Ruben Selles sets Hull City squad new challenge as the Tigers prepare to face Swansea City.
City sit bottom of the table after 21 games of the Championship season
Ruben Selles says it’s time his Hull City side made a statement by beating Swansea City to break the cycle of negativity which has engulfed the struggling Tigers this season.
City face being bottom of the Championship at Christmas unless they can earn a first win in 14 attempts on Saturday, which is their worst run of form since 2002 when it spanned 15 games in the fourth tier.
Selles has overseen a draw and defeat in his two games as Tigers boss and will come up against an inconsistent Swansea outfit reeling from some very public criticism from their manager after throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Sunderland last weekend.
The Tigers have won just three times in 21, with only one of those victories coming at the MKM Stadium. And Selles is determined to try and break the cycle of doom in the final home outing before Christmas and of what has been a dismal 2024 in front of their own supporters with only three wins in the calendar year.
“It’s the only opportunity we have. We have only one game, and this in football goes quickly. You have only the next game, and this is the game that we need to do it (win). That is the feeling that we need to have,” Selles told Hull Live.
“It’s not an emergency, it’s not a now or never. It’s just the game is in front of us and that’s what we need to be prepared for. To go into the game, make a statement, make a good game, try to get the three points, get the three points at the end if we can, and then break with that negativity around the team and then move forward.
“Realistically, it’s always going to be the next game, and now we have that game in front of us. It’s a good game of football, it will be a good challenge, and we are ready for the battle.”
On Swansea, Selles has been impressed with what he’s seen from Luke Williams’ side in the early months of the campaign, even though their play-off challenge has faltered in recent weeks.
“They have a very clear identity of how they want to play the game,” he said. “They want be dominant in possession, they want to have some rotations with the runs and try to put the opposition on the back foot through those situations. I expect a difficult game. I expect a game as difficult as the Watford game at home, with some different movements and different tactics.
“I think we are as competitive as any other team in the league, so I expect that two good teams that are going to compete going to each other and it’s a nice challenge.”
