Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has criticised Chelsea’s owners and players after the club announced the dismissal of manager Liam Rosenior after just three months in charge.
A club statement announced the sacking of Rosenior just a day after a dismal 3-0 loss to Brighton in the Premier League left their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League hanging by a thread.
It was the final game on a record run of poor form that has produced five league losses in a row without scoring for the first time since 1912, and now first team coach Calum McFarlane will take charge of the club as interim head coach until the end of the season.
Pundits reacted with a mix of surprise and sympathy for Rosenior in the aftermath of the decision, and Neville was the latest to defend the Englishman while criticising the club’s ownership.
“I am not shocked that Liam is leaving the club. I am shocked he is leaving today, I thought at the end of the season it probably would happen,” said Neville on Sky Sports.
“I don’t think it is a reflection on Liam [Rosenior] at all. He will be disappointed with that [losing games]. I think it is time for the owners, sporting directors and players to reflect on their role in terms of what’s happened in the last few weeks.
“The coach always takes the hit, they know they’re the ones who get sacked. It’s easier to move a coach out than it is to move 25 players, owners are never going to sack ourselves, and sporting directors aren’t likely to either.
“The owners are getting it really badly wrong there, let’s be clear. I said at the time, they’ve got a group of talented players, you’ve got an ownership that’s relatively young two or three years in, and you need some experience somewhere in the club,” he explained.
“The results have not been good enough, but come on. [Marc] Cucurella and [Enzo] Fernandez stitching him up in the last few weeks and saying they love Maresca,” said Neville, referring to comments made by the experienced duo.
”This policy at Chelsea, I don’t really see it. These six-year, eight-year agreements that you see, it’s laughable from the start, whether it be for a manager or a player. The owners haven’t got a clue what they’re doing,” he added.
And while Rosenior has been at the helm for a record run of poor results in his last five games, Neville jumped to his defence, stating that the 41-year-old “should get on with his life tomorrow”.
“Pretend the last 107 days never happened, go and get another job at a club you can trust, and leave the mess that exists at Chelsea behind.
“They’re all over the place. I just don’t get it really. You deserve what you get in football. It’s a reflection on them, not the coach. You don’t turn down a job like that, but he just needs to put it behind him as quickly as you possibly can.
“The fans will be disgusted by the way that this is gone. The way in which it’s happened, it’s just not right. It’s a reflection upon you [the owners] when you get it wrong,” he added.
