Hull City manager Mike Phelan has urged his side to take each game as it comes and not look towards an overall points target in their quest to avoid relegation.
"The target is to win football matches"
With Premier League giants Manchester City awaiting just around the corner, Phelan has asked his side to forget about the stigma associated with the big spending club. He suggested “if we can look at it as another game, then hopefully we won’t put too much pressure on ourseleves and we can pick up the points”.
Phelan has not set a specific target to avoid relegation, explaining “the target is to win football matches. Setting points targets is sometimes the worst thing you can do as it puts pressure on".
The manager admitted that his players had enjoyed a rest this week but hopes they can draw on a positive performance against West Ham in their last outing. “The players have had a rest but, as a group, we are all looking forward to the next game against Manchester City on Boxing Day". He then added “the only negative of last week was the result. The performance was terrific, but you don’t always get what you deserve".
"I hope Christmas brings us a bit of fortune"
Club captain Michael Dawson stated “I hope a result on Boxing Day can kickstart our season and Chistmas brings us a bit of fortune". However the defender is under no illusion as to how challenging the task will be. “It will be tough against a side like Man City, but we will do what we always do, which is stay together and keep fighting".
Dawson believes that Hull are worthy of their Premier League place, suggesting "we deserve to be here after what we did in the Championship". However after a disappointing start to the season he claimed “we just haven’t had the rub of the green really. Unfortunately football can be cruel like that at times". All Tigers fans will be hoping for a change of luck from Santa this weekend.