Hull City midfielder issues survival warning as Championship strugglers intensify search for new head coach

The managerless Tigers’ grim winless sequence extended to 10 games in Saturday’s 3-1 reverse at White Rose rivals Middlesbrough, with the club’s hierarchy having spoken to a number of potential replacements for Tim Walter following his sacking last week. Some reports suggest that an appointment could be made ahead of Saturday’s home game with Blackburn Rovers, with City owner Acun Ilicali claiming on Tuesday that six interviews with ‘very good high-quality coaches’ had already taken place with the aim to ‘not leave it too long’ before making an appointment.

Reading head coach Ruben Selles is understood to be among the contenders under serious consideration, with Sheffield United head coach Slavisa Jokanovic having also reportedly been spoken to about the vacant role.

Other out-of-work contenders who have been scrutinised include Chris Hughton, Mark Robins, Alex Neil and Steven Schumacher - with the latter duo having formerly worked with Hull head of recruitment Jared Dublin.

City, who are in the relegation zone in 22nd place, badly need a boost following a wretched opening 18 games of 2024-25, which have yielded just three victories - in an 11-day window between September 20 and October 1.

Palmer was part of a Coventry squad who cast aside a poor start to the 2022-23 campaign to finish in the play-offs, but has stressed that Hull must not fall into the trap of thinking they are too good to go down.

He said: "We can't say there's so many games. We've got to get the points sooner rather later, because the longer you are down there, the longer it's going to get a bit nervy and the longer the fans are going to be a bit more on our back and confidence is going to dip.

"A lot of good teams have gone down in the past. But hopefully, we have enough time to kind of turn it around and make sure we are not in and around it, come the last four or five games of the season.

"With the squad we have got, we can turn it around - and should - but we've got to prove that and we've got to start picking up results."

Three of the club’s next four matches are on home soil, with Palmer stressing the need to get back to basics, with City having kept just one clean sheet so far this term.

He added: "You could say that. The old gaffer was a bit different with what he wanted and you have to kind of respect him for that.

"But with Daws (interim head coach Andy Dawson), it's a bit more back to what people are used to with more of a way of playing that we were used to growing up. It's about trying to build the confidence that has clearly been lost in the dressing room with results.

"You gain confidence from winning and fans gain confidence in the team from winning games. Everyone has kind of lost that confidence (before the change), but we can't look back, but be positive, moving forward.

"We need to convert our chances and be a bit more solid at the back as that's been our problem.”