Steve Bruce praises Hull City's team spirit after Watford win
STEVE Bruce believes Hull City's unrivalled away record is borne out of an insatiable will to win after the Tigers completed a brilliant hat-trick of victories on their travels.
A 2-1 win at Watford on Saturday, courtesy of goals from David Meyler and Robbie Brady, was City's third on the spin away from the KC Stadium, after their previous successes at Birmingham and Nottingham Forest.
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Steve Bruce has praised the character of his players after a 2-1 away win at Watford.
With five victories in their last seven away games contributing towards a tally of 19 points, no side in the Championship can match the Tigers' impressive efforts on the road.
Such form has helped City bounce up to fourth in the table ahead of three home games in the last four fixtures of 2012, and Bruce says the run owes everything to the togetherness of his troops.
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"It tells you something about the players we've got. There's a fantastic spirit amongst them," he said.
"I said before the game that you can look around the dressing room and look at them all knowing this lot will roll their sleeves up and have a go.
"They're an absolute delight to manage. You come to the Championship and there's a refreshing honesty. Sometimes in football clubs you get these horrible egos with some of these prima donnas. We don't have any of that, I wouldn't put up with it."
Watford became the latest victims of City's excellent away record as the in-form Hornets suffered their first defeat in eight games.
After Meyler had given the Tigers a deserved first-half lead with a close-range header, Robbie Brady's whipped free-kick doubled City's advantage.
A stoppage-time consolation from Troy Deeney provided brief anxiety but Bruce's men were full value for a victory that propels them to within three points of the top two.
Although the Vicarage Road win came at a cost, with Paul McShane limping off midway through the first half, it also marked the long-awaited comeback of Jack Hobbs.
The central defender was an able replacement for McShane after eight months out with cruciate ligament damage, and Bruce was delighted to see him in competitive action.
Bruce said: "I decided to put him on the bench on Thursday because he's a terrific professional. He's done so much to get himself back.
"He was caught a couple of times on the turn but overall you would never know he's been out for eight months. That's testament to him and the people we've got at the club who have worked so hard to get him back."
City expect to learn more on McShane's shin injury today after scans, but he appeared to be a major doubt to face Huddersfield this weekend when leaving on crutches.
Although not considered to be a serious injury, McShane would join leading goalscorer Sone Aluko on the sidelines if he fails to recover. Aluko has received an injection into his troublesome Achilles and calf strain and is now targeting a comeback for the Boxing Day clash with Leicester.
"Sone's had an injection and we hope that does the trick. That'll be anything between 14 and 21 days," said Bruce.
Comments
by HCAFCscarb
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 1:54AM
“PS
HAVE A SUPER HAPPY FAB CHRISTMAS EVERYONE ON HERE..
now repeat after me...
ASSEM AND EHABS BLACK AND AMBER ARMY......”
by HCAFCscarb
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 1:52AM
“AND the good thing is
IF Steve Bruce wants to bring anyone in come january the Heroic Allams Will back him..
Gone are the HDM"s made up storys that the Allams wouldnt spend another penny on players and the Allams were looking to bring in a manager on the cheap
ROFL
What a fantastic stroke of Genius is was for the ALLAMS to sack Nicky Barmby and bring in Steve Bruce...
Cant hear a peep out of those who posted so much garbage on here about The Allams and from those who demanded that we gave Nicky Barmby the managers job back...
Great Stuff
-----------
Standing ? Yes Please
North Stand has the best acoustics in the KC so its got to be the North Stand.....
------------------
expect City to get even Better as the season goes on.....
We aint seen NOTHING yet.....”
by BigBillyBilly
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 12:17AM
“We can win without Aluko,what a message the players have delivered to themselves,but fingers crossed that his injury is treatable,though I share Yank's anxiety about that type of nagging injury.
This team has gone from 11th to 8th in the last two seasons,for me it's no coincidence that we are right up there,and we will improve too.This time we don't have to 'dare to dream',because the components of success are in place,let's just hope that if we need a bit of luck in the next five months we get it.What a group,what a team we could be.”
by yank4hullcity
Monday, December 10 2012, 5:20PM
“This Sone Aluko injury sounds a bit concerning.....taking injections in his Achilles.....sounds like Matty Fryatt all over again...."we hope that does the trick" does not sound very optimistic. Someone reassure me that it's not going down the same road, please!”
by RichCoupland
Monday, December 10 2012, 4:11PM
“This is all a little bit of deja Vu, our away form is always impressive, didn't we go 17 games unbeaten away from home last season before faltering at Bristol City which effectively ended our play-off hopes.
I can't wait to get home at Christmas and get to a couple of games (Leicester and Leeds) hopefully maybe an away match, Blackpool looking the obvious choice.
On the subject of a Kop end I honestly don't think it would work unless you get the chanters E1,E2 and E3 into that end and the only way that is ever going to happen is if you have a standing end.
I used to love it at Boothferry Park stood in the east stand the atmosphere was electric. 4/5000 people all there to give the team spirit and the away supporters s@!t.”
by costatiger
Monday, December 10 2012, 2:46PM
“Some interesting comments on here regarding teams parking the bus at the KC and i fully agree with tiggerjacks ideas on how to stop it.An early goal is imperative,thereby making any further all out defence totally pointless and there are ways to achieve this.A well worked corner routine,used daily in training until it becomes like clockwork is the answer.Unfortunately we dont possess a potent goalscorer such as Austin or Rhodes,which helps this corner routine to be successful,because they always command extra attention at set pieces.From the kick off,City aim to force an early corner which after a given hand signal from the taker,instead of a normal corner,the ball is driven hard and low towards the edge of the box where our goalpoacher is making his run,but this is where the beauty of this little routine comes in.Defenders are attracted to his run, but he is only the decoy,leaving the ball at the last second for Robert Koren,who is the real target,coming in behind to shoot past an unsighted keeper.The element of surprise is what makes this routine so deadly and i know one championship side who used this ploy quite often,with a lot of success.”
by Daveinleeds
Monday, December 10 2012, 1:24PM
“trigger jack there is a lot of truth in your analysis, I suspect, as if I really knew.
On Saturday Chester made one of those runs forward in open play into their penalty area it causes panic. no-one initially picked him up as they presumably thought he would not keep going-- being a centre half. It has produced a goal in the past- that run has. sometimes at home we are faced with everyone of the visitors behind the ball and three men still back for the tigers.
Now I think that is when one of the centre backs can really make a difference running ahead of the strikers. We should really go at it at make one the many chances, we always make at the moment, count earlier in the game.
Crystal Palace might have looked unimpressive at the KC, but they stopped us scoring and went away with a point. They were happy I suspect with that --- we need to stop anyone else doing it by really committing at times and forcing the issue. Even if we go down a goal with a breakaway --we should go at again with Centre backs surging forward and only stop all out attack when we are three up. Irresponsible -- well only if you do not believe we could score a lot more goals. The way we played on Saturday we should be scoring a lot more goals .
Watford are good team but we could have scored 4 or 5 and it would not have flattered us.
This team could win the championship--- I do not recall ever thinking that before
In Steve I trust
I hope a premiership club doesn't try and tempt him away.
never mind the players
COYH”
by HCFCOK
Monday, December 10 2012, 12:08PM
“The 'Kop end' at the KC was originally planned to be behind the South Stand,hence the supporters club house being built where it currently sits. That idea was all well and good,but NO discussions EVER took place between the club and supporters did it,thats why those originally in the old Kempton still rub shoulders in the East Stand next to those flasker types who ask you to 'sit down and behave' and dont get behind the lads vocally.
Typical City eh ?”
by SteveB1234567
Monday, December 10 2012, 11:45AM
“Particularly pleasing to have got the win without Aluko, I thought we might struggle without him.”
by tiggerjack
Monday, December 10 2012, 11:20AM
“The problem at home isn't the way we play but the way the opposition play.
It is no fluke that we are so good away as the impetous is on the Home side to be more open, thus allowing the team to play with more fluidity.
When teams come to the KC so scared of our team they are that they all more or less play 4-5-1 or 5-4-1. It is up to us to then take one of many chances we create in a game sooner rather than later. That then encourages the visiting team to open up and look for goals themselves, without having to rely on counter attack football.
Fully agree about the kc. I have said it for years now that grounds should have an all standing section. This would bring together all the people that do actually want to sing and try create an atmosphere. However would this solve the problem of a sterile atmosphere ?
In recent times the stewards have been a little more lenient in E1 E2 E3, and not enforced the sit down rule as aggressively as they used to do. I always sit in E1 and can't remember a game this season were anyone in them sections was asked to sit down. So with the leniency you have to ask, is the 3 sections i mentioned an un-official standing part of the stadium and if so, Does it make the atmosphere any better ?
I believe also that the away fans should be housed in the west stand upper, as they do when HKR play at the kc on derby days.
On a lighter note it looks like being a 20k plus crowd on Saturday.”