A Emotional Event when Rosenior Shatters Obstacles

"He is an excellent tactician who understands the game inside out, and that's the crucial factor.

"But, in my role as Chelsea's first African heritage player, I would be lying if I said this moment doesn't move me."

These were the words expressed by Paul Canoville, the man who earned his groundbreaking first appearance for Chelsea's senior side as a substitute in April 1982.

This week, Chelsea appointed RC Strasbourg manager Rosenior, 41, as their new head coach following the exit of manager Enzo Maresca.

The French club is part of the multi-club BlueCo that also controls the London club.

Statistics show just twelve black managers – not including those holding interim positions – in the Premier League since its inception 34 years ago.

"What really strikes me regarding Rosenior is he grew up and played locally, he knows this area," continued Canoville.

"Whenever kids see a figure like Rosenior managing the team they support, someone they can identify with, who's from their ends, from a family that champions what's right… it is profound and shows them that opportunities exist.

"Indeed, this represents a massive step for Chelsea, for the capital, for every aspiring individual with big dreams.

"However, currently? We must support Rosenior, give him what he needs, and allow him to do his work."

What Do the Statistics Show?

The iconic Dutchman Ruud Gullit became Chelsea head coach in 1996 and became the Premier League's first black manager.

Twelve years later, by 2008, Paul Ince became the pioneering English black boss in the top flight after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the sole additional current Premier League boss from a minority ethnic background.

The scarcity of ethnic minority managers throughout English football is matched by an absence of diversity in the boardroom.

As per the Black Footballers Partnership 2023 study, forty-three percent of Premier League footballers are from black backgrounds.

However, research by the equality organization revealed just 3.2% of executive and leadership management teams at 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Regarding senior coaching positions, based on data from eleven clubs, the figure stands at two percent.

Across all coaching roles – including head coaches – from those same eleven clubs, the statistic is just five percent.

"He has undoubtedly broken barriers in terms of his appointment as a Chelsea manager, and we want to witness more such appointments," said the chief executive of Kick It Out Samuel Okafor.

"It is acknowledged that there exists a wealth of talent that exists within black and underrepresented groups... aspiring coaches want a chance to demonstrate what they can do. It is imperative to continue to work hard to break those obstacles down."

Furthermore, the new appointee will become one of only four full-time English managers presently managing in the top flight – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe as well as Scott Parker – which trails Europe's other big five leagues regarding national managers.

16 out of twenty top-flight coaches in Italy are from Italy, Eleven in La Liga in Spain, 12 in the Bundesliga in Germany while Ten of the 18 in France.

The present Blues caretaker manager Calum McFarlane said: "I have no doubt every young English coaches with a youth development pedigree are, to some degree regardless of allegiance, rooting for Liam.

"It is truly inspirational to up-and-coming British coaches in the system to see someone get that job with his background and everyone hopes he will be highly successful."

'Let's not forget – he's there due to ability'

His father, Leroy, Rosenior Sr., played for the likes of Fulham, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, and his coaching stint culminating in a five-month stint in charge of then-League One side Brentford FC in 2006.

Two years ago, he received an MBE in that year's Honours List for his services to tackling inequality in football and beyond.

After Liam retired from playing he pursued a path in management. He started writing a column for The Guardian, and in one piece he addressed the under-representation among managers. He highlighted that race does not influence ability arguing that roles should be given on merit.

He further expressed a point he would repeat: that significant under-representation results in misunderstandings regarding footballers with diverse cultural and ethnic heritage.

In a podcast with The Athletic FC, he explained the way his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" and "passionate", but said he could relate to the Dutch player with Nigerian parentage. Emegha is set to follow him with a move from France to Chelsea this summer.

In subsequent newspaper articles, he also confessed he was "embarrassed" to hear an unnamed coach utter a discriminatory remark. He pledged support for the Premier League's Rainbow Laces campaign and authored a public message to the former US President while he was in office, accusing him of "overt" racism.

He has subsequently built his reputation as a manager – first at Hull City, then Strasbourg – with Wayne Rooney said this week he was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" following their time together with Derby.

Rosenior said goodbye to his former club earlier this week prior to putting pen to paper on a six‑and‑a‑half‑year deal at Chelsea.

Chelsea had the Premier League's pioneering black boss in Gullit as well as the first black skipper named Paul Elliott.

Elliott later held multiple executive roles, including the FA's diversity and inclusion board|