Andy Munro watches Blues lose on Humberside.
I suppose that it had to happen and perhaps the best way to cope with this comprehensive reverse is to recognise that even Manchester City and the Arsenal have their off days.
Hindsight, of course, is a wonderful thing but the inclusion of Spector was reminiscent of im Sherwood’s disastrous tactics against us in the first half of the Villa match. It certainly didn’t work because it meant that offensive support for Donaldson could only realistically be provided down the flanks which is unfortunately where Hull’s major strengths lay.
Gary Rowett described Hull City as the best side that we’ve faced, which is not surprising given their Premier League investment although they are not quite the Manchester City of the Championship. Rowett also blamed some poor refereeing but, on the day, it’s probably best to admit that we were beaten by a better side while we were, in turn, off the pace.
It could, of course, have been worse after we found ourselves two0nil down in the space of 15 minutes but we managed to stem the tide partly through the introduction of Cotterill and Shinnie. They gave some fresh attacking impetus which had the effect of making Hull think more about defending their lead rather than extending it.
This defeat need only be a temporary setback but with Wolves and Blackburn waiting in the wings. It will need some major emotional surgery from the manager and his backroom staff to restore the confidence and belief.
Hopefully, against the Wolves, Davies should be fit again and we will probably need his rumbustiousness on the day. It might also be sensible to give young Demarai a break and replace him with Cotterill who in addition to Maghoma should help give us the physical prowess that we will undoubtedly need against the Wolves.
Perhaps now is the right time to stick to my initial prediction that we will flirt with the play-offs and if we sneak into them then that will be a bonus.
