Hull City have announced the appointment of Nigel Adkins as their new manager following the departure of Leonid Slutsky last weekend following their 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday in The Championship.
Adkins delighted for opportunity "at a really good football club"
The Tigers chose to part company with Slutsky following a poor run of form that has left them just three points above the relegation zone. Adkins has now taken over the role having been out of work since being sacked by Sheffield United in May 2016 and he is delighted to be back working in football.
He attended his first pre-match press conference as manager of the club today and spoke of his love for the game. He told the club's official Twitter account: "I'm a student of the game. I love being involved in football and I’ve got an opportunity now at a really good football club. I’m back in the hot seat doing things I love doing."
He added: "Everybody - players and staff - has a role to play at this football club. I‘m a positive guy and I need everyone to pull together as we look to improve."
Adkins believes that the Tigers do face a tough battle to maintain their Championship status this season but says this is something he will look to address immediately. He said: "We are in a relegation battle, but we need to change that around and win games of football. There’s going to be a nervousness about us and that will take time to change, but we need to get organised on the training ground."
He also went on to say how he had a good conversation with the club's owners before joining the club and that everyone must now pull in the same direction if they are to achieve success. He said: "There has to be a coming together of everybody pulling together in the same direction."
The new boss took his first training session on Thursday morning and will enter the dugout for his first game against Brentford on Saturday afternoon at The KCOM Stadium.
An experienced manager
The 52-year-old has a lot of experience in the division and enjoyed successful times at both Scunthorpe United and Southampton. He guided the Saints to back-to-back promotions as he took them all the way from League One to the Premier League. This was before he was controversially sacked in January 2013 as the club replaced him with Mauricio Pochettino.
His first managerial job came at Scunthorpe and he was able to lead the Iron to promotion to the Championship before eventually leaving the club to join Southampton. It was a remarkable rise for Adkins considering he had started off as Scunthorpe's physio.
However, his last two jobs at Reading and Sheffield United have ended in disappointment. This means that Adkins now has a point to prove, despite the fact he felt off-the-field issues had a negative impact on his record at both clubs. He now has the opportunity to rebuild his reputation at Hull which is going to be a very tough job but one that Adkins has the potential to be successful in.