Tim Walter interview: Hull City boss on his dugout demeanour, team-building and pressure

You could probably do a full 90 minutes just watching Tim Walter in the dugout.

The Hull City manager’s exuberance, energy and enigmatic enthusiasm is a spectacle of pure entertainment in its own right.

He does, however, insist he is a lot more relaxed than he used to be – even if it’s hard to believe.

“I’m more calm than I was before!” he tells Sky Sports with the beaming smile that has lit up the MKM Stadium this season.

“I’m a part of my players and I’m a part of the game. I try to feel it all the time, it’s how I am. I’m very energetic and I try to give that to the lads as well.

“They need to feel that everything we’re going to do, we do together.

“If I just sit on the bench and do nothing I can’t feel the game. Sometimes it’s a bit more, sometimes a bit less, but at the end it has to be respectful – that’s very important.”

Building connections and relationships is at the heart of everything Walter, 48, does.

He only arrived at Hull in the summer, and faced a major amount of upheaval with the squad that narrowly missed out on the play-offs under Liam Rosenior last season.

And with the style he is trying to adopt, it is not surprising there have been impressive moments within a mixed bag of an opening to the campaign.

“At the beginning it was hard, but now I have my squad I really enjoy it,” Walter says.

“We lost a lot of players in the summer, about eight players who scored 50 goals. So you have to bring that back.

“We need to create that connection and that’s what we’re trying to do.

“It’s not always about the results, it’s about the style and behaviour on the pitch, and the principles that you’re trying to create.”

Part of that journey included a trip to Turkey during the international break – home of their owner Acun Ilicali – for some team building. There was a friendly win at Alanyaspor, as well as a smattering of team-building activities.

“A bit of beach volleyball, some golf, and some evenings together,” recalls Walter.

“We tried to create more familiarity, because this squad have only been together for a few weeks. It was like a pre-season camp for us.

“It was really brilliant to get to know each other a bit more, to stick more together and to work on finding good solutions on the pitch and away from it.

“All this stuff is so important if you’re working with human beings if you want to get the best from them.”

Walter has belief in himself and his methods, and it is hard not to be won over by his warmth.

The job of a Championship manager is one of intense pressure, but the former Hamburg boss has a perspective and a joy that allows him to embrace it.

“Pressure is a privilege,” he says with that trademark beam back across his face.

“I love football, so if you don’t have the fun and enjoy the game it’s not your passion.”

Whatever happens at Hull City this season and beyond, the club is a warmer, kinder and funner place with Walter around.