Classy Liam Rosenior 'sure' Acun Ilicali's Hull City vision will be a success despite losing his job because of differences over playing style

Former defender Rosenior was given his first job in full-time management by the Turkish pair in November 2022, averting the threat of relegation in his first few months and taking the club to the brink of the Championship play-offs in his first full season.

But he was sacked at the end of it, with the ambitious Ilicali saying Rosenior's football was not exciting enough for his taste.

The media mogul has invested huge amounts of money into the Tigers with the aim of getting them into the Premier League, his vice-chairman and right-hand man Kesler running operations in East Yorkshire.

There were no traces of bitterness in the now-standard statement released by a sacked coach via the League Manager's Association website and although it appears Rosenior's vision of how Hull should play was slightly different to his chairman's, he is confident Ilicali's approach will come good.

“I take immense pride in the massive progress and growth of the club in this period, both on and off the pitch, and the small part I played in it," said Rosenior, who has been linked with the job at Championship club Plymouth Argyle. "I genuinely hope that the hard work of everybody at the football club continues to move things in an upward trajectory.

“Working with Acun, Tan and his football brain has been an incredible learning experience and with the passion, energy, determination and hard work they have put into this club, I am sure they will get the vision and success that they crave in the long term.

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“Seeing the team and players develop, improve and grow in an 18-month period, in a style that we believed in, has been amazing and I have enjoyed every moment of working with an outstanding group of people who gave me trust, spirit and togetherness, not just in games, but in every single training session that we worked in."

The 39-year-old, who played for Hull between 2010 and 2015 and was interim manager of Derby County before his return, was full of gratitude for his time back at the club.

“It has been an honour, a joy and a pleasure to lead a football club that I love for the last 18 months," he wrote.

“I would like to thank every member of staff, every player I worked with, every fan who supported us on the journey and also to Acun Ilicali and Tan Kesler for believing in me enough to give me the opportunity to manage Hull City."

Talks are ongoing with former Bayern Munich II, Stuttgart and Hamburg coach Tim Walter, who is the strong favourite to succeed Rosenior.

The German, currently out of work, is known for a more direct style of play than Rosenior's, and for fluid formations. Hull hope to make an appointment this week so they can start the planning for next season in earnest.