Our On This Day feature for 15th September focuses on Hull City’s high-quality programme from the 2014/15 season. Read our full review of their issue below and take a look at all the Premier League issues from 2014/15 here.
Hull City’s programme for 2014/15 – titled ‘Up the Tigers’ – was an impressive 100-page perfect-bound issue. As with the club’s previous season’s programme, the low amount of advertising content ensured more pages of content than any other club in the league, providing lots of space for a feature-packed issue.
In terms of club content, the programme included a range of articles, with plenty of features on players past and present. There was a five-page feature on Tigers goalkeeper Steve Harper, who discussed his role as a qualified referee, as well as looking forward to a potential career in coaching at the end of his playing career. There was also a six-page interview with full-back Andrew Robertson, in which he spoke of his move south of the border from Dundee United and his hopes for his international career with Scotland.
As well as columns from manager Steve Bruce and captain Curtis Davies, the programme included an interview with Irish defender Brian Lenihan, who had recently joined Hull from Cork City. Defender Michael Dawson was the subject of a four-page interview, with the questions being provided by supporters. ‘Six of the Best’ meanwhile had one member of the Hull squad answering questions on their career to date.
There was a total of six pages related to the club’s academy teams, including a two-page interview with one of the club’s youth coaches. Match reports were full of detail, spread over two pages each with plenty of pictures from each game alongside match details and team line-ups. A related article then considered Hull’s season to date from a statistical viewpoint, including analysis of the Tigers most recent fixture.
‘View from the Press Box’ saw Times journalist Arindam Rej writing on Hull’s recent development, which had culminated in an FA Cup Final appearance in 2014, while Dan Markham provided a ‘View from the Stands’ on the subject of captaincy. ‘The Ex-Tiger Column’ contained the recollections of a former Hull player, in this instance Seyi Olofinjana, whilst ‘Where Are They Now?’ profiled former Tiger Will Atkinson. ‘Arriving in Style’ contained notes on the memorable debut appearances (both good and bad) of several Hull players.
Ten pages of the programme were devoted to coverage of visitors West Ham United. Very well presented, with good use made of the Hammers familiar claret and blue colours, the section included notes on the club’s form; a profile of manager Sam Allardyce; details of West Ham’s tactical set up and strengths in a two-page ‘Scouting Report’; two pages of club statistics; profiles of key players; ‘Opposition View’ in which Hammers striker Diafra Sakho was interviewed about his recent move from the French league; and ‘Ten Things You Didn’t Know About’, which gathers various facts about West Ham. As well as the club specific content, there were further pages on previous meetings of the clubs – including a two-page feature on one memorable clash – and profiles of players who had turned out for both teams. All in all, an outstanding level of coverage for the visiting club.
Costing £3, this Hull programme was excellent value for money. Packed with articles on Hull and West Ham, the issue contained plenty to occupy supporters of both clubs. The programme benefited from a simple layout throughout with intelligent design touches, such as the use of the two clubs’ colours on the cover. A high-quality effort from the Tigers.