Club ‘not here by accident’ and revamped squad return to Premier League against Manchester United on Saturday

On a baking spring bank holiday, Sergej Jakirovic basked in the glory of Hull’s fairytale promotion to the Premier League in an address to 40,000 ecstatic supporters from the balcony of Hull City Hall. “I only had one task before the season – to stay in the Championship … I failed. We’re going to the Premier League!” roared Jakirovic to the delight of those in attendance.

Oli McBurnie’s late goal had secured a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Championship playoff final 48 hours earlier, clinching one of the unlikeliest ascents for years. Hull survived relegation to League One only on goal difference in 2024-25 but Jakirovic, an intriguing character and fine raconteur, proved the man with the alchemist’s touch.

Three months on from those wild celebrations, the Bosnian’s new-look side must defy the odds again – and then some – to survive in the Premier League. Hull have been written off as relegation certainties by bookmakers and pundits, including the former England duo Carlton Cole and Joe Cole, who ridiculed them on their podcast this week. “Hull are gone, man,” said the latter. “They have spent £70m and I’d be stunned if they stay up. They have come in through the back door, they’ve slipped in.”

Such barbs do not faze Hull’s head coach, who was in typically ebullient mood before Manchester United’s visit to the MKM Stadium on Saturday lunchtime. “I’m buzzing,” said the 49-year-old. “Of course there’s a very big gap between the Championship and Premier League. We’re up against the best teams, players and managers and I’ve seen all the predictions. But it’s a great motivation to prove them wrong because we don’t have anything to lose.

“What we did last season was a very big achievement, but this is football and what happened yesterday doesn’t matter any more. We want to improve and show that we can develop to do even better as a team – and of course we need another miracle to survive. It will be an even bigger achievement than winning promotion if we manage to stay up. We need 40 points, so everything is very clear.”

Jakirovic has made the people of Hull walk a little taller in a city that has received more than its fair – or rather, unfair – share of negative publicity at times. What did he make of the jibes from both Coles, which provoked such a furious backlash from Tigers fans? “It was stupid and disrespectful towards the club and players because we earned everything on the pitch – nobody gave us anything for free,” said Jakirovic. “It’s not fair, especially when it’s coming from ex-players who know how hard players work to reach the Premier League. If they were in my position they would fight, so it’s easy to say we’ll finish 20th, but can they bet on that? They can put everything on that or they can lose, so we will see. But we’re not here by accident.”

The club’s high-profile chair, Acun Ilicali, who has said he will keep faith with Jakirovic even if Hull go down, has made 11 new signings – several of whom are currently injured – and broken the club’s transfer record twice in the process. The recruitment drive, described by some as scattergun, is also not over. “We’re expecting three or four more players,” Jakirovic said. “We’ve signed some good players with potential, but I’m also aware that they need more time to adapt and build chemistry with the team.

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“Mr chairman and I have had a very good connection since our first meeting and we do everything together. In all decisions, we are always speaking and trying to improve our team in many ways.”

Hull’s dramatic rise last season – their fourth promotion to the Premier League from 2008 onwards – caught the imagination, and Jakirovic is a good story in his own right. Born in Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then part of Yugoslavia, the imposing former centre-half grew up in Metkovic in Croatia. His childhood experiences – running from fighter plane bombings and taking shelter during the 1990s Balkan wars – deeply shaped his resilience and perspective on life.

Jakirovic’s playing career included spells in Slovakia, Slovenia and Bulgaria before he moved into management and eventually landed in Hull – his eighth club in nine years – last summer. “I always sleep like a baby because this is just sport at the end of the day,” he said with a smile. “I have to be fresh on Saturday; I also need to show my potential and prove that I can handle this stage. And I don’t have any doubt because I’ve showed already that I’m capable of doing some great things.”