Love it

If Bullard stays fit, Hull stay up. As simple as.

Final pieces in a couple of jigsaws?

Not surprised by this signing. It's been on the cards for a few days but I wonder if Benitez will live to regret not going for the signature himself?

Could Villa be genuine title contenders next season? They're on the up and up, whilst it could be argued that neither Arsenal nor Chelski will be as strong next season as they are this season or recent seasons past. Throw into the mix that if Liverpool do a bottle job this year, and that will scupper their chances for another couple of years. Could get interesting.

Villa to qualify for this year's Championship League. Arsenal of the big four to miss out.

Is now the right time that I remind blog readers that Villa were my favourite English team back in the early eighties? Just happened to coincide with their last League Championship and European Cup. Honest, I wasn't glory hunting. Just rather taken by that Tony Morley goal against Everton in their championship season.

To be honest, my flabber is ghasted by this signing also hitting the BBC Sport headlines today. Cracking player and a cracking signing for Hull City but I'm genuinely surprised no bigger club came in for Bullard. Man City should have thrown some spare change Fulham's way. If they can pay well over the odds for Bellamy and Bridge, signing Eric Stoltz's doppleganger would have been a tidy bit of business.

I'd love Hull to stay up despite their recent blip in firm but good bloke that Phil Brown is, I wish he wouldn't speak of himself in the third person. Who the hell does he think he is?

London 0 Hull City Twentieth Nineteenth

Continuing on with the Guardian's preview of the upcoming English Premier League:

Fulham

Hull City

Happy Hour

I fear that next season it will be a case of Hull 0 London Clubs 4 every other week, but fair play to the Tigers for getting promoted to the top tier for the first time in their history. I just wish that Bristol City had gone up as well (at the expense of Stoke City).

Dean Windass's volley was a corker and I was pleased for him after reading this interview with him in today's Guardian. Dean Windass as Bernard Malamud's Roy Hobbs? Mmm, maybe not.

PS - loved this quip via Bristol Rovers fan, 'JTG', over at Urban 75:

"Harry Dolman, Fatty Wedlock, Jon Atyeo, Chris Garland, The Fucking Wurzels, Tony Robinson, John Cleese, Alan Dicks, Tom Ritchie, Steve Lansdown, Joe Jordan, Fact Hunt Johnson.....your boys took one Hull of a beating!"

That pun is nearly as bad as one of mine.

Latest news from Wembley

News Just In: "Overweight middle aged Hull City supporter wanders onto the pitch during today's Championship play off final. Hull City's Fraizer Campbell is unable to wrestle him to the ground."