An Historic Milestone when Rosenior Overcomes Obstacles

"Liam Rosenior is a top coach who knows football back to front, and that's what matters most.

"However, in my role as Chelsea's first black footballer, it would be dishonest to claim this moment fails to move me."

These were the words of the former Chelsea winger, the man who earned his historic debut for the Blues' first team as a substitute in April 1982.

This week, the club appointed Strasbourg manager Rosenior, aged 41, to be their next manager after the exit of manager Enzo Maresca.

Strasbourg are part of a multi-club ownership group which also controls the London club.

Statistics show just twelve black managers – excluding those holding temporary caretaker positions – in England's top flight since its inception 34 in the past.

"What really strikes me regarding Rosenior is that he grew up and played locally, he knows this area," continued Canoville.

"When kids see someone like Liam managing the team they support, a person they can identify with, who's from their ends, who comes from a family that champions what's right… that's profound demonstrating the path is there.

"Indeed, this represents a massive moment for Chelsea, for the capital, for every young person dreaming big.

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

What Does the Numbers Indicate?

The iconic Dutchman Ruud Gullit was appointed Chelsea head coach in 1996 and became the Premier League's inaugural black manager.

A dozen years on, in 2008, Paul Ince was appointed as the pioneering English black boss in the Premier League after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo currently stands as the only other present top flight gaffer from a minority ethnic background.

The shortage of ethnic minority managers across English football is matched by an absence of diversity at executive level.

As per the BFP 2023's study, forty-three percent of top-flight players come from black heritage.

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

At first-team coaching level, based on data from 11 clubs, the percentage stands at 2%.

Across all coaching positions – including head coaches – from those same 11 clubs, the figure is just 5%.

"He's certainly made history by virtue of him being announced as a Chelsea head coach, and we hope to see more of that," stated the chief executive of Kick It Out Samuel Okafor.

"We know that there exists a wealth of talent that exists within ethnic minority communities... aspiring coaches desire the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities. It is imperative to continue to work hard to dismantle those obstacles down."

Additionally, Rosenior will become the fourth full-time English head coaches currently in the Premier League – alongside Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which lags behind Europe's other big five divisions in terms of national representation.

16 out of twenty first division coaches in Italy are Italian, 11 of the 20 are Spanish, Twelve in the Bundesliga in Germany and Ten of the 18 are French.

Current Blues interim boss Calum McFarlane said: "I'm sure every young English coaches with a youth development pedigree will be, in some way no matter who you support, supporting Liam.

"It's truly inspirational to young English academy coaches to see an individual land such a role with his background and everyone hopes he does highly successful."

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

Leroy Rosenior, Rosenior Sr., played for clubs such as West London clubs, the Hammers and Queens Park Rangers, and his coaching stint peaked with a five-month spell in charge of then-League One side Brentford FC back in 2006.

Two years ago, he was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for his services in combating inequality 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, and in one piece he acknowledged the lack of diversity of black coaches. He pointed out that ethnicity does not determine coaching skill arguing that opportunities must be awarded based on qualification.

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

In a podcast for a football podcast, Rosenior highlighted the way his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" and "emotional", noting that he could relate to the Netherlands player of Nigerian descent. The striker is expected to follow him in moving from France to Chelsea in July.

In further Guardian columns, he also confessed to being "embarrassed" to hear an unnamed coach make a discriminatory remark. He vowed his support for the Premier League's Rainbow Laces initiative and wrote a public message to the former US President during his first US presidency, condemning his "overt" racism.

Rosenior has since built his reputation as a manager – first at Hull City, then Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney recently stating he was "among the best coaches I've ever worked with" following their time together at Derby County.

Rosenior said his farewells to his former club earlier this week prior to putting pen to paper on a long-term deal with the Blues.

Chelsea boasted the top flight's first African heritage manager in Gullit and the first black skipper in Paul Elliott.

Elliott has since worked in multiple senior positions, among them the FA's diversity and inclusion board|