Graphic: staying power - can new boys continue their dream start?

As you stand in a supermarket queue while the shop assistant tries a dozen times to scan a barcode, or try to figure out which buttons to press to get your smart new phone to make a call, have you ever thought that maybe life was better when it was less complicated?

The Barclays Premier League table is making that argument, with Hull City third and Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in the bottom three. While those big clubs have set up detailed management structures that are backfiring, Hull have taken the top flight by storm with the sort of commonsense business plan that seems to have gone out of fashion: people in charge who trust, respect and understand each other.

Hull are showing what can happen when everyone at a club, from fans to boardroom, pulls together.

Listen to Paul Duffen, the Hull chairman, speak and it is obvious that he has given Phil Brown, the manager, his wholehearted support and that they work well in tandem. Brown can do his job without a director of football peering over his shoulder, unlike the situation at White Hart Lane and St James' Park.

For all Tottenham's and Newcastle's attempts to bring order to their backroom staff, they were two of the worst-prepared clubs going into the season and Hull, with their old-style English hierarchy, have looked highly organised.

Money is so important now, so spending wisely is more critical than ever. Get two thirds of your buys right and you are set for a successful season; only one third and you can be in trouble. Despite Tottenham's continental-style transfer planning, you could not say that any of their summer signings have paid off.

Hull, meanwhile, have brought in 11 new boys and most are doing nicely. They, like West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City, have realised that plenty of new blood is necessary to have even half a chance of staying up. Hull have introduced a new forward line and their buys have mainly been experienced players with something to prove: that they deserve to be regular starters at a Premier League club. That hunger is crucial. A similar strategy served Sam Allardyce well at Bolton Wanderers.

Can such an influx of players destabilise a club? Not when they are winning. Who of Brown's fringe players could say “I should be in the team” when they have just beaten Arsenal and Tottenham away?

Like many, I had Hull down as relegation favourites, but they have far exceeded my expectations. They will not end the season in the Champions League places, but with the spirit and ability they have shown, they will be fine - mid-table, perhaps even higher. I like Brown's bravery; how many newly promoted teams would have played two up front at the Emirates Stadium?

I was part of the Millwall team who won promotion in 1988 and began life among the elite brightly, with a mid-table finish in their first season before being relegated in their second. Our biggest weapon was our enthusiasm. Coupled with a burning desire to prove the doubters wrong, it made us fearless.

When you start well in a higher league, there can be a snowball effect. Everyone is excited about the next game, there is a spring in your step and the fans turn up in droves. That cannot be replicated the next season, when things are not so fresh and perhaps a few of your players have had their heads turned by bigger clubs. Reading seemed to suffer from that scenario last term.

For the moment, though, Brown's challenge is to maintain Hull's momentum. A two-week break without a fixture could help because it gives a chance for everyone to get their breath back, for Brown to bring his players down to earth and set a new goal: can we manage these new expectations and beat West Ham United at home? He is probably also planning his January transfer targets. It cannot be too hard to attract good players to Hull these days.