‘He was great with the younger players in the squad, particularly Liam Delap, who was given the responsibility to shine and grabbed it with both hands’ Former Hull City star on what Liam Rosenior brought to the club

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Liam Rosenior’s first permanent management role came at Hull City in 2022

Liam Rosenior
Liam Rosenior's first permanent job in management came at Hull City (Image credit: Getty Images)

Liam Rosenior’s 18-month spell in charge of Hull City marked the former Tigers, Fulham and Reading defender’s first permanent job in management and despite the relatively short spell in charge of the club, he would make a lasting impression.

A seventh-place finish at the end of the 2023/24 campaign saw Rosenior dismissed by owner Acun Ilicali as the pair disagreed on the club’s footballing philosophy.

Cyrus Christie on Rosenior’s impact

Cyrus Christie

Cyrus Christie played under Rosenior at Hull City (Image credit: Getty)

“He came in and brought a real sense of positivity,” Cyrus Christie tells FourFourTwo, having been part of that Hull City squad.

“He made it clear that it would be a process, the main part was stabilising us and trying to pick up points. Defensive shape was his initial priority.”

Liam Rosenior

Rosenior landed the Chelsea job in January (Image credit: Getty Images)

This early impact saw the side lose just one of Rosenior’s first nine league games. “We felt far more secure at the back,” Christie continues. “Liam had a clear way of communicating and was very open. Sometimes, a player might challenge something and Liam was happy to talk it over. He created a really good environment.

“Liam’s style was based on building play out from the back, recycling the ball and waiting for openings. Out of possession, we pressed as a unit and everybody knew their job.”

After steering the Tigers to a 15th-place finish in his first season, Rosenior oversaw a summer of high player turnover and the arrival of several young loanees, including current Chelsea forward Liam Delap, then at Manchester City.

“The gaffer showed he was adept at building squad harmony and we made a good start,” Christie continues.

“He was great with the younger players in the squad, but particularly with Liam Delap, who was given the responsibility to shine and grabbed it with both hands. Things were looking promising.”

Chelsea striker Liam Delap joined from Ipswich Town this summer

Liam Delap has been reunited with Rosenior at Stamford Bridge (Image credit: Getty Images)

The club would only miss out on the play-offs in the final day of the season and the decision to part ways with Rosenior did not sit well with Christie.

“I felt that was harsh from the owners,” he says. “We just fell short and the Championship is one of the toughest leagues in the world. He came into a club that was near the bottom of the table and, during his tenure, lifted us up to seventh.

“That’s progress, and he deserved time to have another go. Liam left, but I had a feeling he’d go on to bigger things.”

Joe Mewis
Joe Mewis

For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

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