A Powerful Event when Rosenior Transcends Obstacles

"Rosenior represents a top tactician that understands football back to front, which is what matters most.

"However, in my role as Chelsea's pioneering black footballer, I would be lying if I said this moment fails to move me."

Those are the words of the former Chelsea winger, who earned his groundbreaking first appearance for Chelsea's senior side off the bench in the spring of 1982.

On Tuesday, the club named RC Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, aged 41, to be their new head coach after the departure of manager Enzo Maresca.

Strasbourg are within a multi-club BlueCo which also owns the London club.

Statistics show a mere twelve black managers – not including those holding temporary caretaker positions – in the Premier League since its inception 34 in the past.

"What really strikes me about Liam is that he was raised and developed his game locally, he knows the local fans," continued Canoville.

"Whenever kids see someone like Liam in charge of the team they support, a person they can identify with, from a similar background, who comes from a family that fights for equality… that's powerful demonstrating that opportunities exist.

"Indeed, it is an enormous moment for the club, for the capital, for all young person with big dreams.

"However, currently? We must support Rosenior, provide him with the necessary tools, and let the man get on with the job."

What Do the Statistics Reveal?

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit became Chelsea manager in 1996 and became the top flight's first black head coach.

Twelve years later, in 2008, Paul Ince was appointed as the pioneering black English boss in the Premier League when he took over Blackburn Rovers.

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the sole additional current Premier League gaffer of colour.

The scarcity of managers of colour across the English game is matched by an absence of diversity at executive level.

As per the BFP 2023 report, forty-three percent of top-flight players come from black backgrounds.

However, analysis from Kick It Out revealed only 3.2 percent of executive and leadership management teams at 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are from minority ethnic communities.

Regarding first-team coaching level, based on data from 11 clubs, the percentage is two percent.

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

"He has undoubtedly made history by virtue of his appointment as a the Chelsea head coach, and we hope to see more of that," stated Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor.

"It is acknowledged that there exists a wealth of ability that exists in the ethnic minority communities... aspiring coaches want the opportunity to show what they can do. It is imperative to continue to work hard to dismantle those obstacles once and for all."

Additionally, Rosenior is set to become the fourth full-time English managers currently in the Premier League – alongside Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe as well as Scott Parker – which lags behind the continent's other major leagues in terms of homegrown representation.

16 of the 20 top-flight coaches in Serie A are from Italy, Eleven of the 20 in Spain, Twelve in the Bundesliga are German while Ten in Ligue 1 in France.

Current Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane commented: "I'm sure every young English managers with a youth development pedigree are, in some way regardless of allegiance, supporting Liam.

"It is really motivating to up-and-coming British academy coaches to see an individual get that job with his background and we hope he does highly successful."

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

His father, Leroy, Liam's father, played for clubs such as West London clubs, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, and his managerial career culminating in a brief stint in charge of then-League One side Brentford in 2006.

In 2019, he received an MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for his services in combating discrimination in football and beyond.

After Liam retired from playing he followed his father's footsteps. He started penning articles for a national newspaper, and in one piece he addressed the lack of diversity of black coaches. He highlighted that ethnicity does not influence coaching skill arguing that roles should be given on merit.

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

During an interview with The Athletic FC, he explained how his leading forward, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "difficult" and "passionate", but said he understood the Dutch international of Nigerian descent. Emegha is set to follow him with a move from France to West London in July.

In subsequent Guardian columns, Rosenior also admitted to being "ashamed" upon hearing an unnamed coach utter a discriminatory remark. He vowed support for the Premier League's Rainbow Laces campaign and wrote an open letter to the former US President during his first US presidency, condemning his "overt" prejudice.

He has subsequently built his reputation as a manager – initially with Hull City, then Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney said this week Rosenior was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" after their collaboration with Derby.

Rosenior said goodbye at Strasbourg earlier this week prior to putting pen to paper on a long-term deal with the Blues.

Chelsea boasted the top flight's pioneering black manager with Gullit as well as the first black captain in Paul Elliott.

Elliott has since worked in several senior positions, including the Football Association's equality board|