Championship packed full of surprises for boss Bruce

Before this season got under way, the Hull City manager had spent just one year of the previous 10 outside the Premier League.

However, any doubts as to just how competitive the second tier has become have been firmly swept away by the manner in which the form-book has continually been ripped up by a host of teams.

Nowhere has this been more apparent than in Yorkshire where impressive starts for both Hull and Huddersfield Town came to an abrupt end with defeats last weekend at home to Peterborough United and Watford respectively.

Elsewhere, Leeds have responded to a comprehensive defeat on home soil to the Tigers just a fortnight ago by winning back-to-back fixtures while it seems a long time ago since Sheffield Wednesday were sitting pretty in the automatic promotion places with seven points from the opening three games. Barnsley, too, have fully entered into the spirit of things by claiming a five-goal victory on the road at Birmingham only a few weeks after being thrashed 5-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion.

To Bruce, the flurry of topsy-turvy results has underlined just what a challenge managing in a competition as unpredictable as the Championship can be.

The Tigers manager told the Yorkshire Post: “When you consider how just three points separate the top 10 teams in the table after eight games, that shows how close things are right now.

“It is often said that most teams can beat each other in this division and that has certainly been the case this season.

“It can be crazy at times. I suppose we only have to look at the last week or so to see just how things can change.

“Barnsley beat Birmingham 5-0 a couple of Saturdays ago but then last weekend Birmingham went to the leaders Brighton and won 1-0.

“How many competitions do you know where that could happen? We’ve had something similar at Hull, in that we had a run of (three) wins but have now lost a couple of games back-to-back.

“Had we won against Leicester (a week last Sunday), we would have gone top. Blackpool can say the same in that they would have gone top had they won last Monday (against Huddersfield).

“That just about sums up this division. It is so competitive. As a manager, it can be frustrating. But, equally, you don’t play teams like Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal, who would be expected to win most weeks.

“It means you always have a chance in the Championship. The teams who do well at this level are the ones that show the most consistency.”

City’s 3-1 defeat to Peterborough surely ranks as one of the more unexpected results of the season with Darren Ferguson’s side having lost all seven games before the trip to the KC Stadium.

Bruce put the loss down to needless errors by the Tigers and has called for his players to raise their game tonight against a Blackpool outfit who will be smarting from consecutive defeats to Huddersfield and Cardiff City.

If Hull are to respond in the manner demanded by their manager, they will have to do so without James Chester who is out with a hamstring strain.

Seyi Olofinjana is also rated as only “50-50” to be fit to face the Seasiders after limping out of the Posh defeat, meaning Corry Evans stands by to deputise.

Despite possibly being without two of his first-choice players, Bruce is confident of the Tigers bouncing back from their recent setbacks.

He said: “That is the thing about football at this level, there is usually a game just around the corner if you suffer a defeat to try and get it out of your system.

“Losing like did against Peterborough was disappointing, especially as there wasn’t a lot wrong with the performance other than silly mistakes that led to the goals.

“We played okay but gave some terrible goals away, collectively. The players know that and I am confident there will be a positive response against Blackpool.”

Meanwhile, City’s record signing Jimmy Bullard has called time on his career due to a long-standing knee injury.

The 33-year-old has been at MK Dons this season following his release by Ipswich Town but has managed just two appearances.

He said: “My old knee injury has never allowed me to get back to where I want to be as a football player; it has always hindered me.

“There are a lot of games in this league and I now know my knee won’t allow me to play Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday, it is not built for that now.”

Bullard, a £5m signing from Fulham, played just 23 league appearances for City.

Last six games: Hull City LWWWLL, Blackpool WLDWLL.

Referee: S Mathieson (Cheshire).

Last time: Hull City 0 Blackpool 1; August 6, 2011; Championship.

Due to technical problems, some issues of Monday’s Yorkshire Post did not carry a report from the Hull City v Peterborough match. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.