"I Don't Regret Parting Ways with Chelsea's Liam Rosenior – His Style of Play Just Wasn't Entertaining"

ACUN ILICALI will warmly welcome Liam Rosenior back to Hull on Friday night — but insists: “I was RIGHT to sack him.”

And the Turkish owner even believes his current boss Sergej Jakirovic is a better manager for the Tigers.

Hull owner Acun Ilicali, middle, poses alongside Liam Delap, left, and Liam Rosenior, rightCredit: Getty Rosenior, 41, has gone from strength to strength since being sacked by HullCredit: Getty

Also he warned to watch out for striker Oli McBurnie — claiming he is good enough to play for !

The Chelsea boss spent 18 months in charge on Humberside — first saving them from relegation and then missing out on the play-offs in 2024 by one point.

But owner Iliaci decided to wield the axe because he did not like his playing style.

has since gone on to guide French club Strasbourg into Europe and last month took over at Chelsea.

The owner, 56, told SunSport: “Liam is a fantastic guy and good coach — but his philosophy of how to play was not mine.

“So rather than get him to change, it was better for me to change the coach.

“Liam has a style that is taking him in his direction and I didn’t want to push him in mine.

“His way of is suitable for Chelsea and big clubs because it needs high-quality players superior to others in the league.

Ilıcali squabbled with Rosenior over his style of playCredit: Getty

“But here at Hull I wanted a different kind of attacking style which is entertaining as well as getting results.

“We weren’t on the same page and I talked to him often about this. And in the end I decided to part ways.”

It seemed harsh and Iliaci was criticised by fans for sacking a manager who got Hull on an upward curve after yo-yoing between the and .

And he was also revered by Tigers supporters for his time with the club as a player — winning promotion to the Premier League and making an final.

Rosenior also understood Hull. His grandmother Cath lived in the city for 30 years and was an ardent supporter.

Iliaci said: “We remain good friends. He’s always calling to congratulate me when we’re winning and I also have been congratulating him at Strasbourg and Chelsea.”

‘DEDICATED TO FOOTBALL’

But Iliaci admits he was blown away by Rosenior when he interviewed him for the job.

The Hull owner was away on business and first spoke to him over a video link from the States.

He said: “I first met him while I was in Los Angeles. We had a Zoom call that lasted 90 minutes.

“Liam came across as a nice and clever guy who dedicated his life to football.

“He knows so much detail inside the game and I was instantly impressed.

“I told my sporting director, ‘Please, get this guy… immediately!’

“This man was full of passion and that’s what I wanted. He knew everything to the deepest detail.”

And while he sacked Rosenior, the Turkish businessman always believed he would be successful elsewhere.

Iliaci added: “We were together one-to-one when I decided to part ways with Liam.

“I told him, ‘You’ll be successful. Good clubs will get you and you’ll be successful. But I was not expecting him to be Chelsea coach in two years!

“When he got the job, I sent him a message. I said, ‘I was waiting for success from you — but not that soon!’ I’m happy and proud of him.”

Iliaci replaced Rosenior with German coach Tim Walter, who proved a disaster and was sacked four months into the season, before Ruben Selles saved them from relegation.

‘MY DREAM COACH’

But Iliaci sacked him too and brought in Jakirovic — his sixth manager in four years — and that appointment is so far proving a masterstroke with the Tigers sitting fourth in the Championship.

The Turk said: “I can now say I’ve found my dream coach here at Hull. He’s the best I’ve had.

“Not many people in the football world knew about Sergej but he was doing a great job in Turkey with Kayserispor.

“They were bottom of the league and were under a transfer embargo too — but he kept them up.

“He got them playing good football and they even scored three against , where I was vice president so he gave me much pain.

“I checked his career and saw that he was successful in three different leagues — and I wanted someone proven.

“And when we met we were on the same page and while we don’t win every game there has never been an occasion where I’ve thought, ‘We should’ve done this or that.’

“Everything he does makes sense.”

THE TURKISH SIMON COWELL

Iliaci is a highly-successful businessman — owning an international media production company — and is know in his homeland as “The Turkish Simon Cowell”, starring in reality TV talent shows.

But, asked why he has gone through so many managers in a short space of time, he said: “From the age of 25 to 40, I went from zero to hero in business.

“And the secret is I never tried to prove to everyone I’m right. If something wasn’t working, I changed it.

“We’ve had fantastic coaches but they were not suitable for my philosophy. Stability only comes from having the right person. We have that now.”

‘MCBURNIE IS A SUPERSTAR’

Striker McBurnie, 29, will lead the line against Chelsea and has scored 13 goals in 24 games in all competitions this season.

And Iliaci said: “For me, McBurnie is a superstar and can be the striker of Inter Milan or any big club.

“His football vision is one of the best I’ve seen in the world.

“When I first took over, we only had four players of high quality, now we have 14.”

Iliaci is not your typical owner. When he flies into the UK, he plays in seven-a-side games with some of the squad and staff.

He said: “We play a game between Turkey and Croatia. We have an ownership team that is Turkish and a coaching staff that is mostly Croatian and Bosnian. We also get three British players each.

“The matches get recorded and we watch the highlights over dinner.

“I’m a Number 10 and love making assists. I make three or four each game I’d say.

“My view is if you know how to cook the food you’re going to be the best restaurant owner.

“I’ve been a football maniac all my life — one who in my 20s would be sleeping in front of the stadiums. Now I’m a football manic who owns a club!”

Oli McBurnie has been on fire for the TigersCredit: Getty