Behind the scenes at Hull City - Major exits, MKM Stadium pitch and Acun Ilicali's recruitment plan

They say it is never dull in Hull and that has certainly been the case in the days since May 4 when Hull City and Liam Rosenior parted company after an 18-month relationship at the end of a pulsating Championship campaign.

City finished seventh in the league, missing out on the play-offs by three points and will be aiming to go one better next term and they'll do so under new management.

May was busy, June has kicked off with the appointment of Tim Walter and things are going to hot up as we head towards the start of pre-season training and the upcoming trip to Istanbul, which is also expected to see supporters travel with the team to their pre-season training camp.

READ MORE: Tim Walter set Hull City challenge as owner Acun Ilicali makes Championship prediction

Here, Hull Live looks back at some of the key developments in the early weeks of a busy summer at the MKM Stadium....

Liam leaves

Barely 48 hours after City's 1-0 defeat at Plymouth Argyle on the final day of the season, Liam Rosenior was sacked by owner Acun Ilicali with the Tigers owner citing a difference of approach as one of the key reasons why the change was made.

Rosenior spent 18 months in charge of the club he represented as a player, taking charge of 78 games in league and cup but he was moved out by the ruthless Ilicali after guiding City to seventh in the Championship, their highest finish for a number of years.

His exit was met by an initial outpouring of frustration amongst supporters and surprise from those within football but Ilicali's aggressive flurry of media appearances helped fans understand why the decision was made and there was a greater level of calm following his explanation.

While some still didn't agree with the decision, they could at least have a greater understanding of why it was made and what happens next. The name of Tim Walter followed shortly after Rosenior's exit and as we've seen in the past week, City's first-choice target has arrived.

Off they go

As with every end of season, there comes with it a number of players who move on to pastures new and this was no difference. Despite having no manager in place, decisions still had to be made by the club and it was no surprise to see Greg Docherty, Cyrus Christie, Adama Traore, Billy Sharp and Aaron Connolly all leave the club after varying levels of success in their spells.

Docherty will be the one remembered the most fondly by supporters for his influential role in helping City win the League One title and promotion back to the Championship in his first season at the club. The popular Scotsman saw opportunities limited under Rosenior and in his option year, it always felt like he would move on this summer looking for regular football, and that's what he's done, but he goes with a huge amount of goodwill.

Never fall in love with loan players

City relied heavily on the influence of the loan market last season and they will do again over the coming months. Liam Delap, Tyler Morton, Ryan Giles, Anass Zaroury, Noah Ohio and Fabio Carvalho all came and made an impact in their own way.

Delap was instantly taken to the hearts of Tigers fans and there's a desire to see him return this summer, while Morton delivered some fine performances. Ohio scored some vital goals and so, too, did Zaroury in the brilliant win at Southampton and draw with Leicester, though his performances those goals aside didn't live up to expectations.

Carvalho was the high-profile arrival of the whole Championship campaign and his goals were hugely important in keeping City in touch with the top six.

In and out

Given there was so much noise around Rosenior's sudden departure at the end of the season, Ilicali felt it necessary to fly in to meet a group of supporters at the MKM Stadium to explain his decision in more detail. That evening inside the Kingston Suite will live long in the memory for those present, with the owner covering a range of topics from Ryan Allsop's form to the frustrations surrounding the lack of action for January signing Ivor Pandur and the owner's burner account. A couple of hours done and dusted, Ilicali was whisked back to Humberside Airport and back to Istanbul.

It's been a hectic few weeks for the City owner with him becoming vice-president at Fenerbahce alongside chairman Ali Koc and working hard on bringing Jose Mourinho to the Ulker Stadium in Istanbul, and playing a pivotal role in the ongoing election process at the club.

Pitch perfect

The subject of the MKM Stadium playing surface was a significant source of conversation throughout the season, especially during the winter months. Liam Rosenior often criticised it and used it as an influence for some of the poor home performances, suggesting his players struggled to pass the ball on it.

Ilicali has forked out in excess of £1m to rip up the old surface and have a brand new one installed, and almost a month on, work is still going strong to get it ready for Hull FC's next home game on June 15.

All the groundwork has now been completed and the task of relaying the pitch is set to begin to get it ready for next Saturday afternoon when Leeds Rhinos arrive.

Over and out

As the changes at City continue throughout the summer, Lee Darnbrough's seven-year spell as head of recruitment came to an end with the former Norwich and Burnley supremo leaving to join Stoke City and link with Steven Schumacher and Jon Walters, while Ilicali confirmed the club's intention to seek a replacement.

"He's a fantastic guy, I love him so much," Ilicali told Hull Live when asked about Darnbrough's exit. "In my whole career and life, I have never tried to stop anybody if he wants to leave, because these are these people's lives and they can have family decisions, his wife can want something, so this is completely about his personal life and personal choices.

"For me, he's a very successful guy, but trying to keep him and preventing him from his future plans is not what I am. I will always want the best for all of my people, so whoever wants to go will leave."

Tan's new job

Two-and-a-half years after arriving in the Championship alongside Acun Ilicali, Tigers vice-chairman Tan Kesler has been appointed onto the EFL board.

The role is a significant coup for City and Kesler, particularly if the new financial proposals can be pushed through, which is seemingly a very real possibility.

A new era

After being appointed last Friday, the new manager was at the MKM Stadium on Tuesday to meet staff, have his pictures taken and then meet the media shortly after.

The confident German gave a polished display with one or two quotes particularly eye-catching. "I am very happy to be here. I was made in Germany, but I am made for England. The first thing is to get to know everybody, get to know the lads, the fans, the press. I don't know England well, but it is the perfect challenge."

"I watched a lot of Championship matches, football is the same everywhere and winning is the same. The league is very competitive and there are a lot fo midweek games, so you have to prepare more in pre-season because we are playing differently. At the end, we want to win and that's good for us"