HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday night’s home game against table-topping Hull City by delving into their forums.

“So, are we going up or what?”, “If anyone said last August we would be a point clear at the top of the league with a third of the season to go, I’d have taken it, wouldn’t you?”, “Having a fully-fit squad, top of the league and players appearing to be happy, I have to say it looks quite easy.”

The Tigers arrive at Portman Road on a run of form which has seen them win five of their last seven league games with the only reverse coming at Burnley at the start of the month. Morale was further boosted when a heavily altered team secured a 0-0 draw at Arsenal in the FA Cup on Saturday.

“There is no such thing as a tough fixture for us in this league”, “Only Hull City can stop Hull City going up as champions”, “All the signs suggest as much but based on what we have seen this season we could just as easily lose seven in a row and drop out of the promotion places altogether.”

Success has been built on a squad which most Tigers believe to be the strongest in the division. “We have the best squad in this league. We actually have a squad that should be quite comfortable in the Premier League. If we don’t get promoted it will be an absolute catastrophe.”

“There is so much quality in our squad we should be cruising but we know better than that”, “The inner doubts that come with being a City fan are hard to shake off”, “It would be dramatic if we didn’t get promoted, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we finished third and suffered in the play-offs.”

Some Tigers are urging caution. “Too much positivity doesn’t sit comfortably with me I have been around City too long so please stop it, thank you”, “It’s looking good but I wouldn’t say ‘nailed —on certainties’. Rivals are having bad runs but I don’t expect that to go on forever.”

Steve Bruce

“I’m pretty fed up of Bruce’s attitude that our ambition is to draw games away from home first, and if it’s looking good then go for the win. It cost us in the Premier League and it’s potentially going to cost us this season”, “That’s okay if you are in a relegation battle but not if you want promotion.”

“Too many English managers emphasise not losing as opposed to trying to win it.” Despite City’s high position in the table, their manager has been regularly criticised for being “far too cautious and far too negative”, “We all know from Steve Bruce’s tactics that he simply does not do high risk.”

Despite a perfect record of six wins in January which earned him the Manager of the Month title, he was not above criticism. “We only conceded two goals in all of January but they were both late goals after taking our strikers off and going all-out defensive mode from a winning and cruising position.”

Bruce does have his supporters. “Can we give this whole ‘Bruce out’ thing a rest now? It’s getting boring”, “He’s a manager with a track record second to none in getting out of this division”, “He has kept Birmingham, Sunderland and Wigan up so to say he’s not good enough is far wide of the mark.”

Formation

Quality and balance are the two words which instantly spring to mind when looking at Hull’s set-up. Success has been built on two solid banks of four players. Wingers, overlapping full-backs and an advanced midfielder or withdrawn striker link with the attacking focal point of Abel Hernandez.

“Give the front players some freedom to express themselves. It seems that everyone has to rigidly stick to a formation with no flexibility. It’s a little too predictable.” Fans have criticised the team’s conservative style of play and would “like to see more players in the box to create some havoc”.

The line-up above has started the Tigers’ last two league fixtures at Blackburn and at home to the Seagulls. It would be a surprise if we see many alterations at Portman Road as centre-back Curtis Davies was the only player from this team to start Saturday’s FA Cup game at the Emirates Stadium.

It is worth noting that Brighton successfully managed to stifle them in their last home game. “We need to get better at unlocking teams when they come to frustrate us. We should stop the ridiculous habit of being over-reliant on crosses and start playing more through balls down the middle.”

“I was wondering how much people would be willing to risk for more adventurous and attacking football. Most of us would have like to see this but the Brighton game is a good example where such tactics often come undone. We nearly went down to a late goal against them. They were no mugs.”

The team which started at the Emirates (above) was set out in a defensive 3-5-2 formation with three industrious midfielders screening the defence. Such was their strength in depth, Bruce gave quality fringe players Nick Powell, Ryan Taylor and Shaun Maloney some much needed game time.

One concern repeatedly voiced by supporters has been the lack of adequate cover for keeper Allan McGregor and striker Abel Hernandez. The performance of Eldin Jakupovic between the posts at the Emirates who was “simply quite unbeatable on the day” will have eased concerns on one front.

Tigers have been frustrated by one repeated tactic employed by Bruce. “Can we stop taking strikers off and conceding late goals? It just keeps on happening”, “Bruce is getting the majority of things right. I don’t understand why he persists with this awful strategy which does nothing to improve us.”

Arsenal 0 — 0 Hull (FA Cup)

“The greatest defensive performance since the siege of Mafeking, Baden-Powell would have been proud”, “We have just taken the B team to the Emirates and every one of them played out of their skin to get that result”, “The lads did us proud, it was a real battling performance.”

Having been eliminated by the Gunners in the Cup in each of the last two seasons, Tigers were proud of their team’s performance in taking this fifth round tie to a replay. Keeper Jakupovic and midfielder Nick Powell were singled out for praise, as was the manager for getting his tactics right.

“Credit to Bruce for his line-up”, “Steve Bruce got it right, his tactics were spot on and the game plan was put into practice by his team”, “The lads did well, kept their shape and stayed compact”, “The best City performance I have seen this season”, “The replay should be tasty.”

Hull 0 — 0 Brighton

“Dour”, “Not an exciting game”, “Brighton came for a draw, parking the bus in fact. They packed the midfield and were happy to pass the ball around their own back four all night”, “A point was about the right result. Neither side deserved to win”, “It was the right result in the end.”

Tigers praised Brighton boss Chris Hughton for setting his team out successfully to stifle their hosts after a quiet game in which chances were few and far between. Tom Huddlestone and Sam Clucas forced good saves from Seagulls’ keeper David Stockdale in an otherwise uneventful game.

“Two teams cancelling each other out”, “Hughton got his tactics spot on. Bruce didn’t and neither did he adjust during the match”, “We did not break Brighton down. We pumped a lot of balls high into their centre-backs”, “If we learned to attack with gusto we could have taken all three points.”

“I have no problem with team selection. My concern is the length of time it takes to change things if it isn’t working”, “Bruce admitted that Brighton went 4-5-1 and he wasn’t expecting it”, “His answer was to build very slowly from the back”, “He sat back hoping something would magically change.”

Blackburn 0 — 2 Hull

“A nice three points there”, “We never hit top gear but didn’t have to. We were solid, disciplined, professional and never looked in danger”, “A pretty routine three points achieved at little more than a canter”, “City were fine and definitely deserved the win but we weren’t spectacular.”

Goals by Hernandez on 53 minutes and Mo Diame 10 minutes later saw the Tigers home to what was a routine win at Ewood Park. “Rovers were poor and we weren’t a lot better in the first half but we started with far more purpose in the second and could easily have ended up with three or four.”

Tom Huddlestone took advantage of the time given to him to use his passing game effectively. “They seemed to give us plenty of room to play, which I wasn’t expecting”, “Blackburn had around three threatening moments in the game but with no Jordan Rhodes now the risk was much less to us.”

Goalkeepers and Defenders

“Allan McGregor may have cost us five points this season so far. That said, he has saved more than five points thus far so remains in credit.” The 34-year-old ex-Rangers keeper “made two crucial saves at important times [in a 1-0 win at Fulham last month] and had a good command of his area.”

“With McGregor pulling off saves like he used to, it’s looking good”, “One of our better players this season”, “It was his error parrying a freekick that led to the Burnley goal. He struggled with every ball put into the box”, “It was a shocking afternoon, non-stop rain or sleet. I would not blame him.”

“If you run at defenders with pace and get to the byline, things happen”, “It was Moses Odubajo’s determination that created the match-winning penalty at Fulham.” The 22-year-old ex-Brentford right-back was praised for his performance at Craven Cottage. “Well done Dave, brilliant defending.”

“Odubajo has been a great signing with his marauding runs”, “He made one amazing block to deny Fulham a certain goal and a great run into the box to win the penalty”, “Moses’s block was Godlike”, “Defensively sound and a consistent attacking force and a flash of raw pace”, “Mr Everywhere.”

“Andrew Robertson is improving all the time as a defender and is diligent in his duties at the back”, “He is buccaneering in attack and solid in defence.” The 21-year-old ex-Dundee United left-back “is always trying to create although his final ball can let him down”, “His clearances can be sloppy.”

“Robertson started well against Brighton with a peach of a cross but his head went down after he made a couple of mistakes”, “He was very good at Burnley but it is obvious that he hangs on to the ball a touch too long on occasion. When he did whip a quick cross in it caused all sorts of problems.”

“Harry Maguire is getting better game by game.” The 22-year-old ex-Blade started at Arsenal and has covered Michael Dawson’s recent absence with a knee injury. “He has impressed me with his calmness on the ball every time I see him play”, “He was confident carrying the ball out of defence.”

“I like Maguire but he has more mistakes in him than Davies or Dawson. The brilliant save McGregor made at the end of the Fulham game was because Maguire got too excited and gave away a silly freekick”, “He could play a holding midfield role given how well he carries the ball out of defence.”

“Josh Tymon won’t forget the Arsenal game in a hurry.” The 16-year-old left-back and youth product is unlikely to feature on Tuesday but his name is worth noting after playing well against Bury and the Gunners in City’s Cup run. “He had an astonishingly composed game not once looking out of place.”

“Curtis Davies was rock-solid and marshalled the defence at the Emirates.” The 30-year-old ex-Aston Villa and Birmingham centre-back “is back to his best”, “He organised the defence well, was a brick in the middle and put in a great shift”, “He repeated his Cup final heroics without scoring a goal.”

“Davies can be less confident without Dawson. He can be a worry and that’s why he was out of the team for a while”, “He’s looking like the Curtis of two seasons ago”, “Leads by example”, “Our best attacking forays against Brighton were Curtis bringing the ball forward”, “Rocklike.”

Michael Dawson

“Dawson brings certain calmness to the back four.” The 32-year-old captain and former Spurs and Forest centre-half “is a calm head in defence when things are getting a bit edgy”, “Good to see him back”, “He makes defending look relentlessly easy”, “He is simply impassable and has to play.”

“You don’t leave your best centre-back out of important games”, “Dawson is essential for our team against big opponents in the air”, “He is essential combating an aerial threat”, “He made sure Akpom took the confidence-boosting penalty at Bury”, “Our most accomplished and experienced defender.”

Central Midfielders

Manchester United loan signing Nick Powell may have played his way into contention after doing well at the Emirates on Saturday. The 21-year-old “looked class and looked like he was trying to prove a point”, “He’s a creative player but looked defensive enough to play a central midfield role.

“David Meyler gallops his heart out.” The 26-year-old ex-Sunderland man “isn’t the most skilful City player on display but his guts and determination are outstanding”, “One thing you will always get with him 100 per cent. He isn’t the most gifted player but makes up for it with his spirit and desire.”

“Meyler doesn’t play a deep midfield role. He’s normally the one closing down in the opposition half and making runs into the box”, “With his ability to score goals he might be more effective further up the pitch. He lacks quality and consistency to be a regular top-flight player but can do a job for us.”

“Like Meyler, Isaac Hayden can’t pass”, “He and Meyler give the ball away too much”, “Hayden did his job well at Fulham and roughed up their older players a treat. He is just what we need, a tiger in midfield to go with Livermore”, “If we go up, Bruce has already said we will be bidding for him.”

“Delighted Hayden is getting a chance”, “He could be anything really.” The 20-year-old is on a season-long loan from Arsenal. “He is a tidy player who puts in a very good shift”, “Before his emergence I was worried about us playing two games a week but Bruce is rightly rotating him in midfield.”

“I wouldn’t lose any sleep if Mohamed Diame went, too many slow, half-baked attempts to track back”, “If we get promoted we will need him. Skill is permanent.” The 28-year-old ex-Hammer “is a creative player who can produce something out of nothing but in some games it can be nothing”.

“Diame too often drifts out of the game”, “I can’t be picking players because they have tonnes of natural ability and a game-changer when in the mood”, “He has been lacklustre for a bit”, “He can be brilliant at picking up crosses but you never know if he is going to be awesome or pointless.”

Jake Livermore

“It gets boring every week voting for Jake as man of the match.” The 26-year-old ex-Spurs man “is consistently the stand-out midfielder in the team. In fact he’s probably the best midfielder in the league”, “We needed to niggle Brighton and knock them out of their stride but Only Jake did that.”

“Goodness me that boy’s work-rate is astounding.” The former Town loanee “works tirelessly”, “He battles hard but is let down when he plays alongside Huddlestone”, “He struggled against the three-man midfield of Fulham. Their sharp passing game forced him to play just a containing game.”

Tom Huddlestone

“I just don’t get Huddlestone at all. We play at half the pace and look like we have absolutely no bite in midfield”, “He is good against teams like Blackburn that give him time and space but I’m not sure most teams will do that”, “He made a difference with superb passes that were a joy to behold.”

“A player of his ability should be a real boss for us.” The 29-year-old ex-Spurs midfielder “sees players in space before they are even in it and thinks on the spot despite not being very quick off the mark. How often have we seen him juggle the ball from one foot to the other and leave his man standing?”

“Tom doesn’t suit teams that press the ball as he passes back and sideways”, “A brilliant football brain and easily our most talented footballer but weaknesses such as tracking back, lack of pace and slow turning stop him being one of the best although great on his day”, “Not enough days for me.”

Wide Midfielders

“I don’t see a way back for Abel Elmohamody, other than injuries or as a bit-part player. Snodgrass looks so much better in a wide right role.” The 28-year-old ex-Sunderland man “looked lively when he came on at Blackburn. A kick up the backside probably did him good.”

“Sam Clucas and Robertson need to connect and tear teams apart down the left.” The 25-year-old ex-Chesterfield winger “was a bit iffy in some of his early games but has been good overall. He has settled down and rightly become part of our squad”, “He is Mr Perpetual Motion, no faulting his work-rate.”

Clucas struggled against Brighton. “He passed backwards for most of the game and kept losing the ball”, “How did he stay on the pitch? We might as well have had 10 men”, “He looked scared of Brighton’s right-back, barely finding a team-mate. Nervous and weak, he should have been hooked.”

Robert Snodgrass

“Things didn’t come off for Snodgrass against Brighton but at least he was trying to make things happen.” The 28-year-old ex-Canary “looks fully fit at last and is playing with some enthusiasm”, “Charging like a rampaging bull”, “A big mention in praise of his work-rate”, “He is massive for us.”

“Snodgrass is still working back to fitness after his serious knee injury but the way to get fitter is to play”, “He’s organised, skilful and his set-pieces and crosses are actually aimed at our players”, “He offers us more direct running and whipped set pieces”, “He’s showing us what we have missed.”

Strikers

“The days of Sone Aluko being a class act are long gone. He looks like a Conference player with his hesitation to shoot, first touch of a donkey and a goalscoring threat akin to Aaron McLean. It’s a shame because when he first came he looked a very good player capable of the Premier League.”

“Aluko is an enigma really.” The 26-year-old ex-Rangers man is mostly used as an impact substitute. “He has the skill to beat people but does it much too deep. What’s the point dummying an opponent and beating the next one with quick swerve 40 yards out?”, “He was our best forward but now isn’t.”

“I’m not sure I would take Chuba Akpom on a free transfer.” The 20-year-old is on a season-long loan from Arsenal. “He seems to have an attitude problem. When things don’t go right for him he tends to throw his toys out of the pram”, “He’s a bit immature but on form he is a good striker.”

“Akpom has pace but he also misses great chances”, “He scored a hat-trick at Bury [in the FA Cup] but didn’t do much in general play”, “A good player with a touch of class but can’t play up top on his own”, “He will have a great career, though sadly it’s more likely to be at Leyton Orient than Arsenal.”

Abel Hernandez

“We have at last found a forward who scores goals and lots of them.” The 25-year-old ex-Palermo man was Championship Player of the Month in January having netted six times, including a hat-trick in a 6-0 rout of Charlton. “He is fast and incisive and he is looking like our best striker ever.”

“Vamos Uruguay!” The Uruguay international “is ace, what a finisher”, “He is becoming what we all hoped he would be”, “Blackburn’s Elliott Ward’s head may have just stopped spinning”, “He is more suited to latching on to through balls rather than crosses”, “A lethal poacher in the six-yard box.”

“The team selection and structure allows him to showcase his talents”, “If Abel gets injured then it makes a huge difference to us.” He has been regularly substituted late on in games. “Why does Bruce keep taking him off?”, “If you are trying to chase a win then you cannot take Hernandez off.”

Tigers’ Views on ITFC and the Game

With most discussion revolving around Saturday’s FA Cup heroics, Tigers have had nothing to say about Tuesday’s fixture apart from acknowledging its greater importance in the scheme of things. I will update the forum on Tuesday afternoon if there is any interesting discussion of the game to report.

Websites

The busiest Tigers’ forum these days is the lively and informative Not 606. Interesting additional comment and opinion can also be found on the City Independent.

@HarryFromBath

Photo: Action Images

TR11BLU added 12:10 - Feb 22 Mick an Bruce obviously went to the same school of substitutions then... Great read as ever Harry, looking forward to this one. Just hope we put on a better show than the Tuesday night shambles up there earlier in the season.
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Bluebell added 12:23 - Feb 22 Thanks as always Harry. I hate to say it but if they can draw against Arensal with a much changed team, what are they going to do to us with our injury hit squad? I will remain positive though and as it is a Tuesday evening game and our unbeaten record for Tuesday games is still intact, I will go for a 0.0 draw although desperately hoping it we will win.
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iaintaylorx added 12:24 - Feb 22 Always a great read, well done. In my opinion, this Hull side is the best in the division. Middlesborough and Burnley are both good sides but Hull have proven premiership quality all over the pitch. Two good keepers after Jakupovic against Arsenal showed his class, two solid centre back and full backs. Diame, Livermore, Huddlestone, Nick Powell, all class acts in the middle of the park and they have frightening pace with Hernandez up top and a guy who is a typical poacher - scoring goals. It will be the toughest home game of the season for us and I would be incredibly happy to come out this with a point. We can't sit back and defend from the off and all their pressure with eventually tell. I hope we get a point, but I won't be too distraught if we did lose as there are three winnable games after this Tuesday. Come on town, put in a performance and lets hope Hull have got a bit cocky after the Arsenal game and we snatch a late 1-0 win!

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LankHenners added 13:09 - Feb 22 Thanks Harry - if our Tuesday night record goes at any point, it will be tomorrow I fear. An incredibly tough game as it is without a depleted squad - I remember at the away game we were short on numbers and bar the first 30 mins it was men against boys and they could have had 5 or 6. Thinking optimistically, this is exactly the sort of game we'll win and I'd like to think we have enough to at least get a point here. A win and it will be a huge boost all around.

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GeoffSentence added 14:55 - Feb 22 With Hull fans coming down from next year's European City of Culture the whole town needs to raise its cultural game to avoid embarrassment.
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ericclacton added 15:45 - Feb 22 Hull City, the last time eye sore them at the fortress they beat us 2-1 Woody scoring for us. They have a squad that we can only dream of having, weather that assures them of victory remains to be seen.............Up the Town Harry!!!!
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Seasider added 16:45 - Feb 22 Having read that Harry,only makes me more nervous about us losing our Tuesday record. Ex Spurs midfield vs our lot could be key
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IpswichT62OldBoy added 17:13 - Feb 22 Thanks Harry, I hope they pay you for this, it is quality every time. We can be a stumbling block for Hull, we are a tough fixture to come to on a Tuesday night. I assume they will travel down on herring trawlers having set off on Saturday so will still be a bit wobbly.
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Wark_On added 19:34 - Feb 23 Just wanted to acknowledge the effort that goes into these reports Harry. Great use of quotes and always informative.
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