LOSING your main striker three days before the season starts can hardly be described as ideal preparation for the new campaign.
Weeks of planning will have been disturbed by the news Shane Long is set to swap the KC for St Mary's in a deal that smashes the record City have received for a player.
If Long goes for the reported £12.5m then while it is a huge loss for the Tigers, you cannot argue that it is terrific business.
I've no doubt Steve Bruce won't have wanted to sell Long, a player he has a lot of admiration for and someone who he fought so hard to bring to the club.
But at the same time, at that sort of money it is a deal that you cannot turn down, even at this stage so close to the first match.
Every player has a price and the money being talked about for Long is above what I think he's worth, so you take it.
I'm sure Bruce will have already drawn up a few replacements ahead of Long's expected move, but for me he doesn't have to rush.
There's nothing wrong with bringing in a loan player, especially with the club able to pay a significant wage with Long and Nick Proschwitz off the salary.
The question now is how has the transfer news affected the rest of the squad ahead of the big opening game.
Arriving at Loftus Road on Saturday, City should hold no fear of their first day opponents, QPR.
They only came up to the Premier League by the skin of their teeth, with a lucky last minute goal in the play-off final whilst they were down to ten men.
There's bound to be a big crowd full of expectation in West London, but I'm sure the Tigers have the squad that can do the business and spoil the party.
You only have to look at the players that Harry Redknapp has signed to try and save his side from going straight back down.
Even with Glenn Hoddle's inclusion to the backroom staff, QPR are destined to struggle. It's okay having good staff, but it's the players who must do the job.
The signature of Rio Ferdinand doesn't suggest promise and ambition to me, and the owner of the club has ploughed huge sums of money into QPR over time.
They look like a team of individuals rather than a collective outfit – and that, for me, is where Hull City's strength is.
Bruce has thoroughly thought out his recruitment for 2014-15 and I expect to see many of the new signings take to the field on Saturday afternoon.
For me, Tom Ince has stolen the show in pre-season. He can provide the spark in the crucial areas to tear teams apart.
Robert Snodgrass is another player who is sure to cause QPR some problems. Whether it be pushing up front, or crossing from the left or the right, City have a player who can create anything from nothing.
Bruce may opt to go for the 3-5-2 formation as shown in the friendly win over Stuttgart, but I believe he'll change the set-up throughout the campaign based on the opposition the team will face.
To win on Saturday, City must get off to a bright start. Going down early, away from home, against a team who are bound to be full of energy, might be a mountain too big to climb.
However, the senior figures in the side can use their experience from last year and dig the Tigers out of a hole, should they enter one.
The likes of the dependable Curtis Davies and Tom Huddlestone will be key this year to carry on from where they left off and make sure the Tigers make the most of the kind fixture list.
City were pretty impressive on the road last season, and although they had a challenging opening day at Chelsea last year, I expect this visit to London to be much more fruitful.
City have a promising beginning to the campaign in store, with a lot of potential points up for grabs.
It's so important to get off to the best start possible, as you don't want to be left chasing your tails.
