A Emotional Moment when Rosenior Breaks Obstacles

"He is a top tactician that understands football back to front, which is the most important thing.

"But, as the Blues' pioneering African heritage footballer, it would be dishonest to claim this moment does not affect me."

Those are the words expressed by Paul Canoville, the man who earned his groundbreaking first appearance for the Blues' first team as a substitute back in April 1982.

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

Strasbourg are within the multi-club ownership group that also controls Chelsea.

There have been a mere twelve of African or Caribbean heritage managers – excluding those holding interim positions – in England's top flight since its inception thirty-four years ago.

"One thing that impresses me regarding Rosenior is he grew up and played not far from here, he knows this area," continued Canoville.

"Whenever youngsters observe someone like Liam in charge of their club, a person they can identify with, from a similar background, who comes from a household that fights for equality… that's powerful and shows them the path is there.

"So yes, this represents a huge step for the club, for the capital, for all aspiring individual with big dreams.

"But right now? Let's back Liam, provide him with the necessary tools, and let the man do his work."

What Does the Statistics Indicate?

The iconic Dutchman Ruud Gullit became Chelsea manager back in the nineties thereby becoming the top flight's inaugural black head coach.

A dozen years on, in 2008, Paul Ince was appointed as the pioneering black English manager in the Premier League when he took over Blackburn Rovers.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the sole additional current Premier League gaffer from a minority ethnic background.

The scarcity of ethnic minority managers across English football corresponds with an absence of diversity in the boardroom.

As per a BFP 2023 study, 43% of Premier League footballers come from black backgrounds.

Yet, analysis by Kick It Out found just 3.2% of executive and leadership positions across most Premier League clubs are held by people from minority ethnic communities.

At senior coaching level, according to figures provided by 11 clubs, the figure is two percent.

Across all coaching roles – including senior roles – from those same 11 clubs, the figure is 5%.

"He has undoubtedly made history in terms of his appointment as Chelsea head coach, and as an organization, we want to witness more such appointments," said the chief executive of Kick It Out Samuel Okafor.

"We know there is loads of talent present in the black and underrepresented groups... they want a chance to show their capabilities. We need to continue to work hard to break those barriers down."

Additionally, the new appointee will become the fourth full-time English managers presently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which lags behind Europe's remaining big five leagues regarding homegrown representation.

Sixteen out of twenty first division coaches in Serie A are Italian, 11 of the 20 are Spanish, 12 in the Bundesliga in Germany and 10 of the 18 are French.

Current Chelsea caretaker manager Calum McFarlane said: "I'm sure every aspiring British managers with a youth development pedigree are, in some way no matter who you support, rooting for Liam.

"It's truly motivating to up-and-coming British academy coaches to see an individual land such a role with his background and everyone hopes he will be highly successful."

'Let's not forget – he's there on merit'

His father, Leroy, Liam's father, had a career with clubs such as Fulham, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, with his coaching stint culminating in a brief stint at the third-tier club Brentford FC in 2006.

Two years ago, he was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire in that year's 2019 New Year Honours for his services in combating inequality within the sport and wider society.

When Rosenior Jr retired from playing he followed his father's footsteps. He started penning articles for The Guardian, and in one piece he acknowledged the under-representation of black coaches. He highlighted that race does not determine coaching skill arguing that opportunities must be awarded based on qualification.

He also made the view he would repeat: that significant under-representation leads to misunderstandings of players with diverse ethnic and cultural heritage.

In a podcast for a football podcast, he explained the way his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" and "passionate", noting that he could relate to the Dutch international with Nigerian parentage. The striker is expected to follow him with a move from France to Chelsea this summer.

In subsequent Guardian columns, Rosenior also admitted he was "embarrassed" to hear an unnamed staff member utter a homophobic slur. He pledged his support for the Premier League's inclusion campaign and wrote a public message to Donald Trump during his first US presidency, condemning his "overt" prejudice.

Rosenior has since built his reputation in the dugout – first at Hull City, later at Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney said this week Rosenior was "among the best coaches I've ever worked with" following their collaboration with Derby.

The manager bid goodbye at Strasbourg earlier this week prior to putting pen to paper on a six‑and‑a‑half‑year contract with the Blues.

Chelsea had the top flight's pioneering African heritage manager in Gullit and the first black captain named Paul Elliott.

Elliott later held multiple executive roles, among them the Football Association's diversity and inclusion board|