Report: Championship boss spotted celebrating at Portsmouth on final day of season set for the sack

Emerging reports claim that Tigers owner Acun Ilicali will sack the 41-year-old former Southampton and Reading boss in the coming days, with Tony Mowbray believed to be the leading candidate to take over at the MKM Stadium.

Mowbray, 61, is currently out of work after being let go by West Bromwich Albion in April, as just five wins from 17 matches put paid to the Baggies’ play-off ambitions. It’s been suggested his close friendship with Hull’s new head of recruitment, Martin Hodge, is a factor in his links to the soon-to-be vacant position.

Selles has been in charge of the Tigers since December, after the club took the decision to sack previous manager Tim Walter.

The Championship outfit sat 22nd in the table when he penned a two-and-a-half-year deal. And while the new head coach tripled the amount of wins his predecessor enjoyed while in charge, Hull remained in real danger of making a return to League One.

Indeed, with 12 defeats recorded in his time in charge, a league position no higher than 18th was recorded, while Hull went into their final game of the season against Pompey inside the bottom three.

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Hull secure Championship survival with draw at Portsmouth

At the start of the day, the Fratton Park visitors needed a win to guarantee their safety. But with Luton imploding at West Brom, the 1-1 draw secured on the south coast was enough, with Selles & Co surviving on goal difference as the Hatters joined Cardiff and Plymouth in dropping down to the third tier.

In May 2024, Ilicali sacked Liam Rosenior after he guided Hull to seventh place in the Championship. Now it appears the same fate awaits the Spaniard following his failure to steer the Tigers away from danger over the second half of the season.

Speaking after his side’s draw at Fratton Park on Saturday - a result that saw Selles celebrate in front of a packed away end - he told BBC Radio Humberside: 'I'm very proud of the courage and the way the players managed the game on the pitch.

'Everyone in the club managed difficult moments and it has been a tough season for everyone and we deserved to stay in the division.

'We had a team that was rock bottom and to achieve the target this season with all the injuries and everything else is just massive.

'Now it's over and we crossed the line, we can rest a little bit and I told the players that we will remember this day for years to come.

'For us we saw the other results and knew that they were going our way.

'In the last 10 minutes because of the Luton result I just decided to shut it down, go to a 5-4-1 and then defend the goal.

'When the referee blew the whistle I just needed to be 100 per cent secure that the other games were done, I didn't want to make a mistake and celebrate too early but we were okay, it was amazing we were able to achieve it.’

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