STATISTICS don't always tell the full story in football, but this weekend's clash against Swansea will definitely be a numbers game for Hull City, says Peter Swan.
Having scored just two goals in their last eight games, City and their fans know they need to up that rate to get away from the drop zone.
But the only way they are going to do that is by firing more crosses into the box and getting more through-balls into the penalty area, to really take the game to Swansea.
If the Tigers are going to pick up the 'two big wins' which manager Steve Bruce has been talking about over the festive season, they need to increase their shots on goal ratio, and quick.
So far this season, they have had the fewest shots in the top flight with just 108 in 16 games, less than seven a match.
That's not enough at the highest level and Bruce will have worked on improving that in training this week, so don't be surprised to see Andy Robertson and Ahmed Elmohamady go bombing up the wings to fire in more crosses.
Without a doubt, the man City have to stop is Wilfried Bony. The Ivorian international is on fire at the moment after really finding his feet in the Premier League.
What I like about Bony is his ability to play with his back to goal, either on his own or as part of a two-man attack.
A tough striker who relishes a physical battle, he won't be ruffled by a bit of rough stuff. He thrives on it and knocks defenders out of the way to grab a goal, just like a targetman should.
The goals he scores are always different too, coming both inside and outside the box.
If City don't get tight to the 26-year-old when he is in and around the 18-yard area, he will make them pay.
The £12m man already has eight goals to his name this season, including two in his last two games, so he is the one to watch.
Swansea are a side who are very much like City in a lot of ways. Both clubs have similar sized stadiums, fan bases and playing squads.
But the thing Swansea have managed to find and City haven't so far this season is a settled side.
Swans boss Garry Monk seems to know what his best starting XI is and other than a few minor changes, he sticks to it.
Bruce is still searching for that combination, partly because of injuries and partly because some of his key players have suffered from a loss of form.
