Hull City returned from Millwall with an impressive 3-1 win to reclaim their place in the Championship play-off spots
Brian Dick Reach Football Correspondent
16:37, 16 Dec 2025
Acun Ilicali (Image: Murat Sengul/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Acun Ilicali insists he is ‘completely satisfied’ with a Hull City squad that is sitting sixth in the Championship as the season approaches the midway point.
After a difficult off-season, in which the Tigers found their hands tied in the transfer market, the club’s owner has watched Sergej Jakirovic fashion a team that has won three of its last four matches and is just one point behind third-placed Preston.
Oli McBurnie has returned to the side and is scoring goals, as were Joe Gelhardt and Kyle Joseph in his absence. Indeed, only Coventry City have scored more than the Tigers, who, with 36, have outperformed all three clubs relegated from the Premier League last season.
That has left Ilicali content with the direction of the team – and the players at Jakirovic’s disposal.
The Turkish businessman appeared on talkSPORT and expressed his pleasure.
“It has been a fantastic season, because as you know from the first minute I bought the club, my ambition, my passion was to take the team to higher positions in the league and at the moment I can say that I’m completely satisfied with the squad, I’m completely satisfied with our coach and the way we play football.
“We are No. 2, I think, in scoring goals, attacking football, full, entertaining football, and I love it at the moment, so much.
“Stability is very important in football, but of course stability for me has to be with the correct organisation.
“When you are satisfied completely about something, stability should come after that, not when you see there are some problems. How can stability go on with the problems?
“It has been almost four years now but I can say that this summer was very important for us, and we could just have a team I can say, that all of the team-football players at the moment on the pitch, I can say that none of them – when I see them – ‘he shouldn’t be in our team’.
“So this was my target. I always said to myself, Acun ‘All the players on the pitch, you have to love them and to want them to be in the team. That time the success will come’.
“And thanks to Jared [Dublin] and Mustapha [Yokes], our guys, the main guys in the recruitment, then they managed it and I think I’m very satisfied now.”
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