Hull City owner Acun Ilicali must remember Liam Rosenior factor as big Ruben Selles decision awaits | OneFootball

Ilicali hasn't been afraid to take bold action at the MKM Stadium

Despite achieving the short-term remit of survival in the Championship, Hull City supporters are once again heading towards an off-season of change and uncertainty.

Ruben Selles was poached from Reading in December following the conclusion of Tim Walter's ill-fated 17-game reign, with many pointing fingers at owner Acun Ilicali in the first place, believing the chain of events that sparked Hull's plight down the second-tier table began exactly a year ago with Liam Rosenior's shock dismissal.

After years of discontent in East Yorkshire during the latter stages of the Allam family's spell in the MKM Stadium boardroom, which coincided with two relegations, a League One title-winning campaign and mass boycotts in HU3, many believed that the Turkish media mogul would be the man to end the club's exile from the Premier League after a £30m takeover.

But, despite showing plenty of good will with affordable ticket prices, taking supporters on pre-and mid-season trips to Türkiye and a batch of signings who would become fan favourites, the 55-year-old is at risk of yet another hectic campaign if he is to fire the Spaniard after just six months in charge.

Ruben Selles has had a mixed initial period at the MKM Stadium

Selles hasn't been too far away from chaos despite taking just three jobs in his managerial career, with the first seeing him step into the dugout at Southampton during their relegation from the top-flight in 2023, before taking the reins at Reading under the well-documented backdrop of potential oblivion.

Ahead of his first game against Watford on December 11th, City propped up the division having won just three games out of 19, as well as a wretched record of just 17 goals scored all season.

Unsurprisingly, there were teething problems. But, the men in Black and Amber looked way more competitive and picked up eight points across his first seven games with victories over Swansea City and Blackburn Rovers and a 3-3 draw against the Championship champions, Leeds United, the pick of said results.

Regardless of mixed fortunes in the market, Ilicali has never been afraid to back those in charge, and the loan signings of Louie Barry, Lincoln and Joe Gelhardt alongside permanent buys such as John Egan, Eliot Matazo, Matt Crooks, Nordin Amrabat and Kyle Joseph only boosted confidence around the club.

It hasn't been smooth sailing for those additions alongside plenty who were recruited by Walter last summer though, with a continuation of poor home form, injury misfortune and failure to see off teams in and around the relegation dogfight echoing why City failed to pull away from the trap door ahead of their goal-difference escape against Portsmouth on Saturday.

However, when looking at the broader landscape, Selles' accumulation of 34 points in 27 games would have Hull 12th with an even GD split, and a continuation of 1.26 points-per-game across a 46-game season would garner 58 points, a tally that has seen Sheffield Wednesday reach the top-half this term.

Therefore, whilst Ilicali and City supporters have been longing to end their hiatus from the Premier League, especially after last season's near miss in the play-off race, a season of calm wouldn't be a bad thing.

And, with Selles' future in HU3 plunged into doubt in recent days, understandable comparisons have been made to this time last year, with many hoping that Ilicali, who is now also a board member at Fenerbahçe, is aware of the territory he could be walking into with yet another bold move mooted.

Liam Rosenior exploits should serve as a timely warning to Acun Ilicali

Much like Selles, Rosenior has developed a reputation as a highly-rated coach able to galvanise a young squad, or one down on its knees, and perform admirably in their respective divisions.

This was very much the case in East Yorkshire as the former City full-back directed the club away from relegation, losing just thrice on home turf in all competitions between November 2022 and December 2023, before being backed to the hills in January 2024 with a stunning array of additions such as Anass Zaroury, Fabio Carvalho, Ryan Giles, Ivor Pandur and Abdus Omur bolstering a squad that featured the likes of Jaden Philogene, Tyler Morton, Liam Delap, Jean Michael Seri, Ozan Tufan and Jacob Greaves.

Plenty of factors have led to a continuation of split opinions, even now, on how the final months of the 40-year-old's tenure at Hull played out, with Ilicali deeming the brand of football not attractive enough amid a run of just two wins at home between January and May of last year as he was dismissed just three days after a final-day defeat at Plymouth Argyle.

The subsequent appointment of Walter then saw the German's philosophy described as "heart-attack football," although it led to more 'heart-in-mouth' moments for a fanbase beginning to show hints of disillusionment.

And, whilst City are now potentially looking at a sixth permanent manager of Ilicali's three-and-a-half year tenure, Rosenior has recently been handed a fresh contract until 2028 with RC Strasbourg after a fine first season in Alsace, with a 2-1 victory over PSG last weekend keeping his team's UEFA Champions League dream very much alive with two games remaining.

Therefore, supporters would hope Ilicali has learnt from his prior mistakes regardless of any off-field structural changes - Martin Hodge is poised to become head of recruitment alongside sporting director, Jared Dublin - and that Selles can build a long-term project that sees City looking better off in the long run, rather than edging closer to emulating the somewhat irrational decisions made at divisional rivals, Watford.