Hull City v Nottingham Forest: Shota Arveladze looking for a response to Bristol City humbling

Next season’s Tigers are guaranteed to look quite different to the side which takes on Nottingham Forest this afternoon. By then, owner and Turkish television presenter Acun Ilicali will have had a first full transfer window to impose his considerable personality on the squad, coach Shota Arveladze his first pre-season to cement his ideas.

Even so, the disappointment will linger and puncture the feel-good factor if Hull are as awful in their final home game of a 2021-22 season that has been mission accomplished as they were in last week’s 5-0 defeat at Bristol City.

Arveladze says it took the players three days to get over that.

“It was quite painful,” admits the Georgian. “It lasted for quite a long time before we were able to start thinking about the next one.

“The boys always train well, they always react the way they have to. It was a bad game and we’re still looking to see what was the reason we gave so much away.

“The first three days were painful, but then we have to start planning for the Forest game. We’ve had our awards evening which gave the boys a good feeling and the chance to look back on what they’ve done this season, those memories from the past, and it was nice to have that.”

After last year’s one-season stint in League One, the goal this year just had to be to stay in the Championship and Hull have done that without a radical reshaping of the squad, although Ilicali did sack coach Grant McCann when he bought the club in late January.

Hull will finish 18th if they match Cardiff City’s result at relegated Derby County today. Forest’s place in the play-offs is assured, for them today will only decide if they go into them in third place or behind Huddersfield Town in fourth.

“Everyone has had their own targets this season, some have reached them and some have not,” said Arveladze. “The target for the whole group was to stay in the league and with five games to go, that’s what they’ve done which is a big relief.”

The former Rangers striker has had a full squad to pick from for weeks, and with the exception of goalkeeper Matt Ingram joining promotion-chasing Luton Town on an emergency loan, today is no different.

“We didn’t pick up any injuries last week due to the fact we didn’t get close enough to them to get injured,” he joked.