By Tom Coates
In one passage of play, Hull City had managed to make themselves the laughingstock of the league. Already a goal down away to Swansea, Tobias Figueiredo was caught in possession, not by a pressing attacker but rather his own keeper, sweeping behind him, attempting to claim the ball. Trying to draw a foul from a non-existent opponent, Figueiredo fell to the ground dramatically, leaving both himself and his goalkeeper out of the picture as Swan’s substitute, Luke Cundle, rolled the ball into an empty net.
Having travelled since the early hours of the morning to make it for the 12:30 kick-off in South Wales, heads fell into hands as the Hull fans knew it was game over; not just for their team who had fallen to their fourth successive defeat but for the manager who was responsible for it all.
As Hull City became the perfect example of how not to defend, few thought it would be two Tigers not even given a chance during this match who would hold the key to the defensive revolution in East Yorkshire.
Given just twelve minutes on the pitch under Shota Arveladze, we will likely never know what Sean McLoughlin did to upset his former manager. Whether the Irishman ate from a box clearly labelled ‘Shota’s lunch’ or stole his coach’s parking spot outside the training ground, it was clear that he was never going to get a look-in under the Georgian.
With Figueiredo given free rein to make numerous errors week-in-week-out, McLoughlin’s exile was a growing frustration amongst Hull fans. Thankfully, as Arveladze was sacked, the incoming Liam Rosenior made sure that the 26-year-old was a part of his plans.
Under the guidance of his new manager, McLoughlin was able to forge a partnership with Alfie Jones, a fellow victim of the Arveladze regime.
At face value, Jones was not deprived of game time in the early passages of the campaign, featuring in sixteen games while Hull struggled to meet the expectations set during the pre-season. Whilst never deviating from the right centre back role under Rosenior, Jones was a utility piece for Shota, strung out in various positions as the Georgian struggled to settle on a tactical set up for his side.
Occupying the right sided centre back role in a back five for the opening game against Bristol City, Jones soon found himself replacing the injured Jean Michael Seri as a holding midfielder. In fact, during all of Jones’ appearances prior to Rosenior’s arrival, he only played his native position of right centre back in a back four on two occasions, both under interim manager, Andy Dawson.
As is the case with most short-term appointments, Jones struggled to impress with Dawson at the helm however, the decision to play the defender in his most natural position laid the foundations for the transformation under Rosenior.
Substituted on with ten minutes remaining during a goalless draw with Millwall, McLoughlin found himself on the pitch in Liam Rosenior’s first game in charge. Clearly a stronger advocate for the Irishman than his predecessor, the newly installed Hull coach did not look back, starting McLoughlin in every league game between December and April and alongside Alfie Jones on all but one occasion. In McLoughlin and Jones, Rosenior had found two players criminally underutilised by Arevladze and turned them into the centrepiece of his project.
Perhaps down to a petty feud but more likely managerial incompetence, Arveladze’s career as a nomadic striker was always unlikely to set him up as a successful defensive coach in the future. In stark contrast, Rosenior was a full-back who understood the English game inside-out. Whilst the Georigan was finding the net in European competitions, his successor plied his trade in the Football League. Most notably, a five-year spell at Hull City.
Between Rosenior and his assistant, Andy Dawson, there are almost 500 appearances in black and amber across a combined fourteen years at the club. A spell in which the Tigers rose from lower league obscurity to the Premier League, reached an FA Cup final and even knocked on the door of Europe. These two know what success looks like in East Yorkshire and are clearly determined to bring it back.
The best Hull teams of recent memory can be categorised by their defences. The promotion winning and subsequent survival seasons of 2007-2009 were led by the impenetrable force of Michael Turner and Ian Ashbee, a duo who only missed a combined thirteen games across the two seasons. To similar avail, Curtis Davies lined up with first James Chester then Michael Dawson for the domestic and European cup endeavours of 2014-2015. With either Rosenior or Andy Dawson playing a significant part in each of these sides, they know what a strong centre-back pairing looks like, and in Jones and McLoughlin they look to have found it.
When on the pitch together, the entire team plays better. Rosenior’s insistence on playing the ball out of the back has paid off long term and nobody has looked to have benefitted more than the central defenders. Two defenders just as comfortable with the ball at their feet as they are winning it off the opposition, is priceless to a manager like Rosenior.
McLoughlin and Jones’ improvements on the ball have not come at a cost to their physicality either. Never afraid of making a big challenge or competing in the air, the pair rank 6th and 7th in the league amongst defenders for successful tackles per 90 when looking at players who have played over half the season. In these two defenders, Rosenior has stumbled upon a hidden gem, players with obvious talents just wating for the right manager to make the most out of them.
The twenty-eight games with Rosenior at the helm saw thirteen clean sheets and less than a goal conceded per game. As the curtain drew on the season, Hull’s centre-backs were rightfully celebrated by both fans and management alike as Rosenior had managed to turn one of the worst defensive sides in the league into a clean sheet machine.
With McLoughlin earning the player of the month award on two occasions and Rosenior awarding manager’s player of the season to Jones, the Hull boss has made no secret of his admiration of his defensive pairing. Speaking during the season, Rosenior told reporters:
“if I'm being honest in appraising where we want to get to, [Jones and McLoughlin] are two players I want to build the team around”
With McLoughlin signing a contract extension until 2026 back in April and 25-year-old Jones agreeing a new deal last month, it is not just Rosenior’s faith that is in the pairing but the whole club.
Whilst the turbulence of the summer transfer window will bring with it fresh faces and fresh uncertainty for many in the team, the preseason will allow Jones and McLoughlin to improve on an already stellar end to this season and help guide Hull towards success into the future.
