#2 Hull City appointing Phelan full time
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A difficult decision to criticise and once again, a criticism made easier with hindsight but nonetheless Hull City’s permanent appointment of Mike Phelan at the start of the campaign could have played a key role in the Tigers’ decline.
Following his appointment on a permanent basis, the former-United assistant manager lasted just 83 days, in which he won just one Premier League game. His reign at the club finished with them rock bottom of the top flight. Since Marco Silva joined the club at the start of January, the Portuguese has won three times as many games as Phelan did during his tenure.
Phelan’s position as first team manager at the club became permanent following two wins over Swansea and Leicester. The board’s response may seem hasty now, given that the months that followed saw the club on the back-ends of hammerings, not least the embarrassing 6-1 capitulation against Bournemouth.
Phelan and the squad may have grown complacent following back-to-back wins juxtaposed with the desolate expectations at the start of the season. The 54-year-old always felt like a temporary coach and lacked the long-term ambition to motivate the club.
