With Brad Guzan joining Hull City on a month-long loan, we take a look at the former Premier League club.
Why Are We Here?
Most American fans associate Hull City with Jozy Altidore, who spent the 2009-10 Premier League season there on loan from Villarreal. Brad Guzan is now the American at Hull, spending the month of January on loan from Aston Villa.
60 miles east of Leeds in the romantically titled East Riding of Yorkshire. Hull is officially known as Kingston upon Hull, with the city located on the Hull river. The population is just over 300,000 making it the 10th largest urban area in England. It's worth noting that when Altidore was with Hull, he actually lived an hour away in Leeds. Guzan's home club Aston Villa is in suburban Birmingham, two and a half hours southwest of Hull.
And The Club?
Hull City were relegated to The Championship at the end of last season, their second season in the Premier League. As helpfully included in their crest, their nickname is 'The Tigers.' The team has been around since 1904, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. The current era for Hull is their most successful, winning promotion in 2008, staying up a season, and now looking to consolidate a league down under new manager Nigel Pearson.
How Tough Is The Championship?
It's tough, a league known for a physical and direct style of play along with a crowded schedule of games. The Championship has 24 clubs, meaning 46 league games. There's also the playoffs to worry about, with the 3rd through 6th place finishers playing off against each other for the final promotion slot. As we've seen over the years,it's easy for a once major club to get relegated and find it extremely difficult to get back to the Premier League.
The Stadium?
Hull was one of the English clubs to opt against redeveloping their old stadium and instead built a new one from the ground up. KC Stadium replaced Boothferry Road in 2002, itself replacing Anlaby Road in 1946. By English standards, two new stadiums in a little over half a century is almost unique, with most clubs continually rebuilding their traditional home. KC Stadium is not soccer-specific. The 25,404- capacity stadium is also used by rugby team Hull FC.
