A Emotional Event as Liam Rosenior Overcomes Obstacles

"He is a top manager who knows football inside out, which is the most important thing.

"But, in my role as the Blues' first African heritage footballer, it would be dishonest if I said this news doesn't move me."

Those are the sentiments expressed by the former Chelsea winger, the man who made his groundbreaking first appearance for Chelsea's senior side off the bench back in the spring of 1982.

This week, the club named Strasbourg manager Rosenior, 41, as their new manager after the exit of Enzo Maresca.

The French club is part of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned BlueCo which also controls Chelsea.

There have been only 12 black head coaches – not including those in interim roles – in England's top flight since it began 34 years ago.

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

"Whenever youngsters see a figure like Rosenior in charge of the team they support, someone they can identify with, who's from their ends, who comes from a family that champions equality… that's powerful demonstrating the path is there.

"So yes, this represents a huge moment for Chelsea, for London, for every aspiring individual dreaming big.

"However, currently? Let's back Liam, give him what he needs, and let the man do his work."

What Exactly Do the Data Reveal?

The iconic Dutchman Ruud Gullit was appointed the Blues' head coach back in the nineties and became the top flight's inaugural black head coach.

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

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

The lack of managers of colour throughout English football is matched by an absence of diversity at executive level.

As per the BFP 2023's study, forty-three percent of top-flight players come from African or Caribbean heritage.

Yet, research from the equality organization revealed just 3.2% of executive and leadership positions across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are held by people from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

At senior coaching positions, based on data from eleven clubs, the percentage is 2%.

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

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

"We know that there exists loads of talent that exists within ethnic minority communities... they desire a chance to demonstrate their capabilities. It is imperative to persist in striving to dismantle those obstacles down."

Additionally, the new appointee will become one of only four full-time British managers presently managing in the top flight – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which trails the continent's other major divisions in terms of homegrown managers.

16 out of twenty first division managers in Italy are from Italy, Eleven in La Liga in Spain, 12 of the 18 are German and 10 in Ligue 1 in France.

The present Chelsea caretaker manager Calum McFarlane said: "I'm sure all young English managers from an academy background will be, to some degree no matter who you support, rooting for Liam.

"It's really inspirational for young English coaches in the system to witness someone land such a role with that profile and we hope he does really well."

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

His father, Leroy, Liam's father, played for the likes of West London clubs, the Hammers as well as Queens Park Rangers, with his managerial career peaked with a five-month spell at the third-tier club Brentford back in 2006.

Two years ago, he was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for services rendered in combating inequality in football and beyond.

When Rosenior Jr retired from playing he pursued a path in management. He started writing articles for a national newspaper, where in 2017 he acknowledged the lack of diversity among managers. He highlighted that race does not influence coaching skill and said roles must be awarded based on qualification.

He further expressed the view he would repeat: that significant lack of diversity results in misunderstandings of players with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

During an interview with The Athletic FC, Rosenior highlighted the way his leading forward, Emmanuel Emegha, had been described as "difficult" or "emotional", noting that he understood the Dutch international with Nigerian parentage. Emegha is set to follow him in moving from Strasbourg to West London in July.

In subsequent Guardian columns, he also confessed to being "embarrassed" to hear a staff member utter a homophobic slur. He pledged support for the Premier League's inclusion initiative and authored a public message to Donald Trump during his first US presidency, accusing him of "blatant" prejudice.

He has subsequently made his name as a manager – first at Hull City, later at Strasbourg – with Wayne Rooney recently stating Rosenior was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" after their collaboration with Derby.

Rosenior said goodbye at Strasbourg on Tuesday morning prior to putting pen to paper on a six‑and‑a‑half‑year contract with the Blues.

The Blues had the top flight's pioneering black boss in Gullit as well as the first black skipper named Paul Elliott.

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