No time to waste in turning round City's fortunes

NEW COACH HAS A LOT TO LIVE UP TO

- By BARRY COOPER

After almost a month of searching, Hull City have finally appointed their replacement for Ruben Selles and just as 12 months ago, the new man comes from abroad.

Sergej Jakirovic is the man charged with finally ending City's wait for Premier League football under Acun Ilicali, after the Turkish owner headhunted the Bosnian.

Twelve months on from the doomed arrival of former Hamburg boss Tim Walter, City have gone to foreign climes again, but this time, he's brought in somebody with more pedigree than the German, and far stronger references.

Jakirovic takes charge of a club in desperate need of a pick-me-up after a disastrous season that almost ended with relegation to League One, and the ultimate humiliation for the owner.

City survived on the final day on goal difference and a lopsided squad that may not need wholesale change, but still requires serious remedial work to ready it for the new campaign which kicks off in just over eight weeks' time. Time is not on their side.

The 48-year-old leaves Kayserispor with fans upset at his exit, which is usually a good sign. Any prospects of City facing the Super Lig club in a friendly any time soon must now seem remote, at best, but jokes aside, the fact their supporters were so angry shows the esteem he was held in, even if his stay was brief.

His arrival signals the end of a lengthy process involving Ilicali, sporting director Jared Dublin, international recruitment chief Mustapha Yokes and Martin Hodge, the club's head of recruitment.

It's been a process that has played out once again in the public domain, with lengthy meetings in Istanbul and London, late-night phone calls, and everything in between.