Liam Rosenior given brutal secret nickname as Chelsea players branded ‘bunch of wrong’uns’ for downing tools

Apr 23, 2026 - 09:30

Liam Rosenior was nicknamed a ‘substitute teacher’ by a senior player at Chelsea, talkSPORT understands.

On Wednesday, just 106 days after his appointment, the Blues sacked Rosenior following a run of seven defeats in eight matches.

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior. — Rosenior was sacked after less than four months at Chelsea

The dismal 3-0 defeat at Brighton the night before meant they have lost five consecutive league matches without scoring.

Chelsea have not endured as bad a run of form since 1912, and most of the players’ performances signalled they had lost faith in Rosenior.

Having arrrived from French club Strasbourg with a good reputation for his team’s style of play, it quickly went wrong for the 41-year-old, who tore into his players publicly after the loss to Brighton.

The opposition fans mocked him, which comes on the back of reports of his own players laughing behind his back and calling him a substitute teacher.

Vice-captain Enzo Fernandez talked up a possible move away and on talkSPORT, Sport Breakfast co-host Gabby Agbonlahor took issue with some of the players for downing of tools having produced such a dismal string of results, with an FA Cup semi-final next up.

“The way they were playing against Brighton, the way Chelsea, as a football club, were feeling after the game, Leeds would have beat them comfortably if there wasn’t a change.

“I feel that Liam Rosenior is a great coach, I really do. He was minding his own business at Strasbourg, doing a very good job, maybe at the level that he was at that time.

“Any one of us, if Chelsea call you would have said, ‘Of course. £24million contract, I’m guaranteed £4m if you sack me? Okay, yeah, 100 per cent, I get to come home’.

“He said that himself, his family are still in the London area, he gets to come home and be close to his family, no-brainer. Did he go about his time at Chelsea wrong? I think he did.

“The way he spoke, ‘respect the ball’, the huddle, the way he spoke to the media with all the big words that weren’t needed, yes, I think he went about it wrong.

Graphic of Liam Rosenior record at Chelsea. — He lost almost half of his matches in all competitions

“But, what I will say, is some of these players are absolute wrong’uns. The way that they downed tools on this manager… loads of them.

“When the going gets tough, and it was four games without scoring, four defeats in a row before Brighton, it’s amazing how certain players start to get injured.

“Cole Palmer, where are you? In the stands. Joao Pedro, in the stands. Did the physio say that you’re likely to get a little strain if you play against Brighton? ‘I’ll sit this one out.'”

Agbonlahor also took aim at Alejandro Garnacho, who has been one of a number of disappointing signings with one goal in 24 league appearances and could be sold this summer.

“I don’t want these players to get away with it. I feel that people will mock Liam Rosenior and say he was this, and he wrote on his notepad and he came out with these sayings.

“But let’s look at some of these players. Alejandro Garnacho, he’s got the ego of Cristiano Ronaldo but the ability of David Bellion who used to be at Manchester United 20 years ago.”