Gary Neville believes Chelsea’s hierarchy “have no idea what they’re doing” after sacking Liam Rosenior on Wednesday, making him the fifth manager in less than four years since taking over the club.
Rosenior was appointed as a surprise replacement for Enzo Maresca in January, but his reign was cut short at just four months with seven defeats in his last eight games.
Rosenior had signed a six-year contract with Chelsea when he moved from Strasbourg, which is part of Chelsea’s parent company Blueco. However, there were calls for his sacking from Chelsea fans during and after Tuesday night’s game against Brighton.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Neville said he did not expect Rosenior to be out of contract, but said the sacking was not a reflection on the head coach, and the blame was firmly placed on Chelsea owner Bruco’s decision-making.
“I’m not shocked that Liam is leaving the club,” he said. “I’m shocked he’s leaving today. I thought it would probably be at the end of the season.
“After signing him to a six-year contract, I thought they would stick around until the end of the season.
“It’s not a reflection on Liam at all. He’s lost a lot of football games in recent weeks and will be disappointed in that.
“But it’s time for owners, sporting directors and players to reflect on their role in what has happened in recent weeks. Their fans will be absolutely disgusted by this approach.”
“The owners have made a really bad mistake. I said at the time that they have a talented group of players, they have a young sporting director in terms of European experience, but the ownership is young in terms of being only two or three years old. They need some experience somewhere in the club.”
“These six-year, eight-year contracts are almost a farce from the beginning, whether it’s the manager or the players. The owners have no idea what they’re doing.
“I’ve made some big mistakes as an owner, but sometimes you have to accept them. I’ve spoken publicly about the challenges we’ve faced.
“But they’re all over the place. I don’t really get it. What you get in football is a given, and that’s a reflection on them and not a reflection on the coach, who, to be fair, probably shouldn’t have stepped into the role and promoted right away.”
“You can’t turn down the Chelsea job. I understand why it was attractive, but he must now continue his coaching career and put it behind him as soon as possible. Chelsea are a club that is a bit crazy in their decision-making.”
Rosseniol’s fate was sealed after five consecutive losses in the Premier League, leaving them hopeless of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Chelsea failed to score in any of these five league defeats, their worst record for scoreless league defeats since 1912.
He leaves the club seventh in the Premier League, seven points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Manager Callum Macfarlane oversaw a 1-1 draw with Manchester City and a 2-1 defeat at Fulham during the interim period at the start of the season, and will resume his role until the end of the season.
Sky Sports News understands that the process to appoint Mr Rosenior’s permanent successor has not yet begun and no negotiations have taken place with potential candidates. In a statement, the club said: “We will undertake a process of reflection to ensure we make the appropriate long-term appointment.”
Rosseniol’s departure marks Bruco’s fifth dismissal in less than four years at the club, with the average tenure per permanent manager being just 258 days. Remarkably, this is less than half the average during the era when former owner Roman Abramovich himself was notorious for his ruthless management firings.
On the Blues’ next appointment, Neville added: “Who’s next for Chelsea? Roy Keane used that expression at the weekend. I don’t care. To be honest, Chelsea are a huge club, a great club.”
“I think we all knew Liam was going to lose his job. It wouldn’t be a surprise no matter when it happened. We all knew he wouldn’t be here at the start of next season.
“But considering what happened, that’s not right. I’ve been there too, and we sacked the manager after four months, but if you do it wrong, you’ll have to reflect. But such a long contract, a six-year contract? It’s totally strange.”
Chelsea’s next 5 games
26 April Leeds (N) – FA Cup 4 May: Nottingham Forest (H) – Premier League live on Sky Sports 9 May: Liverpool (A) – Premier League 17 May: Tottenham (H) – Premier League 24 May: Sunderland (A) – Premier League
