An Powerful Event as Liam Rosenior Breaks Obstacles

"Liam Rosenior is a quality tactician that knows football intimately, which is the crucial factor.

"But, as the Blues' first black player, I would be lying if I said this moment fails to move me."

These were the words of Paul Canoville, the man who made his groundbreaking first appearance for Chelsea's senior side off the bench back in the spring of 1982.

This week, Chelsea named RC Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, 41, to be their new manager after the departure of manager Enzo Maresca.

Strasbourg are part of a multi-club ownership group that also controls the London club.

Statistics show only twelve black managers – not including those holding interim roles – in the Premier League since its inception 34 years ago.

"One thing that impresses me regarding Rosenior is he grew up and played locally, he understands the local fans," continued Canoville.

"Whenever kids see someone like Liam managing their club, a person they can identify with, from a similar background, from a family that fights for equality… it is impactful and shows them that opportunities exist.

"So yes, this represents a huge step for the club, for London, for all aspiring individual dreaming big.

"But right now? We must support Rosenior, provide him with the necessary tools, and allow him to get on with the job."

What Does the Data Indicate?

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit was appointed the Blues' head coach back in the nineties and became the top flight's first African heritage manager.

A dozen years on, in 2008, Paul Ince was appointed as the pioneering black English boss in the Premier League when he took over Blackburn Rovers.

The Hammers' boss Nuno Espirito Santo is the only other current Premier League boss of colour.

The lack of managers of colour throughout English football is matched by a lack of representation in the boardroom.

According to the BFP 2023 report, 43% of top-flight players come from African or Caribbean backgrounds.

Yet, analysis by Kick It Out revealed only 3.2 percent of executive and leadership management teams across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Regarding senior coaching positions, based on figures provided by eleven clubs, the percentage stands at two percent.

For all coaching roles – encompassing senior roles – from the same eleven clubs, the statistic is just 5%.

"He has undoubtedly broken barriers in terms of him being announced as the Chelsea manager, and we hope to see more of that," said the chief executive of Kick It Out Samuel Okafor.

"We know there is a wealth of talent present within black and underrepresented communities... aspiring coaches desire a chance to demonstrate their capabilities. We need to continue to striving to dismantle those obstacles down."

Furthermore, Rosenior will become one of only four permanent British managers currently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe as well as Scott Parker – which lags behind Europe's other big five leagues in terms of homegrown managers.

16 of the 20 first division coaches in Serie A are Italian, Eleven in La Liga in Spain, Twelve in the Bundesliga are German and 10 of the 18 are French.

The present Chelsea caretaker manager Calum McFarlane said: "I have no doubt every young English coaches from an academy background are, in some way no matter who you support, rooting for Liam.

"It is really inspirational for young English coaches in the system to see someone land that job with his background and we hope he will be really well."

It is vital to remember – he's there based on talent'

His father, Leroy, Rosenior Sr., played for the likes of Fulham, the Hammers as well as Queens Park Rangers, and his managerial career peaked with a five-month stint in charge of the third-tier club Brentford FC back in 2006.

In 2019, he received an MBE in that year's Honours List for his services in combating inequality in football and beyond.

After Liam hung up his boots he followed his father's footsteps. He started writing a column for a national newspaper, where in 2017 he addressed the lack of diversity among managers. He pointed out that ethnicity does not influence coaching skill arguing that opportunities should be given based on qualification.

He also made the view he would repeat: how vast under-representation results in a failure to understand regarding footballers from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

In a podcast with The Athletic FC, he explained the way his leading forward, Emmanuel Emegha, had been described as "hard to manage" and "passionate", but said he could relate to the Netherlands international with Nigerian parentage. The striker is expected to follow him in moving from Strasbourg to Chelsea in July.

In further Guardian columns, he also confessed he was "embarrassed" to hear a coach make a homophobic slur. He pledged support for the Premier League's Rainbow Laces initiative and wrote a public message to the former US President while he was in office, accusing him of "overt" prejudice.

Rosenior has since made his name as a manager – first at Hull City, then Strasbourg – with Wayne Rooney recently stating he was "among the best coaches I've ever worked with" after their collaboration with Derby.

The manager bid his farewells at Strasbourg on Tuesday morning prior to putting pen to paper on a long-term deal with the Blues.

The Blues boasted the Premier League's pioneering African heritage manager with Gullit and the first black skipper in Paul Elliott.

Elliott later held several senior positions, among them the Football Association's equality board|