An Emotional Moment as Rosenior Shatters Obstacles

"Liam Rosenior is an excellent manager who understands the game back to front, which is the most important thing.

"However, as the Blues' first black footballer, it would be dishonest if I said this moment doesn't move 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 in the spring of 1982.

This week, the club appointed RC Strasbourg boss Rosenior, aged 41, as their new head coach after the departure of Enzo Maresca.

Strasbourg are within the multi-club ownership group that also owns Chelsea.

Statistics show just twelve black head coaches – not including individuals in temporary caretaker positions – in the Premier League since its inception 34 in the past.

"One thing that impresses me about Liam is he grew up and played not far from here, he understands this community," continued Canoville.

"Whenever youngsters see a figure like Rosenior managing the team they support, someone who looks like them, from a similar background, from a household that fights for equality… it is impactful and shows them the path is there.

"So yes, it is a massive step for Chelsea, for the capital, for all young person dreaming big.

"However, currently? Let's back Liam, provide him with what he needs, and let the man get on with the job."

What Does the Statistics Show?

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit became the Blues' head coach back in the nineties and became the Premier League's inaugural black head coach.

Twelve years later, by 2008, Paul Ince was appointed as the pioneering English black manager in the Premier League after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

The Hammers' boss Nuno Espirito Santo is the only other present top flight gaffer from a minority ethnic background.

The scarcity of managers of colour across English football is matched by an absence of representation at executive level.

According to the BFP 2023 study, forty-three percent of Premier League footballers come from African or Caribbean heritage.

However, analysis by Kick It Out revealed only 3.2% of board and senior leadership positions at most Premier League clubs are held by people from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Regarding first-team coaching positions, based on data from 11 clubs, the percentage stands at 2%.

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

"He has undoubtedly made history by virtue of him being announced as a the Chelsea manager, and we want to see more of that," said the chief executive of Kick It Out Samuel Okafor.

"It is acknowledged that there exists a wealth of talent that exists within ethnic minority communities... aspiring coaches desire the opportunity to show what they can do. It is imperative to persist in work hard to break those obstacles once and for all."

Additionally, the new appointee is set to become one of only four full-time English managers currently managing in the top flight – alongside Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe as well as Scott Parker – a number that lags behind Europe's other major divisions in terms of national representation.

16 of the 20 top-flight managers in Serie A are from Italy, 11 of the 20 are Spanish, Twelve in the Bundesliga are German and Ten of the 18 are French.

Current Blues interim boss Calum McFarlane said: "I have no doubt all aspiring British coaches with a youth development pedigree will be, to some degree regardless of allegiance, rooting for Liam.

"It is truly inspirational to up-and-coming British coaches in the system to witness an individual land such a role with his background and we hope he does highly successful."

It is vital to remember – he's there due to ability'

His father, Leroy, Liam's father, played for clubs such as Fulham, the Hammers and Queens Park Rangers, and his managerial career peaked with a brief spell in charge of then-League One side Brentford FC back in 2006.

In 2019, he was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for services rendered to tackling discrimination within the sport and beyond.

After Liam retired from playing he pursued a path in management. He started penning a column for a national newspaper, and in one piece he addressed the lack of diversity among managers. He pointed out that race does not influence coaching skill and said opportunities must be awarded on merit.

He also made the view he would repeat: that significant under-representation leads to a failure to understand regarding footballers with diverse ethnic and cultural heritage.

In a podcast with The Athletic FC, Rosenior highlighted how his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "difficult" or "passionate", noting that he understood the Netherlands international of Nigerian descent. The striker is expected to join him in moving from Strasbourg to West London this summer.

In further newspaper articles, Rosenior also admitted he was "embarrassed" to hear a coach utter a homophobic slur. He pledged his support for the Premier League's inclusion initiative and wrote a public message to Donald Trump during his first US presidency, accusing him of "blatant" racism.

He has subsequently made his name as a manager – first at Hull City, later at Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney said this week Rosenior was "among the best coaches I've ever worked with" after their time together at Derby County.

Rosenior said his farewells to his former club on Tuesday morning before signing a six‑and‑a‑half‑year deal with the Blues.

The Blues boasted the top flight's pioneering black manager with Gullit and the first black captain in Paul Elliott.

Elliott later held several senior positions, among them the FA's diversity and inclusion board|