Hull City: QPR win further supports Acun Ilicali's Liam Rosenior selection verdict when it comes to £1.5m man - View | OneFootball

Hull City: QPR win further supports Acun Ilicali's Liam Rosenior selection verdict when it comes to £1.5m man - View | OneFootball

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·2 October 2024

Hull City: QPR win further supports Acun Ilicali's Liam Rosenior selection verdict when it comes to £1.5m man - View

Article image:Hull City: QPR win further supports Acun Ilicali's Liam Rosenior selection verdict when it comes to £1.5m man - View

Ivor Pandur was immense in City's 3-1 victory in West London

Hull City have turned a corner under Tim Walter, winning three games on the spin.


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After completing comeback victories against Stoke City and Cardiff City to restore confidence under the German's management, the Tigers backed those strong 3-1 and 4-1 scorelines up with another success away at Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday night.

In what was an intriguing battle between Walter and Marti Cifuentes' side, there were an abundance of standout performers from a Black and Amber persuasion, including the likes of Chris Bedia and Liam Millar, who were among the goals.

However, not all the 90 minutes were plain sailing for the East Yorkshire side, having come under a barrage of pressure on occasions from their opponents, which led to Ivor Pandur producing a key performance which went a long way to earning City another three points.

Ivor Pandur's performance was key in Hull City's latest victory

Article image:Hull City: QPR win further supports Acun Ilicali's Liam Rosenior selection verdict when it comes to £1.5m man - View

Despite coming into the game high on confidence off the back of back-to-back victories, it seemed as if Hull had gone back into their shell in the early exchanges, with Pandur being called upon four times in the opening six minutes to keep his side firmly in the contest.

The Croatian, who eventually made his competitive bow for the club in August, has been a key performer under Walter so far this term, and his interventions then allowed for Hull to gain a foothold in proceedings with goals from Cody Drameh and Bedia in the first period.

Even though Nicolas Madsen struck a 44th minute penalty past him, it was hard to argue that anyone other than Pandur was worthy of being named Player of the Match, having prevented just under another goal with his performance (0.97), and four saves from close range.

This was a key highlight for the German boss in his post-match assessment, with many in agreement that without the presence of their £1.5m January signing, the game could have easily been out of City's reach before they'd even got to grips with the encounter.

"They had a few opportunities to score, and we had a brilliant pink Pandur. He was brilliant at the beginning, but after the first goal for us, we were even stronger. We were more comfortable, especially with the ball," Walter told Hull Live.

Ivor Pandur has backed up previous Acun Ilicali comments regarding Liam Rosenior selection

The 'Goalkeepers Union' in East Yorkshire was a hot topic of discussion last term, particularly after the 24-year-old's switch from Eredivisie outfit, Fortuna Sittard.

However, then-boss Liam Rosenior often chose to probe with current Birmingham City shot-stopper Ryan Allsop, who was at times criticised for a handful of errors which proved costly in Hull's failed play-off bid.

This was then referenced as a point of disagreement between Acun Ilicali and Rosenior after the now-Strasbourg head coach was dismissed three games after the conclusion of last season, although the City chairman emphasised he didn't have any say on the final team selection.

"The pair also fell out over January signing Ivor Pandur, with Rosenior suggesting he didn't feel the Croatian youngster was good enough to play in the Championship," was Hull Live's summary of the situation after the Turkish owner called a Q&A session at the MKM Stadium post-season, whilst he was quoted by the Yorkshire Post as saying, "I imagined he (Pandur) is our first-choice but who is the best will play."

And at present, it's fair to say that the former youth international's performances have supported Ilicali's claim, with it looking like only extraordinary circumstances would see him lose his place to Carl Rushworth or Anthony Racioppi.

The fact those two names are current understudies to Pandur highlights one of many areas where Walter has strong depth at his disposal, but after preventing 2.18 further concessions and making a total of 3.6 saves per game on average, the keeper has more-than grasped the opportunity to prove himself, and perhaps, Rosenior wrong.

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