"There are rumblings" - Pundit issues Tim Walter claim amid Hull City sack reports | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer believes that Tim Walter must be given more time as Hull boss after reports stated that he is under pressure

Former England international and current pundit Carlton Palmer has urged Hull City to give Tim Walter more time as boss, after recent reports that he is facing an uncertain future despite only taking the job in May.

The German was appointed as Hull head-coach on a three-year deal just after the end of last season following Liam Rosenior's surprise departure earlier that month after he had finished within three points of a play-off place and been nominated for the Championship Manager of the Season award.

Walter experienced a tough start to life at the MKM Stadium in the summer window as Jacob Greaves and Jaden Philogene departed for the Premier League, but was able to invest a decent amount back into his squad with the likes of Mohamed Belloumi, Abu Kamara and Gustavo Puerta brought in among a huge turnover the playing squad.

After he failed to deliver a win in the first five league games of his tenure, Football Insider reported last week that he is under pressure to deliver results or else he faces the sack, but the Tigers did beat Stoke City 3-1 last time out, in a result that will have surely alleviated some pressure on his job.

Carlton Palmer reacts to Tim Walter being under pressure at Hull

Walter has not had an ideal start to life as Hull head-coach, with three draws and three losses in all competitions prior to the trip to Stoke, but he has been dealt a tough hand with a host of new players to bed in at the same time while trying to implement his unconventional tactics and set-up.

Palmer believes that Hull chairman Acun Ilicali must be patient and realistic in his aims for this season, and give Walter at least 15 games of the season to see progress towards a potential challenge for the play-off places.

“I always say be careful what you wish for. If you look at Hull, they narrowly missed out on a play-off place last season and I thought Liam Rosenior had done a fantastic job," the former England international told FLW.

“They were playing good football and were progressing, but then made the decision to change the manager. What is the expectation?

“If they expectation is for Tim Walter to get Hull City into the play-offs, I think time has to be key, patience, give him 20 games and lets see where we are.

“He’s only five points off a play-off place. This is a very strong league, it’s as strong as it was last season.

“I fully expect that some of the clubs that are not featuring now are going to be close to the play-off situation, the likes of Middlesbrough, Norwich and Luton Town.

“Then you’ve got the likes of Leeds, Sheffield United, Burnley, Sunderland and West Brom…it’s a very, very strong league.

“It’s going to be very difficult, and Hull’s chairman has got to be realistic in where he thinks his team will finish.

“I think it would be an unbelievable season for Hull if they got into the play-offs this season. I don’t see that happening, but a top-half finish would be good given the players that left in the summer.

“You have to be realistic. Getting rid of Rosenior, it could be step backwards. We will have to wait and see.

“There are rumblings coming out of Hull already, but I think he should be given 15-20 games and let's see where they are at that point.

“It is going to be a big ask for them to get into the play-offs.”

Hull should stick by Walter for now

It was a big call from the Tigers' chiefs to relieve Liam Rosenior of his duties at the end of last season, after he guided the club to seventh-place in the second-tier and just three points off a play-off place, when he had initially been appointed in November 2022 with the club just one place above the Championship relegation zone.

Chairman Ilicali sacked the 40-year-old due to his football philosophy not "suiting (Hull's) character" and stated that he wanted an "attacking, entertaining team" going forward, so the hiring of someone like Walter made sense on the face of it due to his reputation as head-coach that likes to play a risky, attacking style of play.

In an interview with iNews in the summer, Walter admitted that “at the beginning you might see more mistakes" but his players "have to be brave", and that is a pretty fair assessment of what has happened so far this season.

The Tigers have largely been the architects of their own downfall in games against the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, with mistakes in defence and a lack of clinical finishing up front being the theme of their first few games, but that all seemed to be left in the past against Stoke as they battled back from a goal down to eventually win with ease, and score three times in a game for the first time this term.

That outing in the Potteries had many more positives than negatives for Walter's side, and it certainly seemed like the players were playing for their head-coach, almost as if they knew his job may have been in danger.

It does not seem like the logical move at this moment in time to sack him and have to change philosophy so soon after he was hired, but results must begin to consistently improve or his job will continue to be at risk.