After the disappointment of a goalless draw at West Bromwich Albion, Liverpool have no time to rest on their laurels as they face a trip to Hull City at the KC Stadium on Tuesday night. The relegation-threatened Tigers pose a huge threat and the Reds will need a battling performance to come away with the three points and close the gap between themselves and fourth-placed Manchester United, whilst Hull could certainly use the bonus of an added few points approaching a difficult run-in over their final three games of the Premier League campaign. Ahead of the game, we spoke to Aaron Irwin, a Hull City fan who writes for VAVEL covering his beloved side and Formula One, another sport which he follows closely. Aaron is a Journalism and Digital Media BA Hons student at Hull School of Art & Design, and he provides the view from the opposition here:

Q: We’re almost at the end of the current campaign, what have you made of Hull’s season so far?

AI: Hull haven’t exactly had the season we were all dreaming of at the start. I feel ‘second season syndrome’ has hit us hard, as well as a lot of injuries and as predicted we’re now fighting for our lives at the wrong end of the table. A few poor performances and some decisions not going our way have contributed to our season but we have ourselves to blame.

Q: Alternatively, what have been your thoughts on Liverpool this year?

AI: After the disappointment of last season, Rodgers had a lot of work to do to replace Luis Suarez. Unfortunately I don’t feel Mario Balotelli has done enough to be a good replacement. I’ve thought they can play good football, and they’ve shown that, they just have no end product up front like they did last season with Suarez, and that’s what they’ve needed.

Q: Hull have been flirting just above the relegation zone for quite a while, did the win at Crystal Palace ease fears? Or have you still got your work cut out for you?

AI: There was a brief moment of relief as the final whistle blew, but with things being so tight down there, it was straight back to worrying. With only a point between us and the relegation zone, it’s hard to feel at ease, we’ve got to take this season one game at a time. The old cliché of five ‘cup finals’ is exactly how we should treat these last few games.

Q: Three of your final four games are at home, with Tuesday night’s game the first, will that be to your advantage?

AI: I believe so yes, it’s always easier to play in front of your own fans. Places like Anfield and Old Trafford can be scary places to go when you’re in the middle of a relegation fight. So I see playing at the KC as an advantage, I just hope all the fans can get behind the team and we get some points from the ‘big’ teams.

Q: In the background of what has been a poor season for Hull, you’ve had the whole ‘Hull Tigers’ debacle going on. What do you make of that?

AI: I just find it all very unnecessary, Hull City A.F.C has been our name since our formation in 1904 and this is just a distraction that we really do not need. Also our chairman is causing a huge rift between fans and club. In my lifetime it’s never been this bad, I respect Allam for injecting all the money he has into the club, with us spending over £30million in the summer, but he’s ruining the footballing community in Hull and the surrounding area.

Q: Whilst we’re talking about ownership and management, are you happy with how Steve Bruce has managed the side this year?

AI: I believe he’s done well, he guided us to the FA Cup final last season, and he’s brought in some great players, such as Andy Robertson, however he’s a bit one dimensional with his formations and choices. We always play a 3-5-2 when sometimes we’re too exposed. Also when we need that attacking threat from someone such as Robertson or Robbie Brady, Bruce just doesn’t use them, he’ll use someone more defensive minded like Maynor Figueroa.

Q: Who have been the underperformers for Bruce this season? Or does he have injuries to blame?

AI: Injuries have been a big issue, at one point we had around 11 players out with injuries. Our striker Abel Hernández has underperformed though, we paid £10million in the summer for him, our club record signing, and his goal return is very poor with four goals in 22 appearances. Curtis Davies has been poor too and hasn’t played since January after being ever-present last season. We can blame it on injuries partly but some players just haven’t risen to the challenge.

Q: You had a rather brief stint in Europe earlier this season, something a lot of people seem to have forgotten about – what was that like for the club?

AI: Most of us have forgotten it after this Hull Tigers issue! It was surreal. When you think ten years ago, almost to the day, we’d just been promoted to the Championship with back-to-back promotions. Now we’ve had our brief affair with Europe it just seemed too good to be true back then. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought it. It felt good while it lasted, a whole new experience for City fans old and young.

Q: Focusing on this Tuesday’s fixture, who do you think has been your best player so far this season? & Who will you see as your side’s biggest attacking threat on Saturday?

AI: We’ve got an unsung hero I believe in our squad, one of my favourite players, Ahmed Elmohamady. He’s one of our wingers who’s both ever-present and tireless, he’s always running down the wing and he also has one of the highest cross completion rates in the Premier League. Our biggest threat has to be Dame N’Doye, with two goals at Palace hopefully he’s coming back into form, we’ll need him to be on his A-game against Liverpool though.

Q: Up the opposite end of the pitch, which Liverpool player would you be keeping a close eye on?

AI: Liverpool have a great team, we need to be keeping an eye on the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe, but I believe Philippe Coutinho is your biggest threat. You don’t get in the Team of the Season for nothing, and with his marauding runs and powerful shots, he brings something else to the game. Our back three will need to be careful with him.

Q: You’re only a point above the bottom three as it stands, but where do you see your side finishing this season?

AI: Ideally I’d like to say we’re going to survive and finish 16th-17th, but with the run in we have and teams like Leicester finally finding their feet, I honestly see Hull going down. I’d love to be able to say we’re fine, but with our run in and the form of others, we’ll have to hope the other sides fail to pick up many points too. I’ll say 17th or 18th, it’s all pinned on Tuesday night.

Q: And where do you see Liverpool finishing? Could we slip lower than our current fifth?

AI: I think top four is just out of reach now, especially after the draw with West Brom. It’s a shame as Liverpool have many of the components needed to finish top four. But I feel fifth seems likely now, Spurs and Southampton are giving you a good fight but I see a strong end to the season for you, starting after Tuesday night of course.

Q: Finally, what is your prediction for the game?

AI: I can see Hull giving Liverpool a real fight, but your attacking power will be too much for us to handle, I’ll say 2-0 Liverpool. 

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About the author
Charlie Malam and Aaron Irwin
Digital Sports Writer at the Daily Express. First-class Staffordshire University Sports Journalism graduate. Formerly VAVEL UK's Liverpool FC editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Contributor since June 2014.