LIAM ROSENIOR has enjoyed a winning start to life at Chelsea, but that has not stopped him from being subjected to ridicule.
The new Blues boss, who joined the club from Strasbourg earlier this month replacing Enzo Maresca, has won three of his first four games in charge with the one blemish coming in the League Cup defeat against Arsenal.
However, the pride of being the head coach of Chelsea comes with a high level of scrutiny from media and fans alike, as the 41-year-old has found out.
Rosenior has already been labelled “the new David Brent” by fans after old quotes emerged of him likening his coaching style to splitting the word “manage” into two words.
Reports of his unique training methods have also led to ridicule on the ruthless environment that is social media.
Those methods include him not wearing gloves in training so players can hear him clapping and arranging Lego-building contests to improve team cohesion and morale.
TRAFFORD-ABLE
Man Utd ticket and hotel deals for Premier League games from just £145pp
HORSING AROUND
Prem star Georginio Rutter reveals he owns shares in 20 prize horses
Regardless, the former Hull and Derby manager insists he won’t shy away from being himself, even if that means potentially making a fool of himself.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Chelsea’s visit to Crystal Palace, he said: “For me, I am myself. I’m not afraid to make a fool of myself at times. I’m not afraid to have a laugh with the players.
“I’m also not afraid to demand, to shout at them when it’s needed or to raise my tone. I’ve lost my voice a few times already in the last few days.”
Rosenior acknowledges the atmosphere around Cobham is rather subdued at this early stage of his tenure, but is hopeful it is only a teething issue while he and his new squad get to know each other.
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
He added: “I always felt when a team felt like the leader cared about them, not just on the pitch, but off the pitch as well, that’s when a team performed best. I want to create a team that look like I had at Strasbourg.
“I know it’s not the same level, at Hull and even at Derby through administration, if you watch those teams, they all ran for each other. They all looked like they enjoyed what they did and I want that here.”
In his pre-game press conference, Rosenior admitted he would be “crazy” to come in mid-season and change everything.
He said: “I’m flexible, but at the moment it’s about what’s best for the group and what they’re used to because there is literally no training time.
“We are playing, recovering and playing again. And it will be like that for the next two or three months.”
Chelsea sit one point behind the top five, which once again looks set to be the automatic qualification spots for next season’s Champions League.
Chelsea Exposed on YouTube
Calling all Chelsea fans – we have a brand new YouTube channel!