Shane Long spent some of his best years at Hull City , and reflecting on that era with BOYLE Sports brought out some of his most vivid memories of what made that group special under Steve Bruce . With Hull back in the Premier League , he had clear thoughts on what they need to add to their squad and what qualities from that era could help them this time around.
The story of James Morrison at West Brom was one Long found genuinely funny. He knows Morrison well and could not hide his amusement at the fact that the solution had been under the club's nose the whole time. His optimism for what Morrison can do next season was evident, as was his hope that the Baggies can finally start closing the gap back to the top flight.
Liam Rosenior's difficult spell at Chelsea also came under the spotlight. Long played with Rosenior and believes his talent is undeniable; he was simply handed an impossible task at Stamford Bridge . The possibility of Fulham giving him a route back into the Premier League was explored, and Long's support for his former teammate was warm and genuine.
Hull City
What Hull Need
Having that experience would be massive. Getting that experience into the dressing room will be huge. When the tough part of the season is coming, you want to be able to lean on someone who has been there and done that before. I do not think many people have high expectations of Hull next season, so they have got a free pass to just go out there and give it all they have got.
Adding a bit of experience to the dressing room would be massive. I do not know much about the squad up there, but watching their football, what they have done in the Championship , and coming through the playoffs is no easy thing. There will be a lot of celebrating. I am sure they are not fully focused on the Premier League next year, but after a nice breakaway and by just adding to the squad they have, they will be fine. They look to have good unity in that dressing room, which goes a long way in any league.
The Hull I Knew
Who would I like to see back at Hull ? Alex Bruce is coaching at Salford now, and Paul McShane is also coaching. Tom Huddlestone is still coaching. We had an unbelievable dressing room and a good core team, including the two centre-backs, James Chester and Curtis Davies . The midfield was especially strong with Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore . They had the experience, legs, and quality. Jake would work hard to win the ball back, while Tom would find passes out of nowhere.
Then you add in players like Sone Aluko or Stephen Quinn , who provide flair going forward. Steve Bruce signed myself and Nikica Jelavic to play up front, and we had a sort of telepathic partnership where everything just clicked. The whole team seemed to kick on from that. I think the big part for us was having a solid core with Jake and Tom Huddlestone in midfield, paired with a bit of flair.
West Brom
Morrison's Time To Shine
West Brom's relegation battle was remarkable because they have a decent squad. I always found it funny because James Morrison has been there for years, and they keep signing all these managers. They have had this guy in the building the whole time, and he came in and went on a significant unbeaten run after taking over a team that was fighting relegation. When you have that under your roof the whole time, I am sure they are all thinking about why they did not do this sooner.
I know him as a guy as well. Great guy who loves his football. He has learned his trade there as a coach, and now a manager, and I would love to see him do well. He started off brilliantly at the end of last season, saving them and having the record he has. Hopefully, he can just start off on a high note next year. It is a club that has a bit of a yo-yo reputation, going up and down to the Premier League , but they have been nowhere near it the last two or three seasons. It would be nice to see them challenging again, bringing the Baggies back up into a playoff situation, and who knows what could happen.
Liam Rosenior
Rosenior Deserves Another Chance
It did not end well at Chelsea for Liam Rosenior , so that might tarnish his reputation a little bit. I played with Liam , and what he achieved at Strasbourg was brilliant. If a club like Fulham can overlook what happened at Chelsea , where perhaps players with big egos struggled to adapt to his style, he might get a much better reaction from the squad there.
With another job up for grabs, it is going to be a strange season with so many managerial changes. I hope Liam gets back into it because he has proven himself. He took over Chelsea at a difficult time, and it left a stale taste, but he is a talented young English coach, and everyone is crying out for a young English manager to succeed in this country.
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