It’s almost a week since Hull City secured their Championship status with a battling 1-1 draw at Portsmouth on a dramatic final day of the EFL season on the South Coast.
In the days that have followed, there has been no shortage of discussion about the future of Ruben Selles, and whether or not he’s the man to move City forward. That’s the big decision facing owner Acun Ilicali as he reflects on what was undeniably a disastrous campaign from the moment Liam Rosenior left at the end of last term.
The only saving grace is that City have somehow survived to tell the tale. Few would argue that their safety was as much down to Luton Town’s thrashing at West Brom as anything the Tigers did. Just five goals in their remaining eight games meant that they needed help from other teams, and they got it.
As it stands, Ilicali, who was at Fratton Park to witness a great escape, is deliberating on what to do next and what he wants the future of the club to look like, but as we speak now, no decision has yet been made over the future of Selles. Ilicali’s review of performance, along with Jared Dublin, is continuing.
The Spaniard has become a popular figure on the terraces since arriving from Reading in December, and many feel that he deserves a chance to guide the Tigers through the summer and into next season.
Some fans will point to the way in which he made City tough to beat. Boasting the fourth-best defensive record in the Championship since his arrival, knowing he didn’t have the attacking power to go all-out attack. The 33 points he registered have the Tigers 12th in the table over that period.
Others will say the football, at times, was dull, negative and uninspiring, and that home games like Luton and Derby County were a real worry, leading to a belief that he isn’t the right man.
It’s only right that the severity of the situation City found themselves in should be acknowledged, and ultimately, Selles was tasked with keeping the Tigers in the league, and however it’s been done, it’s been done.
Having instigated change twice in the past year, Ilicali is acutely aware of the feelings among supporters. The support for Selles since safety was secured has not gone unnoticed, but he must now decide what happens next.
If deep down, he believes Selles is not the right man to move forward, then he must act quickly and decisively. Seek to make a replacement who can be considered an upgrade because dragging it on for too long is not fair to a good, honourable, hard-working, passionate man in Selles. It also means City will once again be chasing their tail as they did 12 months ago, and that cannot afford to be allowed to happen.
Should the decision be to keep faith with the former Reading boss and arm him with a transfer kitty capable of making a big difference in the top half of the pitch, then that needs to be communicated.
The Championship season is not yet officially over with the play-offs now in full swing, but City need to get a step ahead of their rivals and snaffle up some of the best players out of contract this summer, and not find themselves behind the eight ball again. To do that, there has to be some clarity sooner rather than later.