David Wagner started the week by reminding his Norwich City players excuses are a sign of weakness, and warned them they are now in a dogfight ahead of Friday’s Championship test at Hull.

Some might question the quality in this season’s English second tier but Wagner believes the competitiveness is as tough as ever.

One win in the last five has quashed any optimism from a pre-festive upturn, and Wagner knows the pressure only grows from here on both him and his players.

“We have to improve in a lot of areas. I think this is clear. And this is what you can see,” he said. “We have to get consistency in our performances and results as well. I think there is a super good platform here you can work with and where you can start from.

"But there is a lot of work to do. This is the truth as well. And nobody should forget that everyone else in this division is super competitive and takes it serious as well.

"So we are one of the competitors and I think the most important thing is to have a long breath and to stick to your ideas, and make sure that you do not get too far driven away by emotions and atmosphere, because this is not what helps in this situation.”

Wagner clocked up a year in charge with the FA Cup draw against Bristol Rovers, and that inconsistency has plagued the head coach's Carrow Road tenure.

“It's not about looking back and having concerns for me, it's about looking forward to make sure that we perform and win football matches,” he said. “This is where my total attention is.

The players are aware about the table and the points difference and what we are able to achieve if we win this (Hull) game. We are really looking forward to it. They have areas where they are vulnerable. Obviously they have some strength as well. We will prepare our guys as good as we can. And then we go for it.”

Wagner was candid enough to admit very few of those who came in on FA Cup duty put themselves in the frame for the Tigers' test. Adam Forshaw did not train on Thursday due to illness and Grant Hanley’s back issue will be monitored for the next 10 to 14 days.

“It's important to speak about the truth,” he said. “Obviously in the cup game five or six potential starters didn't play. The one or other lads who got the opportunity were unfortunately not able to use this opportunity.

“Grant has a minor back problem where we have to assess him for maybe the next 10 to 14 days, nothing major. We should not force it. This is why we said, ‘Come on, give him the next 10 to 14 days’, but then he'll be back and ready for sure. It's not a major issue.

"I think we should be careful, and make sure that we give him the right input in the right time. Everyone else is fine.”

Adam Idah had City’s best second half chances against Bristol Rovers, in the latest of a series of cameos from the bench this season, that ironically started with his dramatic stoppage time winner against Hull on the opening weekend.

“I don't know exactly how many starts Adam had, and how many times he came off the bench, but what you clearly can see is he is an unbelievable impact player once he comes from the bench,” said Wagner. “This is something you can see on his stats, in terms of the goals, but you can see this in terms of how many problems he causes opponents.

“But the truth is, as well, he has done the same when he was a starter, unfortunately, not in terms of numbers of goals or assists, but he caused some defenders big problems when he started as well.

“It will always be the case, and this does not only count for Adam, but more or less every player, there will be games where he will start and there will be games where he comes from the bench. Now he is a great example that if you come from the bench, and if your mindset is right, and you are bang on it the second you come on the pitch, you can get man-of-the-match.

"Even if you only play 30 minutes. Adam has shown it a few times that this is possible. You don't have to start to have a huge impact. For this, you have to have a clear head and a clear mindset.”