An Moving Milestone as Rosenior Breaks Barriers

"He is an excellent tactician that knows the game back to front, and that's what matters most.

"But, in my role as the Blues' first black player, I would be lying to claim this news does not affect me."

Those are the sentiments expressed by Paul Canoville, who made his groundbreaking debut for the Blues' first team as a substitute in the spring of 1982.

On Tuesday, the club hired RC Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior, aged 41, to be their next manager following the departure of manager Enzo Maresca.

Strasbourg are within a Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned ownership group which also owns the London club.

There have been a mere twelve of African or Caribbean heritage head coaches – excluding individuals in interim positions – in England's top flight since it began 34 in the past.

"One thing that impresses me regarding Rosenior is he grew up and developed his game not far from here, he knows this community," continued Canoville.

"Whenever youngsters observe a figure like Rosenior in charge of their club, someone they can identify with, who's from their ends, from a family that fights for equality… it is powerful and shows them that opportunities exist.

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

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

What Exactly Does the Statistics Indicate?

The iconic Dutchman Ruud Gullit became Chelsea manager in 1996 thereby becoming the top flight's inaugural African heritage manager.

Twelve years later, in 2008, Paul Ince became the first English black boss in the Premier League when he took over Blackburn Rovers.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo currently stands as the only other current Premier League gaffer from a minority ethnic background.

The lack of ethnic minority managers across English football corresponds with an absence of representation at executive level.

According to a BFP 2023 report, 43% of Premier League footballers are from black backgrounds.

Yet, analysis by Kick It Out revealed only 3.2% of executive and leadership positions across most Premier League clubs are from ethnically diverse communities.

Regarding senior coaching level, based on data from 11 clubs, the figure is two percent.

Across all coaching roles – encompassing head coaches – from the same eleven clubs, the statistic is 5%.

"He's certainly broken barriers in terms of him being announced as the Chelsea manager, and we hope to see more of that," said Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor.

"It is acknowledged that there exists a wealth of talent that exists within black and underrepresented groups... they want the opportunity to show their capabilities. We need to persist in striving to dismantle those barriers down."

Additionally, the new appointee is set to become the fourth full-time British managers currently managing in the top flight – alongside Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – a number that lags behind the continent's other major divisions regarding homegrown representation.

Sixteen out of twenty top-flight managers in Italy are Italian, Eleven in La Liga in Spain, 12 in the Bundesliga are German and Ten of the 18 are French.

Current Blues caretaker manager Calum McFarlane commented: "I have no doubt every aspiring British coaches from an academy background will be, to some degree no matter who you support, supporting Liam.

"It's really motivating to young English academy coaches to see an individual get such a role with that profile and we hope he does highly successful."

'Let's not forget – his appointment is due to ability'

His father, Leroy, Rosenior Sr., 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 five-month spell at then-League One side Brentford FC in 2006.

Two years ago, he received an MBE 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 writing a column for a national newspaper, where in 2017 he addressed the under-representation among managers. He pointed out that race does not influence coaching skill and said roles should be given on merit.

He also made a point he would repeat: that vast under-representation leads to misunderstandings regarding footballers with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

In a podcast for a football podcast, he explained the way his leading forward, Emmanuel Emegha, had been described as "hard to manage" and "emotional", but said he understood the Dutch international with Nigerian parentage. Emegha is set to join him in moving from France to Chelsea this summer.

In further newspaper articles, Rosenior also admitted he was "ashamed" to hear an unnamed staff member utter a homophobic slur. He vowed support for the inclusion campaign and authored an open letter to the former US President during his first US presidency, condemning his "blatant" prejudice.

Rosenior has since made his name as a manager – initially with Hull City, later at Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney recently stating he was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" following their collaboration with Derby.

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

Chelsea had the top flight's first black manager with Gullit as well as the first black skipper in Paul Elliott.

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