Liam Rosenior's tenure as Chelsea manager is now over. On Wednesday, the 41 year old was sacked in news that surely surprised no one. His final game in charge was Tuesday's 3-0 annihilation at the hands of Brighton, the Blues' fifth successive Premier League defeat, all without scoring, their worst run for 114 years.
After moving from BlueCo's other operation Strasbourg in January, Rosenior signed a six-and-a-half year deal, but lasted a measly 106 days in the role. Of course, Chelsea fans are quite accustom to seeing managers come and go, but where does Rosenior rank among the club's shortest-serving bosses?
Chelsea's shortest-serving managers (excluding caretakers and interims)
Managers | Tenure | Days | Matches | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Liam Rosenior | 2026 | 106 | 23 | 48% |
Ron Suart | 1974/75 | 195 | 35 | 20% |
Graham Potter | 2022/23 | 206 | 31 | 39% |
Luiz Felipe Scolari | 2008/09 | 223 | 36 | 56% |
André Villas-Boas | 2011/12 | 247 | 40 | 50% |
Roberto Di Matteo | 2012 | 261 | 42 | 60% |
Danny Blanchflower | 1978/79 | 271 | 30 | 17% |
Maurizio Sarri | 2018/19 | 351 | 63 | 63% |
Mauricio Pochettino | 2023/24 | 365 | 51 | 53% |
Ken Shellito | 1977/78 | 524 | 66 | 23% |
Enzo Maresca | 2024/26 | 549 | 92 | 60% |
Unsurprisingly, Liam Rosenior shattered the record for the shortest-serving Chelsea manager of all-time, beating Ron Suart's long-standing record by around three months. In fact, even Guus Hiddink's two interim stints, in 2009 and 2016, both lasted longer than Rosenior's disastrous tenure.
Across 23 matches at the helm, the Englishman suffered ten defeats. His predecessor Enzo Maresca, who was sacked on New Year's Day, lost only 21 times, but this came across 92 matches in the job. In fact, even though Roman Abramovich became infamous for hiring and firing managers with greater regularity than anyone in English football had ever seen, BlueCo have taken this to a whole new level.
Of the top 11 Chelsea managers with the shortest tenures, four have come and gone since Clearlake Capital's takeover just four years ago, namely Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Maresca and now Rosenior. So, what next? Well, as he did for two games in January, Calum McFarlane will take caretaker charge for the remainder of the season, with plenty of crucial fixtures still to come.
Chelsea's remaining fixtures
- Sunday 26 April: Leeds United - Wembley. FA Cup semi-final. Kick off 3pm.
- Monday 4 May. Nottingham Forest - Stamford Bridge. Kick off 3pm.
- Saturday 9 May. Liverpool - Anfield. Kick off 12:30pm.
- Saturday 16 May. Possible FA Cup Final vs Manchester City or Southampton. Kick off 3pm.
- Sunday 17 May. Tottenham Hotspur - Stamford Bridge. Will be rearranged if Chelsea reach the FA Cup Final.
- Sunday 24 May. Sunderland - Stadium of Light. Kick off 4pm.
While Chelsea's Champions League hopes may be all but over, the Blues are in danger of not qualifying for European competition at all, having slid down to eighth. Should they remain there, UEFA Conference League football could be returning to the King's Road in August, to little fanfare.
Before their next league fixture, McFarlane will lead his side out at Wembley on Sunday for an FA Cup semi-final against fierce rivals Leeds. Considering Daniel Farke's side have lost only two of 13 matches since the start of February, taking four points off Chelsea in the league this season, Leeds will more than fancy their chances of a famous victory.
Should the Blues lose this semi-final and miss out on a top-five finish, the anger towards BlueCo's seemingly clueless ownership will only increase, with Rosenior's over-promotion and quick departure a microcosm of this.
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