Rosenior sacked as Hull head coach

Liam Rosenior has been sacked as Hull City head coach.

The 39-year-old, who was nominated for Championship manager of the season along with Kieran McKenna and Daniel Farke, has been relieved of his duties following Hull’s 1-0 defeat to Plymouth on the final day of the campaign.

The result ensured Hull failed to make the play-off positions, having finished seventh and three points off Norwich City.

Chairman and owner Acun Ilicali said: “This has been the most difficult decision I have had to make as chairman of this wonderful football club. No matter how trying the circumstance, I have to remove personal sentiment from these moments and ensure the long-term vision of the club is at the centre of my thinking.

“Since Liam’s arrival, we have enjoyed an open working relationship and progress has undoubtedly been made over the course of his tenure. He will always be a part of this family and I thank him for all his work.

“However, it has become evident that our visions for the future are not aligned and I feel that now is the time to make a change. Our philosophy is clear, we will continue to drive this club forward, and whilst doing so I will continue to be open and transparent with our fans.

“I know what this football club can achieve, and we will not stop in the pursuit of that. We have worked hard over the last two years to develop our squad. We now have many highly talented players at our disposal and we will continue to invest and improve our playing personnel to give this club and its fans the success they deserve.”

It has also been confirmed that Hull have parted company with assistant managers Justin Walker and Ben Warner, while they added that “the recruitment process is underway and no further comment will be made until that process is completed”.

Rosenior, meanwhile, was nominated twice for Championship manager of the month in September and February.

Rosenior, who played for Hull between 2010 and 2015, began his managerial career at Derby County, having been appointed as interim head coach following the resignation of Wayne Rooney in June 2022.

He then joined Hull in November 2022 on a two-and-a-half year deal, returning to the club where he made 161 appearances.

Having taken over with the club one point above the drop zone, Hull finished 15th in 2022-23. Rosenior was rewarded for his efforts and signed a new three-year contract in December 2023 that was expected to keep him at the MKM Stadium until at least 2026.

During his playing career, he helped Hull win promotion to the Premier League in 2013 and was part of the team that reached the FA Cup final in 2014.

Does this come as a surprise?

It is less than a month since Rosenior was on a shortlist of three for the Championship’s manager of the season but his reign as Hull boss has come to an abrupt end.

A failure to reach the play-offs has ultimately carried a high price. Owner Acun Ilicali, the Turkish TV star and businessman, had invested heavily during the January transfer window and the ambition within the club was for a top-six finish.

Rosenior and his side fell just short on the final day, finishing seventh in the Championship after a 1-0 defeat away to Plymouth, and that was clearly deemed insufficient for Ilicali. The club’s owner made no secret of his aims to take Hull into Europe as recently as this March.

Rosenior arrived at the MKM Stadium in November 2022 with Hull fearing relegation to League One but after improving to finish 15th, the progress was built on this season with the club’s highest finish since 2016-17.

GO DEEPER

Leroy Rosenior: ‘I always encouraged Liam to go for his dreams. I’m so pleased he is’

(Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images)