The Tigers influcted a first home defeat on the Blues since April 2004
Birmingham City manager Chris Davies denied Sergej Jakirovic’s claims that he used abusive language towards the Hull City head coach during the Tigers’ 3-2 win at St Andrew’s.
Tempers flared just before the break after a couple of challenges in front of both benches, with Davies going head-to-head with Tigers assistant Marko Salatovic at one point, as things threatened to boil over.
Moments after that melee, Regan Slater’s terrific header made it 2-1 to the visitors after Jay Stansfield had cancelled out a Jack Robinson own goal.
In the melee, Jakirovic claimed Davies swore at him before a member of the Blues’ security told him to go back to Croatia in a foul and abusive way.
Blues have denied those claims and released a statement on Saturday night to that effect, but the Croatian was deeply disappointed with the situation.
“There was a melee of people as there normally is during those circumstances,” Davies said. “From my point of view, I was making sure we were getting our people back and carrying on with the game. There were a lot of their staff coming over and trying to be involved.
“Emotions are running high. It happens every week. Unfortunately, it has culminated in him not shaking my hand, which I’ve never experienced before since I’ve been a coach. It says a lot, but it is what it is.”
When asked directly by Hull Live about the allegation of his own comments to Jakirovic, Davies refuted that he’d said anything to Jakirovic, though Regen Slater backed up his manager, confirming to this newspaper that he heard the Blues boss make the comment.
“No, I was, from my point of view, trying to get my people away,” Davies said. “I was trying to make sure that we were moving on with the game. I think there was a lot of their staff that were coming over to jump around and be involved, and my point was that we need to get back to our side, and they get back to their side.
“I think there was a lot of people around there at the time, and that happens a lot. You get those kinds of situations, they’re not particularly nice viewing probably for people around, but it’s a flash point in the game.
“From our point of view, there was a lot more to that game than anything like that on the sideline; it was a case of what happened on the pitch.”
Davies, though, was unhappy with experienced defender Jack Robinson for earning himself a straight red card in the second period, and says the ex-Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United man apologised to his teammates.
“I’m very disappointed to lose at home in the league for the first time. We were fairly strong in our attacking game in the first half. I thought we looked more dynamic, and I wanted us to be a bit more fluid in our attack and have a bit more threat on their goal.
“There was a lot of that there and again, the two occasions they really got near our goal they scored. We were 2-1 down against the run of play, really, with very sloppy moments from us in a defensive sense, but if I looked at the half objectively, we looked much the better team in terms of our threat.
“Despite being very frustrated about being 2-1 down, naturally it was a case of if we continue to play like that and tighten up on moments when they get near our box, then we’re going to go on and score the couple of goals we need to win this match.
“I was fairly confident in the second half but to lose a player through that lack of discipline is pretty hard to take because it’s ultimately cost us the opportunity to push on.
“We went to 10v11 and I thought the players did well to generate the chances that they did. They couldn’t have done much more. We pushed right to the very end.
“Ultimately, I think that lack of discipline in a key moment has cost us. He’s (Robinson) apologised to his teammates for the incident, and it’s not something I want from my players, our team, and it’s something that shouldn’t happen. In the end, we’ve suffered the consequences of it.”
Davies also had his say on what he felt could have been a penalty in the first half when Charlie Hughes tangled with Keshi Anderson, and in the second, when John Egan was booked by referee Ruebyn Ricardo for a foul that Matt Crooks appeared to have made, when he was already on a yellow card.
“I think on another day you get the Keshi Anderson one,” Davies continued in conversation with Hull Live. “I think they’ve booked the wrong player when Egan gets booked, when Crooks has fouled.
“I don’t know how you can legislate for that stuff in a game. Obviously, we’ve cost ourselves with our own red card, but if you do get a chance to level the game, you’d hope that the officials could get that one right and book the correct player and if the correct player gets booked, then it goes to equal numbers again, it gives you more of a chance.
“They’re pretty important moments, pretty decisive moments for them to get correct, but ultimately, it can’t be changed now. I don’t think it was a particularly tough game for the referee, no, I don’t think so.”
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