Hull City - keeping a team together.

So, the final curtain has fallen on the Premier League season for 2014-15. Hull City’s 2 year tenure in top flight football has come to an end. Not for a want of trying today against Manchester United, but perhaps for a lack that certain something during the course of the season.

Steve Bruce, I’m sure, will let the dust settle on this season’s campaign before he makes any decisions about the future of his squad.

For me, as a non-Hull City supporter, the reason that they went down is due to the players on the pitch. Steve Bruce has proved that he can manage at this level. What has been sadly apparent this season is that there are too many players who are only out for themselves. Most notably, this has been seen in Jake Livermore’s alleged use of cocaine.

The crux of what Hull do next boils down to this: Too many players have underperformed this season for Hull. Assuming that Dr Allam will continue to bank roll a team in the Championship, then these players need to stay with Hull for a season and pay back the fans and the club for their support. The failure of too many players to play at an acceptable standard has cost the club, and the city, Premier League football.

Some players would be expected to leave. Hernandez hasn’t justified the fee they paid to Palermo, Ramirez has shown why Southampton were willing to let him go out on loan, Sagbo has a first touch that goes further than a lot of passes. Rosenior is a good full back but doesn’t seem to fit Steve Bruce’s plans. You would expect that Andy Robertson would be on a lot of shopping lists as well.

If Hull can keep its squad together for one season, players like Meyler, Elmohammady, Quinn, McShane, Dawson, Huddlestone, Jelavic and N’Doye will, I’m sure, get Hull back into the Premier League. Add players like Harry Morgan and Tom Ince back into the picture, and you would have to back Hull to win the Championship.

Perhaps the biggest test of Steve Bruce’s managerial career is ahead of him. Can he keep the players together and get Hull back into the top flight? With the squad he has, you wouldn’t bet against him.