Premier League 2013-14: Season Predictions

Hull City

A dramatic last day in the Championship, with the Tigers claiming a 2-2 draw at champions Cardiff and Watford losing to Leeds ensured a return to the top table for the Humberside outfit and manager Steve Bruce 5th jaunt with different clubs in the Premier League. Their path here, was quite similar to Cardiff, in the respect that they didn't have a standout goalscorer, instead a cluster of players almost evenly shared out their outlay with Robert Koren coming on top with 9, with Sone Aluko scoring 8 and Jay Simpson netting 7. While, Cardiff have probably spent more in balance between shoring up their defence and attack, Hull have primarily signed players to their backline in their attempt to be watertight and hard to beat- Maynor Figueroa, Curtis Davies and Ahmed El Mohamedy, now on a permanent deal, such examples. Overall, 10 new faces, more than the other promoted teams, have signed, as Assam Allam looks to impose himself as Hull owner in more usual ways than the baffling and controversial re-branding of the name. Last season, their 3-5-2 system looked to surprise Championship teams and provide an effective Plan A for their escape. This season, however, Bruce has stated he may have to revert to a conventional 4-4-2 to promote defensive solidity before considering to deploy the unorthodox system should they get off to a good start and have a platform from where they can experiment that. Overall, 10 new additions could upset the rhythm and harmony of the squad á la QPR, Hull fans hope that won't happen. But, there's a feeling that this may not help their cause. Prediction: 19th