Team news

Duo a doubt for Tigers
Hull are likely to be without Jimmy Bullard and Caleb Folan for Sunday's final Premier League game against Liverpool at the KC Stadium.

Bullard missed last week's 2-2 draw against Wigan, which confirmed their relegation, with an ankle problem and has not yet returned to training while Folan has a knee injury.

Rookies Will Atkinson and Mark Cullen are likely to keep their places after netting at the DW Stadium, with Kamil Zayatte, Ian Ashbee, Richard Garcia (all knee) and Stephen Hunt (foot) all long-term casualties.

Boss Iain Dowie believes the performances of the youngsters should give fans some much-needed hope for the future.

"The young boys have come in and shown what they're about," he said.

"Probably Will Atkinson was the one that raised eyebrows but he was picked on merit. What he gives you is a youthful enthusiasm and he seems to arrive where the ball is, which is a great habit to have.

"He's got goals (on loan) at Rochdale and we were seriously lacking in goals. Mark Cullen's got goals at youth-team level. They've continued that last week and it almost brought us a very big result.

"It didn't quite happen but this is something we want to build on. There were some positive moments for the future of the club." Liverpool midfielder Maxi Rodriguez is unlikely to recover from a thigh problem in time.

The Argentina international came off in last week's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea and is a major doubt, as is right-back Glen Johnson who missed that game with a calf injury.

Hull vs Liverpool

Last modified 21:14 09/05/10

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Wags, comic rather than female ones, joke that going to Hull is like going back in time.

And yesterday Liverpool were transported back six years to May 2004.

Then, like now, they finished the season empty-handed with question marks over the future of Steven Gerrard and their star striker.

There was also the inescapable feeling that the managerial regime had run its course and the club responded by replacing Gerard Houllier with Rafa Benitez.

Fast forward to today and despite the same feeling that Benitez’s reign has come to a natural end, there is not the same resolve in the board room to sack him.

Chairman Martin Broughton and managing director Christian Purslow’s overriding concern is finding a buyer and they don’t want to add to the club’s £351million debts by sacking Benitez with four years left on his £4m-a-year deal.

Yet it still seems crazy that after Liverpool’s worst season in 11 years, Benitez should be dictating to the club his terms for saying no to Juventus and carrying on. The Spaniard, who will always be part of club folklore because of Istanbul, should be on his knees begging not to be axed.

Even yesterday, the Reds contrived to blow finishing sixth with this stalemate against relegated Hull and as a consequence must kick-off their Europa League campaign in July.

And don’t forget they only squeezed into Europe through the back door because Portsmouth were not allowed to take their place.

Benitez admits starting again in just over two months is an inconvenience, but insists the club can still attract top players to Anfield.

“I don’t think that Liverpool will have problems,” said Benitez, who handed a debut to 16-year-old Jack Robinson.

“I think that Liverpool is a massive club and it can attract the top players because of the name, history and quality of the squad.

“In football, every year you cannot win and win. This year has been a bad one. That’s very clear. But when you manage in England at one club for a long time, you have good moments and bad moments.”

Benitez’s 350th game – and possibly his last – had not so much an end of season feel to it, but an end of era feel.

The Reds were second best for chunks of the game as Hull’s spirited side of home-produced kids showed there is hope for the Tigers in the Championship.

After Matt Duke saved from Nabil El Zhar, George Boateng cleared off the line from Dirk Kuyt and Alberto Aquilani shot wide, Mark Cullen squandered the best chance of the game when he headed Will Atkinson’s cross wide.

Aquilani hit the bar in first-half stoppage time - the 15th time Liverpool were denied by the woodwork in the season - and Daniel Agger sliced the rebound wide.

The Tigers pegged Liverpool back in the second half and Pepe Reina saved them one last time by pushing Bernard Mendy’s 35-yarder over the bar.

Even then, Gerrard nearly won it at the death when he fired narrowly wide before shooting against the post following one of his trademark surges.

Despite Hull’s great effort, Burnley pipped them to 18th – costing the club, who are £35m in debt, £800,000.

Boss Iain Dowie still hopes to land the job on a full-time basis and will meet chairman Adam Pearson and owner Russell Bartlett this week.

“It’s not often you can’t celebrate a 0-0 against Liverpool,” he said. “Unfortunately we slipped a place on goal difference and that’s the story of our season.

“Given the opportunity, I’d like to carry on, but you’ve got to be asked.”