Ex Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior says sacking had ‘nothing to do with football’
Former Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has opened up on his time managing the Blues, and his sacking after just 23 games in charge.
Rosenior was drafted in at Chelsea from their sister club, Strasbourg. to replace the outgoing Enzo Maresca in January 2026 on a six-and-a-half-year deal, winning his first match in charge and overseeing a positive start to his tenure.
But the West Londoners pulled the trigger in April, with the club seventh in the table – and Rosenior has since taken up the manager’s job at Paris FC.
Liam Rosenior: “Any club would have been happy… but not Chelsea”
In an interview with So Foot, relayed by Sport Witness, Rosenior has opened up about his time in charge of the Blues, and the “snowball effect” in the media surrounding results at Stamford Bridge.
“It was the best experience of my life, and the hardest too,” the 42-year-old said. “It was fantastic, even though it only lasted four months.”
“Actually, the moment that worried me the most was at the beginning, when we went through that five-game winning streak.”
“Any club would have been happy with such a run, but not Chelsea. You get good results and you’re in the spotlight. Then, there was a kind of snowball effect in the media.”
Rosenior found himself mocked for his approach: he became a figure of ridicule for handing substitute Alejandro Garnacho a note while losing 8-2 on aggregate, and for David Brent-esque quotes such as “respecting the ball” and “ageing men”.
“They made fun of those instructions I gave Garnacho on a scrap of paper when we were down to 10 men against PSG,” he continued. “The clothes I wore became a joke, the way I spoke too. I’m not a joke!
“You’re the first people I’m talking to about this, and probably the last for a long time, but one day, I’ll tell you what really happened.”
Since being relieved of duties, Rosenior has had another run-in with BlueCo, when he was subjected to abusive chants from fans of Strasbourg in September.
After Paris won the fixture, Rosenior appeared to celebrate in front of his former fans, perhaps signalling just how he truly feels towards his ex-employers.
Chelsea travel to Sunderland this weekend as Premier League action continues.
