Liam Rosenior says he is not “scared” of the challenge that awaits him at Chelsea and insists he will be his own man.
Rosenior’s appointment as head coach was confirmed on Tuesday and he succeeds Enzo Maresca in the hotseat.
Maresca was sacked after a breakdown in relations with the club’s board and continues a modern trend of coaches being dismissed after getting on the wrong side of senior figures at clubs.
Having been brought in from Strasbourg, a club also owned by BlueCo, there are fears Rosenior could be a patsy for Chelsea’s sporting leadership team but the 41-year-old insisted he will do things his way.
He said: ”I don’t think it is possible to be in this job and not be your own man. I understand, I am not an alien and I know what is being said in the press, but there is no way you can be a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself.
“We have had huge success at Strasbourg and I intend to work the same way here.”
Chelsea boss Rosenior – the pressure is there from day one
The former Hull boss will be under instant pressure to get results, starting tomorrow night when Chelsea go to Charlton in the third round of the FA Cup.
He added: ”I think the [general] turnover of managers now is huge. The pressure is there from day one and if I wasn’t willing to take on that pressure and privilege I wouldn’t be here.
“I am looking forward to it. I can’t wait for tomorrow night. The players and staff have been nothing but supportive and made me feel at home.
“If you are scared or fearful there is no point being a coach. I am going to work 24 hours a day. I am going to push them to try and be successful.”
‘To win you cannot be nice all the time’
Interim boss Calum McFarlane led the team for Wednesday night’s 2-1 defeat at Fulham, a result influenced by Marc Cucurella’s first-half dismissal, Chelsea’s fifth red card this season. The setback saw Chelsea slip to eighth in the Premier League table.
Asked if discipline was a concern, Rosenior said: “It is one of the few things that we can improve on. I know how we do that. I have spoken to the players about managing setbacks.
“They show passion and emotion for the shirt. It is making sure in key moments we react positively to setbacks, but I think mistakes come from passion and I don’t want to take that out of them.
“To win you cannot be nice all the time, you have to have an edge and I don’t want to take that away from the lads.”