City are in the Second City for a clash against the newly-promoted Blues
Hull City will again attempt to win successive Championship games this weekend when they travel to Birmingham City, with the aim of backing up their victory against Sheffield United at the beginning of the month.
The last time the Tigers managed to string more than one victory together came more than 12 months ago under the doomed tenure of Tim Walter, when his side beat Stoke City, Cardiff City and QPR in the space of one week at the end of September and beginning of October.
City‘s inability to gain any level of consistency almost saw them relegated to League One last season, and while things are markedly better this term under Sergej Jakirovic, that frustrating lack of momentum is already causing some annoyance.
Jakirovic’s men have been playing with confidence, and they look like a side on the cusp of being able to break out of last season’s lack of consistency shadow, but until they can string a flurry of results together, that feeling will not go away.
Of course, the Championship is tough. Winning any game at this level is not easy, but City now have the tools at their disposal to be able to go and win two, three or four games on the spin. If they can, then they will prove to themselves first and foremost that they are a team capable of having an impact at the top end of the division.
If they continue the theme we’ve seen so far, then they will be mired in mid-table, which would feel like a wasted opportunity. It’s still early, but after 10 games, the league usually starts to take shape, things settle down, and the natural order is found.
Standing in their way will be a Blues side with the same record as the Tigers in their opening nine games. Twelve points from three wins, three draws, and three defeats, although in front of goal, Jakirovic’s men have been far more potent.
At St Andrew’s, the Blues have gone 29 games unbeaten, which shows how dominant they were in League One last term, though cracks have begun to show in the early weeks of the new season, and it’s something the Tigers will hope to exploit.
“It’s a big opportunity, and this is the reason why it’s so difficult to play there,” the Croatian says on the eve of the trip to the Midlands. “We haven’t won two in a row for more than a year now, so it’s a very good challenge for us, so we need to try to do something.”
In their last away game at Watford, City were decent in the first half and led at the break through Oli McBurnie’s smart finish, but delivered a tepid second half and eventually lost a game they should simply not have done.
Three weeks on, Jakirovic is determined to see a better response from his side on the road, and one that sees them turn up for more than just 45 minutes.
“To have a focused 90 minutes and concentration on our tasks and demands, that’s it,” he said when asked what needs to be better than at Vicarage Road. “What we agree, what is our tactical plan during the game. Every game that I watch here, it’s 50/50, and always in the first half, you are better; second half, you are struggling to take something, but this is the Championship.”
There may have been big expectations from the American owners at St Andrew’s that Birmingham would fly through the Championship and straight into the Premier League, but the opening two months of the season haven’t worked out like that, and Jakirovic says being able to spend money does not guarantee anything.
“Money doesn’t play, so you can invest like Southampton,” continued the former Zagreb chief. “You can invest like Wrexham also, they’re struggling because it’s not tennis, it’s an individual sport. It’s a group sport with eleven heads; you have to come and think like one player. I think that we have an advantage in that because these players have already played a few seasons together.
“They (Blues) have a good structure. They know what they try to do on the pitch. For example, Patrick Roberts, the right winger, is very dangerous because it’s the opposite leg and he’s going inside. He has very good skills with the ball. Also in the box, (Lyndon) Dykes. He’s very dangerous, so we have to look for him and the man marking in the box.
“We have to be close and have control. I know their minuses, but I will not tell you now, but we will try to use them; everything has pluses and minuses, so we’ll see. They are not a normal Championship team kicking the ball all the time. They’re trying to do their passes on the ground, but then it’s easy to prepare for the game when the opponent has automation and mechanisms in their play (going long regularly).
“It’s always tricky in the first game after the national break because a lot of national team players have been away and they are coming back.
“Every time it’s tricky in the game before the national break because already heads are on vacation, so we will see who will be more focused and concentrated on the task. I think they (Hull City) will take something.”
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