This is the most controversial Championship play-off of all-time, with most of the build-up about Middlesbrough, Southampton and “Spygate”.
But there is another team whose place in the final is undisputed, and they are the team that would bring the most intrigue if they went up. Here’s why the Premier League needs Hull City in it.
The unwitting victims of Spygate
Southampton were the perpetrators and Middlesbrough the victims. But Saints were punished and Boro became the first team to make it to Wembley without winning either of their play-offs semi-finals – so all’s well that ends well.
Not for Hull, though. They came through a tough two-legged encounter with Millwall and then have had to wait for nearly a fortnight for Spygate to play out. Clearly they’ve been inconvenienced, with their preparations disrupted by waiting to find out who their final opponents will be.
For justice to truly prevail, the Tigers need to win.
Written off in August
Hull City were written off earlier in the season (Photo: Getty)When Hull were hit with transfer restrictions for late payment of loan fees, it looked bad. Having stayed up on the final day of the 2024-25 season, how could they reshape a squad with no money?
Here’s sporting director Jared Dublin’s take. “I think everyone at the start of the season was saying we’d get relegated but we’ve relished this underdog challenge. We’ve relished being the hunters as opposed to the ones being,” he tells The i Paper.
Externally they announced a target: top 10. But, Dublin admits, the feelings were different inside the building.
“The owner is ambitious, that’s why I’m here. You don’t sign players like Ollie McBurnie and not have ambition. They’re not coming to the club to finish 10th,” he says.
A commitment to attack
If they make it into the Premier League, Hull will not take a step back. They are a team not wedded to any philosophy – McBurnie told The i Paper two weeks ago that their secret sauce is they adapt and are impossible to predict tactically.
“We go into every game thinking about three points. It would be the same if we went up,” Dublin says.
Ilicali would be box office
Acun Ilcali is an owner like no other (Photo: Getty)Turkish media mogul Acun Ilicali is unlike any other owner in the Premier League. He’s visible, he interacts, he speaks incredibly well and he’d be a great addition to the league.
“We want to be a club that attracts attention, we want to be a club that attracts fans, we want to continue to grow our fantastic support. At the end of the day we’re ambitious,” Dublin says.
If they go up, the plan would not be to “rest on their laurels”. Dublin was part of the Sheffield United set up that finished ninth in their first season after promotion and says there would be investment. He also says their financial situation would allow them to bring in players.
“If we were to be victorious the idea is that we go and make a real fist of it,” he says.
“We don’t want to just go up there and try and avoid a Derby-level performance where you’re struggling to put points on the board. We want to go and make a real fist of it and have a go.”
Jakirovic is underrated
Few outside the Championship will have heard of Sergej Jakirovic, who grew up in a war zone and has a fascinating back story.
Hull were attracted to his win rate across his career and he’s kept that up. He’s also built a culture at Hull that has encouraged experienced players to relish things.
“We absolutely love Sergej,” Dublin says. He’s confident they can keep hold of him, whatever this summer brings.
Read more
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They do things right
Their owner takes fans on holiday to Turkey, he fronts up when things are going awry (doing regular fan forums and speaking to the press consistently), and admits when mistakes are made.
The club embrace media and the attention and have forged strong links with a fanbase who were fed up with the previous ownership. It is a club with the right ideas, and they’d be a great addition to the Premier League.
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