Oxford United v Hull City: Tim Walter and Acun Ilicali are like 'family', says under-pressure Tigers coach

The German says it is very good, striking the right balance between criticism and advice.

There was plenty of the former from the terraces on Saturday, with Hull booed off after a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Portsmouth, the third game running to finish that way despite taking the lead.

Walter bit back a little in his post-match radio interview, saying: "Maybe we have to work more together and they can help us as well. Sometimes there are bad situations and you are down and you maybe need a push from the fans, that's what I expected to be honest. It's a young team, a young squad who are new together and we need a bit of support from the stands."

He was more conciliatory to the written press afterwards but just as those comments no longer disappear when the fish and chip paper is binned, so his grumpier words live forever now on the internet, not just fleetingly on the radio.

Walter’s three wins in 14 competitive games were crammed into 11 days. So he needs a result at newly-promoted Oxford United, without a win in eight games, on Tuesday.

What Walter also needs is patience. Whether his football can ever work with this group of players is debatable, but it certainly cannot happen quickly, and the sluggishness of this summer's recruitment made his task harder.

As someone who made his money in entertainment, Ilicali is at heart a crowd-pleaser – he acceded to Walter's request for goal music at home games, but dropped it after one match due to the fan reaction.

A good relationship with Ilicali only takes you so far. His first Hull coach, Shota Arveladze, was a friend yet only lasted 31 games in the job. Successor Liam Rosenior spoke warmly of their bond but without the entertaining football Ilicali craved, he was gone after 78.

Walter's Hull have scored just 16 times in those 14 games – hardly what was on the brochure.

But a good understanding is certainly far better than a bad one.

"I have a very good relationship with my owner and we can speak about a lot of things," says Walter. "That's useful and good to have.

"We speak about how we can organise things, how we can get better facilities, about the future. We want to work long term together and it's not about we have to get promoted now, it's about how we can do everything better to get more stability.

"We talk about everything. He has his vision and I have a vision.

"He's very open and a very good guy, very interested in everything – also tactics, technicalities, everything."

Both men often speak of the Tigers as a family, and Walter says they act that way with each other.

"We behave like a family," he stresses. "It's very important to speak a lot and to crticise internally but not outside. That's our new mentality and that's important.

"I will never criticise the team outside but I will do it inside and they know it. That's why we are sticking so well together and with the owner, the people around him and the people at the club.

"We try to get better all the time. therefore we need confidence. I know I have his, so I try to give it back, and give it back to the fans.

"If we do everything together, it's even more helpful and successful."

At times like this it is important Walter explains what he is trying to do, to supporters and his bosses. Out of the heat of battle on Monday afternoon at the training ground he was more communicative, and fortunately he is more fluent in his second language than the likes of Arveladze or Leonid Slutsky.

"It's more about keeping the ball," he says of his approach, happy to explain before jumping on the bus to Oxford.

"Maybe before it was more of a 50-50 game but then the probability of winning is less than if you have more of the ball. Sometimes you make mistakes and you can still turn the game into a defeat.

"But I think if you have more, the probability is higher for you to win games and therefore they have to understand that we include our keeper more, play more with patience, lure the opposition maybe and if they press you can play a long ball behind.

"They have to learn that. Not only the fans or the people around, also the players because it's new.

"All you have to do is have the openness and the willing to learn and I see my team is open and have the willingness."

Winger Abu Kamara did not board the bus, still “stiff” having left in a protective boot on Saturday.

Walter has not written off the chances of Kamara featuring at home to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, the last match before a two-week international break. Walter badly needs to go into it with more points, not just warm words.