Hull City have five games to lift the doom and gloom around the MKM Stadium

Hull City's form at the MKM Stadium so far in 2024 has been nothing short of shambolic. Few could genuinely argue anything but that given their woeful record.

In 19 games played in front of their own supporters, City have won just three, lost five and drawn nine. Only Burton Albion and Carlisle United have worse records at home so far in the calendar year and, as it stands, both of those are heading for relegation from League One and Two respectively.

Against that backdrop, it's easy to see why fans were so disgruntled during and after last Saturday's second half display against Portsmouth, jeering and eventually booing their side off after a 1-1 draw. It may have been a point, and not a defeat, but it was the manner of that display which irked so much.

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Watching City at home this year has been, for the most part, a chore. There's been little joy and in truth, most games have been largely uneventful, boring affairs.

Staff away from the pitch have worked tirelessly to re-engage with supporters and lift crowds regularly above 20,000 and if things don't improve, as quickly as fans have come back, they'll stop. It was said to me this week that one youngster with a membership had become so fed up with what he was watching on the pitch, he didn't bother with the game against Pompey. When asked why, it was put simply because watching City is boring. Instead, his friends did something else.

And there is the danger, fans can easily switch off when what they're watching is dross. Fans want something to get hold of, something to cheer, something to be enthused by. They don't want the game kicking off and their side trudging back to their goalkeeper at walking pace, playing a few pointless passes in their six-yard box before losing the ball and conceding a shot - against the poorest team in the division.

Tim Walter has to shoulder some of the blame for what we've seen this season, just one home win in seven (if you include that Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday). But the dispiriting, demoralising run this year does include the final few games under Liam Rosenior. We know how damaging the home form was under the former manager in ensuring City missed out on the play-offs when it was firmly in their grasp.

Under Walter, however, things have gone backwards. City are often dull, and while there may be the odd nice move at times, we're not seeing much of it. They played well for 15 to 20 minutes and then fell apart against Pompey but that doesn't constitute a decent performance. It's a far cry from the expectation of the fast, free-flowing, attacking football we were expecting.

It's not been easy for the German, who celebrated his 49th birthday on Thursday, given the state of recruitment during the summer and losing key players like Liam Millar and now Mohamed Belloumi to long-term injuries. But the role of the head coach is to overcome adversity and rise above it.

That adversity has reached a crescendo this week. Oscar Zambrano's ban was confirmed before the defeat at Oxford United on Tuesday, which saw Walter jeered and heckled throughout the second half, while Belloumi, arguably the star of the season so far, has suffered a serious knee injury.

Just five home games remain before the end of the year starting with the visit of West Brom on Sunday, the final outing before the international break. From then, City host Wednesday again but in the league, followed by Blackburn Rovers, Watford and Swansea City to round off 2024 at the MKM Stadium. The Tigers kick off 2025 with two home games in quick succession against Middlesbrough on New Year's Day and then Leeds United.

Given the way City's play-off charge fell away in the second half of the season, and the start to the new campaign, 2024 has been a fairly difficult year so far for those supporters who pay a lot of money to see their side play. But it can still end on a high and at home, that's something Walter and his squad must look to achieve, with the fans right behind them.