Hull City in the Premier League: unbeaten at home and still drawing
Hull City have 11 points from nine games with five draws, unbeaten at home under Sergej Jakirović. Form, key players, Acun Ilıcalı's money and the next match.
Hull City are the draw specialists of the Premier League, and the draws have them in the top half.
Nine games in, they have won two, drawn five and lost two. That is 11 points, eighth going into Saturday night's late matches and the highest place of the three promoted clubs. The latest point came on Saturday, a 2-2 at the MKM Stadium against Ipswich. Hull came from behind through Tim Iroegbunam and Oli McBurnie, then Julio Enciso's 74th-minute goal pulled the visitors level. It was Hull's fourth home draw in five league games. The only home win so far was the opening-day 2-0 over Manchester United.
Form and manager
Sergej Jakirović is head coach, and his team's recent league run reads L, D, L, D, D. The defeats came at Newcastle (2-1) and Fulham (1-0), both on the road. At home they have not lost: Villa, Everton, Brentford and Ipswich all left with a share. Away from the MKM they have a 1-0 win at Coventry and a 2-2 at Chelsea to point to. The EFL Cup was short: through on penalties at Stoke after a 1-1, then a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on 8 September.
Who matters
- Mohamed Belloumi, the club's top scorer on three league goals.
- Konstantinos Tzolakis, the goalkeeper signed from Olympiacos for a listed £20m.
- Lewie Coyle, captain.
- Oli McBurnie, the regular starter up front, whose goal on Saturday was his second in the league.
Owners and money
Hull belong to Acun Medya, and Acun Ilıcalı is chairman. The money is the interesting part. The season page lists about £159m in disclosed summer fees across 15 signings, before add-ons: Nobel Mendy at £22m, Tzolakis at £20m, Lucas Herrington at £17m, Ilyas Ansah at £14.5m. That is a Premier League budget for a club that was in the Championship until the play-offs. Spending that heavily on promotion is a bet with a long tail. The test comes when the accounts land and the league's profit rules are applied, which is when we find out whether it was a plan or a gamble.
The season so far
Draws have hidden how well the opening went: United beaten, a win at Coventry, a point at Stamford Bridge. Since then the tight games have mostly ended level, and a couple of wins from those would put Hull in among the top six. Their goal difference is plus one, which is the profile of a side that is hard to beat and short of a second striker's goals.
Next up
Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday 7 November. Hull's home record is solid. Their record against the league's best, away from home, is the real exam.
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