Hull City owner Acun Ilicali sacked Liam Rosenior because he didn't like style of football
Liam Rosenior was sacked by Hull City because he wasn’t attacking enough.
Rosenior was surprisingly axed by owner Acun Ilicali despite a strong season which saw the Tigers agonisingly miss out on a place in the Championship play-offs. Owner Acun Ilicali, who only handed Rosenior a new long-term contract in December, has opened up about the differences which emerged between the pair over the second half of the season and ultimately led to a change.
Speaking to talkSPORT this morning (Wednesday), Ilicali revealed he wanted to a more attack-minded style of play. He said: “When you have a difference of thinking from the coach’s side and the ownership and the football mind of the team, it is not good for the team to go for a long-term journey.
READ MORE: 'A bit like Klopp' - Who is Hull City next manager candidate Tim Walter
“Liam is a fantastic guy and a very good coach. I think he’s such a nice person but at the end of the day, we have to decide what is best for the club.”
City scored 14 goals in their final seven games of the campaign, but Ilicali still wants to see a more progressive brand of football. He added: “Liam has a football philosophy, which I completely respect. But the football I want to see in my team is not the football style like Liam is playing.”
Pressed by host Jim White on why he handed Rosenior a new contract midway through the campaign, Ilicali said things started to change from January onwards.
“The separation started after January,” he said. “In January, we brought in offensive players. The football mind of the team is making the recruitment an attacking style.
“You have to find a coach with the same mentality as the recruitment. Before January, we were in the same place with Liam. After that…
“I want to jump on my seat watching the team. I want the crowd to get more and more excited.
“To summarise, I think Liam is a very good coach with a certain football philosophy, but we want a very good coach with an attacking style of mentality. That is why we went different ways.”