Hull City owner's passive aggressive dig at John Lundstram's 'hurt' statement after Sheffield United return
Hull City appear to be feeling the heat in their quest for a Play-Off place and that has spilled over into a passive aggressive hammering from the club’s owner and one of his team’s players following Saturday’s defeat to Sheffield United.
The Tigers had been ahead at Bramall Lane after an early goal from Oli McBurnie but the match turned in the Blades’ favour in the second half when another former Blade, John Lundstram, was sent off for a second bookable offence.
United would later be awarded a penalty which was fired home by Gus Hamer and the comeback was complete late on when substitute Danny Ings scored from close range to give Chris Wilder’s men the points.
Lundstram’s earlier walk down the tunnel saw him booed by the home supporters and in a post on his instagram account on Saturday night the ex-Blades midfielder admitted he was ‘hurt’ by the reaction from the Bramall Lane crowd, on a day when both McBurnie and yet another former United player John Egan were roundly applauded before and after - and indeed during by some, in McBurnie’s case.
Lundstram’s United legacy compared to the other two is very different with many fans feeling that after it was revealed he would be leaving for Rangers at the end of the 2020/21 season, his performances dipped.
In part of his social media message on Saturday, he posted: “The reception from the Blades fans hurt a lot today also, I don't understand the hostility, I absolutely love the club, gave everything I had for the club and was part of maybe the best Sheffield United team in history.
“I left because I couldn't turn down the opportunity to change mine and my family’s lives.”
However the message didn’t go down well with the owner of Hull City, Acun Ilicali, who had a dig at Lundstram in his own post on social media, which in essence said he should stop worrying about what fans at Sheffield United think about him in the wake of what he felt were “terrible referee decisions”.
The post read: “Dear Lunny, We are still feeling the pain of the three points stolen from us today. We believe that the most important thing today that we need to talk about is losing three points by terrible referee decisions. On an afternoon filled with disappointment for us, as I read your statement, I would expect it to be more about the injustice on the pitch and less about the disappointment you felt from the fans of your former club.
“We are a big family, we have one dream. We have a great team, strong coach and the best fans fully focused on reaching the playoffs. I hope you'll feel better in the future with the genuine love and support from our Hull City (with capital H) fans.”