Premier League legend Gary Neville says Chelsea’s decision to sack Liam Rosenior already reflects a the chaotic nature of the club’s ownership under BlueCo.
The Club World Cup winners are on their worst goalless losing league run since 1912, with a weekend defeat to Brighton the final straw in a five-game losing streak that sent them back to seventh on the table.
If Roman Abramovich was known for being a trigger happy Chelsea owner, BlueCo have continued that tradition with five managers lasting an average of 258 days.
Calum McFarlane takes on the mantle in an interim role, while betting markets have two former Chelsea stars, Como’s Cesc Fabregas and Flamengo’s Filipe Luis. Others linked include currently available Premier League managers Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace) and Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth). Ironically, Chelsea icon Frank Lampard returns to the top flight in charge of Coventry.
“I’m not shocked Liam’s leaving the club,” he said on Sky Sports. “I’m shocked he’s leaving today. I thought it would probably happen at the end of the season.
“I thought they would persevere until the end of the season after giving him a six-year deal.
“It’s not a reflection on Liam at all. He’s lost a lot of football matches in the last few weeks and he’ll be disappointed with that.
“But it’s time for the owners, sporting directors and players to reflect enormously on their role in what’s happened in the last few weeks. Their fans will be absolutely disgusted by the way this has gone.
“The owners have got it really badly wrong. I said at the time, they’ve got a group of talented players, young sporting directors in respect of the experience relating to Europe, you’ve got an ownership that’s young in respect that it’s only two or three years in. You need some experience somewhere in the club.
“These six-year, eight-year agreements, it’s almost laughable from the start. Whether it’s for a manager or a player. The owners don’t have a clue what they’re doing.
“I’ve made massive mistakes as an owner, but sometimes you’ve got to accept that. I’ve spoken publicly about the challenges we’ve had.
“But they’re all over the place. I just don’t get it, really. You deserve what you get in football and it’s a reflection on them, it’s not a reflection on a coach who, to be fair, probably shouldn’t have been advanced as soon as he was into the role.
“You don’t turn down the Chelsea job. I can see why it was appealing, but he just has to get on with his coaching career now and put it behind him as quickly as he can. It’s a club that is a little bit crazy in its decision-making.”
The sacking was made after a catastrophic run of form that’s left the London club’s Champions League hopes hanging by a thread while enduring their worst goalscoring drought in over a century.
Rosenior lasted less than four months in the role after his January appointment following Enzo Maresca’s departure, becoming the latest casualty of Chelsea’s turbulent season after seven defeats in their last eight matches across all competitions.
Chelsea are now seven points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
The five-game losing streak is Chelsea’s worst since 1912 — the same year, Blues’ fans have noted gloomily, that the Titanic sank.
“Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with Head Coach Liam Rosenior,” the club said in a statement.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, we would like to place on record our gratitude to Liam and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club.
“This has not been a decision the Club has taken lightly, however recent results and performances have fallen below the necessary standards with still so much more to play for this season.”
The club said Calum McFarlane would take charge of the team as interim head coach until the end of the season, including their FA Cup semi-final at the weekend against Leeds.
Rosenior started impressively with a run of six wins in seven games, but things unravelled quickly in recent weeks, including elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
Rosenior becomes the fifth permanent manager to lose his job since US owners Clearlake and Todd Boehly bought Chelsea in 2022.
“As the club works to bring stability to the head coach position, we will undertake a process of self-reflection to make the right long-term appointment,” Chelsea said.
While there have been trophies — the Club World Cup and Europa Conference League were collected last season — this could be the third campaign out of four in which Chelsea have failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Under former Russian owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea were one of the most dominant teams in Europe, winning a full set of trophies, including two Champions Leagues and five Premier League titles.
They last won the Champions League in 2021, the year before Abramovich was forced to sell the club after being sanctioned by the British government in the wake of Russia’s war with Ukraine.