A Historic Event as Rosenior Breaks Barriers

"Rosenior represents an excellent tactician who understands football inside out, and that's the crucial factor.

"But, in my role as Chelsea's pioneering black footballer, it would be dishonest if I said this appointment does not affect me."

Those are the sentiments expressed by the former Chelsea winger, the man who made his groundbreaking first appearance for Chelsea's senior side as a substitute in the spring of 1982.

This week, the club named Strasbourg manager Rosenior, aged 41, to be their next head coach following the exit of Enzo Maresca.

Strasbourg are part of a Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned BlueCo which also owns Chelsea.

Statistics show only twelve of African or Caribbean heritage head coaches – not including those holding interim positions – in the Premier League since it began thirty-four in the past.

"What really strikes me regarding Rosenior is that he was raised and played locally, he knows this community," added Canoville.

"Whenever children observe someone like Liam in charge of the team they support, someone they can identify with, from a similar background, from a family that fights for what's right… that's impactful demonstrating the path is there.

"Indeed, it is an enormous step for the club, for London, for every young person with big dreams.

"But right now? We must support Rosenior, provide him with what he needs, and allow him to do his work."

What Exactly Does the Numbers Show?

The iconic Dutchman Ruud Gullit became Chelsea manager in 1996 and became the top flight's first African heritage manager.

Twelve years later, in 2008, Paul Ince became the pioneering English black boss in the top flight after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espirito Santo currently stands as the sole additional current Premier League boss of colour.

The lack of managers of colour across the English game corresponds with a lack of diversity at executive level.

As per the BFP 2023 study, 43% of top-flight players come from black heritage.

Yet, research from Kick It Out found only 3.2 percent of executive and leadership positions across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are from ethnically diverse communities.

At senior coaching level, according to data provided by eleven clubs, the percentage is 2%.

Across all coaching roles – including head coaches – from those same 11 clubs, the statistic is 5%.

"He's certainly broken barriers in terms of him being announced as a Chelsea head coach, and we want to witness more such appointments," said the chief executive of Kick It Out Samuel Okafor.

"We know that there exists loads of ability present in the black and underrepresented communities... they desire a chance to show what they can do. It is imperative to persist in work hard to break those barriers down."

Furthermore, Rosenior is set to become one of only four full-time British managers currently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe as well as Scott Parker – which trails the continent's remaining big five leagues regarding national managers.

16 out of twenty first division coaches in Italy are Italian, Eleven of the 20 in Spain, 12 of the 18 in Germany while 10 of the 18 are French.

The present Blues interim boss Calum McFarlane commented: "I'm sure every aspiring British coaches from an academy background are, in some way no matter who you support, rooting for Liam.

"It's truly inspirational to young English coaches in the system to see someone get such a role with his background and everyone hopes he does highly successful."

It is vital to remember – he's there on merit'

His father, Leroy, Liam's father, played for the likes of West London clubs, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, with his managerial career peaked with a brief spell at then-League One side Brentford FC back in 2006.

In 2019, he received a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 New Year Honours for services rendered to tackling inequality in football and wider society.

When Rosenior Jr hung up his boots he followed a path in management. He began writing a column for The Guardian, and in one piece he addressed the under-representation among managers. He pointed out that race does not determine coaching skill arguing that opportunities should be given based on qualification.

He further expressed the view he would repeat: how significant lack of diversity leads to misunderstandings regarding footballers with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

In a podcast for a football podcast, Rosenior highlighted how his leading forward, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" or "emotional", noting that he understood the Dutch international of Nigerian descent. Emegha is set to join him with a move from Strasbourg to Chelsea this summer.

In subsequent Guardian columns, he also confessed he was "embarrassed" upon hearing a coach utter a discriminatory remark. He vowed support for the Premier League's Rainbow Laces campaign and authored an open letter to the former US President while he was in office, condemning his "overt" racism.

He has subsequently built his reputation in the dugout – initially with Hull City, then Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney recently stating he was "among the best coaches I've ever worked with" following their collaboration at Derby County.

Rosenior said goodbye at Strasbourg earlier this week prior to putting pen to paper on a long-term contract at Chelsea.

The Blues had the Premier League's first black manager with Gullit and the first black captain named Paul Elliott.

Elliott has since worked in several executive roles, among them the FA's diversity and inclusion board|