Freedom From Expectation
“You’re getting mauled by the Tigers” has been the anthem of this Premier League season so far. Newly promoted Hull City are unbeaten after four games, having claimed the scalps of Manchester United and Coventry City, along with securing a hard-fought draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They haven’t shied away from the spotlight. For any Hull City player or supporter, the past month must feel surreal. This team was supposed to be scraping by in the Championship this year, not thriving in the top flight. How did we get here? By a miracle, to say the least.
Hull City entered the final matchday of the 2024-25 season in the relegation zone, seemingly destined for the third tier of English football. They sat on 48 points in 22nd place, but their season wasn’t over yet. Stoke City, Derby County, Preston North End, and Luton Town were still within reach if Hull could get a positive result on the road against Portsmouth. A first half strike from Matt Crooks secured the key result, a 1-1 draw. Meanwhile, 160 miles to the north at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich Albion threw the Tigers a lifeline by thrashing Luton Town 5–3. While the other three relegation candidates drew their matches to maintain their safety, Luton plummeted into 22nd, leaving Hull to celebrate survival in 21st place.
The summer after that survival push, Hull City appointed Sergej Jakirović as their new manager. The goal in year one of his two-year contract was simple: stabilize as a mid-table team. The outlook quickly changed when the Tigers sat in 4th place at Christmas, turning promotion into a realistic ambition. Despite a mid-season slump, Hull hung onto the last playoff spot on the last day of the season and preceded to run the table against the odds beating 3rd-place Millwall and 5th-place Middlesbrough. Within twelve months, the Tigers went from the Championship relegation fight to Premier League status; their achievements standing miles above their expectations for the season.
This season, Hull City is playing with complete freedom. They don’t fear anyone, and they don’t show any sign of desiring to sacrifice their core identity to fit the Premier League mold. They’ve made smart signings to beef up the squad, but they haven’t changed who they are. Oliver McBurnie embodies this perfectly. He’s not the prototypical modern striker but he makes his team so much better. He causes chaos, gets to the right places, and sets up his more technical teammates. Jakirović has built his team around their strengths as individuals, instilling belief that has gotten the Tigers further than they likely ever dared to dream. Given the miraculous chain of events that brought them up to the top flight, there are no expectations for the team from their supporters other than to play hard and be themselves. Hull City have a good formula going for them, one that will make them a tough team to play all season long: they have mountains of self-belief and no pressure to hold them back.