City cannot afford repeat of last summer's shambles

JAKIROVIC NEEDS TO MOVE SWIFTLY FOR TRANSFERS

- By BARRY COOPER

Hull City finally have their manager, and now they must move quickly to start adding to their squad if they're to avoid a repeat of last season’s sleepy summer, with Sergej Jakirovic the man charged with inserting some upward momentum into the club.

While Tim Walter's appointment proved to be a disaster, the German was operating with two hands and legs tied behind his back, and probably didn't stand a chance.

City were caught sleepwalking throughout the summer period, and it ensured they were not in any fit shape to start the most competitive league in the world.

Was it naivety, arrogance or a lack of understanding about just how competitive and difficult the Championship is? Perhaps it was a combination of those, perhaps it was none of those, but the fact that 14 of their signings came after the final pre-season friendly of the summer was anything but ideal and left them so far behind the eight ball, they struggled to catch up.

It took Walter until his seventh league match to win a game. By that point, hapless City had failed to win a single friendly (including a 4-0 thrashing at Doncaster Rovers) and then been booted out of the Carabao Cup at the first attempt by Sheffield Wednesday's reserves.