Hull City: Mike Phelan named full-time head coach

Last updated on .From the section Hullcomments63

Mike Phelan
Phelan was named manager of the month for August

Hull City have appointed caretaker manager Mike Phelan as their new head coach.

Phelan had been in temporary charge since Steve Bruce's departure in the summer, with the club currently 15th in the Premier League table.

A good start saw the 54-year-old named manager of the month for August.

In September, Phelan revealed he was offered the job on a full-time basis but there had since been no contact amid the club's search for a new owner.

"I'm very relieved," Phelan said on the club website. "It's been a while in coming."

Phelan added he was "looking forward" to the first full-time management role of his career, saying: "It's exciting to step over that threshold."

The newly-promoted Tigers surprised many by winning their first two games of the season despite a summer of turmoil and stretched playing resources.

Since then, however, they have gone five games in the league without a further win, picking up just one point. They have reached the fourth round of the EFL Cup, and travel to Bristol City next.

Former Manchester United assistant manager Phelan first arrived at Hull City in February 2015 when named assistant to Bruce, who this week was appointed manager at Championship side Aston Villa.

Hull, who have beaten champions Leicester and Swansea this season, visit Bournemouth on Saturday.

The club also confirmed on Thursday that Stephen Clemence had left the club to join Aston Villa as first-team coach under Bruce.

Take part in our new Premier League Predictor game, which allows you to create leagues with friends.

Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

63 comments

  • The guy has done wonders with absoluely no help from upstairs at the club & more than deserves the job full time ?

    I'm sure he'll keep them up against all the odds.............

  • Good for him. He deserved the job.

  • Good for him. Seems like a nice bloke and he's got a fairly talented squad to work with there. Don't think they'll be relegated.

    @13 - You are risking Hull fan's wrath calling them Tigers!

  • About bloody time! Took a while, didn't it?

  • All through my childhood I recall Hull City being in the Third Division. They scarcely got a mention in the local press - the two rugby league teams dominated sport in the East Riding. My Dad died before Hull City became (by most standards) a successful club. He would have been delighted/amazed to see them in the top division. Stop knocking the club and the city, please - they don't deserve it!

  • 13. Posted by BlueIsTheColour

    Hull's more a rugby place. Their footy fans are probably as passionate as you are about your club though.

  • Good man and potential to be a good manager but would anyone really want to work for the shower that own Hull City?

  • Oh what a Phelan ! Very best of success to him and the club. Idiot trolls panting after the usual Prem sides cannot understand what a wonderful feeling City's success has brought to the City of Culture. Now we've got the Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool games out of the way it's time to perform and deliver.

  • This is not a criticism on Phelan but in the current climate he'll probably be sacked by March.

  • Seems a nice bloke and a scholar of the game, so best of luck to him, let's hope we can get another English manager in the top flight?

  • I'm no Hull fan but I believe their fans call them City. "We are City!" the fans cried/sang, as the loathe-some Allams pushed their marketing mascot (I won't name, out of respect to City fans).

    Good luck Phelan..he's waited a lifetime to reach this level..he's already lasted longer than Fat Sam with his Fat Mouth (who claimed to have waited for years for his dream job & then threw it all away).

  • Nice guy, who can forget the balloon incident.

  • Premiership managing is Russian roulette with every chamber loaded.

  • that club will always struggle until the parasitic carpet bagging Allam family have bled it dry and left it alone..

  • Just needs to get Sir Alex as his assistant and could do very well!

  • 23. Posted by Russtheyid

    I know that. Blue was mocking Hull saying that their fans are passionate. I stated that they're probably no less passionate than he but it's more a rugby place. He was mocking Phelan and the club by saying they'd be aiming for Champions League when we all know surviving relegation is the clubs main priority.

  • hes english born and bread in lancashire good to see that, also was a great admirer of the fergie philosphy about a backbone of english talent brought through the academy hope he does well and makes hull a consistently hard working battling side that stays in the premier league for many seasons too come :) great appointment.

  • If we want to see English Managers succeed then we should all wish him luck. You never know, if he does well it might trigger a train of thought.

  • Good luck, he will need it I fear.

  • Better Manager than top 6 clubs who simply rely on mega rich sugar daddies to buy the best players.
    Come on Hull Tigers!

Top Stories

Explore the BBC