Liam Rosenior knows how to make the most of what he’s got. At Hull’s training ground in the sleepy, leafy village of Cottingham, the 39-year-old is mulling over what makes his team one of the most feared in the Championship.
The complex is small and functional, so much so that before we sit down we have to find an available space. The impromptu tour takes us into an old dressing room, where we find Fábio Carvalho, Hull’s star January loan signing from Liverpool, cleaning his boots in a sink.
This, Rosenior says, embodies everything. Hull may not have the financial muscle to compete, even with some clubs in their own league, but they sit sixth thanks to their work ethic and desire.
Both were on show this week in a stoppage-time win over Huddersfield and a first victory at Southampton in more than 70 years. Hull, who were playing in League One three seasons ago and have since finished 19th and 15th in the Championship, will overtake fifth-placed West Brom if they can win at home against Carlos Corberán’s side on Saturday.
“People talk about how we got Fábio to the club, but you see it there,” Rosenior says, smiling. “Players come here with humility, for the right reasons; they love football and are prepared to work hard. I’ve shown them clips of the training grounds we are up against: Leicester have a golf course on theirs, a sauna and a Jacuzzi, the same with Southampton and Leeds.
“This is our strength. I was upset when we signed the people we did that people said to not show them the training ground. I went the other way and said: ‘Come and see. If you want to be a part of it, you will. If you don’t, you’re not right for this club.’ Young players want to come here because of the buzz about the club and how we work.”
Carvalho isn’t the only impressive addition. Liam Delap joined on loan from Manchester City last summer; Jaden Philogene, who has 14 goal contributions in 19 Championship games, signed from Aston Villa. The Ivory Coast midfielder Jean Michaël Seri, who won the Africa Cup of Nations this month, made a surprise move in July 2022, four months before Rosenior’s appointment.
“There were teams in Saudi Arabia who wanted me, lots of money on the table, but it isn’t about money,” Seri says. “It is about sharing ambition and love. I believe in the project.”
Rosenior’s commitment to a philosophy which is, in his words, “possession-based, expressive, vulnerable and brave”, has helped build trust with players and parent clubs.
“I had meetings with those clubs early in my time here about what we wanted to achieve. When they watch us play, they know what we are. How those clubs want to develop their players has to mirror our style, so they are learning the same principles they would there. I’ll never change. If we get promoted and play Liverpool away on the first day, I will play out from the back.”
Hull are a different club from the one relegated from the Premier League in 2017. In January 2022, the Turkish businessman Acun Ilicali took over from father and son Assem and Ehab Allam, ending an 11-year reign that caused outrage and apathy among the fanbase.
Two spells in the top flight, an FA Cup final and European qualification meant Hull were largely a success on the pitch during that time. But the Allams’ attempt to change the club’s name to Hull Tigers caused division and attendances fell below 10,000 at times. Five managers were appointed in the owners’ final five and a half years.
Now the club has life again. “The whole thing was ludicrous,” says the Hull City Supporters’ Trust chair, Chris Stern. “It was a horrible place to be. You could sense the change in atmosphere immediately under Acun. Now we are on a journey.”
“I couldn’t ask for a better owner as a young manager,” Rosenior says. “He gives me so much confidence to be myself. For a club to be successful you need to be together. That includes the fans, owner, players, kit men, chefs. We’ve got that.”
Seri believes Ilicali is the driving force behind the club’s resurgence as they hunt a Premier League return. “This team is going to be successful because of the owner; we can see every game there is 24,000 fans. Before, it wasn’t like that. They believe in us. It is going to be the best gift for the city if we get promoted.”
Hull are dreaming again; Rosenior is embracing honesty and the humble surroundings. They aren’t the biggest or richest club, but spirit and style will take them a long way.
