Tigers chief Pearson throws down gauntlet to Championship rivals

The Tigers finished 11th last term after a sometimes difficult 12 months that saw the club flirt with administration before being taken over by the Allam family.

That December buyout saw £40m pumped in to save Hull and make transfer funds immediately available to Pearson, who subsequently led his team away from relegation trouble and to the fringes of the play-off race.

Now, after a summer that has brought six more new additions plus the possible capture of Liverpool defender Daniel Ayala, Pearson believes Hull are ready to push on.

Ahead of tonight’s televised visit of Blackpool to the KC Stadium, he said: “As always, we will set our targets pretty high.

“Regardless of what happens at other clubs, we aim to be involved in the promotion battle.

“This is a side that I and my staff have put together so it is my team now. It is up to us to go out and perform.

“We are in a much better position all round (than this time last year) and now we have got to go and perform.

“I don’t believe in setting low targets. You have always got to be pushing yourself.

“The targets that we set in pre-season 12 months ago weren’t done as a gimmick. It’s about trying to achieve something.

“In the end, we weren’t a million miles away but we gave ourselves an awful lot to do (courtesy of a slow start to the season).

“We are in a position where we’re stronger and I know that if possible, we can get even more backing.

“We will try and move the club forward at the pace we can achieve it.”

Compared to many in the Championship such as Leicester City, West Ham United and Ipswich Town, Hull’s spending this summer has been quite conservative.

Despite that, Pearson is delighted with the make-up of his squad.

He added: “Whatever happens elsewhere is beyond our control.

“Each club has its own criteria on how they can recruit and we pride ourselves in recruiting in the right way.

“We have brought in some experienced players who have been, and will continue to be, very effective at this level, and some very promising youngsters as well.

“When you combine that with a squad that developed quite nicely at the end of last season, we’re in a decent position.”

Jay Simpson could be involved in tonight’s opener against relegated Blackpool but Aaron Mclean is out with a calf injury.