An Moving Occasion when Liam Rosenior Overcomes Obstacles

"Liam Rosenior is an excellent manager who knows the game back to front, and that's what matters most.

"But, as Chelsea's first African heritage footballer, I would be lying if I said this moment doesn't move me."

Those are the words of the former Chelsea winger, who made his historic first appearance for Chelsea's senior side off the bench in April 1982.

On Tuesday, Chelsea named RC Strasbourg boss Rosenior, aged 41, to be their next manager following the exit of Enzo Maresca.

The French club is within a multi-club ownership group that also owns Chelsea.

There have been just 12 of African or Caribbean heritage managers – not including individuals in temporary caretaker positions – in the Premier League since it began 34 in the past.

"One thing that impresses me regarding Rosenior is that he was raised and developed his game locally, he understands this community," continued Canoville.

"Whenever kids see a figure like Rosenior managing the team they support, someone who looks like them, from a similar background, who comes from a family that fights for what's right… that's powerful and shows them that opportunities exist.

"Indeed, this represents an enormous moment for the club, for the capital, for all aspiring individual with big dreams.

"But right now? We must support Rosenior, provide him with the necessary tools, and allow him to get on with the job."

What Does the Numbers Reveal?

The iconic Dutchman Ruud Gullit became the Blues' manager in 1996 thereby becoming the Premier League's first black manager.

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

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espirito Santo currently stands as the only other present top flight gaffer of colour.

The lack of ethnic minority managers across English football corresponds with a lack of diversity in the boardroom.

As per a Black Footballers Partnership 2023 study, forty-three percent of top-flight footballers come from African or Caribbean heritage.

Yet, research by Kick It Out revealed just 3.2% of executive and leadership management teams at 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are held by people from ethnically diverse communities.

At first-team coaching positions, based on data provided by eleven clubs, the figure stands at two percent.

For all coaching roles – including head coaches – from those same eleven clubs, the statistic is 5%.

"He has undoubtedly broken barriers in terms of his appointment as Chelsea head coach, and as an organization, we hope to see more of that," said Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor.

"It is acknowledged there is loads of ability present within black and underrepresented communities... aspiring coaches want the opportunity to show what they can do. We need to continue to striving to break those barriers once and for all."

Additionally, Rosenior will become the fourth permanent English managers presently managing in the top flight – alongside Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which lags behind Europe's other big five divisions regarding homegrown managers.

16 of the 20 top-flight managers in Italy are Italian, 11 in La Liga in Spain, 12 of the 18 are German while Ten in Ligue 1 are French.

The present Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane said: "I'm sure all young English managers with a youth development pedigree will be, to some degree regardless of allegiance, rooting for Liam.

"It is really inspirational to young English academy coaches to see an individual land that job with that profile and we hope he will be highly successful."

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

His father, Leroy, Rosenior Sr., had a career with the likes of West London clubs, the Hammers and Queens Park Rangers, with his managerial career peaked with a five-month spell at the third-tier club Brentford FC in 2006.

Two years ago, he received an MBE in that year's Honours List for services rendered to tackling inequality in football and wider society.

After Liam retired from playing he followed a path in management. He started writing articles for The Guardian, where in 2017 he addressed the lack of diversity of black coaches. He highlighted that race does not influence coaching skill arguing that opportunities should be given on merit.

He also made the view he has often stated: that significant lack of diversity results in misunderstandings regarding footballers with diverse ethnic and cultural heritage.

In a podcast with The Athletic FC, he explained the way his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" or "passionate", but said he understood the Dutch player with Nigerian parentage. Emegha is set to follow him in moving from France to Chelsea this summer.

In further Guardian columns, he also confessed he was "embarrassed" upon hearing an unnamed coach utter a homophobic slur. He pledged support for the inclusion initiative and wrote a public message to Donald Trump while he was in office, accusing him of "overt" racism.

Rosenior has since made his name as a manager – initially with Hull City, then Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney recently stating Rosenior was "among the best coaches I've ever worked with" following their collaboration at Derby County.

The manager bid his farewells at Strasbourg on Tuesday morning prior to putting pen to paper on a long-term contract with the Blues.

The Blues boasted the Premier League's pioneering black boss in Gullit as well as the first black captain named Paul Elliott.

Elliott later worked in several executive roles, among them the FA's diversity and inclusion board|