemence and scout Bryan 'Pop' Robson, who all worked with Bruce at the Stadium of Light and contracts are expected to be rubber-stamped in the next 48 hours.
Bruce plans to meet with his coaching staff on Sunday before his players arrive at Cottingham on Monday morning.
CITY will keep the KC Stadium ticket office open for extended hours today and tomorrow ahead of the looming season ticket deadline.
Staff will be on hand until 7pm tonight and will also open from 9am right up until the 2pm deadline for season passes at the lowest possible rate.
After tomorrow, Season Cards will go off sale as the club implements new systems in time for the new campaign.
Comments
by HCAFCscarb
Monday, July 02 2012, 3:59PM
“On only needs to read back to see it started when you jumped on posts I made about twitter, mike White and city independant being first in the know about Steve Bruce and other news
3 pathetic posts in a row you made about twitter .
You even claimed Steve Bruce was a HDM scoop.
Call me what you like . So what .
Your famed on here for your high and mighty attitude and for crying to others for support
Typical of your type .
Don't worry plenty of posters. Have the same opinion as me about you.
Me a glory hunter... Rofl
Carry on crying mr Billy no mates.
And by the way the Steve Bruce story and the Andy Dawson news and the assistant manager where all on twitter , city independant , city not 606 First
There's also rumours we are chasing rangers goalkeeper but that's just a rumour”
by Alantf
Monday, July 02 2012, 10:08AM
“You are like a spoilt child, certainly worth no more time. Like James Lodge, you have been found out in your lies; live in your own live in your own world of bile and bitterness. Your disrespect for me is of absolutely no consequence, but you show yourself to be a loud-mouthed glory-hunter with your comments about grass-roots football teams and the way that disrepects all of the volunteers who give up their time to manage and administer them. Get your kicks on here, at all hours, everyday; it's obviously all you have. Good riddance.”
by HCAFCscarb
Monday, July 02 2012, 12:40AM
“i think its obvious to everyone but YOU the remark about a real footy team was just a bit of bait.
After all i already KNEW the clubs you "claim" to manage where just unimportant pub teams and that you could NEVER manage a real team...
If you think i care what someone like you think about me then your a bigger fool then i thought..
pick your dummy up, stop crying and grow up..”
by Alantf
Sunday, July 01 2012, 10:44PM
“I think the true natures of Seaside's posts are very clear for all to see. Having made a fool of himself with his lies and incredibly arrogant statements, he now resorts, once again to the 'it doesn't matter, it's only the internet' bull. No, I did not 'rip into Jack, I simply asked him to substantiate two remarks stated as fact; nor do I think I am Rambo, just a guy who tells the truth – unlike you. Everyone on here should recognise you for the liar you are and the mindless Troll you have become. He has too much time on his hands and too little brains to use it sensibility. To then try and masquerade it as 'fishing' is simply sad – what an out and out loser he is!
That's my 20 minutes done on these boards; he can have the rest of the day for his usual inane nonsense.”
by HCAFCscarb
Sunday, July 01 2012, 9:50PM
“Oaktown
when the season starts il send you a link to a free site that has all city games on live via radio. it also has a chat feature to use during the game...its used by a few City fans in the usa...and others all over the world.
have you still got family in Hull. if so youl have to get over for a visit and take in a match or two in the coming season...The new shirts look far better in real life then in the photos..saw one in the KC shop last week..
as for playing footy....i use to go to Trinity house in Hull, just a small school and i guess there was only 15-20 kids who even like footy....we sometimes got a goal or two but the other team usually got 18 or more....i was always right back..if they got passed me i was quite good at hacking them down.....as a footy player i guess i was a 5 out of 10...not that good...
but hey why should i claim to be what im not....theres not many things i can do...
BUT i can make a lobster pot faster then anyone in bridlington...and il take anyone on ...
i can make a salmon net or a sole net, fix a cod net and i know the best places to stick lobster pots and sole nets and im pretty fast at gutting fish...
:-)
==========================
seems im not bad at sticking a juicy worm on the end of a line and getting a big bad fish on the end on here either...”
by OaktownTiger
Sunday, July 01 2012, 3:44PM
“by HCAFCscarb
Sunday, July 01 2012, 10:31AM
."By the way oaktown, someone told me you have never seen Hull City play.
Is it true ?
Not that it matters..
I Must have read in on twitter or on here."
no i've seen them a few times I saw them first in 1995 when I came over to meet my future in laws, I went with him to Boothferry to see Hull play Bradford, it was quite the experience but I was hooked on the Tigers, every couple of years we try to get back and take in a couple of games, I've probably seen them 20+ times. Now with the internet I can listen to all their games with Burnies and Swanny, we meet them before a game they were way cool to us.
I was a pretty fair player played at UCLA on a walk on scholarship as a sweeper but tore my ankle up, still I got a free college education because of football (soccer to us) not sure why you would read about me on Twitter as I don't have an account !
The Tigers were everyones favorite second team here in the States when they were in the PL as their games were on Fox Soccer, and when Jozy signed it was a huge deal as they had a weekly update of the US players abroad on ESPN, so people got real interested in Hull City pity it didn't work out too well.”
by HCAFCscarb
Sunday, July 01 2012, 3:41PM
“It's always ok on here till Billy no mates in Washington pops his head up .
In the last 2 weeks he tore into jack , now me .
He seems to think he is Rambo.
Pmsl”
by strummer1961
Sunday, July 01 2012, 1:32PM
“Here's hoping the Football will be a bit more intelligent than some of the utter dross being posted on here!!!!!!!”
by HCAFCscarb
Sunday, July 01 2012, 10:31AM
“By the way oaktown, someone told me you have never seen Hull City play.
Is it true ?
Not that it matters..
I Must have read in on twitter or on here.”
by HCAFCscarb
Sunday, July 01 2012, 2:32AM
“SnowBall
the leicester mercury and the HDM are owned by the same people...
they get the same story but from a leicester city bias.
NO chance of Chester going to leicester because when he does leave Hull City it will be to a big club such as everton..
Chester is destined to play in the premier league sooner or later..
and remember the Leicester bid for koren was from ages ago and was turned down flat..
its not a new story.”