An Emotional Occasion when Liam Rosenior Shatters Barriers

"He is a quality coach that knows the game intimately, and that's the most important thing.

"However, as the Blues' pioneering black player, I would be lying if I said this news doesn't move me."

Those are the sentiments expressed by the former Chelsea winger, who earned his historic first appearance for the Blues' first team as a substitute back in the spring of 1982.

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

The French club is part of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned BlueCo which also controls the London club.

There have been just 12 of African or Caribbean heritage managers – excluding those holding interim positions – in the Premier League since its inception thirty-four in the past.

"One thing that impresses me about Liam is he was raised and played locally, he knows this area," continued Canoville.

"When youngsters observe a figure like Rosenior managing the team they support, someone they can identify with, who's from their ends, from a household that champions what's right… that's impactful and shows them that opportunities exist.

"So yes, this represents an enormous step for Chelsea, for the capital, for all aspiring individual dreaming big.

"But right now? We must support Rosenior, give him what he needs, and let the man get on with the job."

What Do the Data Show?

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit was appointed Chelsea head coach in 1996 and became the top flight's inaugural black head coach.

A dozen years on, by 2008, Paul Ince became the first black English boss in the Premier League after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is the only other present top flight gaffer of colour.

The scarcity of managers of colour throughout the English game is matched by a lack of representation at executive level.

As per the BFP 2023 study, forty-three percent of Premier League players come from black heritage.

However, research by Kick It Out found just 3.2% of board and senior leadership positions at most Premier League clubs are from ethnically diverse communities.

Regarding senior coaching level, according to data provided by 11 clubs, the figure stands at 2%.

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

"He's certainly broken barriers in terms of him being announced as Chelsea manager, and we hope to see more of that," stated Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor.

"We know there is loads of ability present within ethnic minority communities... aspiring coaches desire a chance to show their capabilities. It is imperative to persist in striving to break those barriers once and for all."

Additionally, Rosenior is set to become one of only four permanent English head coaches presently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – a number that lags behind Europe's remaining big five leagues in terms of homegrown representation.

Sixteen out of twenty top-flight managers in Serie A are from Italy, Eleven of the 20 in Spain, 12 of the 18 in Germany while 10 of the 18 in France.

The present Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane said: "I'm sure all young English coaches from an academy background will be, to some degree regardless of allegiance, supporting Liam.

"It's truly inspirational to young English academy coaches to see someone get such a role with that profile and we hope he does really well."

'Let's not forget – he's there based on talent'

His father, Leroy, Liam's father, played for the likes of Fulham, the Hammers as well as Queens Park Rangers, with his coaching stint culminating in a five-month stint in charge of then-League One side Brentford FC back in 2006.

Two years ago, he received an MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for his services to tackling discrimination within the sport and beyond.

When Rosenior Jr hung up his boots he pursued his father's footsteps. He began penning a column for a national newspaper, where in 2017 he acknowledged the under-representation of black coaches. He pointed out that race does not influence ability arguing that roles should be given based on qualification.

He also made a point he has often stated: how vast lack of diversity leads to misunderstandings regarding footballers from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

In a podcast with The Athletic FC, he explained how his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "difficult" and "emotional", noting that he understood the Netherlands player of Nigerian descent. Emegha is set to join him with a move from France to West London this summer.

In further newspaper articles, he also confessed he was "embarrassed" upon hearing an unnamed staff member make a homophobic slur. He vowed his support for the Rainbow Laces initiative and wrote a public message to the former US President during his first US presidency, condemning his "blatant" racism.

Rosenior has since built his reputation in the dugout – initially with Hull City, then Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney recently stating he was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" following their time together with Derby.

The manager bid goodbye to his former club on Tuesday morning before signing a six‑and‑a‑half‑year deal with the Blues.

The Blues boasted the Premier League's first black manager with Gullit as well as the first black captain in Paul Elliott.

Elliott later held multiple executive roles, among them the Football Association's equality board|