A summer of managerial upheaval, financial chaos and transfer embargoes had many tipping Hull City for a season of struggle under unheralded Sergej Jakirović, but the free-scoring Tigers currently sit fifth in the table - @NathanielWhitto explains how it’s been done.
How's the season been for Hull?
It's been a delightful surprise. We had a slow start with two wins in the first eight but once we beat Sheffield United 1-0 in early October we've been fantastic. Critics will say we've ridden our luck at times this season especially defensively but after two thirds of the season you can't seriously say we don't deserve to be in the playoff mix given our consistency, togetherness and goal scoring prowess.
Hull in the league so far…
Coventry 0-0 Hull
Hull 3-2 Oxford Gelhardt 2, Crooks 20, McBurnie 90 – Lankshear 9, Brannagan 26
Hull 0-3 Blackburn Hedges 18, Ohashi 47, Cantwell 50
Bristol City 4-2 Hull Riis 18, 42, Mehmeti 32, Bird 78 – Gelhardt 3, Joseph 90
Swansea 2-2 Hull Vipotnik 40, Ronald 57 – McBurnie 45, Egan 90
Hull 3-1 Southampton Joseph 22, Lundstram 59, McBurnie 70 – Armstrong 90
Watford 2-1 Hull Louza 60, Semedo 78 – McBurnie 25
Hull 2-2 Preston McBurnie 48, 74 – Small 3, Smith 10
Hull 1-0 Sheff Utd Akintola 30
Birmingham 2-3 Hull Stansfield 27, pen 90 – Robinson og 11, Slater 45, Gelhardt 90
Hull 2-1 Leicester Millar 6, Gelhardt 31 – Ramsey 67
Hull 1-1 Charlton Gelhardt 46 – Berry 90
Norwich 0-2 Hull Gelhardt 49, Gyabi 87
Derby 2-1 Hull Morris 27, Salvesen 83 – Ndala 50
Hull 3-2 Portsmouth Destan 27, Joseph 42, Gelhardt 79 – Devlin 15, 45
QPR 3-2 Hull Chair 38, Dunne 55, Burrell 66 – Gelhardt 17, Destan 51
Hull 0-2 Ipswich Nunez 69, Akpom 73
Stoke 1-2 Hull Thomas 17 – Ajayi 48, Gelhardt 90
Hull 1-4 Boro Gelhardt pen 62 – Strelec 9, Gilbert 32, Whittaker 35, McGree 44
Hull 2-0 Wrexham Joseph 10, McBurnie 67
Millwall 1-3 Hull Emakhu 80 – Joseph 6, 13, McBurnie 88
Hull 1-0 West Brom McBurnie pen 45
Sheff Wed 2-2 Hull Ingelsson 21, Cadamarteri 60 – Belloumi 37, Crooks 65
Boro 0-1 Hull Gyabi 12
Hull 0-1 Stoke Bozenik 39
Southampton 1-2 Hull Stewart 71 – Joseph 20, Hughes 34
Preston 0-3 Hull Millar 33, Famewo 45, McBurnie 49
Hull 2-1 Swansea McBurnie pen 24, Slater 39 – Cullen 59
Blackburn 0-1 Hull Koumas 81
Hull 0-0 Watford
Hull 2-3 Bristol City McBurnie 24, Dowell 78 – Atkinson 33, McCrorie 39, Riis 50
It was a traumatic summer, and it had us and several other season previews tipping Hull for a season of real struggle, but it's been the complete opposite - why and how?
If I knew exactly how I'd be manager of Manchester United or Real Madrid. Though he's done such an amazing job maybe Sergej Jakirovic will be one day! Really it's easy to predict us to go down given the performance of the team last season and the transfer embargo but as with many preseason predictions, any that said that did so well before the transfer window ended and before our key signings in McBurnie and Gelhardt. Additionally, we were awful under Tim Walter but much better under Ruben Selles in the second half of the year and on paper the squad should not have been as close to relegation as it was. I predicted us to be 12th, if McBurnie really got firing, so relegation was never an actual expectation in our own fanbase. Those forwards have been key as the main thing we missed last year was goals.
You've certainly rattled through the managers but seem to have hit upon a good 'un with Sergej Jakirovic - what are his best points and shortcomings? What's he changed? How's he done?
He's the one! The perfect blend of charisma, pragmatism, in game management. He's got the lot. Of course the managerial appointment record, perhaps only Rosenior aside, of owner Acun Ilicali had not been great and he lacked the alleged must needed Championship experience (I think your manager is doing fairly well without it, it's a lazy cliché) but he'd won multiple nation's top divisions and had experience working under transfer restrictions which has helped us too. He's one of the most popular City managers I can remember. If we finish in the top six he has to win Manager of the Season. He absolutely has to.
A lot of the trendy 'underlying numbers' with Hull aren't great, and yet you just win games regardless, again how?
xG this xG that. When league top scorer Zan Vipotnik missed two absolute sitters for Swansea a few weeks ago and we won 2-1 I came to the realisation it doesn't matter how many chances you concede. The strikers in this division are here for a reason, they're not top quality. That why we lost 4-0 to Chelsea. It's clearly not a bad tactic to ride a wave of opposition pressure in the first 20 minutes and start playing after that. It's happened in wins against Swansea, Birmingham, Millwall, Southampton and Norwich. Then Jakirovic makes a tweak and one of McBurnie or Gelhardt scores and we sit in after that. Easy.
What was done in January? What was left undone? What's the transfer embargo situation now?
So the transfer situation was very interesting. The EFL have us under a salary cap and we were almost at the limit. Players had to be moved out to bring some in. However only Kasey Palmer and Enis Destan, both rotation players, were major departures and we've managed to bring in five players who have all played in this league before. There are fitness concerns over some of them but that's been the case with most of our signings, that's what happens when limited to free loans and free agents. In particular winger Yu Hirakawa from Bristol is loving playing in his natural position for us. Kieran Dowell seems an astute signing at this level and Lewis Koumas already bagged us a win at Blackburn with a good finish. Toby Collyer is already injured and Paddy McNair is good defensive cover.
Summer Ins >>> Amir Hadziahmetovic, 28, DM, Besiktas, Loan >>> Enis Destan, 23, CF, Trabzonspor, Free >>> Roddy McScotsman, 29, CF, Las Palmas, Free >>> Semi Ajayi, 31, CB, West Brom, Free >>> Akin Famewo, 26, CB, Sheff Wed, Free >>> Dillon Phillips, 30, GK, Rotherham, Free >>> Darko Gyabi, 21, CM, Leeds, Free >>> David Akintola, 29, RW, Rizespor, Free >>> Brandon Williams, 24, LB, Unattached, Free >>> Joe Gelhardt, 23, CF, Leeds, Loan >>> Joel Ndala, 19, LW, Man City, Loan >>> John Lundstram, 31, DM, Trabzonspor, Loan
Summer Outs >>> Steven Alzate, 26, CM, Atlanta, £1.5m >>> Sean McLoughlin, 28, CB, Blackburn, £500k >>> Marvin Mehlem, 27, AM, Bielefeld, £500k >>> Xavier Simons, 22, DM, Bolton, £250k >>> Joao Pedro, 33, CF, San Luis, Free >>> Dogukan Sinik, 26, LW, Antalyaspor, Free >>> Brandon Fleming, 25, LB, Derry City, Free >>> Nordin Ambrabat, 38, RW, Wydad AC, Free >>> Callum Jones, 24, CM, Dundee, Free >>> Alfie Jones, 27, CB, Middlesbrough, Undisclosed >>> Anthony Racioppi, 26, GK, FC Sion, Undisclosed >>> Andy Smith, 23, CB, Gillingham, Undisclosed >>> Andy Smith, 23, CB, Gillingham, Undisclosed >>> Abdulkadir Omur, 26, AM, Antalyaspor, Loan >>> Mason Burstow, 21, CF, Bolton, Loan >>> Timothee Lo-Tutala, 22, GK, Doncaster, Loan >>> Matty Jacob, 24, LB, Reading, Loan >>> Abu Kamara, 22, RW, Getafe, Loan >>> Harvey Cartwright, 23, GK, Hartlepool, Loan >>> Matty Jacob, 24, LB, Reading, Loan
Winter Ins >>> James Debayo, 20, CB, Leeds, Free >>> Paddy McNair, 30, CB, San Diego, Undisclosed >>> Kieran Dowell, 28, AM, Rangers, Undisclosed >>> Toby Collyer, 22, DM, Man Utd, Loan >>> Lewis Koumas, 20, LW, Liverpool, Loan >>> Yu Hirakawa, 25, RW, Bristol City, Loan
Winter Outs >>> James Furlong, 23, LB, Maribor, Undisclosed >>> Enis Destan, 23, CF, Westerlo, Loan >>> Kasey Palmer, 29, AM, Luton, Loan >>> Harry Vaughan, 21, AM, Bohemians, Loan >>> Brandon Williams, 25, LB, Released
Where is the team strong and weak?
Given most fanbases have raged that their team has lost to the "worst team in the league" we must have a few weaknesses. The most obvious two are in defence and keeping possession. We don't control games very well and are suspect with defending set pieces and crosses. However we play with energy and are very clinical in front of goal. We only need a few chances to score and win whereas our goal really does live a charmed life.
Revised expectations for the season? Can you see promotion through?
Before we played Watford and Bristol at home recently we were dreaming of an automatic promotion race but that was always going to be out of reach personally. We do not have the squad depth and ability to control games to sustain the run we were on. If we can match the points total in the last third of last season, when we finished level on points with relegated Luton, then we'd have 75 points and should finish sixth. That's all I can ask, is that they scrape enough results for a truly remarkable and surprising playoff finish. QPR at home is one of maybe five or six wins we need so it's almost must win. I'd back us in the playoffs. With the style of play we rely on big moments and I think the pressure should be off compared to the likes of Ipswich who everyone thought we walk the league (I did). I think we'll do it by the skin of our teeth, I think the players will be too exhausted to go on another winning run.
Links >>> Hull Official Website >>> Hull Daily Mail — Local Paper >>> The Amber View — Blog >>> Tigerlink — Blog >>> Amber Nectar — Blog and Forum >>> Not606 — Forum >>> Ground Guide >>> Hull City Live — Blog
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