Despite the backlash he received for his assessment of Hull City’s draw with Middlesbrough, Liam Rosenior has stood by it.
In an exciting match that saw both teams have chances to win all three points, the two teams tied 2-2 at the MKM Stadium on Wednesday. Throughout the match, the momentum fluctuated frequently, but Rosenior received flak from Boro supporters and even some Hull supporters for asserting that his team controlled 90% of the play.
A few days later, when he was previewing Saturday’s match against QPR, he reiterated his opinion. He gave a thorough explanation of his analysis of the game and made a joke with BBC Humberside, saying, “Anyone who says we weren’t the better team, come and see me.” For many Boro fans, it was this interview above everything.
It wasn’t well received by many Boro supporters, who expressed their displeasure on social media. It was called “unqualified arrogance” by one fan, and “this does make me appreciate how humble Carrick is in victory and defeat” said another.
But following Hull’s 3-0 victory over QPR, the Tigers manager doubled down on his appraisal, saying: “I think that’s been coming.” When I look at our prior performances and the control we’ve been having, I see that today’s difference is that we were clinical in one area and casual in another. I keep referring to learning from moments.
“I should probably not say this, but I witnessed two of my players make pretty nice fouls tonight against Middlesbrough [Finn Azaz’s goal]. I continue to think that the guys are performing at a caliber that offers me genuine hope for the future.
“My profession presents challenges since I strive to maintain objectivity, rationality, and analysis while working, which can be challenging at times. However, to be honest, I’ve been here when we’ve drawn games that we ought to have won, and today’s only change was in the box. We used our opportunities today with ruthlessness and clinicality.
“However, we basically took advantage of the same opportunities that we had created during the season. That’s why everyone leaves satisfied and, despite my occasional rants, I keep telling myself that it will happen because I think our play is becoming incredibly consistent.
“Now, things happen on a regular basis. Jaden had an overhead kick during a match against Middlesbrough, and if it succeeds, it will be the player of the year. I encourage supporters to continue believing in what we’re doing because it’s incredibly satisfying what we’re creating in possession.”
Despite Boro gaining an early lead and then pushing harder from the beginning of the second half after Hull had turned the tables to lead 2-1 at the half, Rosenior had been adamant that his team had dominated the most of the match against Boro.
Rosenior had previously stated the following about the match that had initially sparked the controversy: “We weren’t dominant for the first ten minutes, but from that point on until they scored an unexpected goal, we had perfect control both with and without the ball.
“We kept creating opportunities. One query that followed was, “What changed second half?” Rewind that time period to when we scored three goals in the first fifteen minutes and they were unable to get a kick. On other occasions, we stopped them from attempting to score by controlling their shape and structure.
“When we’re in total control, they score during a transition. For the last ten minutes, it has been basically just go for it—they want to win, we want to win. However, from the moment we were down 2-1 until they scored the goal, we had total control over how we played.
“When Middlesbrough scored unexpectedly, they intended to substitute players because their players were unable to keep up with our possession play. I welcome anyone who believes we weren’t the superior team, and together we can have a seat.”
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