Chelsea sack Liam Rosenior with six years left to run on contract after nightmare spell
Liam Rosenior leaves Chelsea after losing his last five Premier League matches in charge, without the Blues scoring a single goal in any of those damaging defeats
Chelsea have sacked Liam Rosenior as their head coach(Image: Javier Garcia/Shutterstock)
Liam Rosenior has been sacked by Chelsea following a run of five consecutive Premier League defeats in which the team failed to score.
That run is their worst in the league over the past 113 years, dating back to six months after the Titanic sank in 1912. Rosenior only signed a six-and-a-half-year deal in January and started brightly but his side have quickly fallen down the Premier League table.
They were beaten comfortably 3-0 by Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday, and now are almost certain to miss out on qualification for next season’s Champions League. And now the club confirmed that Callum McFarlane will take charge until the end of the season, starting with Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds.
A club statement read: “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,” a statement read.
“Liam has always conducted himself with the highest integrity and professionalism following his appointment midway through the season.
“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.
“Everyone at Chelsea FC wishes Liam every success in the future. Calum McFarlane will take charge of the team as interim head coach until the end of the season with support from existing club backroom staff, as we strive to achieve European qualification and progress in the FA Cup.
“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.”
Speaking after Chelsea’s defeat at the Amex, Rosenior, who replaced Enzo Maresca in January, said he must identify which players he can trust after delivering a scathing assessment of his team’s woeful defeat.
“I understand their frustration,” he said of the fans. “The buck stops with me. I have thick skin and I understand why the fans are frustrated.
“I’m frustrated with the performances we’re putting in. I’ve just got to keep working hard with the staff, with the players.
“But what I do need to do is really look at how we go about games, the personnel of the team, who I can trust and rely on in difficult moments, because not enough players showed that.”
