Hull City: Acun Ilicali reveals stance on under-pressure boss Tim Walter | OneFootball

Hull City: Acun Ilicali reveals stance on under-pressure boss Tim Walter | OneFootball

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·16 November 2024

Hull City: Acun Ilicali reveals stance on under-pressure boss Tim Walter

Article image:Hull City: Acun Ilicali reveals stance on under-pressure boss Tim Walter

Ilicali has revealed that he's still backing Walter, even though many fans and pundits have been critical of the latter.

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali doesn't believe he's in a position to blame Tim Walter for the club's slow start to the campaign.


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Speaking to Hull Live, the Tigers' owner gave Walter his backing, something that may not be a popular decision within the club's fanbase.

Ilicali made the risky decision to sack Rosenior after the end of last season, and at this stage, it's a decision that hasn't worked out for the best.

They may have sold Jacob Greaves and Jaden Philogene to Ipswich Town and Aston Villa during the summer transfer window, but they brought in plenty of players during the same period and would have been expecting to be competing in the top half of the Championship table.

Right now though, they only sit outside of the relegation zone on goal difference and look destined to end up in the bottom three if their current run of form continues.

Acun Ilicali reveals stance on Tim Walter amid Hull City struggles

They may have won three consecutive league games between the latter stages of September and the start of October, but they have gone winless in their last seven Championship games since then.

And there were loud boos in their last game against West Bromwich Albion, when the Baggies took a 2-0 lead early on at the MKM Stadium.

Many fans on social media have also voiced their displeasure, and with some of the club's key officials reportedly meeting in Turkey this week, it was unclear whether Walter was going to stay in his position.

But Ilicali has made his stance clear on Walter, telling Hull Live: "We are not in a position to blame Tim or judge Tim at the moment.

"In order to judge Tim from my side, I must look at the bigger picture and only in one game, at Norwich City (4-0 defeat), we didn't have the chance to win. Apart from that, in the other 14 games, we had the chance to win the games.

"We've had some bad luck on the pitch in the nearly three years I've been here, but in the last four months, it's been by far and away the unluckiest period.

"For example, I can count two games where I think refereeing mistakes have had a negative impact on our results, one a very clear handball and the other, the referee was almost like a defender for the other team, and there was a penalty not given.

"Away from that, the injuries we're suffering from at the moment, we're so unlucky to lose two of the best players we signed in the summer - Liam Millar and Mohamed Belloumi - I wish them all the best."

Article image:Hull City: Acun Ilicali reveals stance on under-pressure boss Tim Walter

Ilicali is brave to back Walter, considering the amount of criticism that the latter has received.

Many Hull fans would have seen this international break as the perfect opportunity to make a change, but it seems as though the Turkish businessman has retained his faith in Walter at this point.

You can understand why Ilicali is keen to remain behind Walter.

The decision to bring him in as a replacement for Liam Rosenior was a risk, considering how well the former full-back did at the MKM Stadium, so sacking him now would be an admission that this decision was a mistake.

But Ilicali needs to put the club's success before anything else - and he needs to keep a very close eye on Walter in East Yorkshire.

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