An Emotional Event as Liam Rosenior Breaks Obstacles

"Liam Rosenior is a quality coach that understands the game intimately, which is the most important thing.

"But, as Chelsea's first black footballer, I would be lying if I said this moment doesn't move me."

Those are the words of the former Chelsea winger, who earned his groundbreaking first appearance for the Blues' first team as a substitute in April 1982.

On Tuesday, the club named RC Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, 41, as their new manager after the exit of Enzo Maresca.

Strasbourg are part of the multi-club BlueCo that also owns the London club.

Statistics show a mere 12 black managers – excluding individuals in interim roles – in the Premier League since it began 34 in the past.

"One thing that impresses me about Liam is he was raised and developed his game not far from here, he knows this community," added Canoville.

"Whenever children see someone like Liam managing their club, someone who looks like them, from a similar background, from a family that champions what's right… it is impactful and shows them the path is there.

"So yes, it is a huge step for Chelsea, for London, for all young person with big dreams.

"However, currently? We must support Rosenior, give him the necessary tools, and allow him to get on with the job."

What Does the Numbers Reveal?

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit was appointed the Blues' manager back in the nineties and became the Premier League's first African heritage manager.

Twelve years later, in 2008, Paul Ince became the first English black boss in the Premier League after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

The Hammers' boss Nuno Espirito Santo currently stands as the sole additional current top flight gaffer of colour.

The shortage of managers of colour throughout English football corresponds with an absence of diversity in the boardroom.

According to the BFP 2023 study, forty-three percent of top-flight footballers come from black heritage.

However, analysis by the equality organization found only 3.2 percent of executive and leadership management teams across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Regarding senior coaching positions, based on figures from 11 clubs, the figure is two percent.

Across all coaching roles – including senior roles – from the same eleven clubs, the figure is 5%.

"He's certainly broken barriers by virtue of him being announced as a Chelsea head coach, and we hope to see more of that," said Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor.

"We know there is loads of ability that exists within black and underrepresented communities... they want a chance to show what they can do. We need to persist in striving to dismantle those barriers down."

Furthermore, Rosenior will become one of only four permanent English head coaches presently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe as well as Scott Parker – which trails Europe's other major divisions in terms of homegrown representation.

16 of the 20 first division managers in Serie A are Italian, 11 in La Liga in Spain, 12 of the 18 in Germany and 10 in Ligue 1 are French.

The present Blues caretaker manager Calum McFarlane said: "I have no doubt every aspiring British coaches with a youth development pedigree will be, to some degree no matter who you support, supporting Liam.

"It's truly inspirational to young English academy coaches to see someone land that job with that profile and we hope he will be highly successful."

It is vital to remember – his appointment is based on talent'

Leroy Rosenior, Rosenior Sr., had a career with clubs such as West London clubs, West Ham as well as Queens Park Rangers, with his coaching stint culminating in a five-month spell at then-League One side Brentford FC in 2006.

In 2019, he received a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 New Year Honours for his services in combating discrimination in football and beyond.

When Rosenior Jr hung up his boots he followed a path in management. He started writing articles for The Guardian, and in one piece he acknowledged the under-representation among managers. He highlighted that race does not influence coaching skill and said opportunities should be given based on qualification.

He also made a point he would repeat: how vast lack of diversity results in a failure to understand regarding footballers with diverse ethnic and cultural heritage.

During an interview with The Athletic FC, Rosenior highlighted how his leading forward, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" and "passionate", noting that he could relate to the Dutch international of Nigerian descent. The striker is expected to join him in moving from France to West London in July.

In subsequent Guardian columns, he also confessed he was "ashamed" to hear a coach utter a discriminatory remark. He pledged his 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 in the dugout – first at Hull City, later at Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney recently stating he was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" following their collaboration at Derby County.

Rosenior said his farewells to his former club earlier this week prior to putting pen to paper on a six‑and‑a‑half‑year deal at Chelsea.

Chelsea had the Premier League's first black boss in Gullit and the first black skipper in Paul Elliott.

Elliott has since worked in multiple executive roles, among them the FA's equality board|