"Massively disappointing" - Damning Hull City, Ryan Giles verdict issued after Middlesbrough transfer saga | OneFootball

FLW's Hull City fan pundit has given his view on Ryan Giles' situation at the club after he was dropped to the bench against Stoke City.

This article is part of Football League World’s 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It is fair to say that it has not worked out for defender Ryan Giles since his move to Hull City in January.

Much was expected of Giles when he joined Hull on loan from Luton Town in January, but he struggled to live up to expectations at the MKM Stadium, and he lost his place in the team towards the end of last season.

The Tigers had an obligation to buy Giles for £4 million this summer, but shortly after his permanent move to the club was confirmed, he was linked with a return to Middlesbrough, where he spent the 2022-23 season on loan.

Hull owner Acun Ilicali said that Giles would be allowed to leave if he was keen to make the move to the Riverside Stadium, but a deal did not materialise, and he started the first five league games of the season for Tim Walter's side.

However, Giles was substituted at halftime in the 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield United earlier this month, and he was dropped to the bench for the 3-1 win at Stoke City on Friday night, with Cody Drameh, who usually plays at right-back, replacing him in the starting line-up.

It remains to be seen whether Giles will return to the team for the game against Cardiff City this weekend, but Walter could decide to stick with Drameh after he helped the Tigers to their first win of the season last time out, which moved them up to 16th in the Championship table.

Hull City fan pundit makes Ryan Giles claim

FLW's Hull City fan pundit Ant Northgraves admits he has been frustrated by Giles' performances since his arrival at the club, and he questioned whether he has had his head turned by the reports of interest from Middlesbrough in the summer.

"Ryan Giles has been massively disappointing, and that goes back to last season as well when we signed him in January," Ant said.

"I do think that if we'd not had an obligation to buy him, then we probably wouldn't have done in the summer because last season's performances probably didn't merit him coming here on a permanent basis.

"But we know what kind of player he is, and I think that's where the frustration comes from because we know that he is one of the best full-backs in the league, we're just not seeing it.

"The reason for that is unknown, he might have had his head turned by the interest from Middlesbrough, but we thought when the transfer window closed we might see a refocused Giles, energised and ready to go.

"We've still not seen that either.

"He's reluctant to overlap Millar on the left-hand side, his passing has been sloppy and negative, going backwards all the time and not whipping the ball in the box, which is what he's known for.

"We know his forte is getting assists from the full-back position.

"It is bizarre because we thought that with this more attacking system that Walter wants to incorporate, we'd see the best from him, but we still haven't.

"He's certainly not merited the £4 million outlay we spent on him.

"Hopefully this time out of the starting XI encourages him to pick up his performances in training and we start to see the best version of him because there is definitely a player there, we just need to get it out of him."

Ryan Giles facing uncertain Hull City future after Stoke City showing

Ant is understandably disappointed in Giles' performances since his move to Hull in January, and the 24-year-old could face a battle to get back into the team after Drameh's impressive display against Stoke on Friday night.

It is not the first time that Giles has been dropped during his time at the MKM Stadium having lost his place to Matty Jacob at the back end of last season, and it felt like a big statement from Walter, particularly as he started a right-back in Drameh ahead of him.

It was claimed that Giles was keen to return to Boro this summer, so Ant may be right that his head was turned, but the Teesside outfit now have three left-backs on their books after the signing of Neto Borges, meaning it is unlikely they will come back in for Giles in January.

There is no doubt that Giles is a more than capable performer at Championship level, underlined by the fact he registered 12 assists in 48 games during his loan spell at Boro, but he will now need to work hard to earn back his place in the team and repay the Tigers' significant investment in him Hull.