Jakirovic Makes History as Hull City’s Manager of the Month
Sergej Jakirovic has turned Hull City’s Premier League return into a statement, and now he has the award to prove it.
The 49-year-old has been named Barclays Manager of the Month for August after guiding the newly promoted Tigers to two wins from two in their first top-flight campaign in nine years. It is not just a personal landmark. It is a slice of history on several fronts.
For Hull, this kind of recognition has been a long time coming. Jakirovic is the club’s first recipient of the award since Mike Phelan in August 2016, and only the third Tigers manager ever to claim it, following Phil Brown’s honour back in September 2008. The company he keeps tells its own story: managers who oversaw eras that still echo around the MKM Stadium.
This time, though, the narrative feels different. Hull did not just creep back into the Premier League; they surged through the Championship playoffs last season, then hit the ground running against the elite.
The tone of their campaign was set on the opening weekend. Up against Manchester United, with all the noise and glare that fixture brings, Jakirovic’s side did not blink. They out-thought and out-fought their illustrious visitors, delivering a sensational 2-0 victory that jolted the league and announced Hull’s return in bold type.
Any suggestion that it might be a one-off shock faded quickly. Next came a tense, nervy clash with fellow promoted side Coventry City, the kind of game that can drag a newcomer back towards reality. Instead, Hull found a late winner, edged the contest, and banked another three points. Different type of game, same ruthless outcome.
Those two results were enough to tilt the voting Jakirovic’s way and etch his name into Premier League history in another way. He becomes the first Bosnian manager ever to win the Barclays Manager of the Month award, expanding the competition’s roll of honour to include bosses from 21 different countries.
From playoff tension to Premier League perfection in August, Jakirovic has turned momentum into authority. The question now is simple: can Hull’s new history-maker keep this remarkable surge rolling into the heart of the season?
