From Ronnie tonite:

Crisis club Hull City were locked out of their Boothferry Park stadium by the ground's owner David Lloyd this morning.

Staff at the Third Division club found the gates padlocked after employees of Lloyd closed up the ground at 7am.

It is the latest blow for Hull, who face a winding-up order from Customs and Excise in the High Court tomorrow over £500,000 in unpaid VAT.

Lloyd, Britain's former tennis Davis Cup captain, sold the club to a group of local businessmen but still owns the ground and Hull City owe him thousands of pounds in rent.

The decision by Lloyd, who is currently in Australia, to lock the ground is unconnected with the winding-up order.

Hull's Geordie manager Brian Little is determined to make the best of the current situation in the hope the finances can be sorted out.

"I received a phone call from directors of the football club advising me of the situation. What the outcome will be I'm not sure," Little said.

"We'll still train today away from the ground as we always do and just try and prepare for Saturday's game, which we hope we'll be taking part in.

"Everybody wants to soldier on in the hope the club continues. If it's liquidation, it's liquidation. We hope there's some form of administration until the end of the season to give us a chance."

Waddyareckon? Personally, I never rated David Lloyd (yet another English Tennis has-been - or almost-was). As for BL - not a bad guy, despite managing Villa. Lot more time for him than Gregory. Not much difference (off the top o' me heed) between their records.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Answers

How the mighty have fallen, taking a proud football club with them.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

David Lloyd isn't really the bad guy in this, from his interview on the radio today it sounded like he was kicking the local council into action.

He did have ideas above HUll City's station though. As a tennis fan myself, I agree wholeheartedley with his comments on the establishment behind British tennis.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

DlF, I didn't hear that interview - sorry if I've taken things out of context. More that I'm sad that a football team (with tradition) looks like it is in great danger of folding. As I said, I have feelings neither positive nor negative about Lloyd. Forget his tennis performances for Britain. He's now a businessman and doing quite nicely (I imagine).

As for BL, well, he was up there at/near the top. Is he a bad manager, or just one whose lost his way. Will he bounce back?

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001