What Acun Ilicali first said when he appointed Ruben Selles at Hull City – He’s now facing the sack | OneFootball

A look back at what Hull City chairman Acun Ilicali said about the appointment of Ruben Selles back in early December.

Despite steering Hull City clear of relegation on the final day of the season, it has been reported that Ruben Selles’ future is up in the air at the MKM Stadium, with chairman Acun Ilicali mulling his future over.

The former Reading boss took charge of a disparate Hull squad that seemed destined for a return to the third-tier of English football, but they improved in the final couple of months of the season before finally finishing above the bottom three with a 1-1 draw away at Portsmouth on the final day.

Perhaps Ilicali wanted and expected things to be a little more comfortable than any final day drama, but it was a bizarre Championship run-in that saw nearly all of the teams in trouble, bar Cardiff City, majorly improve such as Derby County, Stoke City, Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town – as well as Pompey and Oxford United.

Selles, now under pressure according to Mike White of BBC Radio Humberside, moved from Reading to the East Riding of Yorkshire in early December and at the time of his appointment, Ilicali said that Hull were “delighted to have secured the services of our number one target.”

Ilicali’s long-term vision with Selles

Given the fact that Selles was described as being Hull’s number one target by the chairman himself, you’d be forgiven for anticipating that the club and the chairman would have waited longer than six months to consider his departure.

That is especially because Ilicali suggested the club and Selles were a perfect fit: “Ruben’s ambition aligns with ours. His passion and enthusiasm shone through in our meetings, and we share similar ideas of how we want football to be played.”

As well as that supposed alignment in terms of their ambition, Ilicali was also keen to point out that it was a sought-after position at the time. That would therefore suggest the decision to appoint Selles was taken with thorough due diligence: “There was a considerable interest in the role, but Ruben stood out for his football philosophy, ability to develop players, attention to detail and extensive coaching experience.”

Ilicali also went on to reaffirm just how sure of the decision he and the club were: “I believe we have the right man to lead our talented squad forward and give our passionate supporters to a team they will enjoy watching.”

Hull’s frustrating position

Many Hull supporters will be keen and quick to praise the ownership of the club, with Turkish media company Acun Medya taking charge of the club back in January 2022 with substantial investment into the playing side of things and a seeming reconnection between the supporters and the team.

However, the possible departure of Selles would represent another fairly baffling decision at the end of a season in which it appeared the managerial objectives had been fulfilled.

Last season, Liam Rosenior left Hull having missed out on the top six and the play-off places in the Championship due to just three victories in their final 13 games, but it had still been a strong first full season in charge for the Englishman.

Since leaving, he has taken charge of Ligue 1 side Strasbourg and has the Alsace-based outfit pushing for a top four finish and potential UEFA Champions League qualification this season in France.

There will be a fear and a concern that the lack of patience from Hull’s decision makers is going to consistently keep setting them back on the pitch, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Selles emulate Rosenior’s success in his own next job if he is indeed set to leave Hull.