No manager, a frail squad and a fan protest over the ownership – welcome to Hull
Former boss Steve Bruce walked away from the club after receiving no backing from the owners
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CRISIS club Hull are heading for a showdown with champions Leicester as the worst-prepared team to enter a Premier League season — EVER.
As owner Assem Allam’s drawn-out sale of the Tigers lurches towards a conclusion, the top-flight new-boys are in turmoil both on and off the pitch.
On the field, they take on the Foxes at the KCOM on Saturday with no manager, no new signings and a squad down to just ELEVEN fit senior outfield players.
Off it, furious fans are at war with Allam over his decision to implement a controversial membership scheme which allows no concessions for kids and senior citizens.
A mass protest by supporters at the way Allam and his son, Ehab, are running the club will take place when Leicester hit Humberside.
The atmosphere will be toxic for caretaker boss Mike Phelan and it is going to stay that way until the Allams finally bow out.
That is the belief of Andy Dalton, editor of Hull’s Amber Nectar Fanzine.
He said: “Our club is in an absolute mess. With a new season just days away, it’s in total disarray — and it’s all down to the Allams.
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“When they took over in 2010, they were hailed as heroes for paying off debts of £30million and keeping the club in business.
“But now it’s all changed and they are the villains because of their actions — or should that be inactions — since we won promotion back to the Premier League by beating Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off final in May.
“We’ve got no permanent manager because Steve Bruce had no option but to quit after getting no support from the owners in terms of money for new signings.
“We have got only 13 fit players, including two goalkeepers, which means we are going to have to use kids from the academy to fill the match-day squad against Leicester.
“How on earth can a Premier League side find itself in that situation? It’s an intolerable position for a manager to find himself in, so it’s no wonder Bruce walked away from it.
“The worst-prepared side ever to go into a new season? That’s us, absolutely. There’s no question about that — and it hurts to say it.
“Down the years, Derby, Sunderland and Aston Villa have been embarrassed in the top flight by the manner in which they have come nowhere near to launching a bid for survival.
“And unless something drastic now happens with our ownership, we are going straight back to the Championship — relegated with a whimper.
“The only way things will change is if new owners come in. We are desperate for that to happen because at least that fresh investment will give us a chance of being competitive.”
Allam’s turbulent reign could be over by the end of the month. Talks with a Chinese consortium willing to buy the Tigers for £100m are at an advanced stage and expected to be concluded within the next fortnight.
The Farm East group are pressing ahead with their purchase of the club after sending a delegation to look around the KCOM Stadium and City training ground earlier this week.
A second Chinese consortium and an American group are also interested.
Yet Dalton is still not sure that a takeover will ever go through.
He said: “I will believe it when it’s signed and sealed — but it’s hard to be optimistic about anything to do with Hull right now.
“The future of the club depends on a change of ownership. The Allams have got to go because it’s clear they no longer have any interest in running it properly.
“The longer this situation drags on, the less chance we have of surviving this season.”