Liam Rosenior insists he will not be a 'yes man' at Chelsea
“I will make the decisions at this football club, that is why I have been brought in," Rosenior said in his first Chelsea press conference.
Liam Rosenior insists he has not been hired as Chelsea’s head coach because he is going to be a ‘yes man’.
Rosenior, 41, was announced as Enzo Maresca’s permanent replacement on Tuesday, having spent the previous 18 months in charge of Strasbourg.
Maresca “parted company” with Chelsea on January 1 after his relationship with the hierarchy had become untenable.
Rosenior knows the structure of Chelsea well, having worked and communicated with the club’s senior figures on a regular basis during his spell in charge of Strasbourg. The Ligue 1 side are also controlled by Chelsea owner BlueCo.
When asked if he will be able to be his own man at Stamford Bridge at a press conference ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup third-round tie at Charlton Athletic, Rosenior replied: “I don’t think it is possible to ever be in this job and not be your own man. People will see through you straight away.
“I will make the decisions at this football club, that is why I have been brought in. I understand, I am not an alien. I know what is being said. But there is no way you can be successful as a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself. The great thing for me is that I have experience of working in the set up. The guys have been nothing but supportive of me in Strasbourg.”
Rosenior was in the stands at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night as Chelsea fans chanted throughout against BlueCo, co-owner Behdad Eghbali and Clearlake Capital (which holds the majority stake).
Pressed on how he can win them over, he said: “A club of this stature, fans want success and they have every right to want success now. Winning trophies is ingrained in the club’s history, winning titles and Champions Leagues. The fans should have those standards.
“To win over the fans, I need to win over games of football. They need to see a team that represents them. We are trying to build something in a different way. I am very, very confident that in time we will show people why we are doing it this way. My job is to get the team in a place where clubs fear coming to Stamford Bridge and fans really look forward to every game we play.
“When I went to Strasbourg, I was (seen) as a joke. They said my team would finish last and it was an impossible project, that I was a nobody from England. We finished three points off (qualifying for the) Champions League. The outside noise is just noise. I believe very strongly we can be successful here.”