Article for Blackpool Programme

Last updated : 27 December 2004 By Andy Beill

1) Who are you; where are you from and how long have you supported your club?
Andy Beill from Hull, season ticket holder since 1995.

2) What was your first game and the score?
First I can remember anything of was a 5-1 win against Exeter City at Boothferry Park in the 1993/94 season.

3) Describe the most memorable and worst game you've seen and why?
Our 4-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday earlier this month was one of the best games I've been to. There was a crowd of around 30,000, including a reported 8,000 Tigers supporters who were singing throughout the match, so the atmosphere was fantastic. The players on the pitch matched the superb support by showing great character and running out clear winners. Nick Barmby's second goal will also be talked about for a long time; it showed his Premiership pedigree.

Worst game was the defeat at Doncaster Rovers in April 1998. The team bottom of the Football League without a win in nine games ended that run with a late 1-0 win against City.

4) Who do you consider as your current local rivals and why?
Over the last few years it's been Scunthorpe but now we've left them behind so probably Sheffield Wednesday or Leeds United.

5) Who is the best and worst player you have seen?
Dean Windass is a local hero and one of the few to go on to better things since leaving the club. Too many worst players to choose from - Simon Trevitt was about as bad as any though.

6) Which current or former Blackpool player impressed you most?
Gary Brabin was a fans' favourite when he joined us and was a crucial part of our successful 'great escape' team of 1999 and play-off team of 2001.

7) How did you fare last season? Best moment, worst moment etc.
Our promotion wasn't exactly in a flame of blazing glory. Instead we were steady throughout the season with only one or two blips. We rarely thrashed any teams, but after years of disappointment we'd take promotion any which way. The best moment was without doubt our captain Ian Ashbee striking the winner at Yeovil - the goal that finally sealed promotion.

8) How do you think you'll do this season? Hopes, final position.
We couldn't have wished to be doing any better than we are. Automatic promotion is definitely the aim and at the moment it looks like it's between ourselves, Luton and Tranmere for the two places, but our large squad and better resources should give us the edge over the course of the season.

9) What's your squad like, new signings, etc.
Peter Taylor has now moved on almost all players from previous regimes to leave him with a squad he is totally happy with, and with strong backups pushing for every position. We made eight signings in the summer - including ex-England international Nick Barmby - and have only just moved to strengthen our squad since then by bringing in Stev Angus on loan from Cambridge to shore up our slightly weak defence.

10) Which youngster will make the biggest impression in your team this season?
23-year-old winger Ryan France has shown promise after joining from Alfreton Town last year, and has even managed to keep star midfielder Stuart Green out of the side in recent weeks after taking his chance.

11) What's your manager like and will he still be there at the end of the campaign?
Peter Taylor has done what others before him have failed at, by using the resources at his disposal effectively to get the necessary results for promotion, and then keeping that up this year as well. He's set to sign a new contract and as long as the FA are happy for him to continue combining the England Under-21 job with his duties here we can look forward to the future with one of the most successful lower league managers at the helm.

12) Are you happy with your Chairman/Backroom staff?
I don't think we could wish for a better chairman. Adam Pearson saved the club from going under, and it is now unrecognisable compared to how it was then. Not only has he turned Hull City into a successful team at last through major investment of his own, he has also turned the club into a bastion of a commercial machine thanks to our magnificent KC Stadium home that he controls.

Some fans may complain that the club is now too commercial and overly willing to take money out of our hands, but if the club is to move forwards it needs to be commercially viable, and it is.

13) Which team do you want to beat the most this season and why?
We've already won against Sheffield Wednesday, but fellow Yorkshire rivals Bradford did what no other team has done at the KC Stadium this season by beating us there so we'll be looking to overturn that result when we play them again in April. Doncaster Rovers also need putting in their place!

14) Predict your champions and runner up, and the Play-Off winning teams and the 4 to go down from League One?
None of the chasing pack - perhaps with the exception of Bristol City if they can make up for their poor start - look like challenging the current top three for an automatic promotion place. You can throw a blanket over about 9 teams for the play-off places - with Swindon one I'm sure will do better in the second half of the season - while there hasn't been much
change at the bottom of the table all season, Wrexham's points deduction aside.

15) What is the address of your site and what sites do you normally visit?
My site can be found at www.hullcityonline.com. As well as using the Hull City Online message board, I also regularly check out the club's official site.