Former England midfielder Ray Parlour believes Hull City can win the Championship play-off final and stay up next season in the Premier League.
Parlour was part of the Hull City side that stayed up in the Championship the year before they clinched promotion under Phil Brown, and the ex Arsenal and Middlesbrough star explained that Brown was always a man confident in his own abilities.
He also praised Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic, who steered the Tigers into the play-offs after they finished in sixth place, winning 21 of 46 league games.
Hull City will take on Southampton on Saturday, May 23 in the SkyBet Championship Play-off final, where they will lock horns for a lucrative place in the Premier League.
Difficult challenge
And during an exclusive conversation with 10bet, Parlour said about Hull’s chances of reaching the top tier and surviving: “It’s always difficult. You saw last season all three went down. I’m really pleased that this season Sunderland have stayed up and Leeds have had a good season.
“But it’s always difficult – it’s all about investment and what sort of gamble you want to take as a club when you come up.
“Sometimes the players aren’t quite good enough for the Premier League, so you’ve got to make big decisions on whether to give them an opportunity or recruit.
“You usually see at least one go down, and all Hull have to do is say, “We aren’t going to be that one.’
“With Ipswich coming up and Coventry, it’ll be interesting to see how they all do. You always want to see clubs stay up in that first season because it gives everyone in the Championship hope.
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Good recruitment is key
“Last season was a bit of a mockery when all three promoted sides went down, but this season Sunderland and Leeds have proved you can do it with the right recruitment and desire.
“Hull will be similar if they go up. It’s going to be a tricky game against Southampton, we all know that, but I really hope they can go up.
“I only had 15 games with Hull, but I enjoyed it. It’s a good little club.”
Stability for players
Parlour praised Hull manager Jakirovic for getting the players motivated, adding: “I mean, he’s done such a good job. Sometimes you think, “Who’s this manager? What’s he going to do? Is he any good?”
“But the players are certainly playing for him. They’re really working hard.
“That’s all you can ask for as a manager – you make sure they go out every single day and give it their all.
“You can coach them Monday to Friday, but when they cross that white line, they need to know exactly what their jobs are, and he’s brought that stability.
“They’ve had a great season. Everybody thought they’d drop away towards the end, but they’ve kept going and they deserve to be in the playoff final.
“I’m sure everyone in Hull will be down at Wembley cheering them on, and everyone from the south coast will be there for Southampton. It should be a hell of a game.”
Saints favourites to march on
Parlour feels Southampton are favourites to secure their place in the top flight alongside champions Coventry City and second-placed Ipswich Town.
But he added: “Hull have every chance. As I said before, over 90 minutes Southampton will be favourites to go through – there’s no doubt about that.
“But it’s a 90-minute game. It’s a £200 million game for the club itself. So you just give your all, and on the day, if everyone plays to their ability, they could get through.
“It’d be an amazing story because Hull were the outsiders of the four – I think they were about 7/1 to get up through the playoffs.”
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SportJustSport writers 
Ella Magyar