On the last day of the 2008/09 season, Newcastle United were relegated and Hull City stayed up.
Their manager, Phil Brown, celebrated by singing, to the tune of the Beach Boys’ Sloop John B, on the pitch at the KC Stadium.
About 160 kilometres west, Steve Bruce, who was then in charge of Wigan, was told of Brown’s celebration to which he shook his head in wordless disbelief.
Six years later, there are similarities, as again, either Hull or Newcastle will drop into the Championship.
Read more:
– Poll: Are Newcastle United the team that deserve to go down?
As well, Hull again host Manchester United on the final day, but this time Hull know that, unlike in 2009, they cannot stay up with a defeat.
Bruce, one of Manchester United’s great captains, is now Hull’s manager.
In his career as a coach, he has not been treated sympathetically by his old employers, having lost all 21 meetings with them over the past 17 years.
Twelve months ago, Bruce took Hull to an FA Cup final where they held a 2-0 lead before losing to Arsenal, which displaced Brown as Hull’s greatest manager.
Results suggest, though, that his problems began at the start of 2014 with Hull having won only 12 of their past 56 league games.
They spent part of this season recording laudable draws, away at Arsenal and Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton, but an autumnal inability to win when they were playing well has cost them.
So, too, has Bruce’s spending – a headline figure of a £42 million (Dh239m) outlay in the past 12 months.
That is a little deceptive, though, with about £15m of that recouped by selling Shane Long and George Boyd, and a further £6m having gone on Robert Snodgrass, who was injured in pre-season and is yet to play, which is not Bruce’s fault.
Not all the purchases have failed: Andrew Robertson is a gifted young left-back, Dame N’Doye has five goals since his January arrival, and Michael Dawson is the sort of character a team in a relegation struggle requires.
Yet Jake Livermore, who appeared a risk-free recruit after a successful season on loan, was suspended by the club and the FA for taking cocaine.
Livermore, an £8m midfielder, was the record signing before Abel Hernandez came for £10m. The Uruguayan striker scored three goals in his first five games, but only one since.
Then Mohammed Diame, who brought power to the midfield and scored four goals in five matches, has only featured twice in 2015 as injuries have undermined Hull.
They have been a constant, depriving Bruce of a settled side.
Other issues are oddities.
Hatem Ben Arfa, who was loaned from Newcastle to cover the sidelined Snodgrass, made a negligible impact. Bruce, who is willing to take a chance on mavericks, concluded the hugely talented Frenchman simply does not like football.
Thomas Ince, bought amid interest from Inter Milan last summer, began three league games and spent much of the season on loan in the Championship.
A picture of problems can be pieced together from those who have come, but also from those who stayed.
Last season, the spine of the side was Allan McGregor, Curtis Davies and Tom Huddlestone. Now the goalkeeper has been dropped, the centre-back is injured and the midfielder is out of form.
No striker has scored more than eight league goals in either of Hull’s top-flight seasons and they have beaten Liverpool each year, but not Arsenal, Chelsea or either Manchester club.
Bruce’s spending recognised the importance of upgrading the personnel but a substantial gulf in resources and ability remains.
Their position still amounts to underachievement and this month’s 1-0 home defeat to Burnley looks like the pivotal result in a probable return to the Championship.
Six years ago, Newcastle’s ineptitude saved Hull. It may do again but only if they, and Bruce, can repeat, as well as change, history.
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