Hull City have dropped back down to the Championship after a two year absence and they have returned with quite a bit of baggage.

The club have a number of players on Premier League salaries and the club just can’t afford to keep them. To make matters worse, many of the players signed when Hull were a top flight team didn’t have clauses in their contract saying they would take a wage cut if the team was relegated, something that is standard for the majority of top flight teams. Without the Premiership revenue coming in, Hull need to get these players off the wage bill quick to avoid any further financial issues. The Championship odds suggest the side are in with a chance of coming straight back up, but money issues could hinder their efforts.

The biggest earner is Jimmy Bullard. The injury prone midfielder was signed for £5 million from Fulham halfway through the 2008/09 season on a four year deal with wages of £45,000. With deals like that flying around, a good cup run might be the best way for the side to get their finances back on track and anyone placing a Carling Cup bet should bear this in mind.

Bullard played just once in his first season due to after injuring the same knee that kept him out for 16 months when he was at Fulham. He injured his knee again last season, only playing 13 games in the league, but Bullard was impressive when he returned – scoring five goals as Hull were relegated.

To ensure Bullard stays injury free ahead of any possible move, Hull have left him out of all their pre-season friendly games. A move to Celtic broke down due to the player’s wage demands and not many teams will be keen to offer the 31-year-old similar terms to what he is on now. Bullard doesn’t have to move, he has two and a half years left on his lucrative contract and, with an injury record like his, Bullard might want to secure his financial future and just sit tight.