Reality check needed for Hull City as they look to recover from Posh defeat

Hull City travel to Luton Town this weekend having slumped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Peterborough United in midweek.

The nature of the defeat has intensified the pressure on under-fire Grant McCann as he goes in search of City’s first away win since the opening day of the season.

On Wednesday evening against Posh, a superb strike from Jack Taylor had opened the scoring before Josh Magennis had provided an immediate response to haul the Tigers level before the break.

Despite missing a host of clear cut chances in the second period, including a wayward penalty miss from Magennis, the home side paid the ultimate price as Siriki Dembele grabbed the winner on 72 minutes to land the sucker punch to decide the contest.

Despite a late tally that saw Tom Eaves clip the crossbar, Siriki’s strike had knocked the stuffing out of the home crowd that had been behind their side up until that point in the game.

Following last Saturday’s defeat at Huddersfield, tempers flared as chants echoed around the stadium of ‘sacked in the morning’ were aimed at McCann on the City touchline.

As the home players sunk to their knees at the final whistle, boos rang out once more to add further insult to injury in a performance that should have secured all three points.

Given that goals and clear cut chances have been hard to come by, City carved out many openings that should have been enough to win three games, let alone one. Keane Lewis-Potter missed a hat trick of chances that should have put the game out of sight well before Magennis’ ill-fated penalty.

Crossroads again

There is definitely a sense of Deja Vue on Humberside, with the fractious relationship between the ownership and sections of the fanbase showing no signs of resolving itself anytime soon.

There are loud frustrations from supporters, and it is not a surprise that when they have been inside the home stadium, they have seen a crushing run of Championship results on either side of the pandemic. There are mental scars that can’t be healed watching games via the internet.

However, the news that McCann’s 15-year-old son was the target of messages on his Instagram account on Thursday from ‘supporters’ is certainly stepping way over the mark and unacceptable regardless of hang-ups with results.

He’s having a tough time and you may feel that he’s out of his depth at this level, but he’s trying his best and has a team working bloody hard for #hcafc – he doesn’t warrant vitriolic abuse and nor do his kids. Get a grip for crying out loud.

— Baz Cooper (@bazdjcooper) October 22, 2021

If any fans deserved to have supporters back inside the ground, it was City, who missed out on last seasons promotion celebrations, having suffered their miserable 2020 relegation from afar.

The manager, players, fans and owners have all had the opportunity to build bridges through that success, stolen from them through nobody’s fault. Connection is a powerful thing in football and the rapport developed by watching players sweat blood and tears on a Saturday afternoon and Tuesday evening will not have been fully appreciated from an arm chair.

However, you only would have to ask Sunderland fans about the scale of the promotion achievement. Whilst there was the expectation that Hull should bounce straight back up – doing it is another matter entirely. It was a job well executed.

Confidence

Whilst City fans have every right to feel disappointed, turning on the manager and ownership is doing nothing to help the group of players adapt to the demands of life in the Championship.

Whilst the manager has admittedly said he’s been around the game for too long not to understand his situation, a young group of players needs the backing of the supporters.

It is a big step up for the squad as individuals and the majority lack Championship experience. They will only improve with games, but ultimately, there is no hiding from results as performances don’t earn points, particularly in such an unforgiving division.

Last season, when faced with adversity, the manager was always confident that their quality would shine through if the players stuck to the game plan. However, the difference in standards this season is poles apart, and it is very much a learning process for his squad.

 

That’s not to say that they are in any way hiding from their responsibilities. Midfielder Greg Docherty was incredibly passionate in his post-match interview, giving his manager full backing.

“We obviously support the manager and we feel (the fans criticism) personally. It’s not good enough and it’s us, the players that are letting the management staff down. We are the ones on the pitch that have to deliver.

“It’s hurtful because you go from a winning mentality last year to quickly learning. The club has been here before, and ultimately it ended badly, but there’s plenty of time to turn this around.

“It’s tough, you don’t want to play football and lose games. You want to win games, you want to enjoy winning, and that feel-good factor, particularly because last year we didn’t have the fans in, and they never got to experience a really successful season.

“That’s long gone now, and you can take the praise but you need to take the slack and criticism. It’s part and parcel of being a footballer and If you don’t want to deal with it, you’re in the wrong profession. We are honest as players and we will tell each other. It’s up to us to turn things around and we need to do it quickly.”

Signings

Without the funds to go on a spending spree and sign players on big contracts, there is much to be said about the more modest approach the club has taken. There are no prima donnas within the group, and it is clear that the players are frustrated and hurting.

When City were relegated, McCann drew a line and let go of players that didn’t want to be at the club and brought in a set of young and hungry players.

The challenge has been to further bolster the squad in stepping up a division. Embargo aside, there may have been different signings in the summer, but realistically, Hull would have been looking at up and coming talent from the lower leagues regardless.

Options are limited when that up and coming talent is already the fabric of your existing squad in Jacob Greaves, Alfie Jones, Josh Emmanuel, Greg Docherty, Keane Lewis-Potter and Mallik Wilks all playing their part in the promotion season.

In the case of Emmanuel, he has been unfortunate but for him to want to stay at the club and fight for his place despite the outstanding form of Lewie Coyle speaks volumes about the environment he is working in.

To be trusted to convince Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea that their youngsters are better off developing at Hull City does not happen by chance. Di’Shon Bernard, Matt Smith and Nathan Baxter are all at City to improve.

McCann and his management staff are building a reputation within their game that they are on the right path regarding their footballing philosophy.

The players brought in have not been panic buys despite the restrictions. Ryan Longman, Randell Williams, Tyler Smith and Andy Cannon all fit the bill in terms of reinforcements that will hopefully improve over time.

Bringing the right journeymen in to complement that philosophy is a tricky pond to fish in. Tom Huddlestone has the potential to be the perfect foil for the more dynamic Docherty and Honeyman when fit. He has a great rapport with supporters, more so than any other player at the club but bringing in players that have already peaked in their careers, with no connection is a slippery slope.

No plan B

Reverting to a three at the back with a front two in the final ten minutes against Blackpool to grab a last-ditch point and in their 2-0 win over Middlesbrough, fans were dismayed that McCann had opted to change the formation after the international break.

Groans were evident as the manager went with his preferred 4-3-3 formation that had served his squad so well in last seasons promotion campaign.

Effectively switching to a back three when going on the offensive, as Smallwood dropped in next to the centre-halves, it allowed both Callum Elder and Lewie Coyle to get further up the pitch, and it certainly brought about positives.

Elder grabbed an assist for Magennis’s goal, and Coyle teased in two delightful balls into the box that Tom Eaves arguably could have done better with.

There were clear signs against Peterborough that with crucial players back out on the pitch, bar two changes, it was the side that won promotion and the familiarity of being around trusted teammates shone through in several passages of play.

Injuries

There is no question about the significance of the disruption on the injury front. George Honeyman has been the biggest miss as he has struggled to get fit since the back end of last season, having played through the pain barrier.

With key players returning from injury and now not too far away from getting his first choice eleven out on the pitch, patience is required to get them up to game speed. Tom Huddlestone’s reoccurring hamstring injury, however, is another blow to overcome with him out for the next six weeks.

“It’s probably the first time we’ve had the opportunity to play Docherty,  Honeyman, Wilks Magennis and Keane (Lewis-Potter), who were a big part of our team last season and contributed something like 85 goals to the team.

“Once they all get to the level that we know they can get to, I think things will start changing.” – Grant McCann

Navigating almost the perfect storm, on and off the pitch, putting differences to one side for the greater good of the club would be a step in the right direction for all concerned. With Hull averaging one of the lowest home attendances in the Championship, more fans inside the MKM Stadium would certainly aid the cause.

As Derby County have used to their advantage already this season,  adopting a siege mentality in the face of adversity can be a powerful motivational tool. Maintaining Championship status is the primary objective, and it doesn’t matter how it is achieved; by hook or by crook, City have to stay up this season and build on a foundation of a sustainable blueprint.

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