A Emotional Moment as Rosenior Breaks Barriers

"Rosenior represents an excellent manager that knows the game inside out, which is what matters most.

"However, in my role as Chelsea's pioneering African heritage footballer, I would be lying if I said this news fails to move me."

Those are the sentiments of the former Chelsea winger, the man who made his historic first appearance for the Blues' first team as a substitute back in April 1982.

This week, the club named RC Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, aged 41, as their new head coach after the exit of manager Enzo Maresca.

The French club is within a multi-club BlueCo that also controls the London club.

Statistics show a mere 12 black managers – not including individuals in interim roles – in the Premier League since its inception 34 in the past.

"What really strikes me regarding Rosenior is that he was raised and developed his game locally, he understands the local fans," added Canoville.

"When children observe a figure like Rosenior managing the team they support, a person they can identify with, who's from their ends, from a family that champions equality… it is powerful and shows them that opportunities exist.

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

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

What Does the Numbers Reveal?

The iconic Dutchman Ruud Gullit became the Blues' manager back in the nineties thereby becoming the Premier League's first African heritage head coach.

Twelve years later, by 2008, Paul Ince was appointed as the first black English manager in the top flight after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the only other present Premier League gaffer from a minority ethnic background.

The scarcity of managers of colour throughout the English game corresponds with an absence of representation in the boardroom.

According to the BFP 2023 study, forty-three percent of Premier League footballers are from black backgrounds.

Yet, research by Kick It Out found only 3.2 percent of executive and leadership management teams at 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

At senior coaching level, according to figures provided by eleven clubs, the figure stands at 2%.

For all coaching positions – encompassing head coaches – from those same 11 clubs, the figure is just five percent.

"He has undoubtedly broken barriers by virtue of his appointment as Chelsea manager, and as an organization, we hope to witness more such appointments," stated the chief executive of Kick It Out Samuel Okafor.

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

Furthermore, Rosenior is set to become the fourth full-time British head coaches presently managing in the top flight – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which lags behind the continent's other big five leagues regarding homegrown managers.

16 out of twenty first division managers in Italy are Italian, Eleven of the 20 are Spanish, 12 of the 18 are German and 10 of the 18 in France.

Current Blues interim boss Calum McFarlane said: "I'm sure every aspiring British managers from an academy background will be, in some way regardless of allegiance, rooting for Liam.

"It's really inspirational for up-and-coming British coaches in the system to see someone get such a role with his background and everyone hopes he will be really well."

'Let's not forget – he's there due to ability'

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

In 2019, he was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire in that year's 2019 New Year Honours for his services in combating discrimination in football and wider society.

After Liam retired from playing he pursued his father's footsteps. He began penning articles for a national newspaper, where in 2017 he addressed the lack of diversity of black coaches. He highlighted that race does not determine ability and said opportunities should be given on merit.

He also made the view he has often stated: how vast under-representation leads to misunderstandings regarding footballers from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

In a podcast for a football podcast, Rosenior highlighted the way his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, had been described as "difficult" or "passionate", noting that he understood the Dutch player of Nigerian descent. The striker is expected to follow him in moving from France to Chelsea this summer.

In further Guardian columns, Rosenior also admitted to being "embarrassed" upon hearing an unnamed coach utter a homophobic slur. He vowed his support for the Premier League's inclusion initiative and authored a public message to the former US President while he was in office, accusing him of "blatant" prejudice.

He has subsequently made his name in the dugout – first at Hull City, then Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney recently stating Rosenior was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" after their collaboration at Derby County.

Rosenior said his farewells at Strasbourg 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 pioneering black boss in Gullit and the first black captain named Paul Elliott.

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