Plymouth Argyle must act after big Hull City, Liam Rosenior news: View | OneFootball

The decision for Hull City to sack Liam Rosenior just days after the Championship season came to an end was a shocking one but it could play into Plymouth Argyle’s hands.

The Tigers decided to cut ties with their manager after finishing seventh in the second tier in the 23/24 campaign; three points off of Norwich City in the final playoff spot.

City went down 1-0 away to Argyle in the final match of the campaign as the Greens secured their Championship survival thanks to a goal from captain Joe Edwards, leaving them preparing for a second successive season at their current level.

With Neil Dewsnip and Kevin Nancekivell overseeing first-team matters for the Pilgrims’ final matches of the season after Ian Foster’s dismissal, the search for a manager will continue, and that final-day victory may have had more consequences for the club than what first met the eye.

Plymouth Argyle should be considering Liam Rosenior as their next permanent manager after Hull City sacking

Argyle came into the Championship after storming League One under Steven Schumacher in the previous campaign, with their fast-flowing attacking brand of football earning plenty of plaudits along the way.

It seemed only a matter of time before their boss was cherry-picked by a side with far greater resources than they possess, and that scenario occurred when Stoke City came in for Schumacher over the festive period.

Suddenly, that attacking impetus had vanished, with the Greens struggling to rediscover their goalscoring touch with Foster at the helm, although he wasn’t helped by some ill-timed returns of their loan stars as 2024 got underway.

With the former England youth boss given the boot after just 14 league matches in charge - in which eight ended in defeat - much was made of the need for the Pilgrims to find their old selves, as goalkeeper Mike Cooper eluded to at the time.

The shot-stopper said: “I want to go back to our identity of games being about us, free-flowing attacking football, scoring more goals than the opposition and getting three points, and that's going to hopefully keep us up.”

That identity is something that Dewsnip and chairman Simon Hallett will be looking to continue with the appointment of a new boss, and Rosenior’s recent availability could play right into their hands.

Although his Tigers side was more possession-based than Argyle have tended to be over the previous campaign, that desire to be on the front foot in matches is something that the Devon side prided themselves on during the first half of the campaign.

No team was coming to the south coast and overwhelming their opponents, with Home Park continuing to prove a fruitful fortress for the Pilgrims, despite going face-to-face with some of the best attacking lineups in the country.

Rosenior experienced that first-hand on Saturday, as his City side failed to break down a resolute Argyle backline, who were backed by over 17,000 as they earned themselves the crucial 1-0 win to keep them in the division.

If they are to build ahead of their next campaign in the second tier, the Pilgrims need a manager capable of getting a side to dictate play more than they managed in the second half of the season, and the former Derby County man looks like the coach for the job.

Only Southampton and Leicester City made more passes than Hull this season, with their pragmatic style of play patiently waiting to break down defences, with a sprinkle of magic from Fabio Carvalho or Jaden Philogene helping to find the keys to unlock opposition rearguards.

No side put fewer crosses into the penalty area than Argyle during 23/24, which emphasises the point that the Greens are prepared to play football on the deck and prise open their opponents; just as Rosenior did this season, with 753 crosses compared to Plymouth’s 626.

With interest in star man Morgan Whittaker expected to come over the summer months, any incoming Argyle boss will have to focus on rebuilding a squad that has seen loan players come and go over the course of the campaign and will need freshening up in the final third.

Incoming Plymouth Argyle manager will have chance for squad rebuild

That would give someone like Rosenior the perfect opportunity to put his own stamp on the attacking input at the club, with his possession-based style likely to go hand-in-hand with the plans of the hierarchy at Home Park.

Chairman Hallett has already outlined plans for the Pilgrims becoming a sustainable top six Championship club within the next five years, with aspirations of Premier League football also on the horizon for the owner.

Making a move for someone like Rosenior, who has proven himself to be a capable Championship manager in his first full season at the level, would prove that they mean business in that regard, with the young boss the perfect fit for a side looking to play with an expressive, front-foot demeanour.

Having recently signed a three-year contract at the MKM Stadium to keep him at the club until 2026, the powers that be on Humberside have performed a remarkable U-turn to axe their boss just five months later, leaving the Tigers in stasis after a promising campaign.

Having been shortlisted for the Championship manager of the season award alongside Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and Leeds United’s Daniel Farke, it is clear to see how well thought of he is in the game, and Argyle could help to prove City wrong by acting quickly to secure his signature.