Hull City fired manager Phil Brown today. For USMNT fans, that news would have little impact save for the little issue of our starting striker's fortunes with the club; now that Brown is out, with Hull in the relegation zone but just three points from safety, what does the future hold for Jozy Altidore?
I actually addressed this issue way back in September, when it appeared Brown was already on his last legs. It took an additional five and a half months, but the inevitable finally happened; the question now, because Altidore has established himself in the Tigers squad, is how much this affects his playing time, and whether the club will exercise their option to buy him at the end of the season.
The latter is more an issue of survival than anything else. Hull won't buy Altidore from Villareal if they drop down to the Championship, nor do I believe any of us would be keen on them doing so. Altidore is a first division player at this point, and it would slow his development to play in England's second level (even though it's a strong league and the competition is still fierce). More likely is a recall to Villareal, who would either try to sell him (which might depend on his World Cup performance), or loan him out again before the start of next season. Altidore has certainly made strides at Hull, and though his value is debatable, there's no reason to believe he can't catch on somewhere and become an important contributor.
Back to the present. Hull has named assisstant Steve Parkin caretaker manager for the balance of the season. What this means for Altidore, I'm not entirely sure. Hull's sole and most important task is to avoid relegation; does that mean the young American is marginalized because of his lack of experience and paltry goal scoring record? Perhaps. But from most accounts, Altidore has been more consistent and troublesome for defenses than Hull's other forward options; that should mean he'll keep his spot in the rotation.
The only thing we can be sure of right now is that things are uncertain for the young American. From a distance, it appears Hull has been good for him, both on the field and in terms of maturation. Hopefully that leads to Jozy Altidore playing an important role in Hull's bid for survival the rest of the way. Our first indication will come on Saturday when Hull takes on relegation zone-mates Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
Hull is going to need hungry, energetic players in their push for crucial points down the stretch. I'm admittedly biased, but it would seem to me playing Jozy Altidore, who fits that bill, would give them their best shot of staying a Premier League club in 2010-11.
