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Liam Rosenior is back at Hull City on Friday evening with the Chelsea head coach making an emotional return to a place that means so much to him
Liam Rosenior was visibly taken aback when explaining his connection with Hull City as he recalled some unforgettable memories with his late grandmother.
'Nanny Cath', as Rosenior called her, was a season ticket holder at Hull and the Tigers played a significant part in the now Chelsea head coach's life growing up. Rosenior then went on to represent Hull as a player and he also managed the Yorkshire club for 18 months before being dismissed from his role in May 2024.
The 41-year-old then jumped at the opportunity to manage Strasbourg before succeeding Enzo Maresca as Chelsea head coach last month. By order of the football gods, the Blues were drawn away at Hull in the fourth round of this season's FA Cup and Rosenior believes his nan had a role to play.
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"I don't want to go into too much depth, but I went to Hull on trial," explained Rosenior. "I was without a contract.
"The way I told my Nanny Cath, was that I took her to a local Harvester, sat her down, and said: 'I'm going to sign for Hull City'. That was amazing.
"She was a season ticket holder already. Sadly, she passed away. She's buried in a cemetery which is literally less than a mile from the training ground.
"When I took the job at Hull, it was pretty much a year to the day we had her funeral. You see I'm emotional speaking about it. That club means a lot to me. There's a lot of family going up for reunions.
"I swear she [Nanny Cath] had a hand to play in the draw. I want to make sure it's a happy memory. We really, really need to go there and win the game because it's really good to see them doing so well in the league."
Rosenior continued: "I used to go to Hull when I was a little boy and in the summer holidays when she lived there. I grew up there in my summer holidays. I went to Boothferry Park in the summer to watch them play.
"It's strange; I'm from London, but I have a connection with Hull. Hull's also twinned with Freetown, and I'm from Sierra Leone. There's a lot of omens with Hull.
"Amazing for me. Amazing for my family to get together. They're going to spend a good night on Friday together as a family, which is difficult because we live so far apart. But, yes, I'm focused on the game and doing the best I can."
Rosenior is well aware of the threat his former club, who are currently fourth in the Championship table, pose and hinted there would not be much rotation to his XI.
"No, it's a tough game. This is going to be a difficult game. I want to do well in this competition. I don't see it any different to a Premier League game or a Champions League game. We're going there with a team that I think will be good enough to win the game. I want to take this game really, really seriously."
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