Sergej Jakirovic is refusing to let outside doubters dampen the mood at Hull City as his side prepares to begin life back in the Premier League against Manchester United this Saturday.
Three months ago, the Bosnian coach stood before roughly 40,000 jubilant fans on the balcony of Hull City Hall, celebrating an extraordinary promotion secured via a 1-0 playoff final win over Middlesbrough, courtesy of a late Oli McBurnie goal. That triumph capped a remarkable turnaround for a club that had only avoided relegation to League One the previous season by goal difference, marking Hull's fourth promotion to the top flight since 2008.
Now, with bookmakers and several pundits tipping Hull for an immediate return to the Championship, Jakirovic finds himself once again cast as the underdog fighting against expectations. Former Premier League strikers Carlton Cole and Joe Cole recently dismissed Hull's chances on their podcast, with Joe Cole stating bluntly, "Hull are gone, man. 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."
The comments drew a sharp response from Jakirovic, who defended his players' achievements. "It was stupid and disrespectful towards the club and players because we earned everything on the pitch – nobody gave us anything for free," he said. "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?"
Rather than being discouraged, the 49-year-old head coach insists the criticism serves as fuel. "I'm buzzing," he said ahead of the United fixture at the MKM Stadium. "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."
Jakirovic was careful to note that last season's heroics count for little now. "What we did last season was a very big achievement, but this is football and what happened yesterday doesn't matter any more," he said. "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."
Hull's ambitious transfer window has seen chairman Acun Ilicali sanction 11 new signings, breaking the club's transfer record on two occasions, though several recruits are currently sidelined through injury. Jakirovic revealed the rebuild is not yet finished. "We're expecting three or four more players," he 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." He also praised his relationship with the chairman, saying, "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."
Jakirovic's own journey adds another layer to Hull's story. Born in Mostar, in what was then Yugoslavia, and raised in Metkovic, Croatia, he experienced the trauma of the Balkan wars as a child, an upbringing that shaped his outlook on pressure and adversity. After a playing career spanning Slovakia, Slovenia and Bulgaria, and having managed eight clubs in nine years before arriving at Hull, he appears unfazed by the scale of the task ahead.
"I always sleep like a baby because this is just sport at the end of the day," he said. "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."
Based on reporting from The Guardian.