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Liam Rosenior has been the subject of plenty of jokes since being appointed Chelsea head coach but he is not focused on the outside noise
Liam Rosenior is keen to let his results do the talking as the Chelsea head coach insisted he is not fazed by some of the online ridicule aimed his way since his appointment.
The 41-year-old has been the centre of online mockery since being appointed Blues head coach just over a month ago. Some people have been poking fun at Rosenior over some of his quotes and mannerisms - and, to his own admission, did not help himself with a poor first touch on the touchline in the defeat to Arsenal last week.
Rosenior's children have made him aware of the jokes online but it is something he fully expected when replacing Enzo Maresca at Chelsea.
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"Like I said before, the reason I know this is because I've got teenage children," said Rosenior. "They're on social media. It affects them. It affects my parents, it affects my family.
"But I knew walking into this job it was going to happen. It's normal. So for me, when you're prepared for it, it makes you smile. I'm a confident person. And if you're affected by things like that, you shouldn't be in this job.
"There's no way you can do this job if you're affected negatively by it. I quite enjoy it, to be honest. You know, I didn't help myself with my first touch at Arsenal [laughs].
"But that comes with the territory. I'm enjoying the job, I'm enjoying the everyday work that I do. And I know in time people will start judging me on what they see on the pitch, which is the most important thing."
Rosenior's start to life at the Blues cannot be mocked. In his opening nine matches as head coach, the former Strasbourg head coach has won seven of them - with his only two defeats coming against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
A young, British manager being given a chance in the Premier League at one of the biggest clubs in the country is something that should be celebrated. The non-stop mockery of Rosenior feels bizarre.
Some perhaps had a predetermined opinion on Rosenior before he arrived at Stamford Bridge. With Rosenior already being a big part of the BlueCo model having spent almost 18 months at Strasbourg, many held the opinion that he would be a 'yes man' to satisfy the west London club's ownership group.
Rosenior refused to answer a question relating to this country's culture and if that had anything to do with his treatment.
"I'm not going to go into that [if it's something to do with this country's culture]," said Rosenior. "People make their own judgements on people before they meet them. That's part of life."
"I don't know if you're trying to lead me to say anything," replied Rosenior when asked more about the mockery. "It doesn't affect me. I've been prepared to do this job for years, for decades, and I knew what would come with it. And it actually doesn't affect me at all, because I know the focus is doing the job and enjoying it.
"I love this job, I'm enjoying it. I'm not afraid to say, I'm not afraid to be myself. If I wear glasses, if I sound a little bit over the top when I speak, or articulate myself in a certain way, or I don't look like a manager, it doesn't bother me at all."
He added: "[It's] maybe my background and my coaching and being at a club the size of this is different. It's different. I'm not a massive name. I'm from a different type of club and have a different type of character."
Chelsea take on Leeds United this evening at Stamford Bridge with Rosenior looking to continue his 100% record in the Premier League in his fifth game in charge.
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