After almost a month of searching, Hull City have finally appointed their replacement for Ruben Selles and just as 12 months ago, the new man comes from abroad.
Sergej Jakirovic is the man charged with finally ending City‘s wait for Premier League football under Acun Ilicali, after the Turkish owner headhunted the Bosnian.
Twelve months on from the doomed arrival of former Hamburg boss Tim Walter, City have gone to foreign climes again, but this time, he’s brought in somebody with more pedigree than the German, and far stronger references.
Jakirovic takes charge of a club in desperate need of a pick-me-up after a disastrous season that almost ended with relegation back to League One, and the ultimate humiliation for the owner. City survived on the final day on goal difference and a lopsided squad that may not need wholesale change, but still requires serious remedial work to ready it for the new campaign which kicks off in just over eight weeks’ time. Time is not on their side.
The 48-year-old leaves Kayserispor with fans upset at his departure, which is usually a good sign. Any prospects of City facing the Super Lig club in a friendly any time soon must now seem remote, at best, but jokes aside, the fact that their supporters were so angry at his exit shows the esteem he was held in, even if his stay was brief.
His arrival signals the end of a lengthy process involving Ilicali, sporting director Jared Dublin, international recruitment chief Mustapha Yokes and Martin Hodge, the club’s head of recruitment.
It’s been a process that has played out once again in the public domain, with lengthy meetings in Istanbul and London, late-night phone calls, and everything in between.
Ilicali’s decision to interview former Newcastle United midfielder Emre Belozoglu threatened to cause riots, and after lengthy conversations, both parties decided it would not be wise to continue those talks and off to their separate ways they went. An extremely awkward period was eventually navigated.
Michael Beale, the former Rangers and Sunderland boss, was interviewed, and by all accounts, gave a good impression, as did Emre, but that’s where that interest ended. Alex Neil was another one considered, given how impressive he was during his interview at Christmas, when Ilicali opted to appoint Selles.
Plymouth Argyle’s now ex-head coach Miron Muslic was keen on the role. His agent has clearly done a sterling job of getting his client the Schalke job, but he pushed hard to take over from Selles, even using Muslic’s motivational speech on arrival at Home Park as an example of his abilities, and so, too, his ability to improve players like Mustapha Bundu. It’s understood City carried out some due diligence on Muslic but after various conversations with the Serbian’s team, decided to go in a different direction which has now become clear.
A host of other names were talked about between the club’s hierarchy: Gary O’Neil and Steve Cooper were two examples, though it was clear from early on that neither was a realistic contender for the MKM Stadium role.
Throughout the process, Jakirovic appealed to Ilicali. Attracted by a positive style of play and a rate of almost two points per game at each club he’s been at, Ilicali was impressed by the job he did in Turkey with Kayserispor, and that swung the deal above contenders championed by other members of his self-confessed brain team.
After arriving with the club languishing at the bottom end of the Super Lig, the Bosnian guided the club well away from danger and into the safety of mid-table. Their form at one point was third only behind the big two, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. It was a 3-3 draw at Saracoglu against Ilicali’s Istanbul giants, which really thrust Jakirovic into his mind. Five wins in the final 10 games secured a 13th-place finish and ensured he would be fondly remembered amongst those supporters. Twenty-nine points from 17 games was a good return.
It was believed initially that the ex-midfielder would prove too expensive, but the Turkish owner has pushed the boat out and ultimately, he’s got the man he wanted, albeit at significant expense.
He did something similar last year with Walter, and that proved a disaster. This appointment could make or break his ownership, so it has to work. He needs Jakirovic to live up to the billing and deliver. Ilicali’s leap of faith and finance, with Walter, backfired spectacularly. This must go the other way and prove to be a roaring success, and it needs to happen quickly. Things have to move quickly; they cannot afford to meander through the next month because that would be criminal.
Ilicali will hope that Jakirovic has a similar impact to Regis Le Bris at Sunderland. In some ways, that’s a fanciful dream given where both clubs are at in terms of finance and structure, but it’s a dream nonetheless. The new head coach must get to work quickly. Time is running out, and they cannot repeat the catastrophe of last summer. It must happen quickly, and key to that will be Jakirovic getting acquainted with his new group, getting them on side and making them believe. Make them feel part of it and that they can be a success.
While he’s got a good record at previous clubs, including winning the league and cup double in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb, managing in the Championship will pose an altogether different test for Jakirovic, who will have little time to settle into life at City before the relentless Championship season begins in early August and he will have to deliver results.
Ilicali will have to back his new manager both with time and funds. The squad has some very large holes that must be filled, and not with any old bodies, but with actual quality. That’s what has to happen. Otherwise, this latest relationship will have a rather short shelf life, and that means bad news for the Tigers, and for Ilicali himself.
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