Chelsea sack Rosenior | The Football Boardroom

0:04C.P. I've got you off the Sun lounger again. It's all kicking off here. It will be absolutely no surprise to you because we could just replay one of your clips. Liam Rossini has gone. And when he was appointed a couple of months ago on a six and a half year contract, I seem to remember you greeted the appointment with Carlo Ancelotti style raised eyebrow and said he won't even last six and a half months. So I think he's pretty much was just a little bit more than six and a half weeks. We just had the statement about half an hour ago while you were on your 14th cocktail of the day and enjoying the glorious sunshine.

0:46And what they've said is, you know, they thanked him for all his hard work, but they just said that the performances and results weren't good enough. Callum McFarlane, who, well, a couple of years ago, was working in the academy and has already been interim head coach once post-Moresca. Anyway, he's been put in charge for the rest of the season. First game, Wembley, not a bad start for him. And I just want to know, I've got so many views on this. I've been writing about this for, it seems, an eternity. I know Liam interviewed him at Derby, interviewed at Hull. I don't think he's the complete problem at Chelsea.

1:27But look, you called it immediately. You thought it would be less than six and a half months. What's your immediate take on it, Christian?

1:36Henry:well it doesn't give me any pleasure whatever for you to remind me of that but um you know sometimes you're always pinning me on giving opinions and we don't want to be wise after the event and i'll get many wrong and sometimes they're really finely balanced but i said that because i genuinely don't think that was a difficult conclusion to draw i felt it was a very very uh i thought it was a reckless appointment actually of somebody who was massively inexperienced and unqualified for a club of this magnitude. And he was doing very nicely, working his way up the coaching pyramid in Strasbourg in their own club.

2:16Henry:And I think it was a terrible mistake to take him away from that, where he was doing extremely well and chucking him into this big job. So that's the way it's gone. Why now? Look, I think, you know, you always get me on the money and the money here is pretty meaningful. Okay. I think that, you know, you told me last night on the text, it was a terrible performance at Brighton. And I certainly had text people wondering whether they'd win another game. There are five teams within three points of them in the Premier League with a game in hand. So even, you know, you don't have to be a doomsayer to have them 12th by the weekend.

2:56Henry:And every point is three million pounds in a club where we highlighted in our show last week. That could be£15 to£18 million off the cash, off the revenue, and off of the squad cost rule calculation. That is so meaningful. They simply must have concluded there was a real risk to their finishing position. And of course, that would also mean being out of Europe completely. And even a Conference League deep run can be£20 million. A Europa League run can be£30 to£35 million. So big money at stake. They must have concluded there was real risk. From a boardroom perspective, when you hear certain players mouthing off, and I've got no sympathy for the players in this, I think they've been an absolute embarrassment to the shirt, embarrassment to the employers and also an embarrassment to the outgoing coach, Liam Rossini.

3:50I think, you know, whatever you think of him, you should work harder. But the fact that Enzo Fernandez came out and spoke and almost had a critical of the club, Kukurea basically said that he was surprised that Maresca left. Do you think those vibes from the dressing room, you could see it in their body language last night, they didn't look like they were playing for Liam Rossini. It didn't even look like they were playing anywhere near for the shirt, as the fans pointed out to them. I agree. Do you think that would have been a deciding or an element in the decision in that there was clear disconnect between players and head coach?

4:27Henry:Yes, I felt that both the Cucurella and Fernandes quotes in that break were fatal moments. I could not see it working from that moment on because for different reasons, and you at the time were more respectful of Cucurella's comments than Fernandes's, but in some total for me, two such important players for different reasons, really making it quite clear that they thought that they did not approve of the removal of Maresca. By implication, we're not having Liam. And that is fatal for any manager, but a really young manager that just undermined him. And I think that was the beginning of the end.

5:14Henry:So I am struck actually by a phrase in the press release, which you sent me. And that is this notion of reflection. What was the exact words? Self-reflection. Self-reflection. They've got a hyphen in. So congratulations to Chelsea for that, because hyphens are fairly real. Yeah, well, Steve Atkins is really good at punctuation. Good. Yeah, ex-foreign office, so he should be. Yes, exactly, exactly. So I think that soul-searching will throw up, I think. Soul-searching now, we talked about a mid-course correction a couple of weeks ago. So owners 4.4 billion in on this massive project, having bought, you know, having bought a club, multiple title winning club under the previous ownership and under their ownership, the current club world champions.

6:07Henry:Four years in, those soul-searching questions, I think, begin with what sort of profile of manager does that level of club require to be operating at the elite end of Premier League and European football? And that relates very closely to the second question, which is what kind of management structure fits a club of that profile and will enable us to work with the appropriate level of manager? And that leads to the third piece of the puzzle. And I think that sequence is relevant. And that is, have we got the balance right in terms of our squad management and planning strategy? by which I mean, as you pointed out very clearly in our last chat about Chelsea, a question mark as to whether they have the right balance between experience and youth.

7:00Henry:Those are the three questions they need to answer. Those are the three questions they will be seeking to address in this period of self-reflection. and only when they've got sensible answers to those questions can they go out and fix them. And that means making decisions on whether they need to change the executive office here in some way, shape or form or certainly the way the executive office interacts with the player manager, the player's manager, and then they can figure out who the coach should be and who they're going to recruit this summer. That's how I see the phrase self-reflection playing out.

7:36CP, I think we need to help them out and let's give them some reflections of our own. And I think the first thing they have to look at, I mean, as self-reflection does what it says on the tin, they have to look at themselves. They've got to look at themselves in the mirror and think, as you absolutely rightly said last week and reiterated today, they need some more grown-ups, not simply within the club, within the team, within the dressing room, in the dugout. They need some more grown-ups actually in the boardroom to give them some guidance. I can't remember two such successful individuals in their own sphere coming into football and looking like Laurel and Hardy.

8:11I just think they've been an absolute embarrassment to themselves and the people that they're representing. These are intelligent individuals. These are the people, A, you know and rub shoulders with. You know their types. And they've just, I don't know what advice they're getting, whether they're listening to it, whether they think, oh, we can swan into English football and impose our own ways of doing things. The fans have seen through it. They don't want it. Some of them want Blue Co. out. We've seen the protests on that. So that's number one. They have to have a little bit of self-reflection.

8:39The self-reflection, I'm sure they've got mirrors in the Stanford Bridge dressing room. I've been in there and I've seen them. And I hope the players are actually looking at them because they've let the fans down. OK, fans will always be there. Players will come and go. It's a contract. It's a financial contract for them. But there should be some emotional connection with them. And they should actually be going out and playing harder for the team. So I think Liam Rossini will go away. He will lick his wounds. He will come back because he's a good coach. Echoes of Frank Lampard. Different level.

9:14But Frank Lampard obviously went away and look what he's done. He's coming back into the game. Very good point. Like a conquering hero. Just to finish up on this, I just think that they have to look at the position of head coach slash manager and actually appoint this time, appoint someone experienced.

9:33Henry:Well, I thought you'd say that and you put it really well in our Chelsea episode. No, I don't disagree. I'm a big beast kind of guy. I was lucky enough in my three years at Chelsea to have two years of Jose Mourinho and one year of Antonio Conte and two league titles speak for themselves. So, you know, I think that's what this club really needs. But I can't see that working in this structure. Two obvious big beasts, you know, coming out of the World Cup this summer, Tuchel and Pochettino. I've already been at Chelsea. One lasted about 10 days and one at the end of a pretty decent first season.

10:14Henry:made it quite clear he couldn't work within that structure. And that's my point about self-reflection. Unless that structure changed meaningfully, then they are more or less ruling themselves out of being able to attract a big beast. By the way, that's made even harder by the fact, and this was why I was so critical of the original appointment of Liam, that basically at that time, they were smack bang in the frame with Manchester United for that top five, which was always going to get you a Champions League slot this year. The coefficient position was clear really early, to be frank. And they have seriously blown Champions League qualification and the£100 million or euros that can be worth to a club.

10:58Henry:So that also has the adverse impact of making them much less attractive to a real big beast. And some of the other names, perhaps one level down, the Eriolas of this world, I don't know what you're hearing. I'm getting the sense people think he's going to build. Bauer, what's your view? Absolutely. Unclear. And why would an intelligent man like him go and work in a structure like that? So let's rewind. Do you think they should get rid of the structure? I think they need a more qualified football person managing the relationship with the manager. and whether that's, you know, a CEO with football experience or a sporting director who has worked at the elite level.

11:42Henry:They do, but look what we were talking about, you know, look at Arsenal. They go and get a guy who's for 10 years at Atletico Madrid, winning titles, European trophies, and working hand in glove with the highest paid, most powerful coach in world football, Diego Simeone. That is a profile of sporting director who any manager would be happy to work alongside. And with the greatest respect to Chelsea's two to five sporting directors, that is less obvious to me. So those two positions, CEO and or sporting director, just need a bit of football squirted into the equation. And then as to profile of managers, yes, and now it's going to be very difficult to get big beasts because of the Champions League issue.

12:28Henry:I think they need to get that balance between quality or earned authority, that great US military phrase, meaning to have authority, you've got to show to the people below you that you earned it, that you've done it, been there before you're asking them to do it. And in football, a former great player who's also a good coach has massive earned authority. And so I said it last week. I'm going to repeat it again. I look at the runners and riders and for various reasons, I think somebody like a Fabregas who's been at the club, been a title winner in the club, hugely respected international footballer, who's an up-and-coming coach, might well be happy to cut his teeth back in the Europa League, maybe in the Conference League, because obviously it's a huge step up from a Como to a Chelsea.

13:21Henry:I think you'd have a shot at getting somebody like him. And I think he'd have instant authority and represents a nice balance between, you know, a real big beast and frankly, somebody who is just not suitably qualified for the job. So that's kind of where I think they may end up looking, that sort of profile. He's not the only one out there, but that's where I see them ending up. I mean I've had the privilege of interviewing Cesc Fabregas in his pomp as a player and he basically talked like he played there was a lot of thought behind it very measured, incisive when he needed to be he will look at this situation and think my career is actually developing quite nicely at Como do I really need to go into this madhouse which has already chewed up one promising young coach we can talk about Liam Wissini's flaws and some of the things he said and maybe some of his tactics and in-game management and things like that, and probably Cesc Fabregas, as you're alluding to, is superior on that front.

14:21But isn't this going to be going down the same inexperienced path and another promising young coach get chewed up? He's too bright to walk into an office like that, isn't he?

14:32Henry:You might be right. I've got no axe to grind. I just think it's a really tricky equation to solve because of this crystal clear signaling in the wake of the Tuchel and Pochettino appointments not working, that this ownership group believe in a model which is more sporting director and strategy-led than manager-led. And that does rule out those dyed-in-the-wool, tier-one coaches, managers, who are used to running the whole of the football operation at the club they run. You know, the epitome of which would be, in our league, Aguardiola. Now, very much more so, Arteta at Arsenal, Unai Emery at Aston Villa, Diego Simeone out at Atletico.

15:30Henry:So that model of manager, Thomas Tuchel, wanted it, made it clear he wanted it, thought he was in a strong position having already delivered for Chelsea, didn't last very long at all. So I don't think we should speculate about their views on that profile of manager. They made it quite clear it isn't their cup of tea. I think at this moment in time when they talk about self-reflection, it's possible they might be willing to modify their principles and convictions in that respect. And if they do, my point is a simple one, it will broaden the category of manager that they could attract. I would love to see Jose Mourinho back in there because I think he would knock some football sense into them.

16:19I think the fans would absolutely love it. Can you imagine this? Look, he's embedded in Portugal now and I can't see them getting out. Look, you work with him, but can you imagine, and remember this was a manager who at Tottenham Hotspur was denied a shot at Wembley on the eve of a final. Can you imagine if Jose Mourinho walked into training at Cobham tomorrow morning, the reaction of the players, the reaction of the fans when he strode out in the sunshine against Leeds. Leeds, remember, this is a feisty old 70s and more recent. One of the great rivalries, yeah. You know, I mean, I just think this club needs some grown-ups in the building.

16:56Henry:I think that's a really interesting idea. I'm biased because I think he's fantastic. He's a mate of yours, isn't he? Well, I worked with him at Chelsea on his second time when he came back. And in that first season, it was wonderful. Interestingly, you know, he worked very well with, you know, the owner and his technical direction team, Michael Emanalo, etc. Jose's not somebody who is a problem in that respect. You know, he obviously does his finest work on and around the training ground, on the field of play, in-game, pre-game. Has strong views on the kind of players he wants and doesn't want.

17:44Henry:but he's not a problem in respect of the classical European management structure. And yeah, I bet he would love, I mean, talk about a news story. Talk about a news story. God, Jose coming back third time around. Personally, it'd be absolutely fantastic. Can't quite see him being the sort of person that Badadabali and Todd Boley would relish managing from a start point here where it's gone so wrong. I'd love to be wrong on that, and I love your style in pushing it. But as I say, my considered view is I sort of expect them to find a hybrid between a big name who will have authority, but an up-and-comer who will be willing to accept a lower level of power and, crucially, is willing to have a season out of the Champions League, which the A-list almost demands now as the start point for taking these big jobs.

18:48Henry:Yeah, that's my take. But listen, if they're lucky enough to have a short list of names that include Jose Mourinho and Cesc Fabregas, both willing to discuss the move, then I think a lot of Chelsea fans will say, we'll have a bit of that. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it is going to be fascinating at the weekend and good luck to Callum McFarlane. You want to see young coaches given a chance, but Chelsea is just their ambushes at every corner in that club. And the final thing I'll say on it, because I like Liam Rossini, I want to see homegrown coaches do well. When he was leaving the pitch at the Amex last night, how many people from the club, from Chelsea, and they're good people at Chelsea.

19:35We can argue about the state of the individuals in the boardroom, but they're good people at Chelsea. How many of them actually went and checked on Liam Rossini? Are you all right? Because it was brutal. Because he must have known what was coming his way. And for it to be at the Amex, at Brighton, where he finished a good playing career, where he started his coaching career, assistant to the under-23s, there's very much a holistic approach, a compassionate approach. They care about individuals. They want to nurture them. And look, I've been writing about this all day. And one of the things that I concluded was actually Chelsea Football Club have taken so many players.

20:14They've even taken managers from Brighton. Maybe they want to take a little bit of their culture too. Anyway, Christian, you have been Nostradamus on this. And the only thing I can predict is that there'll be more madness to get you off your sun lounger tomorrow. So keep your phone on, mate.

20:29Henry:We'll see you next time. Cheers. Cheers. ahl