Hull City sleepwalking into a relegation battle as Tigers frailties laid bare

It was a case of same old story for Hull City on Sunday afternoon as another home game came and went with 20,000 fans going home fed up.

City were competitive against a fairly mundane West Brom side who were gifted a couple of early goals and never really had to do much thereafter, aside from surviving a scare when Joao Pedro pulled one back before half-time and then Regan Slater headed over in the second period.

Like so many before them, Albion were content to let City knock the ball about at their leisure, safe in the knowledge they'd been given a couple of goals, and in truth, their most accommodating of Sunday luncheon hosts were probably not going to get back into the game, and so it proved.

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The result, a fourth defeat in a seven-game winless run left City outside the bottom three on goal difference with just three wins in their opening 15 games, and two weeks to prepare for a clash against fellow strugglers Luton Town, who may or may not have a new manager in place, should Rob Edwards move on.

Clinical edge

The Tigers were not without their chances and West Brom boss Carlos Corberan was keen to point that out, but once again, City couldn't take them, and that's becoming recurring theme this season, while at the other end, they conceded two goals meaning they've kept just one clean sheet in 15 league games.

You can't gift such goals and then expect to come back and get something out of it. Walter needed a bright start, especially to lift confidence around the ground, but within 20 minutes, you're 2-0 down, and the game is gone. While City battled back to give themselves a chance, they just couldn't claw a result.

They are creating openings, just as they did last week against Portsmouth and again at Oxford United in midweek, but from those three games, they've got just one point and that's relegation form.

Clean sheet, anyone?

City haven't had a clean sheet since the third game of the season when Millwall earned a 0-0 draw at the MKM Stadium, so it's now just one in their 15 games - 16 if you include the Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday's reserves.

However you dress that up, it's a worrying statistic. Walter was asked about that recently and he didn't seem concerned, instead retorting that his side should score more than the opposition. The problem with that, Tim, is that your team are unable to do that.

In 15 games so far, City have outscored their opposition on just three occasions - Stoke City, Cardiff City and QPR - so the history suggests they're not capable of doing that, and without that solid base, they're going to continually find it difficult to win games of football.

Heading into a relegation battle

That performance smacked of a side heading into a relegation battle. There wasn't a huge amount in the game, City huffed and puffed without threatening to recover from that awful start. Regan Slater should have scored in the second half when he headed wide, but that aside, they created very little of note.

There was no lack of effort, they gave what they had but ultimately, their lack of quality in the final third was evident once again and they just look a team destined for a battle to stay in the division.

City look devoid of quality in key areas, confidence and tactics that can get the best out of them. After 15 games, City are the 19th-worst team in the league, and unless they improve drastically, it's going to be a long, hard winter. That game at Luton Town later this month looks huge, though it remains to be seen who will be in charge of each respective club by the time that game comes around.

Ultimately, in the first 15 games, Walter's team are one that doesn't score enough goals, can't keep the ball out of their own net, doesn't win matches and loses at fairly regular intervals, so based on what we've seen so far, it's a fairly reasonable assessment to suggest they're in trouble.

The German, and others, may point to it being 'only 15 games in', and yes, that's fair, but once we get through this break, it'll soon be 20 and then 25 and so on, and before you know it, the season will slip away and if things don't improve quickly, teams that are at the bottom tend to get mired there for the duration.

Squad depth - or lack of

Suddenly, City's squad looks really light and almost a throwback to 2022 when Shota Arveladze was sacked and Andy Dawson thrust in charge prior to Liam Rosenior's appointment. The sight of Ryan Longman and Dogukan Sinik returning to the bench gave it a distinctly historical flavour, but there's a real concern now about the quality in Walter's squad.

Without Liam Millar, Mohamed Belloumi, Marvin Mehlem, Steven Alzate, Abu Kamara, and, although he's yet to play, Carl Rushworth, his squad looks lacking in depth, quality and, importantly, players who can make a difference in the top third of the pitch.

What happens next?

Well, that's the acid question. The November international break is a notoriously anxious one for under-performing managers given it's the last real opportunity for owners to give a new manager some time before the relentless run into March, coupled with the January transfer window.

Walter retains the backing of Ilicali, and Hull Live understands that remains the case despite the West Brom defeat, but the threat of a relegation battle is now a very real possibility, and the owner will be nervous.

So, while there is no expectation at this stage Walter's position is under threat, football can change quickly and therefore the next couple of weeks should be treated with an element of unpredictability.