5 hours Ago By [email protected] (Barry Cooper)
Ruben Selles has challenged his side to finish the job against Derby County when his Hull City side host their relegation rivals at the MKM Stadium on Saturday. City's penultimate game of the season and their final home outing presents Selles' side with a glorious chance to win a second successive game for the first time under the Spaniard, and in the process, ensure their Championship survival. Three points does just that, while a point could be enough if Luton Town lose at home to Coventry City in the 12:30pm kick off at Kenilworth Road, while defeat could leave City inside the bottom three for the final game of the campaign at Portsmouth next weekend.
Ahead of the visit of the Rams, the Tigers boss spoke to Hull Live and here's a round-up of what he had to say...
. How has training been since the win over Preston? "It has been fine. We got the result and the performance in the second half, we are full of confidence that we can arrive at the weekend and then do our job.
"The boys have been brilliant in training in the last couple of days, and we hope to arrive there with energy, togetherness, and the ambition to get a good result and finish the season there." The chance to grasp safety against the Rams "The season is in our hands. The most important thing is us, and I think that the game on Saturday just gives you the opportunity to make it happen.
That is the most important thing. "When the season starts, there are teams that are going to fight for different things. You obviously never want to be a team that is fighting for what we are fighting right now, but it is what it is, and those games happen.
The atmosphere and everything is a little bit more intense, emotional, but it's still a game of football that we need to be sure that we are prepared for. "I think when you want to work in this environment and then want to compete for things, those are the games that you want, the games that mean something for you, for your players, for the club, and being ready to go to those moments is what makes the difference for you. "The first thing we need to be is our true self, to be proactive, to make things happen, to be dynamic, to be intense, and to start the game front-footed like we started against Preston and some other games.
To have a clear identity and try to limit their options to move forward, to create pressure in our goal with set pieces, crosses, etc." Overcoming Derby's setup after the struggles of Luton "They are a team that, defensively, can go and move high and apply pressure, and they can defend low and be comfortable. After the Luton game we gave to the boys some strategies that we can implement into that kind of game that we obviously need to, we have been refreshing, I need to refresh for this game, but it's nothing different.
We need to be organised. "We know John's teams and characteristics. The transition, the positions, and it's just about us being in the positions and having the behaviour that we want.
We know the key points that we need to control against them." You said you wanted your side to bring chaos, but what would that look like? "We need to bring intensity. Our best version has always been playing an intense style of play with intense and dynamic players on the pitch, with players who can make second and third movements.
Players who are fully focused, very active, and whose reaction levels are really high. We need to have a team that can cope and can bring that kind of intensity into a game." What impact, if any, will Luton playing early have? "It's not going to change my message.
Whatever the result in the other game, my message is going to be to try and win the game at any cost. "We don't want to speculate, we don't just want to think about the other result or if one point is enough. It's a game for the three points, and if we win, we secure the club for next season in the Championship.
That's all that matters. If Luton lose it will be exactly the same, we will still try to win to close things before the last game of the season." How are you coping with the stress and pressure? "I feel better than I have been feeling.
I think now is the moment that you want to play for. I'm ready for it. I'm ready to coach my team to do the job.
I like those scenarios. It's all or nothing because it's just really what it is. Hopefully it's an end point of the season and I like those scenarios when you need to face that.
I have been there before in my career as a coach, now as a manager, and as I say, those are the moments that you prepare yourself for. "We have been building a lot of things here. The season has been, for me, particularly not long, but a lot of things have happened since we started at Reading with that transfer embargo and everything around the club.
When we came here, we were at the bottom of the table, and we needed to work all the way through. "For me, that game means that I have the possibility to, after all, we have been working, suffering, enjoying and everything, we can just close it in the best way possible. I need to fight for those final games.
Hopefully, that is the final game on Saturday." On the improvement in the home form and the chance to banish the MKM Stadium demons "I think we already did it with the run that we have been on now. I think you said six.
The last count somebody told me was in the last five; we had three victories, one draw and one defeat. We have already changed that dynamic, and we have already changed the dynamic of playing at home , playing in front of our fans, creating goal-scoring situations, and scoring those goals. "Not every game is perfect, but we are already there.
What we can do is do it. It's the last opportunity we have to win back-to-back games at home, and winning can change the entire perception of the season at home." Message to the supporters "My message for them is just to be there from the beginning of the game and support the team.
As with any game, there are phases of the game where we need more support. There will be phases in the game where we can make things happen, and they will follow us and be there for one hundred minutes and create that environment where we play almost with an extra player." And your final words before the players head out at five to three "It will be just play.
"In terms of how we play the game and how we need to manage the game, it's no different to any other game. We just need to focus on the next action, the next task, and my next movement. It's about building the game as it is and being ready for every circumstance of the game.
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