Hull City: Blackburn Rovers and Reading FC duo in frame for manager vacancy | OneFootball

Hull City are hoping to make a swift managerial appointment, with several names believed to be in the frame.

Blackburn Rovers head coach John Eustace and Reading manager Ruben Selles are reportedly under consideration for the Hull City job, and the Championship strugglers are expected to make an appointment in the coming days.

Hull made the shock decision to sack Liam Rosenior in the summer, despite the fact he led the club to a seventh-placed finish last season, and Tim Walter was announced as his replacement.

However, the appointment of Walter proved to be a disaster, and he was dismissed last week after winning just three of his 18 games in charge in all competitions, drawing six and losing nine.

Coach Andy Dawson is currently in interim charge at the MKM Stadium, but he was unable to prevent the Tigers falling to their fifth consecutive defeat as they were beaten 3-1 by Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, and they currently sit 22nd in the table, two points from safety.

Hull's precarious position makes this appointment a huge decision for owner Acun Ilicali, and according to Hull Live, the club have already conducted six interviews and hope to have a new manager in place for the home game against Blackburn on Saturday.

Hull City manager search latest

Hull have reportedly received over 30 applications for the manager's job since Walter's exit last week, with the club still viewed as an attractive proposition, and the recruitment process is well underway.

Mark Robins, who was surprisingly sacked by Coventry after over seven-and-a-half years in charge last month, was believed to be in the frame for the role, but it was claimed that he was keen to be offered the job directly rather than being interviewed, and at this point, he is unlikely to take over at the MKM Stadium.

Former Watford, Fulham and Sheffield United manager Slavisa Jokanovic was said to be a "leading contender" for the job last week, while fellow out-of-work bosses Chris Hughton, Alex Neil and Steven Schumacher have all been discussed by the Tigers hierarchy.

It seems that Hull are also considering managers currently in work elsewhere, with Eustace and Selles thought to be on the club's list of targets.

Eustace has done an excellent job since taking over at Blackburn in February, and they currently sit seventh in the Championship table, while Selles has managed to guide Reading to the same position in League One, despite operating against a backdrop of ongoing off-field issues throughout his tenure.

Ilicali opened up on the Tigers' managerial search on Tuesday morning, revealing that he has been shocked by the amount of interest in the role, and he confirmed that the club would make a swift appointment if they found the right candidate.

"We don't want to wait too long for this approach," Ilicali told Hull Live.

"It's not the time to lose time, I don't think. We have already done six interviews with very good, high-quality coaches. Our aim is to not leave too long (before an appointment) if we can. As soon as possible, we will make an approach.

"I can explain it like this; there are some positive things that we lived with our (previous) managers until now, and there are some negative things that we have lived with our managers until now.

"What we will do is come to a conclusion based on everything that we have lived in this league, plus our observations, and bring the correct name.

"These are all important names, and I wouldn't be upset if any of them came to our club, but we have to analyse, analyse, analyse from our side and get to the right conclusion. I think there is a possibility that if we are satisfied, then we can make an early move.

"I asked my guys why there were so many applications and so much interest, and they said it was because the club's squad is liked by managers, and the managers like the passion of the club, and it made me very happy."

With Hull currently sitting in the Championship relegation zone, Ilicali simply cannot afford to get this appointment wrong.

Ilicali made a huge mistake in replacing Rosenior with Walter in the summer, and the Tigers have paid the price for that decision, so he must make the right choice this time in order for the club to avoid slipping further into relegation danger.

Given that he has been out of club management for over three years, Hull supporters would likely have reservations over the appointment of Hughton, while there are question marks over Neil after his disappointing spell at Stoke, but Robins, Jokanovic, Schumacher, Eustace and Selles are all excellent candidates.

It would be harder to get a Eustace or Selles, given they are currently employed, but Ilicali is an ambitious man, and he will likely do his all to get his preferred final candidate.