Chelsea FC have parted ways with head coach Liam Rosenior after a poor run of results. The decision came on Wednesday after long talks among the club’s top officials.
The club confirmed his exit in an official statement. Rosenior leaves just four months after taking charge at Stamford Bridge. He had signed a six year deal when he joined.
Chelsea won 11 of their 23 matches under him. They lost 10 and drew 2. It is one of the weakest records for a full time coach at the club in recent times. The slide began after a 5-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last month. Since then, results kept getting worse. The team lost five matches in a row without scoring. It is the first time this has happened since 1912.
The latest defeat came against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League. After that match, the club held an emergency meeting. Reports from Standard Sport said officials spent the whole day discussing Rosenior’s future. Chelsea lost seven of their last eight games. Their hope of playing in next season’s Champions League is now very low.
Rosenior stayed quiet about his squad after taking charge in January. But after the Brighton loss, he blamed the players. He called the display “unacceptable” and “unforgivable.” He said his players lost 80 percent of their duels and showed no fight.
Co owner Behdad Eghbali and sporting director Paul Winstanley were present at the Brighton game. Fans shouted against the coach. Some also showed banners asking the BlueCo group to leave the club.
Even then, Rosenior felt safe in his job. On Monday, he said,
“My owners speak to me every day. They are very positive about me. The sporting directors are also showing great support to me and the team.”
