Bowen knows Tigers’ target
VILLA new boy John McGinn believes he is made to measure for the English game.
The Scot, looking every inch a bargain at just £2.75m, appeared right at home as the tackles were flying in at Portman Road.
McGinn also showed his undoubted class on the ball with the perfect delivery for Jonathan Kodjia’s opener, making it three assists from as many games since his switch from Hibs.
The 24-year-old midfielder said: “It’s been good but there’s a lot of room for improvement as well. I feel as if I’ve started okay but no one has seen the best of me yet.
“I’m pleased with the assists so far and I just want to help the team and make my all-round game better.
“It will come. It’s a different style of football, a different league and a different challenge. I feel as if I’m stepping up a level and I’m getting used to it.” HULL winger Jarrod Bowen defended their style after the toothless Tigers suffered a worrying defeat.
Boss Nigel Adkins is trying to play pretty football to bring crowds back – but there are already questions over whether the squad is good enough.
Saturday’s dismal attendance of 12,233 was the second-lowest ever for a league game here, even though Hull have played in the lower divisions.
This defeat left some fans fuming, jeering the team and chanting for the owners to leave.
There is a school of thought that they need a target man to hit balls up to – but Bowen hit back at that suggestion.
He said: “We don’t want to play long ball. I don’t think the size of the squad matters too much because we are all good players.”
Hull are almost unrecognisable from the team that went down from the Premier League in 2017.
When McGinn crossed for Kodjia to head his first goal in 11 months everything seemed to be going Villa’s way.
But a clanger from goalkeeper Orjan Nyland allowed on-loan Chelsea midfielder Trevoh Chalobah to level.
Then Fulham loanee Tayo Edun saw red for two overzealous challenges and it seemed Villa would again seize control.
But Ipswich made a real fight of it to lift a noisy Portman Road crowd.
Janoi Donacien is also new to the Championship following a loan move to Ipswich from Accrington that is set to become permanent in January.
Donacien, 24, said: “It was a good battling display. It took a lot for us to come back, especially from a goal down against a good team that should be up there this year. We just stuck at our jobs.”
The owners are trying to recoup their investment by offloading players and buying on the cheap.
The results so far this season has been one point from three league matches.
Hull lost this game when Elliott Bennett crossed for Bradley Dack to turn in the winning goal.
Dack was the star man in Blackburn’s promotion, ending it as League One player of the year.
A big question was whether or not he could deliver again at a higher level, but he has already scored twice.
Dack, who hobbled out of the changing rooms after the game due to a knee injury, said: “There were maybe a few question marks against me but I believe in my ability.
“It’s nice to show people that I can do it in this league – and long may it continue.”