Hull

Foundation and early progress (1904–1945)

Hull City Association Football Club was founded in June 1904. Previous attempts to found an association football club in Kingston upon Hull had proved difficult due to the popularity of rugby league in the city.^[] By 1904, both Hull F.C. and Hull K.R. were already well-established sides with passionate local backing.^[] The desire for a third team to represent the city in competitive sport was not particularly present at the time, but support would soon grow.^[] The club faced some initial disruptions after foundation, as they had been unable to apply for membership of the Football League for the 1904–05 season and instead played only in friendlies. The first of these matches was a 2–2 draw with Notts County on 1 September 1904, with a crowd of 6,000 in attendance.^[] These early matches were played at Hull F.C.'s home, the Boulevard. The club's first competitive football match was in the FA Cup preliminary round, drawing 3–3 with Stockton on 17 September, but they were eliminated after losing the replay 4–1 on 22 September.

After disputes with landlords at the Boulevard, Hull City temporarily moved to the Circle, a cricket ground in West Park.^[] After having played 44 friendly fixtures the previous season, Hull City were admitted into the Football League Second Division for the 1905–06 season.^[] Other teams competing in the league that season included Manchester United and Chelsea, as well as Yorkshire rivals Barnsley, Bradford City and Leeds City. Furthermore, Grimsby Town, from the southern bank of the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, were also in the Second Division.^[][] Interestingly, Hull and Grimsby were the only two professional teams who were granted official exemption from playing league football on Christmas Day because of the demands of the fish trade.^[] Hull defeated Barnsley 4–1 at home in their first game, and ended the season with a solid 5th-place finish.^[]

In March 1906, a permanent home ground was opened for Hull City just across the road from the cricket ground, known as Anlaby Road.^[][] It would house the team until 1939.^[] Under the guidance of player-manager Ambrose Langley, Hull continued to finish consistently in the top-half of the table.^[] They came agonisingly^[] close to promotion in the 1909–10 season, recording what would be the club's highest-ever league finish for nearly a century. Hull had ended the season level on points with Oldham Athletic, but finished below the Latics due to goal average, where a narrow margin of 0.29 of a goal had meant the Tigers missed out on promotion.^[]

Hull would continue to regularly finish in the top-half of the table prior to the suspension of English football during the First World War, but their momentum had gone after its restart in 1919. The Tigers began to struggle, finishing in the bottom half of the table in seven seasons out of the next eleven. This culminated in relegation to the Third Division North following the 1929–30 season.^[] Despite the league campaign ending in relegation, Hull found much better luck in the FA Cup. Prior to 2014, Hull's greatest result in any cup competition was achieved in the 1929–30 FA Cup.^[] The Tigers began with victories over the eventual champions of the Third Division, Plymouth Argyle and the eventual champions of the Second Division, Blackpool.^[] They then overcame Manchester City to meet Newcastle United in the quarter-finals. The first game at St James' Park finished as a 1–1 draw, but, in the home replay, Hull beat Newcastle 1–0. This meant Hull played the semi-finals, where they were paired with Arsenal, in a game held at the neutral venue of Elland Road in Leeds.^[] The semi-final ended 2–2, and, so, was replayed at Villa Park in Birmingham four days later.^[] Arsenal won the semi-final replay 1–0, thus ending Hull's cup run.

Hull would eventually be promoted back to the Second Division after they won their first-ever league title in the 1932–33 season.^[] Managed by Haydn Green, they had finished above 2nd-placed Wrexham by just 2 points, mainly due to the goals of Bill McNaughton who was the league's top-scorer that season with 39 goals.

Lower-league success and financial crisis (1945–1985)

After the Second World War, the club moved to another new ground, Boothferry Park. In the 1948–49 season, under the tutelage of former England international and now player-manager Raich Carter, Hull won promotion from the Third Division North as champions.^[] "Yo-yoing" between the second and third tiers of English football, City had promotion seasons from the Third Division to the Second Division again in 1958–59 and 1965–66, winning the Third Division title in the latter-season.^[] For the majority of the 1960s, Hull was managed by Cliff Britton, who has since achieved cult-status with supporters of the club for the successes he achieved, especially the Third Division title win in 1966.^[] The side that year featured record club appearance-maker^[] Jock Davidson and record club goal-scorer^[] Chris Chilton as well as striker Ken Houghton and a young Ken Wagstaff, among others. It is widely regarded^[] as one of the best squads the club has ever had.

On 1 August 1970, Hull became the first team in the world to be eliminated from a cup competition on penalties, beaten by Manchester United in the semi-final of the Watney Cup.^[]

By the early 1980s, Hull City were in the Fourth Division, and financial collapse led to receivership.^[] Don Robinson took over as chairman and appointed Colin Appleton as the new manager.^[] Both had previously held the equivalent roles with non-league Scarborough.^[] Promotion to the Third Division followed in 1983, with a young team featuring such players as future England international Brian Marwood, future England manager Steve McClaren, forwards Billy Whitehurst and Les Mutrie, and Hull-born future captain Garreth Roberts.

In February 1983, City fans Henry Priestman as Harry Amber and Mark Herman as Mark Black worked together as Amber and Black to release the song "The Tigers are Back", with backing vocals provided by members of the City squad. This was done to help raise funds in order to pay the players' wages, as the effects of the previous seasons^[] money struggles were still visible. Herman reworded the song "Out of Luck" by Priestman's previous band Yachts, to get the lyrics. The record sleeves and records contained the made up record label logo Don Records in tribute to Don Robinson, and the made up issue number COL001 in tribute to Colin Appleton.

After narrowly missing out on back-to-back promotions in May 1984, Appleton left his position at Hull, having been enticed to become the new manager of Swansea City.^[] His replacement was player-manager Brian Horton who would first join the Tigers on their summer tour of Florida the following month, where they visited Walt Disney World, and played the Tampa Bay Rowdies, managed by Rodney Marsh, in the return leg of the Arrow Air Anglo-American Cup.^[] Mark Herman would direct and edit a short documentary film of the tour, with Priestman composing its music. Herman released the finished version online in 2016, titled "A Kick in the Grass".^[] Promotion followed in the 1984–85 season under Horton,^[] with the young City squad now not only talented but experienced too.

Fall to the fourth tier (1985–2000)

Hull remained in the Second Division for the next six years before being relegated in 1991, by which time the club's manager was Terry Dolan.^[] The Tigers finished 14th in the Third Division in the 1991–92 season, meaning that they would be competing in the new Second Division the following season.^[] In their first season in the rebranded division, Hull narrowly avoided another relegation, but the board kept faith in Dolan and over the next two seasons they achieved mid-table finishes.^[] Financial difficulties hampered City's progress, as key players such as Alan Fettis and Dean Windass had to be sold to fend off winding-up orders.^[] In the 1995–96 season, Hull were relegated to the Third Division.

In 1997, former tennis player David Lloyd purchased the club. Lloyd sacked Dolan as manager, and replaced him with Mark Hateley, after Hull finished 17th in the league table.^[] Hull's league form steadily deteriorated to the point that they faced possible relegation to the Football Conference. Lloyd sold the club in November 1998 to a South Yorkshire-based consortium, but retained ownership of Boothferry Park.^[] Hateley departed in November 1998, with the club at the foot of the table.^[] He was replaced by 34-year-old veteran player Warren Joyce, who steered the club to safety with games to spare.^[][] Hull City fans refer to this season as "The Great Escape". Despite this feat, Joyce was replaced in April 2000 by the more experienced Brian Little.^[]

Despite briefly being locked out of Boothferry Park by bailiffs and facing the possibility of liquidation,^[] Hull qualified for the Third Division play-offs in the 2000–01 season, losing in the semi-finals to Leyton Orient. A boardroom takeover by former Leeds United commercial director Adam Pearson eased the club's precarious financial situation, and all fears of closure were banished.

Rise to the top-flight (2000–2008)

The new chairman funded the club, allowing Little to rebuild the team. Hull occupied the Third Division promotion and play-off places for much of the 2001–02 season, but Little departed two months before the end of the season and Hull slipped to 11th place under his successor Jan Mølby, incidentally the club's first non-British or Irish manager.^[]

Hull began the 2002–03 season with a number of^[] defeats, which saw relegation look more likely^[] than promotion, and Mølby was sacked in October as Hull languished^[] in 19th.^[] Peter Taylor was named as Hull's new manager, and, in December 2002, just two months after Taylor's appointment and after 56 years at Boothferry Park, Hull relocated to the new KC Stadium.^[] At the end of the season Hull finished 13th.

Hull were Third Division runners-up in 2003–04 and League One runners-up in 2004–05. These back-to-back promotions took City into the Championship, the second tier of English football. The 2005–06 season, the club's first back in the second tier,^[] saw Hull finish in 18th place, 10 points clear of relegation and their highest league finish for 16 years (since 1989–90).^[]

However, Taylor left the club to take up the manager's job at Crystal Palace, with Colchester United's Phil Parkinson confirmed as his replacement, but he was sacked on 4 December 2006 with Hull in the relegation zone, despite having spent over £2 million on players during the summer.^[][] Phil Brown took over as caretaker manager,^[] and took over permanently in January 2007, having taken Hull out of the relegation zone.^[] Brown brought veteran striker Dean Windass back to his hometown club on loan from Bradford City,^[] and his eight goals helped secure Hull's Championship status, with a 21st-placed finish.

Adam Pearson sold the club to a consortium led by Paul Duffen in June 2007, stating that he "had taken the club as far as I could", and would have to relinquish control in order to attract "really significant finance into the club".^[] Under Paul Duffen and manager Phil Brown, Hull City improved greatly on their relegation battle of 2006–07 and qualified for the play-offs after finishing the season in third.^[] They beat Watford 6–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals and played Bristol City in the final on 24 May 2008. Hull won 1–0 at Wembley Stadium, with Hull-born player Dean Windass scoring the winning goal. Their ascent from the bottom division of the Football League to the top division of English football in just five seasons was the third-fastest in England, behind joint-first Swansea (1977–81) and Wimbledon (1982–86).

On 1 January 2008, midway through Hull City's promotion season, Amber and Black (now stylised as Amber & Black), released the song "The City's on Fire" on MySpace. It was their first Hull City song since 1983. It was later re-released just before 2014 FA Cup final.

Premier League football and "yo-yo" years (2008–2016)

Despite being a firm candidate for relegation ahead of the 2008–09 season^[], Hull began life in the Premier League by beating Fulham 2–1 on the opening day, in their first-ever top-flight fixture. Having gone 1–0 down inside 10 minutes, Geovanni scored Hull's first-ever top-flight goal, from outside the box, to equalise. Caleb Folan then won the match late on, after Craig Fagan capitalised on a defensive mishap by Paul Konchesky. With only one defeat in their opening nine games, including away wins at Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, the Tigers temporarily found themselves joint-top of the Premier League table on points (albeit sat in 3rd place due to goal difference) following a 3–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion.^[] Hull's form never replicated the highs of the early autumn, as they only won two more games over the remainder of the campaign,^[] but secured their top-flight status on the last day of the season due to other results going in their favour.

On 29 October 2009, chairman Paul Duffen resigned his position with the club, and was replaced by former chairman Adam Pearson on 2 November 2009. On 15 March 2010, manager Phil Brown was put on gardening leave after a run of four defeats left Hull in the relegation zone. Brown's replacement was former Crystal Palace and Charlton boss Iain Dowie, and the appointment was met with some disbelief by supporters who were hoping for a "bigger name" replacement.^[][] Hull City's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed on 3 May 2010, after a 2–2 draw at Wigan Athletic.^[] Both Brown and Dowie had their contracts terminated, and Leicester City's Nigel Pearson was confirmed as the new manager.

A reported block on player transfers into the club, set in place by the Hull City board on 28 July 2010 until transfers out would substantially reduce the £39 million-per-year wage bill, cast doubt on the new manager's efforts to build a squad capable of a quick return to the Premier League. Nevertheless, Pearson brought several transfers and loan signings into the club in his bid to strengthen the squad for the season's campaign.^[] On 16 December 2010, it was confirmed that Assem Allam had become the new owner of Hull City, having promised to pay back club debts and eliminate any possibility of financial ruin.^[][] This allowed the team to spend more money in the following January window, bringing in several new transfers and short-term loans, including the notable arrival of Matty Fryatt from Leicester City for £1.2 million.^[] The newly-revitalised team set a new club record on 12 March 2011 with 14 away matches unbeaten, breaking a previous record held for over 50 years.^[] This 17-match streak was finally broken by Bristol City on the last day of the 2010–11 season, with Hull losing the match 3–0.

On 15 November 2011, Nigel Pearson left the club to return to Leicester. Hull-born former club player Nick Barmby was appointed as his successor, initially as a temporary player-manager, but later as the full-time head coach, after retiring from professional football in January 2012. Barmby was sacked in May 2012, after publicly criticising the club's owners in an interview given to a local newspaper.^[] In the same month, the club's consultancy agreement with Adam Pearson was terminated. On 8 June 2012, Steve Bruce was appointed manager of Hull City on a three-year deal,^[] an appointment which would prove pivotal for the club's history. To begin, Bruce guided Hull back to the Premier League in his first campaign as manager, the 2012–13 season. Hull did so by securing a draw with league champion Cardiff City on the now-infamous^[] final day, and then required a late Leeds United goal to fend off Watford's attempt to dislodge them from second place in the league table.

The following season, on 13 April 2014, the club reached its first FA Cup Final after defeating Sheffield United 5–3 in the semi-final at Wembley Stadium. Their place in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League, regardless of whether they won the 2013–14 FA Cup, was confirmed on 3 May as Everton's failure to win meant that Hull's FA Cup Final opponents Arsenal would compete in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, leaving Hull to enter into the Europa League third qualifying round, in their first-ever European campaign.^[] The FA Cup final on 17 May 2014 saw Hull go 2–0 up within the first ten minutes, thanks to goals from centre-backs James Chester and Curtis Davies, before eventually losing 3–2 after extra time.

On 31 July 2014, Hull made their debut in European competition, in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, with a 0–0 draw against Slovakian side FK AS Trenčín before winning the second leg 2–1 a week later. An error from gaolkeeper Allan McGregor meant Hull lost 1–0 away to Belgian club KSC Lokeren in the first leg of their play-off tie, played on 21 August 2014. Hull did manage to achieve a 2–1 victory in the second leg at home, but the away goals rule meant the Tigers lost the tie, marking the end of their first foray into European football.^[]

In March 2015, manager Steve Bruce signed his second three-year deal with the club. Hull were relegated from the Premier League after the 2014–15 season, finishing 18th with 35 points. Relegation had been confirmed after Hull drew 0–0 at home to Manchester United and fellow relegation-candidates Newcastle United beat West Ham United 2–0 to survive the drop.^[] On 27 October 2015, Hull beat eventual Premier League champions Leicester City in a penalty-shootout to take them through to their first-ever quarter-final appearance in the Football League Cup.^[] Later that season, Hull reached the Championship play-offs, in the semi-final of which they beat Derby County 3–2 on aggregate, adavancing to the final, against Sheffield Wednesday on 28 May 2016. Hull secured an immediate return to the Premier League by winning that game 1–0, with Mohamed Diamé scoring a long-range effort in the second half.^[]

Supporter unrest and steady decline (2016–2021)

On 22 July 2016, Bruce resigned from his position as manager due to an alleged rift with the club's owners and Mike Phelan was appointed caretaker manager.^[] Steve Bruce's four-year tenure as Hull City manager is one of the most successful in the Tigers’ history, as his team achieved two promotions to the Premier League, including the club's highest-ever league finish, as well as an FA Cup final and European football. By the summer of 2016, supporters had been frustrated with several aspects of the Allam family's ownership of the club prior to this point (mainly the failed suggestion for the club to be rebranded as Hull Tigers), but the fall-out after Bruce's resignation alongside no new signings made since promotion had sharpened the idea of the club being sold. Attendances at home games dropped in protest of the Allams' ownership, but on-pitch results were surprisingly good considering the club's uncomfortable situation. This was highlighted by an infamous opening day 2–1 win at home to Leicester City, the reigning Premier League champions at the time.^[][][] Although good results continued until September, Hull's form quickly dipped. Despite this, on 13 October 2016, Phelan became Hull's permanent head coach, but was sacked less than 3 months later, on 3 January 2017, after little improvement. Two days later, Marco Silva was appointed as Phelan's replacement, but he was unable prevent relegation at the end of the season.^[]

Following relegation Silva resigned, and on 9 June 2017, the club announced the appointment of Leonid Slutsky as the new head coach. However, after a poor run of results Slutsky left by mutual consent in December 2017.^[] He was replaced by former-Southampton boss Nigel Adkins, who led the team to avoid relegation and finish 18th at the end of the season.^[] The following season, despite being in the relegation zone after 19 games, an upturn in form saw the Tigers finish in 13th place. However, Adkins resigned at the end of the season after rejecting a new contract.^[] On 21 June 2019, Hull appointed Grant McCann as head coach on a one-year rolling contract. In a season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the Tigers started well but lost 16 of their last 20 games, a run that included Hull's joint-worst league defeat ever, when they lost 8–0 away at Wigan Athletic.^[][] On 22 July 2020, after a 3–0 away loss to Cardiff City, Hull were relegated to League One. It would be the first time the club had played in the third tier of English football in fifteen years.^[]

Return to the Championship and new ownership (2021–present)

Despite relegation, McCann continued as head coach for the 2020–21 season. This decision would prove successful as on 24 April 2021, Hull were promoted back to the Championship at the first time of asking after a 2–1 victory away at Lincoln City. A week later, on the final day of the campaign, a 3–1 win at home to Wigan Athletic confirmed Hull as League One champion for the season. It was only the fourth-ever league title that the club had won, and the most recent since the victorious 1965–66 Third Division campaign, 55 years prior.

On 19 January 2022, after months of negotiations and speculation, Turkish media mogul Acun Ilıcalı and his company Acun Medya, completed a takeover of the club, ending the club's controversial 11-year ownership under the Allam family. The club sat 19th in the Championship at the time that the takeover was announced.^[][] On 25 January 2022, manager Grant McCann and his assistant Cliff Byrne left the club. On 27 January 2022, Hull announced Shota Arveladze as the new head coach. Hull achieved Championship survival in the 2021–22 season with a 19th-placed finish. On 30 September 2022, Hull sacked Arveladze after four consecutive defeats in the league, and appointed Andy Dawson as interim head coach. On 3 November 2022, the club announced former player, Liam Rosenior, as head coach, on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Having strengthened both the team's defensive record and the team's away record since his arrival, Rosenior guided Hull to a 15th-placed finish at the end of the 2022–23 season.