Kadan ne lokutan da ɗaukaka cikin Championship ya kasance mai ban mamaki — da sa'a — kamar yadda Hull City ya yi a yakin 2025-26. Tigers sun tsira daga faduwa a ranar karshe ta kakar da ta gabata, sun yi aiki duk lokacin bazara ƙarƙashin hani na canja wurin da ya iyakance su ga aro da wakilan kyauta, duk da haka sun samu matsayi na shida kafin su lashe play-offs. Irin wannan labari yana kamar an kirkireshi.

Yadda suka isa nan

A cikin waɗannan ƙuntatawa na kudi, Hull ya sami ƙarin masu kai hari a cikin Joe Gelhardt da Oli McBurnie. Masu wasa da suke ciki sun ɗaga matayinsu gaba ɗaya, kuma manajan Sergej Jakirovic — sabon zuwa klabin kuma sabon zuwa ƙwallon ƙafar Ingilishi — ya gina ƙungiya mai iya azabtarwa masu gasa a keɓantattun lokuta da inganci.

Duk da haka, lambobin asali suna ba da labari mai ban tsoro. Hull sun ci da kwal na huɗu mafi yawa a Championship, suna nuna mafi munin ƙididdigan tsaron daga karshen biyu da farkon. Samun ɗaukaka duk da waɗannan lambobin ya kasance abin mamaki; maimaita wannan sa'ar a Premier League wani al'amari ne daban gaba ɗaya.

Mutum a kan benci

Jakirovic ya isa manyan ƙungiyoyi da tarihi mai ƙarfi. Ya sarrafa manyan tsammanai a Dinamo Zagreb kuma ya ceci Kayserispor daga faɗuwa mai haɗari kafin ya isa East Yorkshire. Magatakarda dan Bosnia ya daidaita tsarinsa a lokacin kakar don rage haɗari — alamar, wataƙila, cewa zai iya bunƙasa da sauri isa ya yi gasa a matakin mafi girma.

Ɗan wasa mafi muhimmanci: Oli McBurnie

Hull ya kasance yana lura da Las Palmas a duk lokacin 2024-25, yana jira faɗuwar kulob ɗin Sipaniyanci don sakin McBurnie. Da hakan ya faru, ɗan wasan Scotland mai shekaru 30 ya zama zuciyar ƙungiyar. Ya zura kwal 19 a duk gasa a kakar da ta gabata, ciki har da kwal na cin nasara a wasan karshe na play-off, kuma ƙarfinsa na riƙe ƙwallon da kuma shigo da abokan wasansa zai kasance mai mahimmanci yayin da Hull ke daidaitawa da yanayin jiki na ƙwallon ƙafa na Premier League.

Ginshiƙan tsaro

Da tafiyar mai tsaro Ivor Pandur zuwa Rangers, Hull dole ne su maye gurbin mutumin da ba za a iya maye gurbinsa ba — Pandur ya yi ƙarin ceto fiye da kowane mai tsaro a Championship a kakar da ta gabata. Nauyin kiyaye ƙarfin tsaro ya faɗi sosai a kan John Egan da Regan Slater, waɗanda suka lura da rashin Charlie Hughes da Matt Crooks a lokuta masu mahimmanci. Hull ya kai matsakaicin ƙwaryar gasa mafi yawa a Championship a 17.8 a wasa, tare da masu wasa 14 da suke yin fiye da biyu a kowane minti 90 — ainihin tashin hankali da suke raba da ƙungiyar wasan rugby Hull FC a filinsu na bai ɗaya.

Ƙalubalen da ke tafe

Hull yanzu za su iya biya kuɗin canjin wasa, wanda ya kawar da babban cikas ɗaya. Amma rata tsakanin ƙungiyar da ta lashe play-offs ta Championship da mai tsira a Premier League tana da faɗi. Maigidan Acun Ilicali mai neman ci gaba ne, amma albarkatunsa ba su dace da ƙarfin kashe kuɗi na yawancin kulob ɗin na ƙungiyar ba. Rukunin ƙungiya, kamar yadda yake yanzu, yana kama yana da rauni ga wannan matakin.

Mabiya suna da fata amma suna da hangen nesa na gaskiya. Ra'ayin magoya baya daga Ricky Skelton na Hull City Live ya nuna McBurnie a matsayin wanda ke saita ma'auni — tun daga lokacin da ya iso, ya ɗaga waɗanda ke kewaye da shi. Rasa wannan ruhu zai kasance mai tsada. Skelton ya hasashen matsayi na 17; ƙimar FourFourTwo ba ta da karimci, tana sanya Hull a matsayi na 20.

Duk da haka, kowa ya ce Sunderland zai sauka kai tsaye. Ya bayyana cewa tunanin yaƙin ƙewayewa zai iya zama mai daidaitawa mai ƙarfi — kuma Hull City sun saba da yin karo da tsammanin.