Hell in Hull: gutless players must take responsibility

There’s an infection running through our football club at the moment and it starts with the players on the pitch.

No manager, owner or tea lady was responsible for the shambolic capitulation at Hull today – it’s about time the players took the flack. Once they step over that white line, the minimum expectation is effort.

Watch any of Hull’s six goals again. The defending was Sunday league standard and the performance of the midfield was an embarrassment.

David Davis and Craig Gardner offer absolutely no heart and no quality. Chieck Ndoye tries, granted, but he is a laughably poor excuse of a football player. Michael Morrison, more often than not in the last year, has been diabolical. Emilio Nsue is another in a long line of modern full backs who can’t defend to save his life. A cancer is gripping our club.

I’m not one of these fans who demands mind blowing football. I’m a working class lad watching a working class club – all I ask for is effort. And there’s too many players who don’t deserve to wear the royal blue shirt.

Gianfranco Zola was defeated by a bunch of overpaid men downing tools. They then managed to pull together for a few games under Harry Redknapp and save themselves from relegation to the third tier and, in the process, paper over all of the cracks.

It’s the fans who stick with them admirably as they did at Hull. The support for the players was first class. Quite honestly, most of them don’t deserve it.

Steve Cotterill will be glad he was there to witness the gutless display. While he may take the ‘clean slate’ approach when he takes his first training session on Monday, he will have today’s performance at the forefront of his mind.

Too many Birmingham City players have escaped the spotlight for far too long. It’s now up to Cotterill to give them an almighty dose of reality. And an almighty kick up the arse.

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