Hull City boss Jakirovic determined to silence critics ahead of Premier League season

[p]Jakirovic's side open their first top-flight campaign since 2016-17 with a home game against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Manchester United[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/hull-S66R0t75/manchester-utd-ppjDR086/?mid=zc0VjBZF"]on Saturday[/a].[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hull-city/S66R0t75/"]Tigers[/a] defied the odds to seal promotion from the Championship via the play-offs last season.[/p][p]Just 12 months after narrowly avoiding relegation to the third tier, Hull beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/millwall/6uz2cJBL/"]Millwall[/a] in the semi-finals then defeated [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/middlesbrough/6F0lvLNC/"]Middlesbrough[/a] in the final at Wembley thanks to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcburnie-oliver/rNFSg6i4/"]Oli McBurnie[/a]'s stoppage-time winner.[/p][embed guid="2b33c901-10e7-474f-90e5-7b3c72c41fc5" url="https://x.com/HullCity/status/2090121619448398191?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" social-type="twitter" /][p]Middlesbrough were only playing in the final after their play-off semi-final conquerers [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/southampton/WdKOwxDM/"]Southampton[/a] were expelled for spying on several opponents.[/p][p]Few expect Hull to survive more than a year in the Premier League and former England midfielder Joe Cole became the latest to dismiss their chances this week.[/p][p][b]"Hull are gone, man,"[/b] Cole told The Dressing Room podcast. [b]"They've spent £70 million.[/b][/p][p][b]"I'll be stunned if they stay up. They've come here through the back door, they've slipped in."[/b][/p][embed guid="87de577f-0a44-4c9d-ad3a-6b80bad828bf" url="https://x.com/HullCity/status/2090061227137622214?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" social-type="twitter" /][p]Cole's former England team-mate Michael Owen recently suggested Hull "shouldn't have been promoted" in a reference to their distant odds at the start of the last campaign.[/p][p]All the doubters have added fuel to Jakirovic's determination to save Hull from relegation.[/p][p][b]"I saw all these predictions but it is a great motivation to prove them wrong, if it's possible,"[/b] he told reporters on Thursday.[/p][p][b]"We have to prepare for everything. It will not be easy but at least we can fight there.[/b][/p][p][b]"We don't have anything to lose. You play for yourself, and you show your potential on the pitch."[/b][/p]