The popular Croatian will lead his team into the Championship play-off final
Sergej Jakirovic guided Hull City into the play-off final in his first season in English football (Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic will lead his players into the biggest week of their lives, and he says he wants the whole club united to breathe as one.
Despite Saturday’s Championship play-off final with Southampton being scheduled, doubt remains whether the game will actually go ahead, with the outcome of the South Coast club’s disciplinary hearing remaining up in the air.
While Southampton could be fined or handed a points deduction if they are found guilty of the charge handed to them by the EFL, expulsion from the play-offs could yet be the ultimate punishment.
For City, their focus remains on preparing for Saturday’s game at Wembley Stadium, with Jakirovic’s players back in training on Monday after being given the weekend to spend with their friends and families.
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Jakirovic has done a stunning job at City, arriving last summer and joining a club that was about to be hit by transfer restrictions, having only survived on goal difference on the final day of the season.
Despite the odds being stacked against the Tigers, Jakirovic has led City to the final and just one game away from a return to world football’s biggest league.
“Dear Tigers, while the circumstances surrounding the final are unfolding beyond our control, I want to say a few words to you,” the Croatian wrote on social media. “I know myself that I came to this club quietly, just as I have many times before in life. But this season, ever since that first away trip to Coventry, we have all been living our dream together.
“We were written off and underestimated, yet we never lost the spirit that carried us to this great final. Whatever happens at Wembley in those 90 or 120 minutes of battle, I want us all to breathe as one, just as we have throughout this incredible season! And then…
“Que sera, sera…. “Your Gaffer, Sergej.”
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