Hull City v Watford: Why Chris Wilder's comments resonate with Liam Rosenior

On paper, the Tigers' opponents today in Watford possess several top-class players who are as good as any at this level.

This year, they have lacked the team ethic which all good second-tier sides possess and have paid the price.

Rosenior's Hornets counterpart in Chris Wilder made that point in no uncertain terms after Watford's play-off hopes evaporated in midweek.

Rosenior is too gracious to comment on what happened before he arrived in Hull or on matters at Vicarage Road, but the tone of Wilder's comments chimed with him.

He said: "I wasn't going to pre-judge anything that happened before. It's about what’s happening now.

"Chris is someone who has had unbelievable success wherever he’s been.

"You have to be a team in any walk of life. Not just football, but in business. You have to work together collaboratively to get success.

"I understand where he is coming from for a successful team. In terms of coming in here, the biggest basis I have tried to instil in this team since coming in here is the importance of team and sacrifice.

"That's why our clean sheet record is so good."

Making Hull harder to beat was understandably Rosenior's first port of call when he first took over.

After the Tigers clinched their safety earlier this spring, focus has switched to developing their offensive play and despite a modest recent record, results wise, there have been positive signs.

Especially when you consider their absentees in the final third.

Rosenior added: "What is pleasing is I’d not been able to work as hard on the technical aspects of the game because of where we were in the league. I am a pragmatist and I had to get the structure of the team and organisation right.

"After the international break, we’ve focused a bit more on our offensive play and how we are in possession. It's a building block, you cannot coach everything in two weeks.

"Now, I am seeing the benefits in that way, but we cannot lose that functionality as a team."