For almost 80 minutes, Hull City v Crystal Palace was up there with the worst matches I've seen in a long time, writes Brad Rial. The whole occasion threatened to be memorable only for the "We Are Hull City" banner furore in the East Stand.
Wherever you stand on the name change debate, there is no getting away from the fact it is threatening to overshadow what should be a season to remember. Fans who have invested so much in their club are exercising their right to have a say in its future - and if yesterday proved anything, it was that there are far more than the "200" supporters Assem Allam thought opposed the change. A few weeks ago, following the meeting between Allam and supporters' representatives, there was a sense of optimism that a way forward might be found. Unfortunately, yesterday felt very different.
Eventually the football did become the talking point again, although it wasn't until the 78th minute, when Yannick Bolasie was sent off for the visitors, that the game really sprung into life. I think Palace can feel a bit hard done by with that decision. I was very surprised to see the referee produce a red card as the challenge, although reckless, wasn't malicious.
Then, just three minutes later, Barry Bannan slid home the deciding goal. It was the one real moment of quality all game. You could argue City's defenders were beaten a bit too easily, but Cameron Jerome did brilliantly to work a bit of room and find Bannan with his cross.Bruce got his team selection wrong
Why were City so lifeless? I was surprised by Steve Bruce's team selection. It's easy to criticise with hindsight and after such a poor performance, but a few of the tactical decisions were more than a little puzzling.
It was harsh on Liam Rosenior to be left out. He's hardly put a foot wrong this season. If it's a straight decision between Rosenior and Ahmed Elmohamady for the right-back spot, it's a no-brainer for me. As good as Elmo is going forward, he's simply not a full-back and he was one of City's weakest performers against Palace.
City lacked width yesterday and would have been much more effective if Bruce had started with Elmo and Robbie Brady on the right and left respectively. His recent injury may have had something to do with it, but Brady was largely anonymous and it was no real surprise when he was subbed at half time.A poor performance from both sides
Collectively and individually, City's players let themselves down yesterday. So much so, that it's a real struggle picking out a standout performer. The Tigers lacked urgency and tempo. Too many players let the game pass them by.
For all of their possession (62 per cent to be precise), City could muster only two shots on target. That would be a disappointing total against any side, let alone the bottom team in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace are (or, at least, were before yesterday's result) bottom of the league for a reason; they went into this game having lost all of their previous away games. Palace themselves didn't even play particularly well; they just took the one real chance that they had.
One thing was very clear: City really miss Sone Aluko. No other Tiger has his ability to unlock a defence - and without him they struggled to create any clear-cut chances.
The closest City came to scoring was in the 93rd minute, when Liam Rosenior struck the post with a volley. Other than that, Julian Speroni was rarely troubled in the Palace goal.
The stats don't lie. City have scored just four goals at home so far this season (two penalties, one an own goal). Yes, they have also only conceded two at the KC, but their inability to put chances away at the other end needs addressing.A long winter ahead?
Next week sees the first of the so-called "big" sides visit the KC, in the shape of Liverpool. It marks the start of what could be a gruelling December, with no fewer than seven games.
There were always going to be spells this season when City might struggle, such is the quality of the Premier League. Following the Reds, we face back-to-back away games at Arsenal and Swansea.
It would be easy this morning to begin fearing "a long winter ahead", such is the deflating effect of yesterday's performance. Bruce has always warned there would be difficult periods this season where wins might be hard to come by. Last night, he sounded perplexed by his team's performance. But if there is one thing Bruce has shown us over the past year-and-a-half, it is his ability to find answers when he needs them the most. Think how he reorganised his attack after Aluko's season-ending injury during the promotion campaign. He's been around the game long enough to not start pressing the panic button.
Right now, we need a bit of a fillip, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if this team, which has shown such determination and resilience up to now, bounces back with an upset against one of the bigger sides. Performances at Man City, Newcastle, Everton and Spurs have demonstrated their ability to compete with the best. I wouldn't bet against a result against Liverpool.• Brad Rial is a lifelong Hull City fan and journalism student who blogs every week for the Mail. Follow him on Twitter @BradRial.
