Written off by some, ignored by others, Sergej Jakirovic’s Hull City impact will not be determined by the club’s play-off participation
Tigers boss Sergej Jakirovic has proved a hugely popular figure in East Yorkshire(Image: Hull City AFC)
Sergej Jakirovic may not have won the Championship’s Manager of the Year award on Sunday night at the EFL’s glittering ceremony in London, but in the eyes of Hull City fans, he’s already a winner.
Jakirovic has helped give City fans the faith and belief that wilted away last season, when they endured a nightmare campaign and came within a whisker of being relegated to League One.
Against a backdrop of last season’s failures, and a signifcant slap on the wrist from the EFL meaning the club couldn’t buy any new players in the summer, Jakirovic has masterminded a season to remember for the Tigers.
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Jakirovic was written off by many ahead of his first season in English football, with some observers ignoring the face he’d managed Croatia’s biggest club, Dinamo, to domestic success and appearances in the Champions League. Many questioned Acun Ilicali’s determination to bring him from Turkish football, but the more we see from Jakirovic and how he operates, how much his players respect and enjoy playing for him, the more it looks like one of the owner’s best decisions.
Despite the issues he encountered when he arrived, a squad ravaged by injuries to key players all season, Jakirovic has done a terrific job at the MKM Stadium, and he should be applauded.
There remains a huge job at hand for the Croatian, and with three games of the season to come, he could yet go down in Tigers folklore should he guide City to the play-offs and promotion.
His side have picked the wrong time to go on their worst run of the season, with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Birmingham City making it four games without a win, but their fate remains in their own hands.
Had you offered City fans this position at the start of the season, every single one would have snapped your hand off, and Jakirovic deserves huge credit for getting the club in this position.
Yes, there’s frustrations about recent form and that’s natural. They’re still in there and it remains in their own hands. Throughout the season Jakirovic has gone about his work with little fuss, but huge humour and charisma, and you should bet against him and his side at your peril.
Whatever the outcome of the next three, potentially five or six games may be, City’s head coach has breathed new life into East Yorkshire life, and deserves recognition for what he’s done so far. He needs backing and support over the summer.
If things don’t go as hoped and the Tigers either miss out on the play-offs, or are unable to clinch promotion, his work can still be deemed worthy of a standing ovation, and City will be stronger for it moving forward. Jakirovic has given City fans a reason to believe that they can challenge.
Jakirovic may not have won the Championship’s crown on this occasion, but his mere nomination is recogniftion enough for the job, he, and City have done this season. And there could yet be bigger accolades to come in the next few weeks.
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