Liam Rosenior: New Chelsea manager breaks barriers
Liam’s father, Leroy Rosenior, played for the likes of Fulham, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, and his managerial career peaked with a five-month stint at then-League One club Brentford in 2006.
In 2019, he was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year Honors for his services to tackling discrimination in football and wider society.
After retiring from football, Rosenior Jr followed in his father’s footsteps. He began writing a column for The Guardian and in 2017 acknowledged that black coaches were underrepresented. He emphasized that race does not affect talent and said opportunities should be given based on merit.
He also made a point he would repeat: Such underrepresentation leads to a misunderstanding of players from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
In a podcast with The Athletic FC, Rosenior highlighted how star striker Emmanuel Emegha was labeled “difficult” and “emotional”, but said he understood the Dutch international’s Nigerian roots. Emegha is set to join him in a move to Chelsea from Strasbourg in July.
In other Guardian articles, Rosenior also admitted he was “embarrassed” to hear an unnamed coach make a homophobic slur while he was a player. He pledged his support for the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign and wrote an open letter to Donald Trump during his first US presidency, accusing him of “blatant” racism.
Rosenior has since made his name as a manager – first at Hull City, then at Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney said this week he was “the best coach I’ve ever worked with” after their time together at Derby County.
Rosenior bid farewell in Strasbourg on Tuesday morning before signing a six-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea.
The Blues had the Premier League’s first black manager in Gullit and its first black captain in Paul Elliott.
Elliott has since held a number of senior roles, including on the FA’s diversity and inclusion board, and is currently vice-chairman of Charlton Athletic, with whom Chelsea play in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
“To me, Liam represents everything that is right in the 21st century,” Elliott said.
“He was an outstanding player, very articulate, extremely intelligent and you could see that whatever he did, whether as a manager or coach, he was really aware of the game.
“I knew he would be successful no matter what he did. His ambition was to pursue a career in football management. “He spoke in a way that I haven’t heard from many people; you felt like you were learning.
“This sends a strong, positive message to current and future generations that black people like Liam can rise to the top level and be at the cutting edge of football management.
“But let’s not forget; he’s there because of merit. He’s there because of his talent.”
