Far from the driver of Chelsea’s decline, Liam Rosenior is mere collateral damage of the disastrous BlueCo era

So now Liam Rosenior ’s LinkedIn profile requires updating. The manager given the cruel moniker of ‘LinkedIn Liam’ may struggle to spin a three-and-a-half month spell at Chelsea into a learning experience that leaves him ready for his next challenge. Rather, it must have been a horribly bruising experience.

Rosenior did not even enter the last five years of his five-and-a-half year contract at Stamford Bridge . Though not the shortest managerial tenure in his family, after his father Leroy's 10 minutes in charge of Torquay in 2007, his 23-game reign gave him the shortest tenure of any supposedly permanent head coach in Chelsea history. The risk is the permanent element is the harm done to Rosenior.

Chelsea’s surrender at Brighton, coupled with their tactical incoherence as he switched to a 3-5-2 formation, amounted to an advertisement for change. His own verdict – “indefensible” and “unacceptable” – highlighted his inability to get a performance from his players. His team failed to make a tackle in the first half hour, went a fifth straight league game without scoring and, after being on course for Champions League qualification, could now get a bottom-half finish.

Chelsea confirm approach to finding new manager after Rosenior sacked - live And yet Rosenior merits sympathy. He can be seen as an architect of Chelsea’s slide. It may be more accurate to see him as a victim of their owners’ incompetence and arrogance.