Hull City’s Sunderland and Cardiff City confusion intensifies as Plymouth Argyle loom | OneFootball

The Tigers' inconsistencies have to stop with plenty of season-defining games ahead

Hull City's 2024/25 season has been one to very much forget, with the Tigers still in the mire with 13 games left to play.

Supporters and outsiders have, naturally, looked at various moments across a chaotic 12-month period which have led to a demise from play-off contenders to a potential second stint in League One in the past five years.

However, it has been argued that the quality throughout Ruben Selles' team in certain outings that City are in somewhat of a false position, especially against sides who are chasing promotion to the Premier League.

But, inconsistency and a questioning of mentality are two factors which have caused the current predicament to play out, and that was particularly evident in the 1-0 defeat to Cardiff City in South Wales.

And, with several season-defining matches on the horizon, starting with next Tuesday's home clash with Plymouth Argyle, it's a key issue which the Spaniard and his squad can't afford to have lingering in the background for any longer.

Hull City's contrasting performances across the season

Since Selles took over from Tim Walter on December 6th, there has been an improvement in comparison to what was a disastrous reign for the German, which saw him win just three matches in charge.

The former Reading boss has picked up three more points (18) than his predecessor (9) in two fewer encounters, with 10 of those coming against sides currently inside the top six of the Championship, including an aggregate scoreline of 5-0 in away victories over Sheffield United, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers in the past two months.

Hull showcased a calm and controlled nature in all three victories, inflicting the Black Cats to their first league defeat at the Stadium of Light under Regis Le Bris, and were particularly combative in midfield, with the now ACL-struck Eliot Matazo at the heartbeat of proceedings alongside Matt Crooks and Steven Alzate.

However, all of that hard work was undone as back-to-back wins for the first time since October couldn't be registered amid a dismal showing in the Welsh capital from both sides, albeit Callum Robinson's deflected volley was the defining moment of quality in an otherwise cagey affair.

The scoreline didn't come as much of a shock to supporters either, as against the sides currently 17th or below, the East Yorkshire side have taken just nine points out of ten games, with all of Oxford United, Plymouth, Derby County and Luton Town still to travel to the MKM, as well as a final-day showdown against Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Unsurprisingly, Selles shared the frustrations of the approximately 500 supporters who travelled the width of the country to support the team, stating to BBC Radio Humberside: "I will let that feeling be a little bit in the next couple of days. We will address it as a team and we will move forward trying to beat the next opponent - that's how we're going to do it."

Plymouth Argyle encounter is huge for Hull City's fortunes

Despite sitting narrowly above the drop zone, City have also taken just two points against those below them this season, which included a 1-1 draw at Home Park on August 17th.

Ironically, Tuesday's meeting between the Championship strugglers is a match-up of the worst home and away sides in the division, with the men in Black and Amber picking up just 13 points in HU3, whilst the Pilgrims are the only side who are yet to register an away maximum in the second tier with just five points to their name.

The phrase 'Typical City' will no doubt spring to mind in that sense, as it has done for so many reasons across the past six months, and failure to register three points at home for the first time since December 21st would only make the aforementioned concerns worse with plenty of six-pointers to follow.