Hull City

Hull City midfielder Matt Crooks says that despite having "so much quality in the squad", the side will need to bolster their numbers if they want to avoid another relegation battle next season.

The Tigers secured another year in the Championship after Crooks scored the opening goal, with Portsmouth not able to find more than an equaliser during their 1-1 draw.

It was a point that took them out of the bottom three on the final day, relegating Luton Town on goal difference instead.

"I think there's a comradery in the squad that can be built upon, but obviously, the Championship is a tough league," Crooks told BBC Radio Humberside.

"You need quality all over the pitch; I think we've got that, but we'll need to add to that if we want to improve our situation next year."

The season finale came as "a relief" to Crooks, who joined the club in January,, and is already looking forward to getting "a fresh start in the summer" with the club.

"Have a positive pre-season; that's what we've got to think about now," the 31-year-old added.

"The season is done. We can forget about it and focus on next season."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Mike White
BBC Radio Humberside, sports editor & Hull City commentator

Image source, Getty Images

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.

Hull City look to avoid relegation as they visit Portsmouth for their final match of the season on Saturday (12:30 BST).

The Tigers are currently residing in the last relegation spot but will find themselves making a last gasp grasp to safety if they take all three points at Fratton Park.

However, beating Portsmouth at home is no easy task.

Pompey have averaged 1.77 points per game at home this season, compared to 0.61 on the road, and will want to give their home fans a thank you performance for helping them secure a second season in the Championship.

• Portsmouth have lost two of their last three home league games against Hull City (W1), one more defeat than across their 14 meetings at Fratton Park (W5 D8).

• Hull City have won two of their last six league games against Portsmouth (D1 L3), with the pair drawing the reverse fixture 1-1 back in November last year.

• This will be the first time that Portsmouth have finished a league campaign in the second tier at home since a 3-0 victory over Barnsley at Fratton Park in May 2001.

• Since 2005, Hull have won just one of their 20 final games of a league campaign (D8 L11), a 5-1 home victory over Rotherham United in May 2016.

• Portsmouth have won just one of their seven league games against sides from Yorkshire this season (D4 L2); they last faced sides from the county as many times with as few wins during the 1960-61 season (one win in eight).

"If you would have said that, three or four weeks ago, Preston are going to have to go to the last day of the season to get a result, you'd be like no, no chance," former Reading midfielder Jobi McAnuff tells the 72+ podcast.

McAnuff and Aaron Paul are joined by former Barnsley manager Darrell Clarke as they discuss the upcoming Championship relegation fight and who they think is most at risk.

For McAnuff, it's Hull City and Preston North End that "are in trouble".

Hull sacked former boss Liam Rosenior after finishing seventh in the Championship last season, but have struggled since his departure and are currently sitting in the bottom three, a point away from safety.

Meanwhile, Preston are among three teams just a point above and have been dragged into the relegation fight after a winless run of seven games - and it's the Lancashire side Clarke is most concerned about.

"I just think to myself, they've dropped off a cliff, they've got Bristol City away, I fancy Hull to get something at Portsmouth," Clarke said.

"Fratton Park is a difficult place to go to... but they are on holiday aren't they?"

Listen to the full episode and more on the Football Daily podcast.

Image source, Getty Images

Hull City captain Lewie Coyle has said it is his responsibility to keep the squad upbeat about their chances of Championship survival.

City's 1-0 home defeat at relegation rivals Derby County saw the Tigers fall into the relegation zone and one point from safety ahead of their final match of the season at Portsmouth on Saturday.

"It's my responsibility to pick the lads up when we come back in on Monday with full focus ahead to try and win the game against Portsmouth," Coyle told BBC Radio Humberside.

"I am going to make sure this next week I'm really upbeat and I'm really positive.

"Everybody is fully against us with how it now looks but not me and not this squad.

"We'll go into next week and we'll make sure we do everything we can to win the game."

Image source, PA Media

Hull City head coach Ruben Selles spoke to BBC Radio Humberside after his side was beaten 1-0 by Derby County to drop into the relegation places.

"The entire game changed when we conceded that goal and they managed the time at the end," he said.

"It was that final pass or the finishing action which we lacked. I don't think they were at any moment threatening us, we limited them to two shots and paid the price for not defending that set-piece well.

"I don't think our final product was good enough but I think we invested enough to get something from the game today.

"I think the players were as focused as they could be. The reality was the game was about one goal and in one action we lost it."

Victory for Hull City on Saturday (15:00 BST) will assure them of Championship football next season, while a win for Derby could move them within sight of another campaign of second-tier football.

• Hull City have won just one of their past 11 league games against Derby (D2 L8), beating them 2-0 in October 2019.

• Derby have alternated between winning (five) and not winning (D1 L3) in their past nine away games against Hull, beating them 1-0 on their last visit in August 2021.

• Hull won their last league game against Preston, but only once this season have the Tigers won consecutive league games (three in a row in September-October).

• Having won just one of their first 18 away league games this season (D5 L12), Derby have now won two of their past four on the road (D1 L1).

• Only Luton have scored fewer goals (41) and have a lower shot conversion rate (8.3%) than Hull City in the Championship this season (43 goals, 8.6% conversion).

Image source, Rex Features

Joao Pedro hopes he can save Hull City from the drop in the final two games of the season.

The Tigers sit two places and two points ahead of the drop zone ahead of the visit of Derby, one place below, to the MKM Stadium on Saturday (15:00 BST), with a trip to Portsmouth to follow on 3 May.

The 33-year-old Brazilian has scored just six goals in 33 appearances since arriving in August after spending last season on loan at Turkish side Fenerbahce from Gremio in his homeland, but hopes to finish the campaign on a high.

Speaking through an interpreter, the former Cagliari forward told BBC Radio Humberside: "I am happy, even if the season could be more productive.

"I found a club which is well organised, this league is tough but the fans are excellent, they are passionate and they support the team.

"This is exactly what I needed – a team that would enable me to put fire in my game and play beautiful football.

"The two previous seasons in Turkey and Brazil were tough - I needed this, the love to play football again."

The last of his six goals came at Bristol City on 8 March, arriving moments before he was sent-off for violent conduct and banned for three games.

Joao Pedro added: "I had no bad intentions. It's a matter of interpretation for me and the ref. I tried to protect both of us. I am sorry I affected the team, but it happens in football, it's part of the game.

"What we want the most now is to finish the season well and achieve our main goal.

"I have no doubts that we will overcome the situation with the help of teammates, leadership, the manager, the fans – together.

"We do not deserve to be in this situation. I don't fear we will have a bad ending. We will have to work hard, it will be tough, we need to improve, but I want to play some good games and save Hull City."

Joao Pedro's one-year contract expires this summer but he says it's 'too early' to think about next season, adding: "I am very happy to be here, it's early to be thinking about next season.

"It's not worth putting energy onto this because right now we are in an important time of the season, we want to finish well and I hope we can save Hull City from this delicate situation."

Image source, Getty Images

Hull City's Joe Gelhardt says the Tigers must "take more risks" when they attack to help get the results they need to stay in the Championship.

Only relegation rivals Luton Town (41) have scored fewer goals than the 43 Hull have managed across 44 games this season.

Ruben Selles' side came from behind to beat Preston 2-1 on Easter Monday in what was only the ninth league match in which they've scored two or more goals.

"We want to score goals, and I think we need to take more risks in the final third sometimes," Gelhardt told BBC Radio Humberside.

"If the ball isn't in the box, you're never going to score, so at some point we know we've got to take more risks and have more shots on goal - or even crosses into the box - and flood the box."

Three of the teams below Hull - who are two points clear of the drop zone in 20th - also won on Monday, but Gelhardt says he's looking up the table.

"As long as we get the three points, it doesn't matter what's going on around us," said the Leeds loanee, who has scored three goals in 16 games since arriving in January.

"Preston were four points ahead of us; now it's one, so instead of looking down at other teams, let's look up and try and catch other teams.

"That's my perspective on it."

Hull welcome 21st-placed Derby County for what Gelhardt described as a "massive" encounter on Saturday afternoon.

"We will do everything we can this week in preparation to come back here and get the three points," he added.

"We're all fully focused on that, and we'll do what it takes."

Listen to Joe Gelghardt's interview on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Hull City head coach Ruben Selles says the victory over Preston North End was "simply massive" in their battle to avoid relegation.

Joe Gelhardt scored two second-half penalties as the Tigers came from a goal down to defeat North End.

With three of the four teams below them winning, Hull needed this result to maintain a two-point cushion above the relegation zone.

And with just two games to go, Hull welcome Derby County - the team immediately below them - on Saturday in a pivotal match.

"I know in this part of the season things become so tight and emotional that every moment and action is crucial," Selles told BBC Radio Humberside.

"At the end it was a fantastic feeling.

"In the second half we showed what we want to be. We showed a lot of character.

"I'm happy for the boys because they have been working hard to get the points and we didn't get as many as we wanted or as we deserved but it doesn't matter right now because the attitude has always been good.

"The three points today is simply massive to keep us with the two-point advantage and gives us the belief and feeling that we have been trying to find."