A Emotional Moment as Rosenior Overcomes Obstacles

"He is a top tactician that understands football intimately, which is what matters most.

"However, as Chelsea's first black player, I would be lying to claim this news doesn't move me."

Those are the sentiments of Paul Canoville, who made his groundbreaking debut for the Blues' first team off the bench back in April 1982.

This week, the club appointed Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, aged 41, to be their new head coach following the departure of Enzo Maresca.

Strasbourg are within the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned ownership group that also controls Chelsea.

There have been a mere 12 black managers – excluding those holding temporary caretaker roles – in England's top flight since its inception thirty-four years ago.

"What really strikes me about Liam is he grew up and developed his game locally, he understands this community," continued Canoville.

"When children see a figure like Rosenior managing their club, someone who looks like them, from a similar background, from a household that champions equality… that's profound demonstrating the path is there.

"So yes, it is an enormous moment for Chelsea, for London, for all young person dreaming big.

"However, currently? We must support Rosenior, provide him with the necessary tools, and let the man do his work."

What Exactly Does the Statistics Show?

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit became the Blues' manager in 1996 thereby becoming the top flight's inaugural black head coach.

A dozen years on, in 2008, Paul Ince became the pioneering English black boss in the top flight when he took over Blackburn Rovers.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the only other current top flight gaffer from a minority ethnic background.

The scarcity of ethnic minority managers across the English game is matched by a lack of diversity at executive level.

According to a BFP 2023 study, forty-three percent of Premier League footballers come from black backgrounds.

However, analysis by the equality organization found just 3.2 percent of executive and leadership management teams across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are held by people from minority ethnic communities.

At senior coaching positions, according to data provided by eleven clubs, the figure stands at two percent.

Across all coaching positions – encompassing senior roles – from those same 11 clubs, the figure is just five percent.

"He's certainly broken barriers by virtue of his appointment as a the Chelsea manager, and we hope to see more of that," said the chief executive of Kick It Out Samuel Okafor.

"It is acknowledged there is loads of ability present in the ethnic minority communities... aspiring coaches desire the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do. It is imperative to persist in striving to dismantle those barriers down."

Additionally, Rosenior is set to become the fourth permanent English head coaches currently managing in the top flight – alongside Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which trails Europe's other big five divisions in terms of homegrown managers.

16 of the 20 first division managers in Italy are from Italy, 11 in La Liga in Spain, 12 of the 18 are German while 10 in Ligue 1 are French.

The present Chelsea caretaker manager Calum McFarlane said: "I'm sure every young English managers with a youth development pedigree are, in some way regardless of allegiance, rooting for Liam.

"It is really inspirational for young English coaches in the system to see an individual land that job with that profile and we hope he does really well."

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

His father, Leroy, Rosenior Sr., had a career with clubs such as West London clubs, the Hammers as well as Queens Park Rangers, with his coaching stint culminating in a brief stint at then-League One side Brentford FC in 2006.

In 2019, he was awarded an MBE in that year's 2019 New Year Honours for services rendered to tackling discrimination in football and beyond.

When Rosenior Jr retired from playing he followed a path in management. He started writing articles for a national newspaper, and in one piece he acknowledged the under-representation of black coaches. He highlighted that race does not influence coaching skill and said opportunities should be given on merit.

He also made the view he has often stated: that significant under-representation results in misunderstandings of players with diverse cultural and ethnic heritage.

In a podcast for a football podcast, he explained the way his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, had been described as "difficult" and "passionate", noting that he understood the Netherlands international of Nigerian descent. The striker is expected to follow him with a move from France to West London this summer.

In further newspaper articles, Rosenior also admitted to being "ashamed" upon hearing an unnamed staff member make a discriminatory remark. He pledged support for the inclusion initiative and wrote a public message to the former US President while he was in office, accusing him of "overt" racism.

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

Rosenior said his farewells at Strasbourg on Tuesday morning prior to putting pen to paper on a long-term contract at Chelsea.

Chelsea boasted the Premier League's first African heritage boss with Gullit and the first black skipper in Paul Elliott.

Elliott later held several senior positions, including the FA's diversity and inclusion board|