Hull City did not benefit like Swansea City during player's six-month disaster | OneFootball

Danny Graham couldn't return to form on loan with Hull City in 2013

In the summer of 2013, Hull City were preparing for life back in the Premier League under Steve Bruce.

Despite not being among the pre-season favourites when it came to promotion, the experienced boss, who had achieved such a feat twice before in charge of Birmingham City, was able to mould a side full of workhorses who were able to get over the line and achieve automatic promotion after a dramatic final day against Cardiff City at the MKM Stadium.

Unsurprisingly, the Tigers were immediately made favourites for an immediate return to the Championship alongside the Bluebirds and play-off winners Crystal Place, and plenty of reinforcements were needed across the squad in order to consolidate the club's position back in the top-flight after a three-year hiatus.

Many signings throughout the season proved smart buys in the short and long-term, such as Allan McGregor, Curtis Davies, Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore.

However, during a period where goalscoring and the availability of his main attacking outlets were at a premium, Bruce could ill-afford to make many mishaps when adding to his frontline.

Unfortunately, the loan signing of Danny Graham wouldn't be the answer, as the striker's well-documented drop-off in form continued during a disastrous six-month period in East Yorkshire.

Danny Graham had shown glimpses of being a capable Premier League striker

After netting 24 goals in the 2010/11 Championship season for Watford, the former Carlisle United man ended the season as the division's top scorer and earned a place in the Team of the Season, which eventually resulted in newly-promoted Swansea City paying a then-club-record £3.5m fee for his services.

It took Graham a handful of outings to aclimatise to the division, before hitting a purple patch of four goals in as many games against Stoke City, Norwich City, Wolves and Bolton Wanderers.

Swansea enjoyed a stellar first season back in the top division, finishing in 11th place on 47 points, with Graham scoring 12 times in the league, which included strikes in memorable home victories against Arsenal and Liverpool.

The off-season saw plenty of change occur in South Wales as Michael Laudrup was appointed following Brendan Rodgers' switch to Liverpool, with the ultimate 'streets won't forget' forward, Michu, also signing for £2m from Rayo Vallecano.

Graham netted his first of the season in a 3-0 win against West Ham as his side recorded two wins from two, with the striker then finding it tough to find the net in the league, whilst simultaneously playing a strong role in the club's eventual EFL Cup success.

However, on Deadline Day in January 2013, Graham would move back to the North East and join Sunderland for £5m in a move which saw him score just once in his first 14 appearances.

Danny Graham failed to have the desired impact at Hull City

The striker was then informed by Paulo Di Canio that he wouldn't be a part of his plans on Wearside moving forward, before joining Hull on a season-long loan in July 2013.

"When the chance came to sign here on loan, I jumped at it. It's great to come to a club where everybody is on a high after winning promotion and I've only heard good things about this club," he stated.

After making his debut in the opening day against Chelsea, Graham went on to make 20 appearances in all competitions for the Tigers, scoring just once, which ironically came through a neat finish on his return to the Swansea.Com Stadium in December 2013, as well as registering three assists.

He would become a constant source of frustration after his lack of cutting-edge continued, which eventually resulted in the East Yorkshire side pulling the plug on the deal halfway through the loan agreement, eventually going on to sign Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long.

Graham then went on to return to former club Middlesbrough for the remainder of the season, eventually rediscovering his goalscoring touch to the benefit of Blackburn Rovers, for whom he scored 57 times in 191 appearances.

However, it would be quite an underestimation to say the 39-year-old didn't live up to the billing for City, despite the fact the club went on to enjoy their most successful season in the same campaign.