New Kid On The Block At Hull – But Who Is Marco Silva?

Mike Phelan’s short stint in the Hull dugout has been brought to an abrupt end and the Premier League strugglers have wasted no time in appointing a successor.

Marco Silva is the name charged with the unenviable task of keeping the Tigers in the Premier League, prompting many a pundit up and down the land to proclaim “who!?” Here’s a quick look at the CV to see if the ‘New Mourinho’ tags are justified.

Name: Marco Silva
Age: 39
Place of Birth: Lisbon, Portugal

Playing Career
Silva plied his trade as a right full back and spent most of his career in the lower echelons of Portuguese football. With no lengthy spells at any club, he finally seemed to settle at Estoril where he made 109 appearances over six years scoring a grand total of two goals.

2011-2014 Estoril
Following his retirement as a player Silva went upstairs to become Director of Football at Estoril but soon made his way to the dugout. Sitting tenth in Portugal’s second tier…

Silva oversaw a winning run which saw him scoop the manager of the year award and guide Estoril to the top division as champions.

Estoril then enjoyed a successful couple of campaigns in the Primeira Liga with 4th and 5th place finishes, Europa League qualification and headline-grabbing results away to Benfica and Porto.

2014-2015 Sporting Lisbon
With Mourinho comparisons starting to take flight, Silva took over at Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2014 and he steered the side to a 3rd place finish in the Primeira Liga amidst rumours of unrest with the club President.

He also delivered Sporting’s first silverware in seven years with victory in the Portuguese Cup Final against Braga, but tensions at boardroom level culminated in his sacking after just one season, for the unforgivable crime of not wearing the club’s official suit at a cup match.

2015-16 Olympiacos
Silva’s stint in Greece also only lasted a year as he quit the job this June citing personal reasons. But that wasn’t before leading Olympiacos to another successful and record breaking season which saw them crowned champions of Greece.

As well as winning his first 11 league games and first 17 domestic fixtures…

He ended Olympiacos’ run of 12 defeats in England by recording a 3-2 Champions League victory over Arsenal at the Emirates.

Another trip to the Emirates is on his agenda next month but not before he tackles his old friend Mourinho no less than three times in his first six games as Hull City manager.

Silva’s First six games:
Swansea (H) FA Cup
Manchester United (A) EFL Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg
Bournemouth (H) Premier League
Chelsea (A) Premier League
Manchester United (H) EFL Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg
Manchester United (A) Premier League