Hull City 0 Millwall 0: Pussy-footing Tigers moving an awful lot to go backwards
The last five minutes of Saturday's first half against Millwall showed how hard Hull City's defenders were trying to make something happen at the other end of the field.
Lewie Coyle picked the ball up at right-back on the edge of the area, passed it to goalkeeper Ivor Pandur and followed it across the field until collecting it at left-back. Soon, Ryan Giles did a mirror-image move.
Centre-back Sean McLoughlin once more popped up high in the inside-left channel, and for a few minutes, Coyle was the middle central defender in a three with Alfie Jones overlapping down the right.
All that effort amounted to the square root of naff all.
When Coyle's heavy touch put the ball out, Hull had advanced about 10 yards nearer the halfway line. Had Millwall been more urgent over the throw-in, they might have exploited a lack of cover. The left-to-right move fizzled out at a similar point. McLoughlin was soon trotting back having not received the ball; the back four reverted to their previous starting positions in the second half.
At full-time, Hull had failed to score, and for the fourth time out of four this season, win. It was 0-0.
These are very early days in the Tim Walter project, with only four of 10 signings in the XI, centre-back Liam Cooper and midfielder Gustavo Puerta in the stands ahead of expected arrivals and a goalkeeper, another midfielder, two wingers and a replacement for the outgoing Oscar Estupinan on the shopping list before Friday's transfer deadline.
That entire back four were at the club last season – three in League One, the other, Giles, persistently linked with a move despite his loan only being made permanent in June. Last season's best defender, Jacob Greaves, joined Ipswich Town. Pandur was second-choice goalkeeper in the first half of 2024.
The point of sacking Liam Rosenior and replacing him with Walter was to produce more exciting football. Saturday's was dull, without the redeeming factor of victory. The team that drew too often last season, especially at home, have drawn all three in this season's Championship, and are out of the League Cup.
A first clean sheet in 10 games under Walter – only four of them competitive – was progress but the fans booed at full-time. They were less than pleased referee David Webb failed to award a penalty but that was in the first half, and there was no such outburst at the break. This seemed aimed at the Tigers.
Despite more than twice as much of the ball, Hull only managed one more shot (14-13) – fewer on target – against a Millwall side who had conceded seven goals in two games.
The appeals Webb waved away and Lukas Jensen's save from an overhead kick by debutant substitute Chris Bedia were the only times Hull really threatened to score.
As Tigers flitted here and there, the Lions just held their nerve and their shape.
"I thought Liam did a brilliant job last season," said their manager, Neil Harris. "They just missed out on the play-off and I was surprised as anyone that he wasn't here this season.
"They take risks in the back line and try and play through you. We thought we had to have brilliant defensive shape and I knew we would regain the ball."
Hold your shape. Nullifying this complex football was that simple.
Walter complained Hull moved the ball too slowly to pull Millwall around. Except when Coyle tried his luck from distance, or when winger Will Jarvis came off the bench after an hour, there was no real directness, just Tigers pussy-footing.
Even when Jarvis knocked the ball one side of Joe Bryan and ran past the other, his pull-back went straight into Jensen's arms. Still, the intent was refreshing.
Perhaps everything would have been viewed differently were it not for the incident in the 21st minute.
Millwall made the early running, Pandur saving when George Saville was well threaded through by Romain Esse, before the first chance of Mason Burstow’s full debut. He was unable to lift it over Jensen and when the ball broke, Regan Slater smashed it goalwards.
It hit the arm of Jake Cooper, out to break his fall. Millwall might ask what else he was supposed to do, Hull knew how often handballs have been awarded for that recently.
Walter said the fourth official told him "It was too close," countering, "if you behave like a goalkeeper in the penalty area it doesn't matter."
"The ref said it's because he was falling," revealed Slater.
Walter said a video assistant referee would have over-ruled. In the "referee's call" climate, perhaps not.
Slater said he would have loved VAR then, but is overall opposed.
Hull's biggest let-off came when Pandur saved Cooper's free header from a short corner. Jensen's reflexes tipped Bedia's acrobatic effort over in the 77th minute.
Hull are making baby steps.
"I think the performance was better than previous," argued Slater.
"I'd like to think my performance was better and each day my understanding is getting better, and not just me.
"I think it will just be a case of building day by day but in training you can see we're getting better at what the gaffer's asking of us.
"Results are everything but when something's as new and different as this you maybe do get a bit of leeway regarding performances."
But Hull have an impatient owner and a fanbase who have seen their club move an awful lot to go backwards since May. Walter may not get the leeway he needs.
Hull City: Pandur; Coyle, Jones, McLoughlin, Giles (Drameh 71); Slater, Zambrano (Simons 58); Omur (Jarvis 58), Mehlem, Millar (Sellars-Fleming 88); Burstow (Bedia 58). Unused substitutes: Hughes, Burns, Jacob, Racioppi.
Millwall: Jensen; Leonard, Tanganga, Cooper, Bryan; Saville, De Norre: Esse, Honeyman, Watmore (Azeez 71); Bradshaw (Langstaff 88). Unused substitutes: Roberts, McNamara, Hutchinson, Harding, Wallace, Emakhu, Massey.
Referee: D Webb (County Durham).