City face watershed moment

NOW OR NEVER FOR THE TIGERS

- By BARRY COOPER

Hull City's relegation from the Championship in 2020 came after a pathetic collapse from Grant McCann's side - even if there were mitigating factors.

Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki being sold from under his nose at the end of the January window with no time to remedy the situation, Covid, contracts and all that, despite being on the cusp of the play-offs at the turn of the year ensured it was a campaign that left fans at their wits end.

It was a grim, grim end to a disastrous season, but by hook or by crook, McCann, armed with the backing of Lee Darnbrough and his talented recruitment team working on a shoestring budget, and at times, during a transfer embargo, guided City back at the first attempt.

All that work made the club an attractive proposition for potential owners.

Like them or not, and many did not, the Allam family, under the guidance of Ehab, kept the finances on an even keel and gave Acun Ilicali a platform to take the club on with a clean slate, albeit with a stadium they do not own and a training ground not befitting of Championship football.

Under Ilicali, it was supposed to be a new era that would eventually lead back to the Premier League.

The Turkish businessman inherited City in a fight to stay in the league, and if Ruben Selles' side lose at Portsmouth today, he will have overseen a relegation to League One having had just one flirtation with the top six. The top flight is a world away from the battle the Tigers face now.