Another former teammate of Liam Rosenior has expressed disbelief at the Chelsea manager's transformation since entering coaching, with Sean Davis claiming the 41-year-old appears to have 'swallowed a dictionary of long words.'
Rosenior's position at Stamford Bridge is under severe pressure following a disastrous run that has seen Chelsea lose five consecutive Premier League matches without scoring a single goal, a feat not witnessed at the club in 108 years. The latest setback came on Tuesday night when Brighton comprehensively defeated the Blues 3-0 at the Amex Stadium, prompting calls for Rosenior's dismissal from the travelling supporters.
The defeat leaves Chelsea trailing fifth-placed Liverpool by seven points in the race for Champions League qualification, with the reigning English champions also holding a game in hand over Rosenior's side. Liverpool have won their last two matches against Fulham and Everton, adding to the mounting pressure on the Chelsea boss.
'It was unacceptable in every aspect of the game, unacceptable in our attitude,' an irate Rosenior told reporters after the match. 'I keep coming out and defending the players – that's indefensible, that performance tonight. The manner of the goals we conceded, the amount of duels that we lost, the lack of intensity in the team. Something needs to change drastically right now.'
Rosenior added: 'I think the players need to have a look in the mirror for what they put in. You can talk about tactics… tactics come after the basics. Having more courage to play, winning duels, winning headers, tackles, conceding terrible goals. That was an unacceptable performance tonight.'
Questions about Rosenior's tactical approach have persisted since he left Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca at Chelsea in January. However, there has also been criticism of his communication style, with some comparing his media appearances to the character David Brent from The Office.
Last month, Kevin Kilbane, who played alongside Rosenior at Hull City, joked that his former teammate had 'swallowed a psychologist's manual.' Speaking on the Off The Ball podcast, Kilbane said: 'You see the way he is now, to me, he's unrecognisable to the player and the person I knew. It's like he's swallowed a psychologist's manual or a sporting mentor's memoir. Everything he says to me is waffle, drivel, nothing. It's like he tries to write as many quotes down as possible and tries to get them into a pre-match talk or post-match whenever addressing the media.'
Now, Sean Davis, who shared a dressing room with Rosenior at Fulham, has echoed those sentiments while appearing on the Under The Cosh YouTube channel. 'I don't even recognise him, I don't know who that guy is! He talks like he's swallowed a dictionary of long words,' Davis said. 'Listen, good luck to him. At the end of the day, a lot of people might criticise but he's done the hard yards in coaching.'
Despite his criticism, Davis expressed hope that Rosenior can turn his fortunes around, particularly given the underrepresentation of black managers in English football. 'It's going to be tough for him, especially being a black coach as well,' Davis added. 'It is tough getting jobs because I know a lot of black guys, ex-players, that kind of go, “It's too hard”, not going to get a chance. Even Ashley Cole, look at him. He's had to go to Italy to get a job. So I respect him and the fact he's done the hard yards but some of the words and some of the stuff he's coming out with, it's a bit bollocks.'
Davis continued: 'I honestly think people just overcomplicate football just to get a job nowadays. Football's not rocket science, it's not hard, but it's totally different game now from what it was.'
Rosenior has an immediate chance to silence his critics on Sunday when Chelsea face Leeds at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final, with a place in the final at stake. Following that, the Blues have a week-long break before returning to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. A challenging run of fixtures follows, including matches against Liverpool and relegation-threatened Tottenham, before a season-ending trip to Sunderland.
