Why? We didn't get the best out of Ebiowei either, it happens. We had a lot more hits than misses under Rosenior but no one's perfect.
4-4-2 was more common back in the days, I believe 10 also be a striker, and no.4 can be a sweeper, especially for 3-5-2
'We're in a jungle of transfers' admits Hull City owner Acun Ilicali as Tigers continue searchIt may have been a summer of significant change at Hull City with a flurry of players leaving along with manager Liam Rosenior, but owner Acun Ilicali remains bullish about the club's prospects for the upcoming campaign suggesting they can go one better. Rookie boss Rosenior guided City to a seventh-placed finish last term, missing out on the play-offs on the final day by three points in what was a hugely positive season for the Tigers, but the owner decided to change manager and with it, a big turnover of players at the MKM Stadium.By his own admission, Ilicali says Tim Walter's squad will not be ready for the start of the season this afternoon against Bristol City, though he hopes by the time the transfer window closes at 11pm on August 30, four league games into the campaign, the outlook will be a lot more positive with a squad that can score the goals required to get over the line in May.Things are hotting up, with Marvin Mehlem, Anthony Racioppi, Finley Burns and Liam Millar all arriving ahead of the opening weekend, in addition to Ryan Giles and Cody Drameh earlier in the summer. A striker is expected before the next Championship game at Plymouth Argyle next Saturday, and there will be more, particularly if, as they still hope, a deal to sign Charlie Hughes from Wigan can be secured. Despite Walter seemingly starting the season with an undercooked squad, Ilicali remains confident that the German will be able to mastermind a successful season in one of the most competitive Championship seasons we've seen for a long time. "I was dreaming of establishing a strong club in Europe," the Turkish owner said of his relationship with City. "We met very nice people in a very nice place in England. I have experienced many beautiful things. It has been a very good journey for me. Our team, which could be called below average in the first year we took the club, finished seventh this year. Our aim is to go further and take Hull City to the play-offs." The decision to dispense with Rosenior after a positive campaign, albeit one which ended in disappointment, was met with a surge of shock and surprise, but Ilicali remains confident that the appointment of former Hamburg boss Walter will bring the energy he's looking for. "In this new football period of my life, my adventure in England is going very well. We have met very nice people. The number of our fans is increasing day by day," he said, reflecting on a campaign which saw the MKM Stadium notch a very respectable attendance of just under 22,000, the highest since the Premier League campaign seven years earlier, with around 21,000 expected this afternoon for the season opener including an away following of around 800. "We have new plans for this year," the Turkish businessman said. "And number one is our coach, Tim Walter. He was our number one target for next season, he was the first name we went to. The reason is the excitement of the football he plays in Germany. He is a person who is appreciated and loved by all the fans in his city. "Of course, most importantly, he is a positive and good person. He makes us feel his energy every moment. Throughout my life, I have tried to achieve success by working with good people. We want to achieve new successes with our new coach. We will embark on a beautiful journey together. "We had a good season. In the comments in England, nobody expected us to be so successful at the beginning of the season. Turkey has also had a positive effect on the team. The team is motivated when they see this effect. We will always push for the Premier League and we are very assertive."While City will be keen to spend before the window closes, just as they did last season, they'll come up against bigger clubs with bigger budgets, but Ilicali says his side can overcome those challenges with a manager he believes can provide the difference, and one who believes this window will be transformative for the club. "We're playing five parachute teams with much bigger budgets than us. But can we do it? We can do it. We can beat these teams not with money but with intelligence. Both the players and the coach have this football intelligence. Therefore, I believe we will succeed."While fan concern remains about the lack of transfer business early in the window, Ilicali says he's content with waiting until later in August for one or two high-profile arrivals, just as we saw last term with the likes of Tyler Morton and Jaden Philogene coming in on a frantic deadline day which almost saw Jesurun Rak-Sakyi join the club, and they haven't given up hope of getting the Crystal Palace just yet, though it looks likely he'll go to Sheffield United. "More opportunities come after mid-August (after Premier League clubs finalise their squads). We got Jaden Philogene on the last day of recruitment, we got Tyler Morton on the last day of recruitment. That means we were successful last year," he continued. "It doesn't mean that we're gambling. We want to find the best guys and in order to find the best guys, you shouldn't be satisfied with every option. We're now in a jungle waiting for our targets, we're smelling them out and I'm sure we're going to find them."
I’m saying that Burns will be coming here hoping to be one of our starting centre backs and Man City will have loaned him in the hope that he’d be one of our starting centre backs. Whether he will, or not, depends on how good he is and having never seen him play, I’ve no idea how likely that is. Same as you.
I’ve seen every game he’s ever played and I’m still not sure but sticking my neck out He will play at cb in front of McLoughlin
Of course, but you haven't exactly answered my question which is the point Shark and I are making. It's an odd position to get a loan player in because it's much more competitive and less likely to see rotation than almost any other spot in the side. I wonder if the plan is to push him into midfield if we get Hughes, similar to how we used Jones in his first season.
And Tomori barely played, and Dishon only started maybe half the games for the season. Which is exactly my point. If as OLM says he's come here to play, then it suggests either Jones is dropping out or we aren't going to get Hughes, because otherwise he's not going to play a whole lot - unless we rotate him and Hughes which I guess we could do.
6 of those at CB, 17 starts at RB and 2 off the bench. Bernard 24 starts at CB for the season, so a touch over half the season. Mind you, in a much weaker, just promoted side too. Just highlighting it's a tough position to get the 30/35+ starts that Delap and Morton got further forward.
