The Tigers have been hugely impacted by the loss of key players so far this term
Ryan Giles says there can be no case of Hull City’s players feeling sorry for themselves despite the number of injuries plaguing the Tigers.
Despite missing so many players, the in-form Tigers roared to a 2-0 win against Norwich City to make it 13 points from the last 15 available and move up to seventh, thanks to goals from Joe Gelhardt and Darko Gyabi.
City were without no fewer than eight first-team players at Carrow Road, and the situation will not significantly improve until after the international break, with Oli McBurnie, John Lundstram and Mo Belloumi amongst those sidelined until later in the month, while Liam Millar isn’t expected back until early December.
Sergej Jakirovic has been losing players on a regular basis throughout the early weeks of the season and has not yet been able to name a fully-fit squad, something he won’t be able to do until the New Year at the earliest.
“Obviously, it’d be nice to have them all available for sure, but there’s quality in our team throughout the whole team, throughout the whole squad,” Giles told Hull Live as attention now turns to Tuesday night’s trip to Derby County.
“There’s quality, and boys have stepped up. You see Joff (Gelhardt) scoring goals, and you know, Oli’s been a big pivotal player for us, and obviously, the last in the games he’s been involved in.
“We have to adapt. Ultimately, we can’t feel sorry for ourselves and think, ‘Oh, these players are not fit, so, mentally we’re not right or whatever’, we as professionals have to get on with it, and that’s part of the job, and hopefully they’ll be back soon and we’ll be even stronger. I think the boys have done that really well. We have got real good quality in the side and I think it’s showing.”
City aren’t the only club in the Championship struggling with injuries, with a general feeling that the absence of players is on the increase.
Many observers have blamed pitches, footwear and the amount of games as reasons for the surge, especially in soft tissue issues, but Giles says it’s as much down to the intensity of the Championship as anything else.
“I think it’s just the nature of the Championship,” he explained. “It’s such a tough, relentless division. You have to manage your squads the best you can, and I think with the sports science and everything they do, all they can in all fairness.
“Managers and people decide how big they want their squad. Some people like small squads, some people like big squads, but it’s managing that as well and keeping players happy, you’ve got all of that.
“It’s just one of those things. As a professional, you have to just get on with it. Some players are unlucky with injuries; if they have a history of injuries, it’s just one of those things. Sometimes, you get pitches, bad tackles, and incidents like Crooksy’s – weird ones, but I think ultimately, the ones that can keep fighting on just keep doing their job and being as professional as they can.”
While City’s training facilities may not be fitting of a club that was in the Premier League less than a decade ago, Giles says the Tigers’ facilities at Cottingham are not to blame for the growing number of injuries.
Though the facade of the building may look dated, the club have invested significant sums in the last couple of years behind the scenes.
“Yeah, one hundred per cent (nothing more the staff can do),” he continued. “In terms of the pitches, the pitches are fine. Nothing’s ever perfect in my opinion, but in terms of coming somewhere to work on a day-to-day basis, it’s absolutely fine. You’re just really unlucky, I think we’ve been with injuries recently. It happens, and we’re not the only club to suffer from it, but we just have to try and get on with it.”
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