'I have to say sorry' - Sergej Jakirovic reveals why he's 'failed' at Hull City | OneFootball

The Hull City boss was apologetic in the Tigers' promotion parade on Bank Holiday Monday

Hull City's promotion to the Premier League this season may go down as one of the biggest underdog stories in the Championship's history.

Not only did they become just the third team ever to finish sixth in the second-tier and win the play-offs, and the first since Blackpool did it 16 years ago, but the circumstances surrounding their ability to compete this season were unlike anything seen before.

The Tigers only just scraped survival on the final day of the 2024/25 campaign, having started the day inside the bottom three. Then, after being found guilty of late payments to clubs in July, they were slapped with a three-window transfer embargo, which ultimately got reduced to two.

Nevertheless, Hull were forbidden from spending any money on players throughout the whole year, so for a club full of loans and free transfers, plus the remaining personnel, play-offs would have seemed a distant dream, let alone the Premier League.

Sergej Jakirovic apologises for failing to keep Hull City in the Championship this season

Additionally, in the summer, Hull sacked Ruben Selles, who many believed had done a good job in keeping the Tigers in the Championship a year ago, and brought in Sergej Jakirovic from Turkish side Kayserispor, who had no experience in the EFL.

Understandably, a lot of critics weren't too high on the East Yorkshire outfit pre-season and had tipped them for relegation. With everything that was going on with the transfer embargo and the near-miss the year before, survival was the initial goal for the Croatian boss in his first season at the club.

Therefore, during Hull's promotion parade on Bank Holiday Monday, Jakirovic was apologetic that he failed his primary target.

"I have to say sorry," he said to a sea of 40,000 Tigers fans in Queen Victoria Square, per Hull Live. "I was brought here with one job to do: keep Hull City in the Championship.

"I failed, because we are going to the Premier League."

Queue rapturous cheers and plenty of laughter amongst the Hull players and the supporters below, who have thoroughly enjoyed the ride that Jakirovic has taken them on this season, and they quite clearly can't wait to see what's in store for them in the top flight.

The Tigers' head coach was appreciative of the fans who have followed the club up and down the country this season, and he's proud that he has managed a squad that has made those fans proud.

"We're bringing joy and togetherness," he continued. "For just one day, you can forget the problems in your life. You see on every street how they appreciated what we did, and they're truly happy about what we achieved, and they're proud. I'm very proud. They deserve everything.

"The fans all season have supported us; they've pushed us all over the country, spending their money. Sometimes we didn't play good or well, but we tried to put all our strength and energy on the pitch.

"When I first arrived here, I said we would never surrender, and I think our team showed a winning mentality, especially in the play-offs."

Hull City will be out to prove everyone wrong again in the Premier League next year

Given that a lot of people's pre-season expectations were for Hull to be struggling in the Championship this past season, next year will be the same again, especially given the jump in quality between the top two English divisions.

But the Tigers have thrived by being the underdogs over the past nine months, and they'll relish the opportunity to be such once again come August.

Jakirovic will be calling on a similar fearlessness from his players and a lack of surrender as they look to battle against the odds and remain in the Premier League for a little more than a single season.

As for the Croatian boss, his energy has been infectious at times, and, regardless of performance next season, he'll be heralded as a hero in East Yorkshire for years to come due to his role in getting Hull back to the Premier League.

If he can keep them there, then he may go down as one of the best managers that the club has ever had.