An Moving Event as Liam Rosenior Shatters Barriers

"Liam Rosenior is a quality coach that understands the game inside out, and that's the most important thing.

"However, as the Blues' first black player, I would be lying to claim this appointment fails to 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 the spring of 1982.

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

Strasbourg are part of the multi-club ownership group which also owns Chelsea.

There have been only twelve of African or Caribbean heritage head coaches – excluding those holding interim roles – in England's top flight since it began thirty-four years ago.

"What really strikes me about Liam is he was raised and developed his game not far from here, he knows this community," continued Canoville.

"Whenever kids observe someone like Liam managing the team they support, someone they can identify with, from a similar background, who comes from a household that fights for equality… it is profound demonstrating the path is there.

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

"However, currently? Let's back Liam, give him the necessary tools, and allow him to get on with the job."

What Exactly Do the Numbers Show?

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit was appointed the Blues' manager back in the nineties thereby becoming the Premier League's inaugural African heritage manager.

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

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the sole additional present Premier League gaffer of colour.

The shortage of managers of colour throughout English football is matched by a lack of representation at executive level.

According to the Black Footballers Partnership 2023 study, 43% of Premier League footballers are from African or Caribbean backgrounds.

However, analysis by Kick It Out found just 3.2% of executive and leadership positions across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

At senior coaching positions, according to data from 11 clubs, the figure is 2%.

For all coaching positions – including senior roles – from those same eleven clubs, the figure is just 5%.

"He has undoubtedly broken barriers by virtue of his appointment as Chelsea head coach, and we want to see more of that," stated Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor.

"It is acknowledged there is a wealth of ability that exists within black and underrepresented communities... they want the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities. It is imperative to persist in work hard to dismantle those obstacles down."

Furthermore, the new appointee will become the fourth full-time English managers presently managing in the top flight – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe as well as Scott Parker – which trails the continent's remaining major divisions in terms of homegrown representation.

Sixteen of the 20 top-flight managers in Italy are Italian, Eleven of the 20 are Spanish, Twelve in the Bundesliga are German while 10 of the 18 are French.

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

"It's really motivating for up-and-coming British coaches in the system to see someone land such a role with that profile and we hope he does highly successful."

'Let's not forget – his appointment is due to ability'

His father, Leroy, Liam's father, had a career with the likes of Fulham, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, and his managerial career peaked with a five-month spell at then-League One side Brentford FC in 2006.

Two years ago, he was awarded an MBE in that year's 2019 New Year Honours for his services to tackling inequality within the sport and wider society.

After Liam retired from playing he pursued his father's footsteps. He started writing articles for The Guardian, where in 2017 he acknowledged the lack of diversity among managers. He pointed out that ethnicity does not influence coaching skill and said opportunities must be awarded on merit.

He also made a point he has often stated: that significant under-representation results in a failure to understand regarding footballers from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

During an interview for a football podcast, he explained how his leading forward, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" and "emotional", noting that he understood the Dutch player with Nigerian parentage. The striker is expected to join him with a move from France to West London in July.

In further Guardian columns, he also confessed he was "ashamed" upon hearing an unnamed staff member utter a homophobic slur. He vowed his support for the inclusion campaign and wrote an open letter to the former US President while he was in office, condemning his "blatant" racism.

Rosenior has since made his name in the dugout – initially with Hull City, later at Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney said this week he was "among the best coaches I've ever worked with" following their time together at Derby County.

Rosenior said goodbye to his former club on Tuesday morning before signing a long-term deal with the Blues.

Chelsea had the top flight's first black manager in Gullit as well as the first black skipper in Paul Elliott.

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