Hull City v Bristol City: Stoic Slutsky backed by his players to turn Tigers' tide

Exposed in East Yorkshire and a long way from home, not many of Slutsky’s Russian contemporaries would swap places with him for love nor money, with a harsh Muscovite winter seeming infinitely preferable.

Listen to the speculation and Slutsky, Tigers’ manager for just five and a half months, is as close to losing his job as it gets, with former Sheffield United manager Nigel Adkins widely rumoured to be waiting in the wings.

Indeed, many expected the Tigers to call time on Slutsky’s reign ahead of today’s encounter with Bristol City, but the 46-year-old remains in situ for the time being, although the future looks bleak.

Yet Slutsky has had dark managerial days and far worse times in his life. He remains stoic and a touch philosophical in the face of his current adversity – and even treated the media to a few of his trademark smiles at yesterday’s conference. It is perhaps just as well.

What is likely to have kept him relatively warm at night is the support that he still commands from many Tigers fans, who appreciate that the personable Russian is making the best of a difficult job, which has been far from straightforward since arriving at the club in the summer.

This backing was still evident from 400-odd diehards who travelled to the The Den on Tuesday evening.

As for the spate of rumours on his future, Slutsky – whose 20th- placed side have not won in five games and have triumphed in just four league fixtures so far this season – said: “People start negative things after one or two unsuccessful matches. (But) supporters here have a serious patience.

“We are waiting a lot of matches for results, but maybe I do not understand everything here.

“I do not feel a lot of pressure here as I do not read Twitter or websites.

“But in Russia it is more aggressive pressure.

“When you are working in the national team or CSKA (Moscow), each defeat is like death in Russia. Now it is maybe more of a difficult situation and I am thinking about what I must change.

“I am really very thankful to the supporters here. I have had big support from everybody when I am walking in the area or I am on a bicycle trip. Everyone supports me. People are always speaking good words about my job and me.

“It is a good atmosphere, inside and outside. The only problem, but the most important problem for each coach, is results.”

One thing that Slutsky can rest assured about is that his players are fighting his corner.

A senior figure in the dressing room in Fraizer Campbell yesterday spoke about how the Tigers squad were desperate not just to win for themselves this afternoon, but for their manager too.

It was no trite statement either, but said with genuine feeling towards a “good guy”, as the striker put it.

It will probably surprise no one that Slutsky is putting team before self as well ahead of today’s crunch fixture, with his only concern in the build-up being to shield the players from the welter of pressure, with the former Russia manager deeming it to be his responsibility to take the overwhelming majority of it.

He added: “It is always my target to take the pressure, not the players. Players are younger than me and they do not have a lot of experience like me. I am more fat so it is easier for me (to take it). Each player is quite slim. Pressure is only for me.

“In each match, every player wants to win. I think my target is to have a more calm situation in the team. I will not say, ‘you must, you must, you must’ because extra motivation is not needed.”

Results may not have gone in the way that Slutsky has wished during this season, but his main bugbear has been the inability of his squad to gel and foster understanding during pre-season.

While other sides were doing exactly that in July, Hull were still playing catch-up on the recruitment front, just as they are now endeavouring belatedly to get their season going. It remains to be seen if Slutsky is the man entrusted with that mission.

He added: “We had a selection meeting (on Thursday) and my only request for the future, not just for me but for everybody, is that the coach must have the (full) team in pre-season time. If you continue education during the war (season), of course you will be killed. No chance.

“If you prepare, then it will be much easier for everybody.”