Beleaguered Hull City head coach Tim Walter set to take charge of pivotal Championship fixture against West Brom

BELEAGUERED Hull City head coach Tim Walter is set to take charge of Sunday’s home match with West Bromwich Albion in what is likely to be a pivotal fixture for the German.

Irate travelling supporters turned on Walter in Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat at Oxford United as the Tigers’ winless league streak extended to six matches.

The latest setback heightened speculation over the future of the former Hamburg chief, but he is expected to be at the helm for the club’s weekend appointment, the final one before a two-week international break.

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A bad result and performance could potentially prove to be a tipping point for City hierarchy, who are likely to be mindful of the fact that a hiatus between games - Hull return to action with a trip to Luton Town on November 23 - will provide time to potentially sound out replacements.

Tim Walter, manager of Hull City, looks on as he inspects the pitch prior to the Sky Bet Championship match with Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium. Photo by Cameron Howard/Getty Images.Tim Walter, manager of Hull City, looks on as he inspects the pitch prior to the Sky Bet Championship match with Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium. Photo by Cameron Howard/Getty Images.
Tim Walter, manager of Hull City, looks on as he inspects the pitch prior to the Sky Bet Championship match with Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium. Photo by Cameron Howard/Getty Images.

While the Tigers’ recent results have compounded a testing start to the campaign for Walter, who arrived on a three-year deal on May 31, his strained relationship with sections of the club’s fanbase is exacerbating matters further.

It came to a head at the Kassam Stadium, where away diehards called for Walter on Friday – to be sacked along and delivered an ironic chorus of ‘are we loud enough for you.’

That referenced Walter’s post-match comments last weekend when he praised the backing provided by fans of City’s opponents Portsmouth towards their own side in the 1-1 draw while urging home supporters to be more like them after booing off the hosts.

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Walter, who was again jeered at the end of Tuesday’s game, said: "All we can do is stick together and work hard and try to bring more luck.

"It's normal if they are unhappy. I'm also unhappy about the situations, but I try to make them more happy, and that's all I can do.

"I don't know what's pressure because I never had pressure and pressure is if you maybe have a bad injury or something like that, then you have pressure. But not about a football game.

"There's harder things in life than a football game and I know it's all about winning, but it's also about development to implement a new philosophy.”

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