Fairy tale of the month! Newly promoted boss beats the giants to Premier League award
The Premier League has a new cult hero in the dugout: the best manager of August is not Arteta, not Alonso, but the boss of a club that was playing Championship football in May.
Details: Hull City manager Sergej Jakirović has been named the Premier League Manager of the Month for August. The Tigers began their first top flight campaign in years with a stunning 2:0 home win over Manchester United and followed it up with a 1:0 victory away at Coventry City, leaving them third in the table after three rounds.
The story behind the award is remarkable. Hull returned to the Premier League through the Championship playoffs and ripped up their squad in the summer, signing 18 new players, and handed the reins to Jakirović, the club's fifth manager in just over three years. The Bosnian specialist answered with a dream debut month: the 2:0 triumph over Manchester United at the MKM Stadium was Hull's first ever Premier League victory over the Red Devils in 11 attempts, and days later substitute Liam Millar snatched a 1:0 win at Coventry with an 82nd minute strike. Between those matches, Jakirović rotated 11 players and still knocked Stoke City out of the League Cup on penalties. The club have already responded to the flying start by tying their coach to a new three year contract. Next up is the ultimate test of the hype: a trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea tomorrow, where the fearless Tigers will try to prove that August was no fluke.
It's worth noting that before taking over Hull, Jakirović built his reputation in Bosnia and Croatia, and his August award makes him the first Hull manager ever to win the Premier League's monthly coaching prize.
Reminder: Miraculous escape! Hull City star Sorba Thomas flips Land Rover in violent car crash.
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
