McCann ‘to find out about City future next week’

NEW ERA: New Hull City owner Acun Ilicali. Picture credit: Hull City

Hull City manager Grant McCann expects to meet the club’s new owner Acun Ilicali next week to find out whether he still has a future at the club.

McCann delivered the perfect start to the Ilicali era on Wednesday night with a 2-0 win home over third-placed Blackburn, just hours after the Turkish media mogul’s takeover of the club was confirmed.

There were jubilant scenes at the MKM Stadium as Ilicali delighted fans by striding onto the pitch before kick-off holding a City scarf between his outstretched arms.

But the manager was unable to speak to Ilicali after the game as he had a plane to catch, McCann told a press conference today before City’s trip to the south coast to face second-placed Bournemouth on Saturday.

Asked if there had been any contact with Ilicali, McCann said: “Acun came to see me and Tan [Kesler, new director of football] when I was doing the press conference with you guys after the game, but the airport was closing and they had to quickly shoot back to Humberside [Airport].

“So I had a brief, four or five-minute chat with Tan before he left and he said obviously we’ll look forward to seeing you at Bournemouth, and we’ll sit down and have a chat next week, so that’s where we are, we’re looking forward to the game, all we can do is control what we can control.”

“But you’ve not spoken to Acun yet?” asked Matt Dean of BBC Radio Humberside.

“Not yet,” McCann said.

The City boss did then show a little frustration when asked how keen he was to have clarity on his position.

He said: “Yeah, look, Matt, I’ve spoken about that after the game and it’s almost like, I’ve come into this press conference again and I’ve got asked about my future. I’m honestly just focused on this game on Saturday.”

He added: “What will be will be. Everything will get taken care of one way or another. I said after the game I love being at this football club, I love working with this group of players, so that’s where we are.”

The sale of the club brought to an end the near 12-year ownership of the club by the Allam family.

Asked if he had had chance to say goodbye to ex-chairman Assem Allam and his son and former vice-chairman Ehab Allam, McCann said: “I went to see Ehab yesterday; spent a couple of hours with him, and brought him a nice bottle of champagne round and a card to say thanks.

“But I think Assem and Ehab are going to come down and see the players this morning at the training ground and have some breakfast, or after training, maybe, have some lunch.”

Asked if he was indebted to them, the Tigers boss said: “Very thankful they brought me to the football club.

“I’ve been here the best part of two-and-a-half years now, they’ve been very faithful to me; they could easily have sacked me after the relegation in the first season, obviously there was a lot of reasons behind that, we felt at the time, hopefully we repaid them in getting the promotion last season, winning the league with very limited to time to try and prepare, to change a losing mindset into a winning mindset.

“You know, a lot of people from the outside looking in haven’t got good words to say about Ehab and Assem, but I can only tell you how I feel, how the players feel, how the staff feel. You know, everyone hasn’t got a bad word to say about Ehab and Assem; very nice people, nice family, and you know, we wish them well.”

Chris Dawkes, from ITV Yorkshire, asked McCann: “You know the new owner is a host on The Voice in Turkey, do you feel like you’re being judged?”

“I can’t sing, Chris,” McCann joked, adding: “All I can do is focus on the team.”