An Emotional Event when Rosenior Shatters Barriers

"He is a top manager who understands the game back to front, and that's the crucial factor.

"However, as the Blues' pioneering African heritage player, it would be dishonest if I said this news fails to move me."

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

This week, the club appointed Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior, 41, to be their new head coach after the exit of Enzo Maresca.

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

Statistics show only twelve black head coaches – excluding those in temporary caretaker roles – in England's top flight since its inception thirty-four in the past.

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

"When youngsters see someone like Liam in charge of the team they support, someone who looks like them, who's from their ends, who comes from a family that champions what's right… that's impactful and shows them that opportunities exist.

"Indeed, it is a massive moment for the club, for the capital, for all aspiring individual with big dreams.

"But right now? We must support Rosenior, give him what he needs, and allow him to do his work."

What Does the Numbers Show?

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit became Chelsea head coach in 1996 thereby becoming the Premier League's inaugural black head coach.

Twelve years later, in 2008, Paul Ince was appointed as the pioneering black English manager in the top flight when he took over Blackburn Rovers.

The Hammers' boss Nuno Espirito Santo is the only other present top flight gaffer of colour.

The lack of managers of colour throughout the English game is matched by a lack of diversity in the boardroom.

As per the BFP 2023's report, forty-three percent of Premier League footballers come from African or Caribbean heritage.

Yet, analysis by Kick It Out found only 3.2% of board and senior leadership management teams at most Premier League clubs are held by people from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

At first-team coaching level, based on figures from 11 clubs, the percentage is 2%.

For all coaching positions – encompassing head coaches – from the same eleven clubs, the figure is just 5%.

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

"We know that there exists a wealth of talent present within black and underrepresented groups... aspiring coaches desire a chance to demonstrate what they can do. We need to continue to work hard to dismantle those barriers down."

Furthermore, Rosenior will become the fourth full-time British managers presently in the Premier League – alongside Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – a number that lags behind Europe's other big five leagues regarding national managers.

Sixteen out of twenty top-flight coaches in Italy are Italian, Eleven in La Liga in Spain, Twelve of the 18 are German and Ten of the 18 in France.

The present Blues interim boss Calum McFarlane commented: "I'm sure all young English coaches with a youth development pedigree are, in some way no matter who you support, supporting Liam.

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

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

Leroy Rosenior, Liam's father, played for the likes of West London clubs, the Hammers and Queens Park Rangers, and his managerial career culminating in a brief stint at then-League One side Brentford back in 2006.

In 2019, he received an MBE in that year's Honours List for services rendered to tackling discrimination within the sport and wider society.

After Liam retired from playing he pursued a path in management. He started penning a column for a national newspaper, and in one piece he addressed the under-representation of black coaches. He pointed out that race does not determine coaching skill and said opportunities must be awarded based on qualification.

He further expressed the view he has often stated: that vast lack of diversity results in a failure to understand regarding footballers with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

During an interview with The Athletic FC, Rosenior highlighted how his leading forward, Emmanuel Emegha, had been described as "difficult" and "emotional", but said he could relate to the Dutch player with Nigerian parentage. The striker is expected to follow him in moving from Strasbourg to West London in July.

In further newspaper articles, he also confessed he was "ashamed" to hear an unnamed coach make a homophobic slur. He vowed his support for the Premier League's Rainbow Laces initiative and wrote 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 Rosenior was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" after their collaboration with Derby.

Rosenior said his farewells at Strasbourg on Tuesday morning before signing a six‑and‑a‑half‑year deal at Chelsea.

The Blues boasted the top flight's first black boss in Gullit as well as the first black captain in Paul Elliott.

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