Hull City vs AFC Bournemouth - Ryan Mason backing Marco Silva to move Hull forward - 7M sport

Hull City vs AFC Bournemouth - Ryan Mason backing Marco Silva to move Hull forward



Posted Saturday, January 14, 2017 by PA

Hull midfielder Ryan Mason believes the Premier League strugglers will improve under new head coach Marco Silva.

Club record summer signing Mason has been restored to the starting line-up in his preferred central midfield role in Silva's first two matches and revealed the Portuguese has already made big changes a week after replacing the sacked Mike Phelan.

"Yeah, a lot has changed, a hell of a lot actually. I think he'll raise the standards. Personally, I think under this manager you can't cut any corners.

"In training he's there and on it and that's how he wants to go about it on the training pitch and in matches and that can only be good for us as a football team and as a club as well.

"I'm sure when we go into games everyone will know what they're doing and (be) very organised."

Silva is waiting to learn whether both Friday's new signings, striker Oumar Niasse and Brazilian midfielder Evandro, will be available to face Bournemouth on Saturday when his bottom-placed side bid for their first win in 10 league games.

Senegal international Niasse has joined on loan from Everton until the end of the season, while Hull agreed an undisclosed fee with Porto to sign Evandro, who has put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Mason, who arrived from Tottenham for a reported B£13million last summer, feels there are similarities between his former boss Mauricio Pochettino and the man appointed to keep Hull in the Premier League.

"Yes in a way. They've both got different styles, but at the same time there are some similarities," Mason said.

"They both want to play a high tempo game and I'm sure in the coming weeks, the longer the gaffer has with us the more you'll see of that."

Silva guided unfashionable Estoril to the top flight in Portugal and won the Portuguese Cup with Sporting Lisbon before steering Olympiacos to the Greek title last season with six games to spare.

"It's been very intense," Mason said. "He's out there, he's hands-on. It's sort of stop-start in training and explaining how he wants us to play in and out of possession.

"You can see he's young, he's passionate and he's excited and relishing this opportunity. He really wants to get his style and his philosophy across to us as soon as possible."

The Tigers will be without midfielder Markus Henriksen who has been ruled out for up to three months with a shoulder injury but Curtis Davies (hamstring), Michael Dawson (shoulder) and Jake Livermore (illness) could all return.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe maintains there have been no moves to bring in Chelsea defender John Terry on loan.

While Howe is an admirer of the 36-year-old former England skipper, and has seen his own defensive options depleted after Chelsea recalled Nathan Ake early from a season-long loan, he says no deal is currently under consideration.

"There have been no negotiations with Chelsea at all. I admire John Terry greatly as a footballer. He was one of my favourite central defenders.

"When I looked at people when I was playing to try and emulate and get close to, he was one that I followed, but there has been no discussions and no meeting, nothing."

Howe admits the loss of Ake is a blow, with the 21-year-old Dutchman having started to grow into his role within the Bournemouth squad.

"Nathan's exit is disappointing because he had done so well, was producing consistent performances and improving with every game.

"To lose him after that work is disappointing, but Chelsea have every right to do that (recall). We were thankful to Chelsea for lending him to us in the first place."

Howe has seen his defensive options reduced further with the suspension of Simon Francis, who was shown a red card in the 3-3 draw against Arsenal.

However, the Bournemouth boss is not about to make any panic buys in the January sales.

"There is no guarantee we will do anything in that position. What we are doing at the moment is assessing our options and seeing which decision we make," he said.

"We have some good players here who can fill that void, so it will be up to them, hopefully in the next game, to show I don't need to sign anyone."

Bournemouth will have Benik Afobe available again for club duty following the forward's decision to pull out of DR Congo's African Nations Cup squad while winger Ryan Fraser is fit again after a calf injury.

Ivory Coast forward Max Gradel is away on international duty but Marc Wilson should be available despite suffering cramp in the FA Cup defeat to Millwall last week.



Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.