Hull City vs. Chelsea: Liam Rosenior reminisces about Tigers stay ahead of FA Cup fourth round tie

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has spoken of his love of Hull City ahead of Friday's FA Cup fourth round tie.

The Blues travel to the MKM Stadium focused on trying to advance further in a competition which they have not won since 2018.

However, Rosenior will be visiting Hull with a back story having spent time at the club as a player and a manager.

Rosenior was part of the Hull City XI for the 2014 FA Cup final and made a total of 161 appearances in all competitions.

Furthermore, he took charge of 78 matches between November 2022 and May 2024, surprisingly being sacked after a seventh-placed finish in the Championship.

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Rosenior speaks on Hull memories ahead of return with Chelsea

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Rosenior spoke on how highly he regards his two spells at Hull, admitting that Friday's game will be an "emotional" experience.

The Englishman told reporters: "Firstly, for me, Hull City is very special to me. My grandma was a season ticket holder. She passed away a year to the day pretty much when I took that job.

"I think she did the draw. I've got my family coming up. I probably need about 20 tickets.

"The club means a lot to me for many reasons. Hopefully we can put on a really, really good show. It will be amazing to go back."

He added: "Without Hull, without the experience of being there as a player and as a manager, I wouldn't be sat here. I've got a lot to thank the club for.

"I've had some amazing times there, both as a player and as a coach. It's really good to see them doing so well in the league.

"It's a great club, great people, great fans, a great city. It's going to be an emotional one for me to go back."

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Have Hull benefitted from Rosenior exit?

Rosenior was only removed from his position in the Hull dugout due to the club's owner wanting an 'attacking philosophy'.

While Hull scored 68 goals in Rosenior's only full Championship season in charge, they followed that in 2024-25 with just 44 strikes and a 21st-placed finish.

However, under Sergej Jakirovic, the Tigers are in fourth position in the 2025-26 Championship table with 50 goals from 31 games.