🔗 Share this article A Moving Occasion when Rosenior Shatters Boundaries 'It's a pivotal moment that marks a black, young British head coach.' "Liam Rosenior is a top tactician who understands the game intimately, which is the most important thing. "However, as Chelsea's pioneering African heritage footballer, I would be lying to claim this news does not affect me." These were the words of the former Chelsea winger, the man who earned his historic first appearance for Chelsea's senior side as a substitute back in April 1982. This week, the club appointed Strasbourg manager Rosenior, 41, to be their next head coach after the exit of Enzo Maresca. The French club is part of a Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned ownership group that also controls Chelsea. Statistics show a mere twelve of African or Caribbean heritage head coaches – not including those in interim roles – in England's top flight since it began 34 in the past. "What really strikes me regarding Rosenior is that he grew up and played locally, he knows the local fans," continued Canoville. "Whenever kids observe someone like Liam in charge of their club, a person who looks like them, who's from their ends, from a household that champions what's right… it is powerful demonstrating the path is there. "So yes, this represents a massive step for the club, for the capital, for every aspiring individual dreaming big. "However, currently? We must support Rosenior, give him what he needs, and allow him to get on with the job." What Does the Statistics Show? Dutch legend Ruud Gullit became the Blues' manager in 1996 thereby becoming the top flight's first African heritage manager. Twelve years later, in 2008, Paul Ince became the first black English boss in the Premier League when he took over Blackburn Rovers. West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the sole additional present top flight gaffer of colour. The lack of managers of colour across the English game is matched by a lack of diversity in the boardroom. According to the BFP 2023 study, 43% of top-flight players come from black backgrounds. Yet, research by the equality organization revealed only 3.2 percent of executive and leadership management teams across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are held by people from ethnically diverse communities. At senior coaching level, according to data from 11 clubs, the percentage is two percent. Across all coaching roles – including head coaches – from the same 11 clubs, the figure is 5%. "He's certainly made history in terms of his appointment as a Chelsea manager, and we want to see more of that," said Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor. "We know that there exists loads of talent present in the black and underrepresented groups... they want the opportunity to show what they can do. It is imperative to continue to work hard to dismantle those barriers once and for all." Furthermore, Rosenior is set to become one of only four permanent English head coaches presently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which trails the continent's remaining major leagues in terms of homegrown representation. Sixteen out of twenty top-flight coaches in Italy are from Italy, Eleven of the 20 in Spain, Twelve in the Bundesliga in Germany and 10 of the 18 are French. Current Blues interim boss Calum McFarlane commented: "I have no doubt every aspiring British coaches with a youth development pedigree will be, to some degree regardless of allegiance, rooting for Liam. "It is truly inspirational for young English coaches in the system to witness someone get that job with that profile and everyone hopes he does highly successful." Liam Rosenior becomes the London club's second black manager following in the footsteps of Ruud Gullit. 'Let's not forget – his appointment is due to ability' Leroy Rosenior, Rosenior Sr., had a career with the likes of Fulham, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, with his coaching stint peaked with a five-month spell at then-League One side Brentford in 2006. In 2019, he received a Member of the Order of the British Empire in that year's Honours List for his services in combating discrimination in football and beyond. After Liam retired from playing he followed a path in management. He started penning a column for The Guardian, where in 2017 he acknowledged the lack of diversity of black coaches. He highlighted that ethnicity does not influence ability and said roles must be awarded on merit. He further expressed the view he has often stated: that vast under-representation leads to a failure to understand of players with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. During an interview for a football podcast, Rosenior highlighted how his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" or "passionate", but said he understood the Netherlands player of Nigerian descent. The striker is expected to join him with a move from Strasbourg to West London in July. In subsequent newspaper articles, he also confessed he was "ashamed" upon hearing an unnamed coach utter a discriminatory remark. He vowed support for the Premier League's Rainbow Laces initiative and wrote an open letter to Donald Trump during his first US presidency, condemning his "overt" prejudice. He has subsequently built his reputation as a manager – first at Hull City, later at Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney said this week he was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" following their collaboration with Derby. The manager bid his farewells at Strasbourg earlier this week before signing a long-term contract with the Blues. Chelsea boasted the top flight's first African heritage manager in Gullit as well as the first black skipper named Paul Elliott. Elliott has since held multiple executive roles, among them the FA's diversity and inclusion board|
'It's a pivotal moment that marks a black, young British head coach.' "Liam Rosenior is a top tactician who understands the game intimately, which is the most important thing. "However, as Chelsea's pioneering African heritage footballer, I would be lying to claim this news does not affect me." These were the words of the former Chelsea winger, the man who earned his historic first appearance for Chelsea's senior side as a substitute back in April 1982. This week, the club appointed Strasbourg manager Rosenior, 41, to be their next head coach after the exit of Enzo Maresca. The French club is part of a Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned ownership group that also controls Chelsea. Statistics show a mere twelve of African or Caribbean heritage head coaches – not including those in interim roles – in England's top flight since it began 34 in the past. "What really strikes me regarding Rosenior is that he grew up and played locally, he knows the local fans," continued Canoville. "Whenever kids observe someone like Liam in charge of their club, a person who looks like them, who's from their ends, from a household that champions what's right… it is powerful demonstrating the path is there. "So yes, this represents a massive step for the club, for the capital, for every aspiring individual dreaming big. "However, currently? We must support Rosenior, give him what he needs, and allow him to get on with the job." What Does the Statistics Show? Dutch legend Ruud Gullit became the Blues' manager in 1996 thereby becoming the top flight's first African heritage manager. Twelve years later, in 2008, Paul Ince became the first black English boss in the Premier League when he took over Blackburn Rovers. West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the sole additional present top flight gaffer of colour. The lack of managers of colour across the English game is matched by a lack of diversity in the boardroom. According to the BFP 2023 study, 43% of top-flight players come from black backgrounds. Yet, research by the equality organization revealed only 3.2 percent of executive and leadership management teams across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are held by people from ethnically diverse communities. At senior coaching level, according to data from 11 clubs, the percentage is two percent. Across all coaching roles – including head coaches – from the same 11 clubs, the figure is 5%. "He's certainly made history in terms of his appointment as a Chelsea manager, and we want to see more of that," said Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor. "We know that there exists loads of talent present in the black and underrepresented groups... they want the opportunity to show what they can do. It is imperative to continue to work hard to dismantle those barriers once and for all." Furthermore, Rosenior is set to become one of only four permanent English head coaches presently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which trails the continent's remaining major leagues in terms of homegrown representation. Sixteen out of twenty top-flight coaches in Italy are from Italy, Eleven of the 20 in Spain, Twelve in the Bundesliga in Germany and 10 of the 18 are French. Current Blues interim boss Calum McFarlane commented: "I have no doubt every aspiring British coaches with a youth development pedigree will be, to some degree regardless of allegiance, rooting for Liam. "It is truly inspirational for young English coaches in the system to witness someone get that job with that profile and everyone hopes he does highly successful." Liam Rosenior becomes the London club's second black manager following in the footsteps of Ruud Gullit. 'Let's not forget – his appointment is due to ability' Leroy Rosenior, Rosenior Sr., had a career with the likes of Fulham, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, with his coaching stint peaked with a five-month spell at then-League One side Brentford in 2006. In 2019, he received a Member of the Order of the British Empire in that year's Honours List for his services in combating discrimination in football and beyond. After Liam retired from playing he followed a path in management. He started penning a column for The Guardian, where in 2017 he acknowledged the lack of diversity of black coaches. He highlighted that ethnicity does not influence ability and said roles must be awarded on merit. He further expressed the view he has often stated: that vast under-representation leads to a failure to understand of players with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. During an interview for a football podcast, Rosenior highlighted how his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" or "passionate", but said he understood the Netherlands player of Nigerian descent. The striker is expected to join him with a move from Strasbourg to West London in July. In subsequent newspaper articles, he also confessed he was "ashamed" upon hearing an unnamed coach utter a discriminatory remark. He vowed support for the Premier League's Rainbow Laces initiative and wrote an open letter to Donald Trump during his first US presidency, condemning his "overt" prejudice. He has subsequently built his reputation as a manager – first at Hull City, later at Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney said this week he was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" following their collaboration with Derby. The manager bid his farewells at Strasbourg earlier this week before signing a long-term contract with the Blues. Chelsea boasted the top flight's first African heritage manager in Gullit as well as the first black skipper named Paul Elliott. Elliott has since held multiple executive roles, among them the FA's diversity and inclusion board|