Silva will be a coach in demand

I WAS not alone in being sceptical when Marco Silva was appointed manager of Hull City in January, and said so in this column.

Like many people, I had hardly heard of the Portuguese coach and was unaware, until I’d done the research, how good his credentials were.

But my main fear for Silva was that he would not be given the resources or the players to get Hull out of trouble. Nick Barmby and Steve Bruce had their problems with the ruling Allam family and Mike Phelan never stood a chance when he took over last summer.

Thankfully, owner Ehab Allam backed his new manager and together they brought in the signings required in January.

Even if he keeps Hull up now, it is difficult to see Silva (above) staying at the KCom next season — there is already talk of Southampton being interested in his services.

Hull still have two games to go, starting with the visit to Crystal Palace today which has become an even bigger task after the surprise home defeat to Sunderland last weekend — Silva’s first defeat at home as a coach in more than three years.

With two games to go, and despite winning 19 points from 21 at home, Hull are back in the bottom three.

Their problems have been away from home. With his experience and his record, Sam Allardyce is one of the managers you really don’t want to face in the penultimate game of the season when your team needs a victory, on their travels. He is the master of winning a point when required.

Sadly, if he does keep Hull in the Premier League, I have a feeling Marco Silva won’t be their manager next season.