What Acun Ilicali said after taking over Hull City - his ambition could turn into a pipe dream | OneFootball

The Tigers could be a far cry away from Ilicali's initial hopes and dreams come Saturday afternoon

A new era dawned on Hull City back on January 19th 2022, as Acun Ilicali completed his eagerly-anticipated takeover of the club from the Allam family ahead of a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers.

For the vast majority of the 13,950 inside a freezing-cold MKM Stadium, it was an emotional night as the Turkish media mogul was serenaded on the pitch ahead of kick-off after the completion of a reported £30m deal, ending years of a fractious relationship with the Allams, despite the family ironically overseeing the most-successful period in City's history.

In true Tigers fashion, the three-and-a-half-year period which has followed hasn't been short of drama, although it could all go badly wrong on Saturday, with Ruben Selles - the fifth permanent manager of Ilicali's reign - staring relegation into League One in the face ahead of a final-day showdown with Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

As a result of Hull's contrasting fortunes in the Championship compared to previous campaigns, when the atmosphere in East Yorkshire was one of extreme positivity as a result of a reconnected fanbase, many supporters have given the 55-year-old the main portion of blame, as his previously spelled out visions for the club could end up becoming a pipe dream.

Ilicali wasn't afraid to ring the changes after his takeover, as Grant McCann was replaced by Shota Arveladze, despite ending his stint at the MKM with back-to-back victories against Blackburn and eventual promotion winners, AFC Bournemouth.

At a time when reconsolidating back in the second-tier after promotion was Hull's prime objective, Ilicali wasn't afraid to reach for the stars in one of his first media conferences at the helm.

"I'm here to achieve something that everybody would be very happy about," he said.

"In football, happiness comes from results. So the first thing is good football, then results of course. I will be very, very happy if we come into the Premier League. By the way, I am here for that."

"People (at the time) are talking about relegation; I am thinking about promotion," the Turk stated.

"My brain always works for the positive, I always have positive thoughts and that makes me dream."

Acun Ilicali's vision could become a pipe dream with League One relegation

Just 12 months ago, Ilicali made the well-documented and controversial decision to part ways with Liam Rosenior due to a misalignment of individual visions.

The 40-year-old had won 27, drew 28 and lost 23 of his 78 matches in charge between November 2022 and last May, with Hull making steady progress away from the relegation zone during his first half-season, before recording their highest league finish since 2017 last term.

There is, of course, an argument that the former City full-back had failed to hit the owner's ambitions of a play-off berth after ending the season with a squad valued at an estimated £87.86m, which included plenty of permanent and loan stars in the form of Jaden Philogene, Jacob Greaves, Liam Delap, Tyler Morton, Fabio Carvalho and Ozan Tufan among others.

It was to be expected that the vast majority of those names wouldn't return or feature again as the East Yorkshire outfit failed to secure a top-six finish. But, it's fair to say that not many would have foreseen the club's desperate plight towards a second stint in League One since 2020.

Selles' predecessor, Tim Walter, was eventually given ample backing in the summer window with many of his signings arriving late, although the German failed to endear himself to supporters after a run of just three wins in 17 league games, as well as questioning the atmosphere at the MKM in the corresponding fixture with City's upcoming opponents three weeks before his dismissal.

The number of signings during Ilicali's tenure was taken up to 60 in the most recent transfer window, echoing why sections of the support base at the MKM, which has remained above 21,000 despite a dismal home record, believe Ilicali's approach to proceedings is unsustainable despite his tendency to address matters with Q&A sessions in front of supporters. However, some have also questioned this particular facet ever since he became a member of Fenerbahçe's board of directors last summer.

It was reported in January that after the club's accounts for the 2023/24 financial year were published, a weekly loss of £500,000 per week had been made. This has only heightened worries, especially if the club were to succumb to relegation as it could lead to yet another summer of mass change.

Selles has proven his quality at third-tier level with a youthful Reading side amid well-documented financial uncertainty. If City were to kick off next season in the same division, they would no doubt be made one of the favourites for promotion, although only Birmingham City have made an immediate return to the second-tier this season, with Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United dwelling in mid-table.