City have conceded seven goals in the three games since their last clean sheet at Norwich City and are desperate for just a fourth of the season
Dean Holden says Hull City cannot hide away from the fact that they’re conceding too many shots at their goal after QPR registered 26 on Saturday, as they prepare to face one of the Championship’s top scorers Ipswich Town on Tuesday night.
City were eventually beaten 3-2 at Loftus Road, and while two of the goals were perhaps unfortunate in how they fell to Rangers’ players in front of goal from Charlie Hughes’ blocks, the number of chances given up was of real concern, and not for the first time this season.
The Tigers have conceded 27 goals in their 16 games so far, with only bottom side Sheffield Wednesday (32) shipping more, and they’re averaging over 16 shots on their goal per game, the most in the league.
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In 11 of City’s 17 games this season, including the 3-3 draw at Wrexham in the Carabao Cup, Sergej Jakirovic’s men have conceded at least two goals, something the Tigers are desperate to change.
“We were hugely disappointed with the way that Saturday panned out, having got ourselves in front twice,” Holden told Hull Live. “We wanted to really grab the game by the scruff of the neck, particularly after that second goal. We gave too much initiative to the opposition, and they punished us, and defensively, we’ve got a lot to improve on from that.
“We were in Sunday morning, as we were meant to be. It’s part of the routine of a three-game week, and we went through the game with the players, we analysed it objectively, and hopefully we can put it right.”
City’s start to the season has been superb with Jakirovic’s men sitting sixth in the league, but Holden admits the amount of shots being allowed on Ivor Pandur’s goal is too many, and risks undermining their tremendous work going forward, which sees them second to only Coventry in goals scored (28).
“For sure, yeah, we can’t shy away from it, we’re giving too many opportunities at our goal,” he confessed. “Something we’re working hard to rectify, we’re obviously scoring loads of goals at the other end. We’ve touched on it before; there’s plenty of learning, there’s plenty of things for us to improve on.
“At the weekend, we were in the game, well, in the game, and very quickly it was a momentum shift, and I think it’s sometimes around, maintaining that control even if you’ve not got the possession of the ball and you’re keeping a good shape, and you’re making sure you’re hard to beat.
“QPR have got a lot of really good players, a really good team, but I think we shot ourselves in the foot a little bit with the goals that we conceded.
“As I say, you can analyse every action. We weren’t aggressive enough in and around our box to stop balls coming into the box and of course there was a couple of ricochets and bounces the of ball, a bit of bad luck, call it what you want, but, ultimately you’ve got to try and stop it at source and stop that pressure coming to your front door, so to speak. We’ve been through it with the players.
“Just like we’ve scored different types of goals, we’ve conceded them. There’s not one theme. We’re not a team that’s conceding similar goals every week, whereby we’re pressing in ones and twos and getting played through; we’re not a team that’s sitting deep. There are different moments.
“That second goal in particular, the third one as well, we’ve got enough numbers behind the ball to stop that ball going in our net. I wouldn’t say it was a desire thing, I just think it’s a little bit more about getting up to the ball and making yourself difficult to beat. We analyse everything as you’d expect, and it’s our job to keep improving.
“We stay calm, we’re in a good position. Particularly with a three-game week, you’ve got to stay focused on that next challenge, and Ipswich is probably one of the biggest challenges you face all season with a squad that they’ve got, so it’s a great game for us.
“We’ve shown at times, or a lot this season at home, particularly against some of the bigger clubs, that we are respectful, but we don’t fear anybody.”
Ipswich may not have had the start their supporters would have expected with the quality at their disposal, but form has improved in recent weeks. They’ve won their last two away games 4-1 at Swansea City and QPR, though they were held to a goalless draw at home to Wrexham at the weekend.
City, though, are six unbeaten at the MKM Stadium, and have already seen off fancied Southampton, Sheffield United and Leicester City this term, and Holden says that while the Tigers are wary of their threats, there will be no fear.
“They were quite heavy in recruitment in the summer,” he continued. “Fantastic manager, I love the way he (Kieran McKenna) sets his team up. We don’t know what they’re gonna choose on the night because they’ve got so many good options. The game before Wrexham at the weekend, they won 4-1 (at Swansea City) and made quite a few changes to that team for the Wrexham game.
“Is it going to be Jaden (Philogene)? Is it going to be Jack Clarke on the side? Is it gonna be (George) Hirst, we don’t know. What we do know is that we’re gonna be up against a big challenge. As always, the players will be well aware of the threats. When we play our game, and we’re good at what we’re good at, we’re a force to be reckoned with. It’s a game that we welcome, and we can’t wait for it.
“We respect opponents, but we don’t show fear, and I think you’ve seen that. I think particularly tomorrow night, we want to get out of the traps early.
“We want to get that atmosphere going in our stadium, and I’m sure our supporters are enjoying coming to watch us play at the moment, particularly at home. It’s important that we keep that run going. It’s going to be a tough game, but we’re well ready for it.”
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