Hull City’s first five games of the new Premier League season came to an end with a first defeat of the fledgling campaign at Newcastle United on Saturday.
A disasterous start saw Sergej Jakirovic’s men 2-0 down inside the opening seven minutes, but a roaring response in the second half gave them hope after Mohamed-Ali Cho’s first City goal.
Despite a dominant ending, the travelling Tigers were unable to get back on terms and were forced to reflect on a maiden top-flight loss, though eight points from their first batch of games represents a terrific beginning.
And that’s a sentiment shared by Hull-born former footballer David Prutton, who believes the work done so far by Jakirovic, his staff and players has been nothing short of outstanding.
“It’s been phenomenal, and I don’t say that, lightly,” Prutton told the latest episode of the 1904 Club podcast with Baz and Burnsy.
“The results, the feeling around the place, yes, disappointment with regards to the game at the weekend (2-1 defeat at Newcastle United), which shows in quite a short space of time what the expectation levels are. It’s gonna be a very long and tough season, but I think City have given themselves more than a fighting chance.
“We’re all broadly on board, I think that anywhere above the bottom three is unqualified success.
“Having had the pleasure of going into the training ground with my son on that Monday after the Man Utd performance and result, and the atmosphere and all that meant, it was a really bouncy place.
“Sergej gave us quite a bit of his time in his office, just sat having a coffee and chewing the fat about stuff. He continues to be the most charismatic and lovely of company and a real leader of men.
“He talked in a very modern and interesting way about what his role is as a head coach because we were still talking about players that might come in and players that might go.
“I think we all know that it’s not a manager anymore that says ‘I want that player or I don’t want that player’, it’s by committee isn’t it, and very comfortable in himself to say well this is what I think about that, but if you want to go down that road, Mr. Owner, it’s your football club, I’ll I’ll work with whoever we deem fit enough to wear the shirt.
“I think to a man so far, City have been a credit. Yes, you start the game the way that they did against a Newcastle side that needed a reaction from getting thumped at Leeds the other night, and that not necessarily brings you back down to earth, but just reaffirms how tough it’s going to be.
“So much has gone right, so much to be happy about, and as a collective, as a first impression in the Premier League for this group of players together, obviously some have played there before, I think it’s been outstanding.”
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