Avoiding the Drop

After a scoreless draw against Portsmouth some have called the worst ever match played in England’s top flight, three wins in 32 matches, and a precarious financial situation that could see the entire club go out of business if the team’s relegated, ESPN is reporting that Hull City manager Phil Brown has parted company with the club.

This move isn’t entirely a surprise, particularly given the Tigers on-field form. What was a surprise was the news from Deloitte earlier today that Hull lost about £10 million last season – their first ever in the Premiership – and faced debts of around £23 million should they be relegated.

Debts of that size would cripple the Championship club, although chairman Paul Duffen insists that that isn’t the case, saying that every relegated club sells players to make up the difference and that the auditors wouldn’t accept that as a guarantee that the club would be able to meet their debts. Furthermore, the accounts were just filed today – five months past their due date.

And even if Hull stays up, the current accounts indicate that they’ll be about £16 million in the hole…and still in a position where selling players is their only alternative to going out of business.

Which means that, going ahead, it’s dark days for Hull City. Their squad is already not getting it done; imagine a delapidated version of the same trying to win. You’re looking at a team that’s probably worse than Portsmouth, with less money to boot. Add on the cheapest manager you can find and see how long your team lasts in the top flight. Hell, see how long they last in the Championship.