Video - Hull City v Leeds United: Adkins is looking for Tigers' '˜passion for shirt'

“What is the biggest room in your house?” asked the then Blades chief a couple of days before taking his side to Oldham Athletic in the autumn of 2015.

A pause followed that felt longer than the actual two seconds as the BBC Radio Sheffield reporter searched frantically for a reply that eventually came out as, ‘Er, your living room’.

Any hopes that the right answer had been found were quickly dismissed with a shake of the head from Adkins and the reply: “The room for improvement.”

Two and a half or so years on, it is a sentiment that seems appropriate for not just Adkins’s Hull City but also Leeds United, tonight’s visitors to the East Riding.

The Yorkshire duo go into the KCOM Stadium clash on the back of dreadful league runs. The Tigers have taken just three points from their last seven games and failed to score in six of those.

Leeds, meanwhile, have endured a miserable start to 2018 with an FA Cup humbling by League Two Newport County coming amid a four-game run that has yielded a solitary point and defeats to Birmingham City, Ipswich Town and Millwall.

United also head along the M62 with no fewer than four players out through suspension following a glut of red cards and Kalvin Phillips reaching the ten-game limit for bookings.

Hardly the portents for a classic ‘East versus-West’ contest, but, nevertheless, one that has the potential to herald a much-needed change of fortune for either combatant if the necessary improvement in performance can be found.

“It is us against everyone else,” said Adkins, whose side were very unfortunate to lose 1-0 at Elland Road on the final Saturday before Christmas. “It is us as a football club.

“We want to be at the top end of the division and, at the moment, we are at the wrong end of the division. The only way we are going to get out of that is to have a passion for the shirt.

“The atmosphere should be electric. I thought we did really well at Elland Road a few weeks ago. I would suggest we had a lot of attempts on goal against Leeds last time. It just didn’t go in and the ’keeper has had a really good game.

“We have got to get after teams. It will be a tough game, we know that, but it is one we can look forward to.”

Hull’s league form may be wretched, but Saturday’s FA Cup victory over Nottingham Forest has undoubtedly lifted spirits ahead of taking on Leeds.

As the Tigers were beating the conquerors of Arsenal in the last round, Leeds had a rare Saturday off. The players had returned the previous afternoon from a five-day warm weather training camp in Spain that head coach Thomas Christiansen believes can help kick-start United’s season after the stumbles of recent weeks.

“It is important that we respond with a win,” said the Dane. “It is one of the reasons why we went to Murcia, to prepare for this game in the best way, focusing on that.

“A week off is when you rest. We didn’t rest one single day. We worked hard to bounce back from the last defeat and I am very happy with how the week went.

“The atmosphere in the team is very good, but always when you have bad results it is good to work on that. The response has been very positive.”

With the main focus on tonight’s clash, the transfer window approaching its final 24 hours also cannot be ignored.

Christiansen admitted yesterday he does not expect any further additions at Leeds, who revealed an intention to allow fans to vote on the design of their new badge after last week’s negative reaction to the club’s original offering.

Hull, meanwhile, are understood to be interested in Barnsley defender Angus MacDonald. Hull have also been chasing Aberdeen left-back Scott McKenna, but it is perhaps the impending return to full fitness of Abel Hernandez and Kamil Grosicki, who had a cameo from the bench against Forest, that could prove key in the quest for survival.

“Grosicki has got something about him, but, likewise, he has got to be fit,” said Adkins about the Poland international. “He has got to be on the pitch and he has got to be running around to do that. Fingers crossed, he has got a lot to give us. He wants to go to the World Cup in the summer. We have spoken about Abel (Hernandez), but Kammy wants to make sure he goes to the World Cup in the summer.

“He has got a point to prove and, all being well, he is over this injury fully. He knows he has got to perform if he wants to get into that Poland squad.”

Last six games: Hull City DLWDLW Leeds United WLDLLL.

Referee: T Harrington (Cleveland).

Last time: Hull City 2 Leeds United 2; April 23, 2016; Championship.