Having missed out on the play-offs by a single place, optimism was high at Hull City at the end of the last campaign going into the 2024-25 season. But as the summer wore on, that good feeling quickly evaporated and now, five games into the Championship season, it appears to have completely left the MKM Stadium.
Why though? Here are three reasons behind the Tigers’ poor start to the season.
Severe Financial Restrictions
Despite the on-field positives last season, it was clear finances were going to be an issue going into this one. The club put all their eggs in one basket in going for promotion by the play-offs, and missing out has hurt them more than anyone could have imagined. They went for expensive loans and ambitious deal at the start of Acun Ilicali’s ownership, with the aim of achieving promotion as soon as possible rather than being patient. From when the Turk bough the club up until this window, they had a net spend of £10 million which is not insignificant for the second tier, signing various Premier League quality players, but failing to capitalise.
If anything, their strategy in when they wanted to achieve promotion, rather than the actual signings, is what has hurt them. They would have been best placed waiting for a year and consolidating in the Championship before executing their plan this season where the division is weaker and so promotion more likely, which would offset the spend in trying to go up.
By trying this strategy a year too early, they spent too much in a strong division they were unlikely to get out of and so are less likely to succeed this year, where they effectively have one hand tied behind their back due to being able to spend less. A simple decision of financial strategy, of risk and reward, which hasn’t paid off and ultimately has come back to bite them.
Recruitment Has Been Poor
This is a factor brought on by the club’s financial situation, but even so, you would have expected better from Hull in the transfer market this summer. This window was always going to be a selling one, where they try and recoup money from players moving up to the Premier League with Hull not going up. With the sales of key players, signings have been necessary, but they’ve had to be on the cheap which ultimately hasn’t worked.
The main issue on the recruitment front has been who has left and the near impossible job of replacing them. The likes of Jacob Greaves and Jaden Philogene have both made top-flight moves, albeit for decent fees, which has helped the club’s coffers. But arguably more painful has been the high pedigree, peak age players who have left for very little. Ozan Tufan, for example, has returned to Turkey after establishing himself as a fans favourite, while Jean Michel Seri has moved to the Middle East, leaving a gap in quality and experience in the midfield. Key loanees such as Liam Delap and Fabio Carvalho have also left, making the squad almost unrecognisable from last season.
In terms of incomings, these have been fairly scattergun and look as if they will take time to gel. Ultimately, they don’t appear to be the same quality as the outgoings, which will leave the squad weaker. There’s promise in the likes of Charlie Hughes and Mohamed Belloumi but they aren’t star men yet and will need time to adapt to the league. A rebuild may be on the cards, but in the short-term, the squad looks weaker and unsettled.
The Tactics Aren’t Working
As well as in the market, there’s also upheaval on the pitch with a new man in the dugout. Hull have swapped the steady pragmatism of Liam Rosenior for the chaos (and that’s putting it mildly) of former Hamburg boss Tim Walter. Heavy pressing and edge-of-your-seat build-up is now on the agenda, and its initial implementation has had its problems.
There’s already been some disasters when playing out from the back, with the players not bedded in enough to be capable of doing so just yet, especially with new signings. Once the press has been broken, however, problems still remain. There’s not enough cutting edge going forward to score, and there is very little presence in the midfield which leads to turnovers.
These turnovers of possession are ultimately where the main issue lies. The defensive line is so unbelievably high – in their own attacking half in fact – that offside is often out of the question with attackers waiting to pounce on the last line of defence. Therefore, when Hull lose the ball one simple pass over the top or through the lines completely kills them and the opposition are through on goal.
These issues mean Hull are conceding too many and scoring too few – a dreadful combination. Whether the tactics are tailored to be less extreme or whether they are persisted with until the players are more comfortable remains to be seen, but something needs to change on the pitch or these problems will just keep coming up.
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