An Emotional Occasion when Liam Rosenior Overcomes Obstacles

"He is a top coach who understands the game back to front, and that's the most important thing.

"However, as Chelsea's first black player, it would be dishonest to claim this appointment does not affect me."

These were the words expressed by the former Chelsea winger, who made his groundbreaking first appearance for the Blues' first team as a substitute in April 1982.

This week, the club hired Strasbourg manager Rosenior, aged 41, as their next manager following the exit of manager Enzo Maresca.

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

There have been just twelve black head coaches – excluding those holding interim roles – in England's top flight since it began 34 in the past.

"What really strikes me regarding Rosenior is he was raised and played not far from here, he knows the local fans," continued Canoville.

"When kids observe someone like Liam managing their club, a person who looks like them, who's from their ends, from a household that fights for what's right… that's impactful and shows them that opportunities exist.

"So yes, it is an enormous step for the club, for London, for every aspiring individual dreaming big.

"However, currently? We must support Rosenior, give him the necessary tools, and allow him to do his work."

What Do the Numbers Show?

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

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

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is the sole additional current Premier League boss of colour.

The scarcity of managers of colour throughout the English game corresponds with a lack of diversity in the boardroom.

As per the Black Footballers Partnership 2023 report, 43% of top-flight footballers come from black backgrounds.

Yet, analysis from Kick It Out revealed just 3.2% of board and senior leadership positions at 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are held by people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Regarding senior coaching positions, according to figures provided by eleven clubs, the figure is 2%.

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

"He's certainly made history by virtue of his appointment as the Chelsea manager, and as an organization, we want to witness more such appointments," stated the chief executive of Kick It Out Samuel Okafor.

"We know that there exists a wealth of ability that exists in the black and underrepresented communities... aspiring coaches want the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do. It is imperative to continue to work hard to dismantle those barriers down."

Additionally, Rosenior will become one of only four full-time British managers currently managing in the top flight – alongside Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe as well as Scott Parker – a number that lags behind Europe's remaining big five leagues regarding homegrown representation.

16 out of twenty top-flight coaches in Serie A are Italian, 11 of the 20 in Spain, 12 in the Bundesliga in Germany and Ten in Ligue 1 are French.

The present Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane commented: "I have no doubt all young English coaches with a youth development pedigree will be, to some degree regardless of allegiance, rooting for Liam.

"It's really motivating to up-and-coming British academy coaches to witness an individual get such a role with his background and everyone hopes he does highly successful."

It is vital to remember – his appointment is on merit'

Leroy Rosenior, Liam's father, had a career with clubs such as West London clubs, West Ham as well as Queens Park Rangers, with his managerial career peaked with a brief stint at then-League One side Brentford back in 2006.

In 2019, he received a Member of the Order of the British Empire in that year's 2019 New Year Honours for services rendered in combating discrimination in football and wider society.

When Rosenior Jr retired from playing he pursued his father's footsteps. He began penning a column for a national newspaper, where in 2017 he addressed the under-representation of black coaches. He pointed out that race does not influence ability arguing that opportunities must be awarded based on qualification.

He further expressed the view he has often stated: that vast under-representation leads to a failure to understand regarding footballers with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

In a podcast for a football podcast, Rosenior highlighted how his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, had been described as "hard to manage" and "passionate", but said he understood the Netherlands international with Nigerian parentage. The striker is expected to follow him with a move from Strasbourg to Chelsea in July.

In further Guardian columns, he also confessed he was "embarrassed" upon hearing a coach utter a homophobic slur. He pledged support for the inclusion initiative and wrote a public message to the former US President during his first US presidency, accusing him of "blatant" racism.

Rosenior has since built his reputation as a manager – initially with Hull City, later at Strasbourg – with Wayne Rooney said this week he was "among the best coaches I've ever worked with" following their time together with Derby.

Rosenior said his farewells at Strasbourg earlier this week before signing a six‑and‑a‑half‑year deal with the Blues.

The Blues boasted the Premier League's pioneering African heritage boss in Gullit and the first black skipper in Paul Elliott.

Elliott later worked in several senior positions, among them the FA's equality board|