Mission accomplished, but what now for Selles and Hull?

Some Hull City fans have barely had time to make it back to East Yorkshire from their Bank Holiday weekend on the south coast, but already talk of another possible managerial change is on their minds as it's our understanding the future of head coach Ruben Selles is under serious scrutiny heading into this summer.

Ultimately, Selles' remit when he was brought in last December was survival. Mission accomplished.

Was it perfect? No. Was it frustrating and disappointing at times? Absolutely. Did they have to overcome certain obstacles and challenges that hampered the ability to make greater progress? Undoubtedly.

However, what was left behind by the carnage of previous manager Tim Walter's short but damaging time in charge needed a lot of work to clean up.

Injuries played a big part. The slapdash recruitment of the summer hampered them greatly too.

Selles brought order and structure to how the team were being managed again after five months where at times they were doing a lot in terms of training but actually gaining very little, according to those close to the situation.

On the face of it, you can say he didn't improve the team enough. Scraping past the winning post on goal difference alone isn't much to write home about, but survival was the main target.

Walter managed just three wins from August to mid-November. Selles tripled that tally. A low bar, admittedly, but it shouldn't be discounted.

There have been some positive moments; a 3-3 draw at home to eventual champions Leeds United, a demolition of Sheffield United on their own patch, a gutsy and professional win at Sunderland and a badly-needed strong first-half performance at Portsmouth to set the table for the eventual survival-confirming draw.

And there have been some poor ones too; in key games at home to relegation rivals Luton and Derby in recent weeks, just to name a couple.

But it surely has to be a work in progress that needs time rather than rip it up and start again. The home form has to improve tenfold, Selles has to be braver with his selection, approach and substitutions at times (though maybe some of that was based on where they were in the table) and some players need to stand up and deliver their part.

Many fans, though not all, in the aftermath have made it abundantly clear that despite some of the shortcomings of both Selles and his side, he has their backing and the words 'stability' and 'consistency' have led the way in the many social media posts and comments about it.

It's clear that owner Acun Ilicali does things his way, whilst perhaps guided (or maybe misguided) by certain forces and influences around him.

However, he said in December that the main reason he sacked Walter just hours after saying the German's position wasn't under threat was down to overwhelming negative fan reaction towards the former Hamburg boss. So maybe in reverse that will be what keeps Selles in a job this time around.

What can't happen, and it's already got signs of it, is Hull City becoming another Watford, who have long been mocked for a 'manager of the month' approach to employment in that regard.

This is a pivotal, sliding doors moment for the owner. Which route will he take?

Change is clearly coming. I'm told Martin Hodge's appointment as new head of recruitment (working under sporting director Jared Dublin) is only the start of an overhaul of how things are done in terms of transfers, spending and off-field structure.

For those Tigers fans who've suffered greatly this season, anything to avoid a repeat of this dismal campaign.