Exclusive: Phil Brown's 'remarkable' Hull City verdict ahead of Southampton play-off final | OneFootball

The former promotion-winning boss has been in exclusive conversation with FLW

Just 12 months ago, Hull City survived relegation from the Championship to League One on goal difference, and they are now 90 minutes away from potentially returning to the Premier League after a nine-year exile.

The entirety of the club's 122-year history will tell you that it is one which never does things easily or has a subsequent season of mere consolidation, and that trend has continued in unexpected circumstances under the management of Sergej Jakirovic.

Having been drafted in as Ruben Selles' replacement 11 months ago on a two-year contract, the Bosnian had to immediately rip up any initial transfer plans after City were hit with a two-window transfer fee restriction in July, limiting any incomings to free transfers and loan moves without added payments.

Subsequently, the Tigers were tipped as relegation favourites alongside Sheffield Wednesday, but have only been as low as 20th after five games played, while spending 23 consecutive matchdays in the play-offs before falling out and climbing back in on the final day of the regular season through Oli McBurnie's brace versus Norwich City at the MKM Stadium.

As has become a recurring theme this season, City were immediately written off over two legs in their Championship play-off semi-finals over two legs against Millwall, but emerged victorious last Monday, in no small part to Mohamed Belloumi's remarkable performance which saw him curl a sublime effort home on 64 minutes, before setting up Joe Gelhardt's strike 14 minutes later.

As such, they are expected to face off against Southampton, although full confirmation of Hull's opponents, a date and kick-off time in North London remain to be 100% green-lighted.

Phil Brown issues verdict on 'remarkable' Hull City season under Sergej Jakirovic

Jakirovic will become the third manager in Hull's history to lead a side out at the national stadium, following in the footsteps of Phil Brown and Steve Bruce.

City, in fact, have only lost once at Wembley in the 2014 FA Cup final to Arsenal, while they are yet to lose any semi-final or final at Championship play-off level.

Brown, of course, was the man in charge when the Tigers reached the Premier League for the first ever time 18 years when Dean Windass volleyed home an emotional goal against Bristol City, and he has been full of praise towards the current boss in HU3.

When asked if Jakirovic was worthy of being officially crowned the league's Manager of the Season over Coventry City's Frank Lampard, Brown exclusively told Football League World: "There's every chance.

"Manager of the Sason invariably goes to the champions and rightly so as well, Coventry have just been unbelievable, and they've been absolutely amazing. The fact that you could say Frank Lampard was a 'failed manager' before he went there. What I mean by that is he's not a 'failed manager', because he's still got the gonads and the ambition to actually want to manage a football club. Did he think he was going to get promoted in the manner in which he has been promoted as champions? They've set the pace, they've set the tempo, they've set the example all season and stuck by it and been absolutely fantastic under pressure. Frank just told everybody that he's a manager," Brown added.

Coventry deserve what they get, Ipswich deserve what they get. They've had their trials and tribulations over the last two or three years, promotion, relegation, promotion, all of that kind of stuff. But Sergej, you'd have to say, from last season to now, and I'm not asking for plaudits here, you would say it's a similar kind of scenario when I inherited the football club.

"It was at the bottom of the Championship, we survived that year, and then we went on this unbelievable campaign and ended up at Wembley, (beat) Bristol City and the rest is history. There's parallels there, but at the same time, being able to do that and then do it again at the same football club under unbelievable circumstances," he stated.

"When I say unbelievable in football, I don't know why I keep saying it, because everything that football throws at you is believable because it's just full of different things. We talk about algorithms and AI and stuff like that. Football's just embroiled in all of that kind of stuff. To get through the circumstances that he's got through, to be knocking at the door of the Premier League, if he gets to the Premier League, you know, that plaudit as manager of the year has already been handed out."

Phil Brown pinpoints Hull City trio amid Southampton play-off final prediction

Another parallel between Brown's side of 2008 and the class of 2026 is that the city of Hull is woven in to the very fabric of the squad, with hometown boy and captain, Lewie Coyle, set to wear the armband at Wembley.

Although neither were official captains against the Robins all that time ago, the 66-year-old recalls the impact which two more Hullensians, Nick Barmby and the aforementioned Windass, had on the side, as well as how Coyle can emulate those feelings on Saturday week.

"It’s a remarkable story. Based on the two (semi-final) matches I saw—one on television and one in person—I thought he (Coyle) handled it brilliantly.

"Going away from home to try to take something from the game is always a huge challenge, and he did it under real pressure. He has taken some criticism this season, but his response shows real character. He has come through it, climbed the mountain, and is now very close to the top. You can only admire players who carry extra weight on their shoulders, especially local lads who know what the club means to the community, said Brown.

"Windass and Barmby were typical Hull players who genuinely loved the club and played that way. You can see a little of that in him."

Furthermore, when quizzed on if City's double over Southampton in the regular season will bare any significance in North London, he continued: "I'll guarantee you the straight answer back will be, ‘It will not matter one jot how you played against them and how you got on against them in the 46-game campaign'. It is all about a one game, one-hit wonder, and you've got to turn up in the manner which we turned up at The Den.

"That was, for me, a sure-fire sign as a manager that the players are in the right place, their heads are in the right place, they're tactically in the right place. Their energy levels were off the map.

"Talking about a couple of players in particular, John Egan for sure. I had John at Southend United, and he showed a tenacity for playing or going forward when he was defending. And I thought it was going to be a problem for him, but it's become an asset of his. The fact that he's done his defending, he's now playing forward pass, he's off, he wants to go and join in. But that's John as a young footballer, just enthusiastic and that's all I thought I was getting," Brown elaborated.

"He was on loan from Sunderland at the time and I thought I was getting that enthusiastic part of his game, and I was there to try and knock it out of him. Not at all. That's part of his game, and it will always remain part of his game because he believes in that side of it. You know, I've won the ball back. We've now got possession off a goal, and he did it so well. Both players around him now understand what John's about. When he does do that, they'll drop in for him, they'll cater for him because it's an asset to the team, as well as John's (ability)."

"The other one was Matt Crooks," he revealed. "I was astounded at the energy level. We can sometimes run around like headless chickens if you want to call it that but he was running with purpose and direction, but even to the extent that the manager was making three changes with about 80 minutes on the clock, and I'm thinking, 'if he takes 'Crooksy' off now. I'd be astounded', because when you're running in the first 10 minutes, you don't expect to be running at the same level in the last 10 minutes. But he was actually doing it more. He was going harder. He was supporting the front men. He was going beyond the front men. He was in both boxes. It was just an outstanding performance.

"As a manager, you would look at that group and go, they're in the right place. These don't need too much tinkering. These don't need too much information. If anything, you're backing off from it. it's not information overload on Southampton or the situation that you find yourselves involved in, or even Middlesbrough for that matter. It's information about ‘we're not in a bad place here’. You know, if we just tinker, you know, go along with the way we're thinking and the way we're acting at the moment, there's only one winner at Wembley next Saturday. There's only one winner, guaranteed."

Phil Brown highlights special upcoming day for 30,000+ Hull City fans

The last 10 decade or so has certainly been one large emotional rollercoaster for Tigers fans, having seen their last Wembley triumph over Sheffield Wednesday, somewhat tainted by an ownership dispute at the time, which led to a mass boycott of the play-off final, and that only continued into home fixtures between 2018 and 2022 in particular.

However, under the current tenure of Turkish media mogul, Acun Ilicali, average attendances have shot back up once more, and those from East Yorkshire have been given their share of a 35,984 split of tickets for the upcoming final, which many are expecting to sell-out as soon as possible despite kick-off and date confusion due to the ongoing spygate drama.

"You never underestimate that (support), Brown commented. "I've never met Sergej and he's obviously from a different background country-wise, but it looks to me as if his thought process is very, very similar.

"He realizes that the people on the terraces, they're the hardworking people, they're the ones that are ever present, they're the ones that are there when you've gone and when the owners have gone, they're still there. And I think that's something you realize as a manager and you understand it and you respect it more importantly."