Hull City's Shota Arveladze might have to risk upsetting owner Acun Ilicali by playing it safe for a while

In an interview with The Yorkshire Post last month, vice-chairman Tan Kesler was up front about the mindset at the new-look club. He was talking about transfers, but it doubled as a warning to Arveladze and his eventual successors.

“We couldn’t gradually develop a squad because we don’t have that patience."

Acun Ilicali bought a club in a relegation battle in January and immediately started talking about aiming for that season's play-offs. It was ludicrously, really, but the Turkish television mogul did not get where he is today by thinking small.

But after serious investment in 16 new players this summer, talk of pushing for promotion this season was in expectation, not hope.

Yet Hull are 20th in the Championship, a point above the relegation spot occupied by Middlesbrough.

They have lost their last four matches, and five of their last six, have conceded 21 goals in ten league games and not scored for 275 minutes of football.

Huddersfield Town's Danny Schofield, Cardiff City's Steve Morison and Stoke City's Michael O'Neill have already been handed P45s, as have Thomas Tuchel, Scott Parker, Robbie Stockdale and Paul Hartley in other divisions. At least in the Conference, John Sheridan was allowed to retire with a little dignity at Oldham Athletic.

So when Ilicali left before the end of a 3-0 defeat at Swansea City which could easily have been twice as bad – the Swans hit the crossbar three times before scoring – Arveladze had good reason to be twitchy.

Midfielder Regan Slater called the performance "a shambles".

“I feel under pressure," admitted Arveladze before speaking to Ilicali.

All the noises from East Yorkshire are that the Georgian will live to fight another day. The pressure has not gone, but the dial has not yet ticked over. It all starts again at home to Luton Town on October 1.

In the meantime, Arveladze faces a bit of a dilemma.

It is obvious what he has to do.

"We need to shut up shop and be harder to beat," said Alfie Jones after the previous 3-0 defeat, at home to Stoke City last Tuesday.

It is easy to forget Hull made a good start to the campaign, based on bright attacking talents like Oscar Estupinan – the Championship player of August – Ozan Tufan and Jean Michael Seri.

The problem is balance. A Swansea side obsessed with possession had a shocking amount of freedom at the Liberty Stadium thanks to the lack of pressure on the ball. Radio summariser Peter Swann was critical of the way Tufan was "coasting".

Once Swansea got into Hull’s area, some of the defending was comically catastrophic.

The 16 signings are seriously front-loaded. Centre-back Tobias Figueiredo was the most significant defensive addition but is in terrible form. Right-back Cryrus Christie is finding match-fitness after a summer as a free agent. Goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala and defensive midfielder Xaiver Simons are yet to play. Ball-winning midfielder Ryan Woods has made twice as many substitute appearances (four) as starts.

Estupinan, Tufan, Seri, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, Dogukan Sinik, Adama Traore, Benjamin Tetteh, Vaughn Covil, Dimitrios Pelkas, Harvey Vale and Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand were signed a lot more for that they can do with the ball than without it.

Some are wonderful players, too many have not been fit enough to pass judgement, but it looks like a collection of superstars the chairman wants to enjoy watching.

At Hull, like many clubs, the coach is presented with players rather than being in complete control. He gave the impression last week he had not even chosen the 24-man squad list for the next couple of months.

It feels a bit like Ossie Ardilles' "(in)famous five" Tottenham Hotspur team or the Middlesbrough side relegated with Fabrizio Ravanelli, Juninho, Emmerson, Mikkel Beck, Craig Hignett and Branco, just not enough Nigel Pearsons.

Much better to have a squad like Rotherham United’s or even Leeds United’s – built from a similar structure – where signings have the manager’s fingerprints all over them.

On Saturday Arveladze changed goalkeeper and formation but it is the feel of the team he needs to alter most.Seri, for example, is a classy player and Championship promotion winner with Fulham last season, but what Hull need in midfield right now is dogs of war like Slater, Woods, Jones and Greg Docherty. If they play with wingers, they must track back.

It might not be what Ilicali wants to watch, which makes it dangerous. But losing embarrassingly twice a week is more dangerous still.

Hull have 11 more matches until the biggest international break of all – the Qatar World Cup. If Arveladze wants to see them out, he may have to gamble on playing it safe.