Rob Hulse
Encyclopedia
Robert William "Rob" Hulse (born 25 October 1979) is an English
footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers
as a striker.
He had primarily spent his career at second tier level, playing there with Crewe Alexandra
. West Bromwich Albion
, Leeds United
, Sheffield United
and Derby County
. He has won promotion to the top flight on one occasion and had his most notable spell in the Premier League with Sheffield United
, where he finished top scorer in the 2006–07 season, despite his season finishing early due to injury. He scored his 100th career league goal with a penalty against Sheffield Wednesday
for Derby on 3 October 2009.
, Cheshire
, Hulse began his career at Crewe Alexandra
, having been part of the club's youth system since he was nine years old. Unfortunately, a sudden spurt in height during his late teens left Hulse with a serious back injury and was sidelined for around 12 months. When Hulse returned to fitness, he was given a two month loan to then Northern Premier League
side Hyde United, where he scored nine goals in 11 appearances during the 1999–2000 season. The successful loan spell led to Hulse's first team debut for Crewe, in their 1–0 win over Norwich City
. It took Hulse a further three appearances to score his first goal for the club, which was in the club's 2–0 away win over Barnsley
.
Hulse quickly became a fans' favourite at Crewe, thanks to his high work-rate and finishing the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons as the club's top goalscorer with 11 and 12 goals respectively. The club were relegated at the end of the 2001–02 season, but Hulse, along with Dean Ashton
and Rodney Jack
, proved to be too much for fellow Division Two defences to handle in 2002–03. Hulse finished as the club's top goalscorer for the third season in succession, scoring 23 goals. His performances during the season earned him the club's Player of the Year award, as well as appearing in the PFA
Division Two Team of the Year.
Despite Crewe's promotion back to Division One, Hulse rejected a new contract and manager Dario Gradi
decided to sell him instead of letting him go on a Bosman
. A whole host of clubs were interested in Hulse. Fellow promoted club Cardiff City
were close to signing Hulse for a fee believed to be in a region of £
750,000, but Hulse did not wish to sign for the Blue Birds.
that would secure the signing of Hulse for a fee of £750,000. He made his debut for West Brom in their 4–1 defeat at Walsall
, but scored his first goal for the club in the 4–0 home win over Brentford
. Hulse played a key role in the club's promotion challenge prior to having a stomach injury during the Christmas period. After recovering from this injury, Hulse made a further 19 appearances, scoring a single goal.
Despite his influential role in the previous year's promotion campaign, Hulse was given little chance to prove himself in the top flight, this was because of the summer signings of Robert Earnshaw
, Geoff Horsfield
and Nwankwo Kanu
. Hulse played seven games for West Brom during the 2004–05 season, scoring no goals in any of the games.
on loan for the final three months of the 2004–05 campaign instead of a £1.2 million switch to Stoke City
. His debut was spectacular, scoring two individual goals struck from outside the box against Reading
.
The success of the loan spell led to a £1.1 million transfer to Leeds. Hulse scored 20 goals in 51 games. He was the club's joint top scorer with 14 goals in the 2005–06 season despite being in competition with several forwards including Robbie Blake
, David Healy
and Richard Cresswell
for a place in the side as well as playing with an ankle injury during the start of the season.
although the fee could have risen to £3 million, beating Norwich
to Hulse's signature. Hulse scored on his debut for the club against Liverpool
; scoring the first goal of the 2006–07 FA Premier League season, although Liverpool managed to equalise through a Robbie Fowler
penalty. He went on to be the clubs's top scorer for the season, netting regularly until March.
On 17 March, Hulse and Chelsea
goalkeeper Petr Čech
challenged for the ball in a league game at Stamford Bridge
, resulting in a horrific injury. Hulse almost turned in a low Keith Gillespie
cross but Čech raced out to smother his effort and in the collision Hulse's ankle appeared to snap beneath him. After a five-minute delay Hulse was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital with what was thought to be a double fracture. On 20 March, it was confirmed that Hulse had fractured his left leg in two places, for which he underwent surgery. His season over, he still finished up as United's top scorer in the Premier League with eight league goals.
Hulse eventually returned to the first team in December 2007 after 9 months out, but despite making 24 appearances for the Blades over the course of that season he failed to score a goal ending his Blades career on a disappointing note.
. Although an initial move in June 2008 fell through, the deal was eventually completed on 21 July 2008 for £1.75 million. Five days later he scored on his unofficial debut for the club, a friendly match, against Mansfield Town
. Hulse made his competitive debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers
on the opening day of the 2008–09 season. His first league goal for Derby was the winner in a 2–1 victory over his former club Sheffield United in September 2008. Hulse's form during October 2008, when he hit four goals in five games, saw him awarded the Championship Player of the Month award. Hulse's goal against Charlton
secured Derby's Championship status in the final home game of the season. On the final day of the season, he played 90 minutes in an unfamiliar central defensive position. Hulse won the Derby County Supporters' Player of the Year award, the Players' Player of the Year Trophy and finished the season as the club's top goalscorer, with 15 league goals, and 3 more in the FA Cup.
After a successful first season, Hulse was continually linked with a £3 million move to Derby's Championship
rivals Middlesbrough
. Derby accepted a bid of £4 million on the final day of the 2009 summer transfer Window, but Hulse rejected the move, citing his fondness for club as the reason. Injury disrupted the early part of the season, with Hulse not grabbing his first goal of the season until 15 November in a 3–2 home defeat to Barnsley
before scoring his 100th league career goal with a 90th minute penalty in a 3–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday
and earning a place in the Championship Team of the Week. Hulse earned his second Team of the Week slot after scoring two goals in a 2–1 win over Coventry City
on 7 November 2009 before hitting the winner against relegation rivals Reading
on 28 November 2009 to take his tally to six for the season. However, this proved to be his last goal for two months as a mixture of injury and loss of form saw him dropped to the bench, behind loan signing D. J. Campbell and Chris Porter
.
The January transfer window saw Hulse again linked with moves away from the club, with Wolverhampton Wanderers
interested to the tune of £3 million, but the only concrete moves came in the form of loan bids from Premier League Burnley
and Stoke City
, both of which were rejected. Hulse reclaimed his place in the team towards the end of January 2010 and scored a 78th minute winner against Nottingham Forest
in the 85th East Midlands derby
to end Forest's 19 match unbeaten run. This sparked a run of form for Hulse, who netted three times in his next three matches, scoring the first in a 3–0 win over league leaders Newcastle United
and netting a double in a 5–3 victory over Preston North End
, taking his tally to 10 for the season. A combination of injuries and Derby's struggling form saw Hulse grab just two more goals before surgery ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign. His finishing total of 12 goals saw him finish as Derby's top scorer for the second consecutive campaign.
Entering the final year of his contract, and with cost-cutting Derby unwilling to match his current contract, Burnley
and Queens Park Rangers
both made official enquiries about Hulse, whom Derby valued at £1.5 million. Leeds United also expressed an interest in re-signing Hulse, with Derby coach Gary Crosby
stating "As much as we'd like to keep Rob, financially, we will maybe look to sell him." However, CEO Tom Glick later dismissed any financial need to sell the striker. He was later linked with a possible return to the top flight with a £1 million move to newly promoted Blackpool
, though his rumoured £600,000 yearly wage was suggested to be a stumbling block. Despite speculation over his future, Hulse played a part in Derby's pre-season fixtures and scored in a 1–1 draw with Southend United
. Hulse started the 2010–11 campaign with the opening goal in a 2–1 victory at previous club Leeds United but was again consistently linked with a move away from the club, this time to Cardiff City
, this time with the possibility of a cash-plus-Ross McCormack
deal (although McCormack later joined Leeds United) and Queens Park Rangers.
|1999-00
|rowspan="4"|Crewe Alexandra
|rowspan="3"|First Division
|4||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||1
|-
|2000–01
|33||11||2||0||3||0||38||11
|-
|2001–02
|41||11||3||0||3||1||47||12
|-
|2002–03
|Second Division
|38||22||1||0||1||1||40||23
|-
|2003–04
|rowspan="2"|West Bromwich Albion
|rowspan="1"|First Division
|33||10||1||0||5||3||39||13
|-
|2004–05
|FA Premier League
|5||0||1||0||1||0||7||0
|-
|2004–05
|rowspan="2"|Leeds United
|rowspan="2"|Championship
|13||6||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||13||6
|-
|2005–06
|39||12||2||1||2||0||43||13
|-
|2006–07
|rowspan="2"|Sheffield United
|rowspan="1"|FA Premier League
|29||8||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||8
|-
|2007–08
|rowspan="5"|Championship
|21||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||24||0
|-
|2008–09
|rowspan="3"|Derby County
|44||15||4||3||6||0||54||18
|-
|2009–10
|37||12||3||0||colspan="2"|-||40||12
|-
|2010–11
|1||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||2||1
|-
|2010–11
|rowspan="2"|Queens Park Rangers
|21||2||1||0||colspan="2"|-||22||2
|-
|2011–12
|rowspan="1"|Premier League
|0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
359||111||21||4||22||5||408||125
I These figures do not include Football League Trophy games. Hulse played 2 games, scoring 4 goals.
II These figures do not include playoff games. Hulse played 3 games, scoring 1 goal.
:
West Bromwich Albion
Crewe Alexandra
Derby County
Leeds United
:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
as a striker.
He had primarily spent his career at second tier level, playing there with Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
. West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
and Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. He has won promotion to the top flight on one occasion and had his most notable spell in the Premier League with Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, where he finished top scorer in the 2006–07 season, despite his season finishing early due to injury. He scored his 100th career league goal with a penalty against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
for Derby on 3 October 2009.
Crewe Alexandra
Born in CreweCrewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Hulse began his career at Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, having been part of the club's youth system since he was nine years old. Unfortunately, a sudden spurt in height during his late teens left Hulse with a serious back injury and was sidelined for around 12 months. When Hulse returned to fitness, he was given a two month loan to then Northern Premier League
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...
side Hyde United, where he scored nine goals in 11 appearances during the 1999–2000 season. The successful loan spell led to Hulse's first team debut for Crewe, in their 1–0 win over Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
. It took Hulse a further three appearances to score his first goal for the club, which was in the club's 2–0 away win over Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
.
Hulse quickly became a fans' favourite at Crewe, thanks to his high work-rate and finishing the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons as the club's top goalscorer with 11 and 12 goals respectively. The club were relegated at the end of the 2001–02 season, but Hulse, along with Dean Ashton
Dean Ashton
Dean Ashton is a former English professional footballer. He made over 240 appearances as a forward in the Football League and Premier League for Crewe Alexandra, Norwich City and , and was also capped by England. He was highly praised as a talented centre forward, but had a career frustrated by...
and Rodney Jack
Rodney Jack
Rodney Jack is a professional football player from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He is best known for his spells with Torquay United and Crewe Alexandra and also his long-term friendship with singer/songwriter Ash Cherrington...
, proved to be too much for fellow Division Two defences to handle in 2002–03. Hulse finished as the club's top goalscorer for the third season in succession, scoring 23 goals. His performances during the season earned him the club's Player of the Year award, as well as appearing in the PFA
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
Division Two Team of the Year.
Despite Crewe's promotion back to Division One, Hulse rejected a new contract and manager Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, who was serving as manager of the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. He is a former manager of Crewe Alexandra, with whom he has been associated for almost thirty years.Gradi is notable for his 24-year first spell as manager...
decided to sell him instead of letting him go on a Bosman
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
. A whole host of clubs were interested in Hulse. Fellow promoted club Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
were close to signing Hulse for a fee believed to be in a region of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
750,000, but Hulse did not wish to sign for the Blue Birds.
West Bromwich Albion
It was West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
that would secure the signing of Hulse for a fee of £750,000. He made his debut for West Brom in their 4–1 defeat at Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
, but scored his first goal for the club in the 4–0 home win over Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
. Hulse played a key role in the club's promotion challenge prior to having a stomach injury during the Christmas period. After recovering from this injury, Hulse made a further 19 appearances, scoring a single goal.
Despite his influential role in the previous year's promotion campaign, Hulse was given little chance to prove himself in the top flight, this was because of the summer signings of Robert Earnshaw
Robert Earnshaw
Robert Earnshaw is a Welsh footballer who plays for Cardiff City and Wales. He is the only player to have scored a hat-trick in the English Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two , the League Cup, the FA Cup and for his country at International level.Earnshaw was born in Mufulira,...
, Geoff Horsfield
Geoff Horsfield
Geoffrey Malcolm "Geoff" Horsfield is an English former professional footballer, now football coach. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing as a striker. He is now a coach at Port Vale....
and Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu, OON , or simply Kanu, is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Portsmouth. He was also a member of the Nigerian national team for 16 years from 1994 until 2010...
. Hulse played seven games for West Brom during the 2004–05 season, scoring no goals in any of the games.
Leeds United
Having played only a mediocre amount of games in comparison to his fellow strikers at West Brom, Hulse decided to join Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
on loan for the final three months of the 2004–05 campaign instead of a £1.2 million switch to Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. His debut was spectacular, scoring two individual goals struck from outside the box against Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
.
The success of the loan spell led to a £1.1 million transfer to Leeds. Hulse scored 20 goals in 51 games. He was the club's joint top scorer with 14 goals in the 2005–06 season despite being in competition with several forwards including Robbie Blake
Robbie Blake
Robert James "Robbie" Blake is an English footballer, currently playing for Bolton Wanderers in the Barclays Premier League...
, David Healy
David Healy (footballer)
David Jonathan Healy, MBE is a Northern Ireland international footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premier League champions Rangers...
and Richard Cresswell
Richard Cresswell
Richard Paul Wesley Cresswell is an English footballer who plays for Sheffield United. Cresswell is a centre-forward who has adapted to life as a left midfielder.-Early career:...
for a place in the side as well as playing with an ankle injury during the start of the season.
Sheffield United
With Leeds failing to gain promotion to the FA Premier League, Hulse's ambition led elsewhere and in July 2006, Leeds accepted a bid of £2.2 million from Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
although the fee could have risen to £3 million, beating Norwich
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
to Hulse's signature. Hulse scored on his debut for the club against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
; scoring the first goal of the 2006–07 FA Premier League season, although Liverpool managed to equalise through a Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....
penalty. He went on to be the clubs's top scorer for the season, netting regularly until March.
On 17 March, Hulse and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
goalkeeper Petr Čech
Petr Cech
Petr Čech is a Czech footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Czech Republic as a goalkeeper. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals...
challenged for the ball in a league game at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, resulting in a horrific injury. Hulse almost turned in a low Keith Gillespie
Keith Gillespie
Keith Robert Gillespie is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays in midfield for Longford Town....
cross but Čech raced out to smother his effort and in the collision Hulse's ankle appeared to snap beneath him. After a five-minute delay Hulse was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital with what was thought to be a double fracture. On 20 March, it was confirmed that Hulse had fractured his left leg in two places, for which he underwent surgery. His season over, he still finished up as United's top scorer in the Premier League with eight league goals.
Hulse eventually returned to the first team in December 2007 after 9 months out, but despite making 24 appearances for the Blades over the course of that season he failed to score a goal ending his Blades career on a disappointing note.
Derby County
Following the end of the 2007–08 season, Hulse was strongly linked with a move away to United's Championship rivals Derby CountyDerby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. Although an initial move in June 2008 fell through, the deal was eventually completed on 21 July 2008 for £1.75 million. Five days later he scored on his unofficial debut for the club, a friendly match, against Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
. Hulse made his competitive debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
on the opening day of the 2008–09 season. His first league goal for Derby was the winner in a 2–1 victory over his former club Sheffield United in September 2008. Hulse's form during October 2008, when he hit four goals in five games, saw him awarded the Championship Player of the Month award. Hulse's goal against Charlton
Charlton
-Places:In Australia:* Charlton, Victoria* Division of Charlton, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in New South WalesIn Canada:* Charlton, Ontario* Charlton Island, NunavutIn England:...
secured Derby's Championship status in the final home game of the season. On the final day of the season, he played 90 minutes in an unfamiliar central defensive position. Hulse won the Derby County Supporters' Player of the Year award, the Players' Player of the Year Trophy and finished the season as the club's top goalscorer, with 15 league goals, and 3 more in the FA Cup.
After a successful first season, Hulse was continually linked with a £3 million move to Derby's Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
rivals Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. Derby accepted a bid of £4 million on the final day of the 2009 summer transfer Window, but Hulse rejected the move, citing his fondness for club as the reason. Injury disrupted the early part of the season, with Hulse not grabbing his first goal of the season until 15 November in a 3–2 home defeat to Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
before scoring his 100th league career goal with a 90th minute penalty in a 3–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
and earning a place in the Championship Team of the Week. Hulse earned his second Team of the Week slot after scoring two goals in a 2–1 win over Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
on 7 November 2009 before hitting the winner against relegation rivals Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
on 28 November 2009 to take his tally to six for the season. However, this proved to be his last goal for two months as a mixture of injury and loss of form saw him dropped to the bench, behind loan signing D. J. Campbell and Chris Porter
Chris Porter (footballer born 1983)
Christopher John "Chris" Porter is an English footballer, who currently plays for Sheffield United. Born in Wigan, England he has also played for Bury, Oldham Athletic, Motherwell and Derby County.-Early career:...
.
The January transfer window saw Hulse again linked with moves away from the club, with Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
interested to the tune of £3 million, but the only concrete moves came in the form of loan bids from Premier League Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
, both of which were rejected. Hulse reclaimed his place in the team towards the end of January 2010 and scored a 78th minute winner against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
in the 85th East Midlands derby
East Midlands derby
This article is only about games featuring Nottingham Forest and Derby County. For games with either of those clubs against Leicester City, see Leicester City F.C. and Nottingham Forest F.C. rivalry or Derby County F.C. and Leicester City F.C. rivalry....
to end Forest's 19 match unbeaten run. This sparked a run of form for Hulse, who netted three times in his next three matches, scoring the first in a 3–0 win over league leaders Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
and netting a double in a 5–3 victory over Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
, taking his tally to 10 for the season. A combination of injuries and Derby's struggling form saw Hulse grab just two more goals before surgery ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign. His finishing total of 12 goals saw him finish as Derby's top scorer for the second consecutive campaign.
Entering the final year of his contract, and with cost-cutting Derby unwilling to match his current contract, Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
both made official enquiries about Hulse, whom Derby valued at £1.5 million. Leeds United also expressed an interest in re-signing Hulse, with Derby coach Gary Crosby
Gary Crosby (footballer)
Gary Crosby began his senior career at Lincoln United. In his teenage years, he had been one of the most promising players in the Lincoln area and regularly appeared for Lincoln City's youth and reserve sides. A slight but skillful player, it was often felt his physique would prevent him turning...
stating "As much as we'd like to keep Rob, financially, we will maybe look to sell him." However, CEO Tom Glick later dismissed any financial need to sell the striker. He was later linked with a possible return to the top flight with a £1 million move to newly promoted Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, though his rumoured £600,000 yearly wage was suggested to be a stumbling block. Despite speculation over his future, Hulse played a part in Derby's pre-season fixtures and scored in a 1–1 draw with Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
. Hulse started the 2010–11 campaign with the opening goal in a 2–1 victory at previous club Leeds United but was again consistently linked with a move away from the club, this time to Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, this time with the possibility of a cash-plus-Ross McCormack
Ross McCormack
Ross McCormack is a Scottish professional footballer currently playing for English football club Leeds United and the Scotland national team. His main position is as a Striker but he can also play as a Winger....
deal (although McCormack later joined Leeds United) and Queens Park Rangers.
Queens Park Rangers
On 31 August 2010, Derby accepted a bid from Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee. He was then left out of Queens Park Rangers 25-Man squad for the premier league season 2011/12.Career statistics
|-|1999-00
|rowspan="4"|Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
|rowspan="3"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
|4||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||1
|-
|2000–01
|33||11||2||0||3||0||38||11
|-
|2001–02
|41||11||3||0||3||1||47||12
|-
|2002–03
|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
|38||22||1||0||1||1||40||23
|-
|2003–04
|rowspan="2"|West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
|rowspan="1"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
|33||10||1||0||5||3||39||13
|-
|2004–05
|FA Premier League
|5||0||1||0||1||0||7||0
|-
|2004–05
|rowspan="2"|Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
|rowspan="2"|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
|13||6||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||13||6
|-
|2005–06
|39||12||2||1||2||0||43||13
|-
|2006–07
|rowspan="2"|Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
|rowspan="1"|FA Premier League
|29||8||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||8
|-
|2007–08
|rowspan="5"|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
|21||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||24||0
|-
|2008–09
|rowspan="3"|Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
|44||15||4||3||6||0||54||18
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Football League
The Football League 2009–10, called the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2009 and concluded in May 2010, with the promotion play-off finals. The Football League is contested through three Divisions. The...
|37||12||3||0||colspan="2"|-||40||12
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Football League
The Football League 2010–11, called the Npower Football League, was the 111th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2010 and concluded in May 2011, with the promotion play-off finals....
|1||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||2||1
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Football League
The Football League 2010–11, called the Npower Football League, was the 111th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2010 and concluded in May 2011, with the promotion play-off finals....
|rowspan="2"|Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
|21||2||1||0||colspan="2"|-||22||2
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...
|rowspan="1"|Premier League
|0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
359||111||21||4||22||5||408||125
I These figures do not include Football League Trophy games. Hulse played 2 games, scoring 4 goals.
II These figures do not include playoff games. Hulse played 3 games, scoring 1 goal.
Honours
Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
:
- Npower Championship: 2010–11
West Bromwich Albion
- First Division runners-up – 2003–04
Crewe Alexandra
- Second Division runners-up – 2002–03
- PFA Division Two Team of the Year – 2002–03
- Player of the Year – 2002–03
Derby County
- Championship Player Of The Month – October 2007
- Player of the Year – 2008–09
Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
:
- The Championship Playoff final runner up 2005–06
External links
- Rob Hulse profile at the Queens Park Rangers website