The slim young 22 year old six foot Londoner signed a 4 year deal for City on 30th August 2024 from Norwich FC for an understood fee of £4 Million pounds, his first club he joined as a youth player at 10 years old.

After making an impact with the development system at Carrow Road he put pen to paper for his first ever professional contract in January 2021 at the age of 18 but would only ever play 5 games for the Norfolk side as It was decided that he should be sent out to the then League one side Portsmouth and his most industrious season to date. The 2023 / 2024 season where he played all 46 games and chipping in with 8 goals which began with his first ever senior goal against The Posh just a month into the season.

His regular starts and positive performances earned him plaudits and high fives amongst the Portsmouth fans and a kindred spirit between Abu and the Pompey fraternity developed to a strong bond that is evident to this day.

And here's where The Tigers got involved. Impressed by his potential, a bid was made for Kamara who had made his return to Norwich, bagging his first goal for the Canaries albeit a cup game against Stevenage but a goal is a goal and all adds to a very promising and developing CV and became one of Tim Walter's signings who had him in the starting 11. 9 days later, playing his first game in Black and Amber against a sharp bladed Sheffield UTD who dispatched us at home in front of over 22K fans, 2-0 without reply.

Abu would only see one win in Walter's 9 remaining games in charge, 5 of them losses so we can forgive him for lack of confidence as most, if not all of the squad were struggling under the big German and possibly some still seething from the unexpected sacking of City Legend, Liam Rosenior who was not only a great player for City but who had just finished the previous season in a very respectable 7th place just being inched out of the play offs ironically a place behind Kamara's first club Norwich in 6th by 3 points.

2 further starts and 2 further losses under caretaker manager Dawson that conceded a total of 4 goals with only one going in our direction thanks to Burstow with a consolation goal against Middlseboro' who saw us off at the Riverside 3-1 but, credit to Abu he did provide the 2nd assist of the season, the first being to help the Tigers in a 1-1 draw with Burnley 7 games earlier missing 2 games in between against Oxford and West Brom. Lost both.

But by Portsmouth's standards he was a 1 goal in 5 player...Here we are on 11 games and not a sniff. In fact whispers had started that he was lazy, shy in the tackle and lacking quality and by the time Spaniard, Ruben Selles became his new boss and 2nd manager of the season he didn;t show much at all in the way of expectations.

The next 6 games weren't kind to him either and the most notable was when we played Middlesborough for the second time but this occasion at home in the MKM in front of a very disillusioned but well a turned out crowd of over 21,500 fans on the first day of 2025 on Sky. The scene was set, a new year, a new dawn...Kamara, let's do this.

It couldn't have gone worse for him. We lost 1-0, Abu had a mare but what added insult to insult to injury was firstly (as I recall) Abu with a ball to chase and only being on the pitch as a late sub and had all the energy in the world seemed to have just given up and showed no interest at all. The crowd picked up on that and went nuts...WE were 22nd. We needed something. Anything.

But not to be and 6 points gifted to Boro' over the season which was a disappointment but Kamara doubled down on lack of effort with lack of what was described as "where's the loyalty" in an ill thought out moment of of public relations according to some fans.

How?

Before the last car was out of the car park and possibly before Kamara had even took his boots off he was on his phone and tweeted his good friend and former Portsmouth Team Mate, Paddy Lane who he had, just months before helped to gain Promotion for Pompey from the L1 to the Champ a message of congrat's for scoring his first Champ goal against Swansea.

The Tigers' faithful, never shy on picking up on every detail surrounding our beloved club saw this as contempt. "More interested in Portsmouth than evaluating what went wrong out on the pitch for US" came the cry.

It seemed that it was a priority for him and his heart was still in Hampshire and NOT in the greatest county on gods Earth, Yorkshire.

Hull City, as a club couldn't escape the fall out. It was the talk of the town and Abu Kamara became the latest boo boy, not just for his seemingly poor outings but compounded by the latest show of a love affair that hadn't seem to have ended with what is thought is his real spiritual home...Fratton Park.

3 days later, the unthinkable happened. Ruben Selles, wheeled out the number 44 right midfielder in front of the cameras and made him explain himself. The manager said it was with Abu's consent but I'm not so sure. He looked like a naughty schoolchild sat on the sofa being questioned and if there was ever a picture of a rabbit in headlights, this was it.

Yes he put in a garbage effort (IMO). Yes he definitely miss timed his tweet of congratulations to a friend but I personally consider that Selles hung him out to dry to take away the poor performances that he was responsible for to maybe deflect part of the heat onto the then 21 year old. I thought it was a disgusting move by Selles and at the end of the day, The Londoner put in a bad shift at work. Now, Put your hands up if you've never done that? I've certainly had some bad days at the office but would never allow my manager to embarrass me in public and was as bad as Brown when he humiliated the side in that half time talk on the pitch at Man City.

On that day I really felt sorry for the lad. Genuinely.

Ironically the next game which was against Leeds at home he had his best performance for City wearing a black and amber shirt in what was a 6 goal thriller. Scoring both the first and last goals of the game on 5 minutes and 89 minutes, just 8 minutes after Pedro, earning us a 3-3 draw from being 3-1 down against a team that would ultimately be promoted as champions to the Premiership.

Was it the dressing down he needed, a wake up call or did he just have the game he needed? We'll never know.

Abu would go on to score just 3 more goals under Ruben Selles before the Spaniard was dismissed at the end of a woeful season.

So...Manager number 6 under Acun. The unknown. EFL untried and untested, Sergej Jakirovic entered the mix. Abu's 3rd manager at Hull City in 1 short, troubled season (4 if you include Daws as temp boss) and the Bosnian didn't mess about.

A short Hull City relationship between the pair including a draw and a win against Coventry away and Oxford at home (Abu's last game for us to date) respectively with a disappointing cup defeat to Wrexham in between, was enough for Sergej to decide that it was time for Kammy to be taken out of the firing line and sent him elsewhere to develop.

The team was one of our pre season opponents and La Liga team Getafe CF who are currently sitting 8th.

Personally I don't think Getafe CF are doing him justice as he's only played 6 games with just 1 start [to date] but a pitiful total of just 131 minutes of football featuring the most time on the pitch at 45 minutes and a 1 minute spell to run the clock down for the 2-1 win V Gerona. He has no assists and no goals. But no surprise there as you need game time.

To conclude, IMO we saw under Walter and Selles the huge and rapid decline of not just him, but Giles and Coyle. Acun raved about Giles but Selles decided he didn't need him and shipped him out to our Bogey team of that season, Middlesborough as surplus to requirements.

Coyle looked openly miserable under Walter and Selles but I think there's a pattern of diabolic man management between both the German and Spanish managers and the squad during that season and our league positions throughout.

Under Jakirovic's wing, Giles is a success of a player now by comparison. Everything Acun knew he was, but stifled by Selles.

Coyle. A warrior in armour plating again from the beleaguered figure he was under the mismanagement of Walterball.

So what of Abu? He's not the first player to suffer under the gross mismanagement of the Walter/Selles debacle.

And going on Portsmouth's fan's comments that replied to my question...

"If he [Abu Kamara] got put up for sale [By Hull City], would you [Pompey fans] want him back permanently?"

The comments where overwhelming ...

"Would swap Chaplin & Biancini and still give you 4mil for him in a heart beat - we have zero threat apart from Murphy"

"Take him back in a heartbeat!!"

"Hull hated him ! We love him."

"Have him back in a shot"

"Definitely. He's a championship level player, we just couldn't afford the £4M"

"Have him back in a second. You massively over paid for him but he's not a bad player."

"We would have him back 100%"

...Sergej could sculpt Abu into the £4 million quid player we hoped we had signed. There is a player in there no doubt. And if anyone can help him reach his potential I'm sure it's Jakirovic.

In the words of the Great Oli McGiles. ��
UTFT