Ruben Selles must fix alarming Hull City issue that is among the worst in the EFL | OneFootball

The Tigers' home form this season is up there with the worst in the country

Hull City's inconsistent season continued on Tuesday night, as they were defeated 2-1 by a streetwise Queens Park Rangers at the MKM Stadium.

Just over three months ago, the Tigers executed a similar gameplan in West London against their most-recent opponents, who have since gone on to record eight of their nine victories this season after November 27th, and are now just four points behind the play-off places after keeping faith with Marti Cifuentes.

Hull, of course, had very little choice but to dismiss Tim Walter in November and appoint the highly-rated Ruben Selles.

The improvements which City have made since the Spaniard's first game in charge against Watford have been evident in a handful of outings. But, the midweek defeat against the R's is up there with one of the performances and results which sum up Hull's current predicament, and further highlights an alarming stat which needs to be addressed if they are to stave off relegation.

Hull City's struggles at the MKM Stadium continue

Even prior to this campaign, Hull's struggles for form on their own patch isn't anything new, as they have won just 26 out of 84 matches on home soil since returning to the Championship.

During the season of Acun Ilicali's takeover in East Yorkshire, then-head coach Shota Arveladze opted for a superstitious approach to achieve the first of his four victories in HU3, as Hull wore their 'blackout' away kit in victory over Cardiff City in April 2022.

One relatively strong burst of home form did come under his successor, Liam Rosenior, as Hull suffered just one home defeat between November 2022 and October 2023.

But, since then, it has largely been a tale of misery for Tigers supporters, who have seen just four victories at the MKM since a 3-2 win over Blackburn Rovers on December 29th, 2023.

Ironically, both of their two successes this season have come through 4-1 and 2-1 scorelines against the South Wales duo of Cardiff City and Swansea City. However, the overall picture is an extremely bleak one for Selles and his chargers.

Unsurprisingly, City continue to have the worst home record in the second tier this season with a tally of 12, whilst also having the worst goalscoring record (15) and joint-worst defensive record (20) alongside Plymouth Argyle and Sheffield Wednesday.

What's worse is that only three teams in the EFL have worse records on home turf, and two of those crop up the 92 in the form of Carlisle United and Morecambe, whilst Burton Albion have also failed to turn form around at the Pirelli Stadium.

Hull's lack of efficiency in these matches was once again evident against QPR, as despite bettering the ninth-place side in terms of attempts, shots on target and final-third entries, they were made to pay as Kenneth Paal and Koki Saito punished two forms of

lackadaisical defending in quick succession.

Hull City's remaining home matches could decide their fate

Whilst there has been an improvement in terms of performance under Selles, the results haven't always been there to match, which is the key reason behind City's current predicament.

Strong home form is always the foundation on which short and long-term success is built upon, and it's something which Hull need to address right away, as it could decide their fate in the relegation picture.

Despite having three of the top four - Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland - away from home in the weeks to come, the Tigers have become resolute on the road of late with gritty 1-0 victories at Blackburn Rovers and Millwall, and those hallmarks must be showcased in order to upset the odds at Bramall Lane, Turf Moor and the Stadium of Light.

However, Hull have now failed to back up those victories with some form of result against Middlesbrough on New Year's Day and the R's in midweek, which will be a huge concern, especially when looking at the final eight home outings.

City have to play all of the sides around them at the bottom of the table between now and a potentially crucial final day showdown with Portsmouth on May 3rd, with Stoke City, Plymouth, Luton Town and Derby County all coming to East Yorkshire in that timeframe.

In reverse, all four sides - in particular Plymouth (3) and Luton (4) - have been abysmal on their travels so far this season, which means that, even by taking the context of Hull's similar league placement away, Selles' side would be targeting a strong points return from the 12 available.

The Tigers also have to take on Norwich City, Oxford United, Coventry City and Preston North End on home turf between now and the end of the season, giving the side ample time to change their fortunes as soon as possible and instill a belief into the crowd, which on average has been above 21,000.