Liam Rosenior tells Hull City: Show what you are made of against Sheffield Wednesday after cup exit

Liam Rosenior says Hull City's supporters will learn what he and his players are made of at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Back-to-back 2-1 defeats have made for an angry coach in the opening week of the season.

At Norwich City his fury with the officials took some of the spotlight from a disappointing first-half display and earned him a red card and a touchline ban for the League Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers.

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But after Tuesday’s game there was no hiding his unhappiness with Hull's "unacceptable" lack of "bravery" and "personality" as they were outmanoeuvred tactically by the League Two side.

"It was the longest 90 minutes of my career by a mile, sitting up there not being able to affect anything," reflected Rosenior.

"Now we'll see what I'm made of, what the group are made of and I already can't wait for Saturday."

Rosenior has been in charge of the Tigers since November, reshaping the side along the way, and was shocked by the performance.

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Doncaster matched Hull's 4-4-2, sat off them, let Matt Ingram have the ball and marked all the outfield players. Long periods when Ingram had the ball waiting for options without any pressure on him led to boos from the stands.

ANGRY: Hull City coach Liam RoseniorANGRY: Hull City coach Liam Rosenior
ANGRY: Hull City coach Liam Rosenior

"Unacceptable," said Rosenior. "It's the first time I've felt like this since I've been manager of the football club and it will be the last time.

"I can't put into words what I saw – lack of movement, lack of desire, it's everything I don't want to see.

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"Credit to Grant (McCann, Rovers’ manager), credit to Doncaster, but we've got a lot to work on very quickly.

"I didn't see it coming and that's why I trusted the players to make the (team) changes I did.

"The boos and the jeers are from our own doing, my own doing. I know what needs to be done and it will be done."

Rosenior's biggest complaint was a lack of courage from his players, who seemed determined to stick to one way of playing even when it was clearly not working.

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"It's a team thing, it's not just on the goalkeeper," he reflected. "You've got to see the space, you've got to make runs and try and find a way.

"I've never seen a team set up in that way, credit to Grant, he was brave. He said we're not even going to try and press the ball, we're just going to go man-to-man and see if they can find a solution.

"In the first half we didn't. The second half I tried to give them a couple of solutions but we didn't play with anywhere near enough bravery.

"If you're man-to-man you have to take the ball when you're marked and I didn't see enough players really wanting that physical battle, that one-to-one. That's what disappointed me the most.

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"Sometimes it's not tactical, it's about your personality on the pitch – are you willing to take the ball in tight areas, are you willing to play through and play positively?

"I saw too many backwards passes, too many backwards throw-ins – that's not what we work on.

"It's something we will work on even more moving into the game against Sheffield Wednesday. We need to find a solution."

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