Why being the 'bad cop' is working a treat for Hull City chief Liam Rosenior

Canvass his Hull City charges and they might just beg to differ.

The Tigers' transformation under his watch – one defeat in eight Championship matches thus far and a pretty unlucky one at that in stoppage-time against Reading – has not been down to accident.

It cannot be, given the pretty grim Championship position they were in when Rosenior walked into the building at the start of November.

The 38-year-old has got his hands dirty ever since, having quickly recognised some serious flaws in his team. The most obvious ones, without beating around the bush, was that they weren't fit enough or organised enough.

They were a gathering of players, as opposed to a group, who were overly reliant on individual talent as opposed to collective will to take points.

Rosenior watched the videos, did not like what he saw and immediately got stuck in on the training ground at Cottingham.

The staple diet ever since has been drills, repetition, meetings, hard yards on the training ground and in the gym. Running sessions and probably a fair few swear words as well when required.

So far, it's working a treat. Saturday's are windows to what happens in the working week and given recent evidence, Hull are going the right way.

Although listen to Rosenior and it's nothing more than a start.

Rosenior said: "I come across as a nice guy, but I want my players to work and they know that now.

"I think we are visibly fitter, stronger, more durable and more organised and you have to buy into that. It doesn't matter if you are a forward or defender. You have to work hard.

"You have to train right Monday to Friday and eat right and live right and have the focus. What happens then is that you give yourselves the best chance of playing well on a Saturday. That's more what my job is.

"My biggest job is Monday to Friday and my work is done on a Saturday. That's down to the players.

"In every single game since I have been manager of this club, I have been really confident and comfortable and had a lot of trust in this group because they are doing everything to show me they'll perform at the right level come Saturday."

Some might say that it's all well and good placing heavy demands upon players and acting the tough-taskmaster. Ultimately, it's the players who must get on board quickly and be receptive to it. That's the trick.

In terms of the players Rosenior has inherited, they have clearly craved order. A genuine, focused and good set of players, Rosenior calls them.

Now, they themselves are starting to get a bit nastier and the Hull head coach likes what he is seeing in that regard as well.

He continued: "I have been really fortunate as you never know what you will walk into as a manager at a new club. I was so pleasantly surprised to walk into what was a really nice group of players - good lads with good values. I've known Lewie Coyle for a few years in terms of what he brings and he's the club captain.

"But I felt they were too nice as well. Now I am starting to see an edge. I am seeing Oscar (Estupinan) bump people in training and it's seeing that edge to make people better.

"There's been a real difference in mentality and I think you are seeing it on the pitch at the moment.

"There's a shift and a belief and some of the players need to know they are good players and it's my job to remind them that some are better than they think they are. And put some confidence into them.

"At the moment, the signs are really good. There are no bad eggs here and everyone is working together, which makes my life a lot easier."

The best Hull sides – think back to Rosenior's spell in the successful years under Steve Bruce for instance – have been tight, committed and had each other's backs.

As well as driving players, Rosenior has made it his mission to see who he can trust. Again, he has been pleasantly surprised in that regard.

Players are following him as well, to a man the interviews about his impact at the club have been positive and genuine. Again, that augurs well and reflects well on another key facet of his profession. Man-management.

He said: "That's the most important thing – before tactics, systems, identity or whatever. You need a good group who are willing to work hard and believe in what you do. They are showing that and it needs to continue.”