Jan 22

Hull accuse Paul Duffen of spending company money for his own use

• Hull launch lawsuit against former chairman
• Club have frozen Duffen’s assets

Hull City have accused the club’s former chairman Paul Duffen of spending company money for his own personal use. The club yesterday confirmed they have issued legal proceedings against Duffen in the High Court and today issued a statement saying they have been successful in freezing his assets.

Hull also allege that Duffen’s company received payments from agents in return for using those agents to deal with transfers.

The club said in a statement: “The company believes that Mr Duffen has acted in breach of his employment contracts and fiduciary duties as a director, through the use of company monies for his own personal expenditure and other wrongdoings.

“The company also believes that he has acted in breach of his employment contracts and fiduciary duties as a director, through the payment of certain monies by third party football agents to Mr Duffen’s services company, in return for which Mr Duffen procured that Hull City contract with the agents for business.

“Consequently, on 15 January last, the company successfully sought and obtained a High Court order freezing Mr Duffen’s assets.

“The company also wishes to clarify that, contrary to a tabloid newspaper article today, Mr Duffen has not issued any legal proceedings against the company and Hull City does not believe he has any basis whatsoever for doing so.”

Hull Cityguardian.co.uk

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Nov 28

Premier League: Manchester City 1-1 Hull City

Seven games, seven draws, and again Manchester City’s performance left much to be desired. It remains to be seen how long the sheikh will tolerate such a disappointing return on his eye-watering investment. The fans are already losing patience, and booed their team off at the final whistle.

To nobody’s surprise, City were the better team, and had the initiative throughout, but yet again they were unable to translate possession and chances into goals, and suffered for it when Jimmy Bullard celebrated his return to Hull’s starting line-up with an 80th-minute equaliser from the penalty spot.

Mark Hughes, under mounting pressure, looked greyer than ever at the end. In mitigation, Hull have been transformed from a relegation ragbag into hard-grafting competitors over the past month, and they were impressively combative from the first minute to the last. Their manager, Phil Brown, would appear to have survived his personal crisis, which had its roots in that injudicious half-time rant at his players on the pitch in the corresponding fixture last season. After that, he was deemed to have “lost the dressing room”, in phone-in parlance, and Hull won just one of their last 22 league games, finishing within a point of relegation.

After an ominous start, Brown seems to have turned things around in the nick of time, and the Tigers are scrapping in tooth and claw fashion, which augurs well for their battle to stay up.

City have altogether loftier ambitions, of course, but seven points from as many matches is scarcely top-four form, and with such an array of attacking talent at their disposal they should be demolishing, not dropping points against, bottom-half opposition.

Their goal came in added time at the end of the first half when Shaun Wright-Phillips, set up by Carlos Tevez, let fly from 20 yards and Anthony Gardner’s maladroit attempt at a headed clearance took the ball beyond Matt Duke’s reach at his left-hand post. Hull would have been level within two minutes of the resumption, but for the goal-line clearance with which Joleon Lescott repelled Richard Garcia’s shot from the right, with Shay Given beaten.

Their indefatigable spirit was finally rewarded when Lescott fouled Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Bullard beat Given from the spot.

Premier LeagueManchester CityHull CityJoe Lovejoyguardian.co.uk

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Nov 20

Squad sheets: Hull City v West Ham United

With so much attention on Hull’s manager Phil Brown going into their injury-time win over Stoke last time out, the return of Jimmy Bullard went relatively unremarked, but the Londoner’s galvanic midfield efforts brought the scrappy but determined best out of the Tigers. Another concern for West Ham fans is that Gianfranco Zola’s side has been playing well without getting the results, and with relegation likely to mean financial meltdown for each of these clubs, they badly need to leave Humberside with at least a point. Harry Polkey

Venue KC Stadium

Tickets Sold out

Last season Hull 1 West Ham 0

Referee M Clattenburg

This season’s matches 10 Y31, R1, 3.20 cards per game

sportingbet odds Hull 17-10 West Ham 7-5 Draw 11-5

Hull

Subs from Duke, Warner, Kilbane, Ghilas, McShane, Marney, Boateng, Barmby, Vennegoor of H, Sonko, Mouyokolo

Doubtful Myhill (knee), Olofinjana (hamstring)

Injured Ashbee (knee, uknown)

Suspended None

Form guide WLDLWL

Disciplinary record Y23 R1

Leading scorer Geovanni 3

West Ham

Subs from Kurucz, Stanislas, Tomkins, Diamanti, Gabbidon, Daprela, Kovac, Ilunga, Dyer, Jiménez, Nouble, Ngala

Doubtful Cole (hamstring), Diamanti (hip), Dyer (hamstring), Gabbidon (calf), Ilunga (hamstring), Stanislas (virus), Tomkins (groin)

Injured Boa Morte (knee, Feb), Ashton (ankle, unknown), Davenport (legs, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide LWDDLD

Disciplinary record Y24 R2

Leading scorer Cole 6

Match pointers

• After conceding five in their opening home match, Hull have let in just three goals in their last five games at the KC Stadium

• West Ham have not won any of the six matches in which Carlton Cole has found the net for them

• Hull are the only side not to have an English player score for them this season

• West Ham have won only one of their last 11 league matches and have kept just a single clean sheet in that time

• Hull have attempted fewer shots on goal (88) than any other side in the top flight

Premier LeagueHull CityWest Ham Unitedguardian.co.uk

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