DREAM DREAM GRASS OF HOME
Silva out to extend 40-game streak
MARCO SILVA claims his Hull players have the bottle to handle the intense pressure of the relegation fight.
City are scrapping to avoid an immediate return to the Championship as the campaign reaches crunch time.
Silva insists his players have the character to cope with this nerve-shredding experience, ahead of today’s clash with Watford at fortress KCOM.
“It’s normal pressure, big pressure, yes, but all the teams have pressure,” said the Portuguese.
“But it’s important you feel comfortable with the pressure. We need to have a big attitude in the match to win. I feel my players are ready for the fight.
“I want them to play the same as what we usually show at home, but I want them calm.
“It’s not easy to keep them calm, since I come we have been under pressure.
“Sometimes we are not the best in the first half. It’s impossible that we don’t feel pressure. But we need to stay comfortable, and this has been a normal week and the players have worked hard.”
Silva has given Hull hope when there was none, and the Tigers have won seven and drawn one of their eight home games under him in all competitions.
Incredibly, Silva is unbeaten in 40 home games as a coach, stretching back over three years with Estoril, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiacos and Hull.
Their resurgence has lifted City two points clear of Swansea and the bottom three, although he was careful not to see Hull’s survival as a straight fight with Paul Clement’s side.
Silva refuses to write off either of the struggling north-east clubs, and said: “We’ll see if it is a straight shootout. It is impossible for me to count out Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
“One bad weekend and the other teams win and, all of a sudden, they are in the fight.”
Silva also dismissed talk of Watford being “on the beach” because they are safe. In fact, he believes the reverse is true.
“Being safe means they can play without pressure,” he said. “They feel comfortable on 40 points. I talk about pressure, but they have none. They can play free football.”
Hull are banking on their home form to keep them up after suffering back-to-back defeats on the road against Manchester City and Stoke.
Boss Silva feels they are ready to bounce back from those losses and added: “The players are not happy with the last result (against Stoke) and have trained hard.
“But we need to be calm and patient against Watford. We can do good things but only if we cause problems for our opponents.”