Liam Rosenior believes he can prove himself successful as Chelsea’s new manager, insisting: “I’m not arrogant, I’m good at what I do.”
The 41-year-old will play his first game in charge in Saturday’s FA Cup third round tie against Charlton after joining from Strasbourg, which is part of Chelsea’s parent company Blueco.
Despite his lack of top-flight club experience and having only managed just 100 games in total, Rossenyol, who was initially branded a “joke” by the media at Strasbourg, insisted he would not rule out the possibility of becoming Chelsea manager one day.
“There’s no need to limit your ambitions,” the former Hull City manager said on Friday. “I’m not arrogant, I’m good at what I do. I’ve been successful in every job I’ve worked in relative to the groups I’ve worked with, whether as interim, assistant or head coach.
“I always wanted to be at a club like this, but it’s not just about being here, it’s about succeeding. No one can guarantee winning, but at the same time I’ve worked hard for a long time to put myself in a position to succeed.
“When I joined Strasbourg, the media told me I was a joke. I was told that my team would finish last, that it was an impossible project, that the players were too young and inexperienced, and that I was nothing from England.
“We finished with three points outside of the Champions League. The noise outside is just noise. I think if we focus on the job, the players, the staff and the process, we can do great things.”
“I’m not making any promises, I’m working towards it, but I strongly believe we can be successful here.
“In a club of such stature, the fans want success and they still have the right to want success. To win the hearts of the fans, you need to win games. I think they need to see a team that represents them. I was born not that far away.
“It’s a matter of hard work and determination. We’re trying to build something in a different way than we’ve ever done before. We’re very confident that in time we’ll show people why we did it this way.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Free to watch: Highlights of the Premier League win between Fulham and Chelsea
Despite the departure of Enzo Maresca following a falling out with the club, Rosenior, who will benefit from his experience working under Bruco’s multi-club ownership, said he would not change who he is.
“I don’t think you can get into this job without being your own person. People will see right through you,” he said.
“I make the decisions at this club. That’s why I was invited. I understand, I’m not an alien, I know what the press says. But you can’t be successful as a manager if you don’t make the decisions yourself.”
Rosenior is the fourth permanent head coach hired by the Clear Lake Capital/Tod Boley consortium, and he is aware of what is expected of him.
“Regardless of the club, there is a lot of turnover in managers. The pressure is there from day one. I understand that,” he said. “The bigger the club, the more pressure there is, but also the more privileges you have, so you have to take that into account.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow night.When I agreed the deal to meet the players and staff I couldn’t wait to get here.
“It comes with the territory. There’s no point in being a coach if you’re scared or afraid. I’ve worked hard almost my whole life for this opportunity.”
“I’m going to work 24 hours a day. When I’m with the players, I’m going to be enthusiastic and I’m going to push them as hard as I can to be successful.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Chelsea’s new head coach Liam Rosenior says his job at Stamford Bridge is to entertain and win.
Chelsea have won just one of their last nine Premier League games, leaving them four points behind in fourth place.
“I’ve told the players to focus on winning the next game, winning the next game, winning the next game, and that’s how we’re going to go,” Coach Rosenior said. His first league game as manager will be at home against Brentford on January 17th.
“There are really positive signs here, given the talent we have and the level of professionalism of the group, the intensity of training over the past two days, the commitment to something new.
“The possibilities for this club and group are limitless and I’m not going to limit the limitless. I want to succeed. I’m ambitious. We need to make sure we get from where we are to where we need to get to, but that takes time. I’m not asking for too much time, but we need to see where our process is going.”
He added: “We are not that far away and that is important for the players.”
One of the issues Rosenior will need to address is Chelsea’s poor discipline, which has seen them collect seven red cards this season.
He said, “That’s one of the few things we can improve on. We know how to do it. I talked to the players differently about managing setbacks because in life you go through setbacks.”
“They have passion and they show emotion for the kit, which is a positive thing. It allows us to react positively to setbacks and remain calm in important moments.”
“Those mistakes come from passion and the players want to win, so I don’t want to take that away from them. To win, you can’t be nice all the time. You have to have an edge. And I don’t want to take that away from the players.”
