The Autumn international break is rightfully touted as the most tedious part of the football calendar. The slew of low-stakes exhibition matches feels like it goes on for an eternity and leaves any players not selected for their national teams left twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the return of their teammates.
Liam Rosenior, who back in 2014 was a first team player at Hull City, saw the break in league action as an opportunity to flex his managerial muscles and take his first dip into coaching. Documenting the day for a news segment, Hull allowed a then 30-year-old Rosenior to take charge of the under-21s side for a training session. Putting into practice his newly acquired UEFA coaching B-Licence, the fullback looked at home managing the youth side, even if it was just for the day. The video would resurface on twitter earlier this week, as Rosenior looked set to fill the vacant dugout at the MKM Stadium following the departure of Shota Arveladze back in October.
Liam Rosenior spotted talking to Hull City owner, Acun Ilıcalı, during Tuesday's loss to Middlesborough (BBC)
It is clear that a lot has changed since 2014 and the Liam Rosenior that led that fateful training session eight years ago will not be the same as the man that now finds himself at the helm of the East Yorkshire outfit. After leaving Hull in 2015, Rosenior joined a Brighton side that had narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship in the previous year. During his three year spell on the South Coast, Rosenior saw his club rise to the Premier League, before hanging up his boots at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
Rosenior dived straight into management, working alongside Simon Rusk in Brighton's youth set up, coaching the under-23s squad for over a year and citing then first team boss, Graham Potter as an influence on his management style. Speaking to Derbyshire Live, Rosenior said that he "had some really great conversations with Graham on a one-to-one level. What he underpinned for me was to always be yourself". Referencing what he'd learned from Potter, Rosenior stated that he wanted "people to look at my team play and say, 'that's a Liam Rosenior team'. The same with Graham, he's done that at Brighton".
These quotes will clearly excite Hull City fans as it shows that their new manager is fully committed to the longterm project that is just beginning in Hull. Some fans had feared that Tigers' owner, Acun Ilıcalı's lofty ambitious for the club had put off some candidates for the management role in East Yorkshire however, the news of an equally as ambitious manager to go alongside the chairman will surely be a match made in heaven for the club.
Following his departure from Brighton in 2019, Rosenior moved north to Derby and worked as a member of the coaching staff of both Phillip Cocu and Wayne Rooney. His best period at Derby came under the instruction of Rooney, who promoted Rosenior to assistant manager and allowed the former defender a bigger role in the coaching of the team. Rooney gained praise from across the leagues for his performances managing a Derby team virtually condemned to relegation by Christmas and it can be argued that Rosenior had a hand in the miraculous results that the side were able to conjure during this period.
When Rooney departed the club at the start of the current season, Rosenior was given the chance to take charge at Pride Park, overseeing twelve matches as caretaker manager. During this spell, Derby won seven games, including a shock EFL Cup win against championship opponents West Brom, clearly showing that Rosenior's pedigree was beyond the realms of league one. Since he left Derbyshire, the Rams have only won three times and now find themselves outside of the play-off spots, clear evidence of the impact that Rosenior had on his former side.
Liam Rosenior gained praise for his job as caretaker manager at Derby this year (lancslive)
Rosenior's return to East Yorkshire will elicit joy in even the most pessimistic fan as he represents a different kind of manager to what Hull fans have come to expect in recent memory. When comparing Rosenior to the other managers to have taken the helm in the last decade, it is clear that the appointment of the Englishman is an opportunity for something special to happen at the club.
Asides from Nick Barmby, who was only one year his junior when becoming permanent manager back in 2012, Rosenior is the youngest permanent manager the Tigers have had in almost a century. This feat is even more impressive when you take into account the four years he has already spent in management. This shows Rosenior to be a youthful presence within the dugout, perhaps better equipped to coach a side with an average age of just 24 (the fourth lowest in the divison) than a more traditional, older manager.
Another advantage of Rosenior is his history as a player at the club. Only six players have both managed and played for Hull City in the last century, meaning that Rosenior is in a rare group of managers who understand the importance of the team beyond the dugout. As a player, Rosenior was a mainstay during what many people consider Hull's most successful spell as a club. Rosenior played over 161 times in black and amber and started in the 2014 FA Cup final, arguably the biggest game of the club's 118 year history. It cannot be disputed that the man who spent five years in East Yorkshire knows the club inside out and will want to succeed during his time at Hull.
Liam Rosenior started for Hull City during their 3-2 loss against Arsenal in the 2014 FA Cup final (the independent)
Perhaps more important than his experience is Rosenior's loyalty to Hull City. The Championship is a league synonymous with managerial changes and stability in the dugout is a luxury that few clubs can claim to have. With nine Championship clubs already changing their manager this season, it is evident that it is vital to find an exceptional coach or face your club becoming a revolving door for mediocre managers. Hull fans know this idea all too well, with the Tiger's managerial appointments since Steve Bruce's departure in 2016 lasting an average of just over a year in the dugout before being sacked or leaving for greener pastures.
Additionally, the EFL is overflowing with managerial mercenaries, eager to jump ship as soon as a better club comes calling, abandoning their duties for whoever is most likely to take them to the promise land of the Premier League. On average, the seven permanent managers appointed in the last decade manage four different clubs before ending up at Hull and go on to continue to manage long after they leave, making East Yorkshire appear more of a stop-over than a permanent destination for quality coaches. This makes the appointment of Rosenior, a man with both loyalty and quality appear even more shrewd when compared to he traditionally chaotic nature of managers appointed within England's second division.
It is almost inevitable that comparisons will be drawn between Rosenior and his predecessor, Andy Dawson. Dawson's time as interim manager of the Tigers was a mix of disappointing displays with the odd moment of brilliance sprinkled in. Despite the lacklustre performances during his time at the helm of Hull, Dawson cannot be blamed for this as it was evident from day one that he was not a permanent option but rather a known figure to steady the ship whilst a permanent manager was found. Rosenior brings the same playing experience as Dawson but offers a completely different set of skills on the managerial front.
Liam Rosenior takes charge of his first game for Hull City on Saturday with the trip to South London proving amble opportunity for the Tigers to condemn the last two defeats to the past and step into a new era with a victory. The Lions currently sit ninth in the table meaning a victory for the away side will be no easy feat. Despite this, confidence will be high amongst the squad and the infamous 'new manager bounce' will be sure to have a hand in whatever the outcome is on Saturday afternoon. Regardless of the result, every Hull fan will be happy to see Rosenior return to the club and hopefully bring some of the magic of his playing days back to East Yorkshire.
Comentarios