Phelan is given reality check as Bournemouth
HAVING felt he could not use it while in caretaker charge, Mike Phelan came to his designated manager’s parking spot at Hull City’s training ground this week to find a builder had left his white van there.
That could prove handy, because on this evidence, a major reconstruction project is definitely required in order to keep Hull in the Premier League.
They were completely outclassed here as Bournemouth romped to their biggest victory in the Premier League, sending a downbeat Phelan back to the drawing board after a sixth league match without success.
Most alarmingly of all, City’s hapless defence has now conceded 17 goals in their last four league outings.
Phelan may be full-time boss now but how the bright, optimistic days of August — when they beat champions Leicester and he won the Manager of the Month gong — seemed a distant memory in the numbing Dorset drizzle.
Inspired by the excellent Junior Stanislas, who scored twice and played a part in two more, Bournemouth soared into the top half, playing precisely the brand of football Eddie Howe wants to develop here.
‘It is extremely tough,’ said Phelan afterwards. ‘You go into games positive and within seconds it can change. We have to look at the situation, take stock from that and move on.
‘We’re in the Premier League. We’ve taken the plaudits with seven points from four games, and now we know what it means to stay at this level.
‘The players are hugely disappointed because we’re not the team we thought we were.’
That was painfully apparent from the first whistle, as Bournemouth dominated possession and set the tone. With the likes of Stanislas and Jordon Ibe running amok in the space Hull generously afforded them, they led after just five minutes.
Stanislas curled a freekick against the inside of the post and, with Hull’s back line statuesque, the rebound fell perfectly on the half-volley for Charlie Daniels to rifle home.
Callum Wilson rattled the crossbar when he should have scored and that let-off allowed Hull to level, albeit very fortuitously. Ryan Mason let fly from 20 yards and his effort deflected wickedly off Steve Cook’s right boot and wrong-footed Artur Boruc in goal.
Despite the injustice, Bournemouth rallied and two quick goals before the break painted an accurate picture of the first period.
First, Cook rose above the
Hull defence to head a Stanislas free-kick into the bottom corner and then Stanislas powered home a penalty after Robert Snodgrass recklessly took down Wilson.
Bournemouth kicked on mercilessly after the break. It was four when Stanislas fired home at the back post after Joshua King crossed. Wilson headed home the fifth from another King delivery and Bournemouth made it six of the best when Dan Gosling curled a shot in from just inside the box.
‘That’s the unique thing about this football club,’ said Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe. ‘We have not been in the Premier League long and we are doing things that we haven’t done before.
‘Sometimes we are not clinical enough in the final third but we did that today. With the youthful nature of the side, the only way is up.’