Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior insists he is not afraid to be himself, despite fans continuing to poke fun at him on social media.
Seven wins from his first nine games in charge have not stopped mockery from appearing online, taking aim at everything from his mannerisms and press conference remarks to his poor ball control on the touchline during defeat at Arsenal.
The former Hull and Strasbourg boss is not on social media and said he only knows about the jokes via his teenage children, but he accepted it as an inevitable reaction to being a surprise choice for a high-profile appointment.
“I’m not a massive name,” he said. “I’ve come from a different type of club. I’m a different type of character.
Rosenior has been dubbed “LinkedIn Liam” for some of his answers to questions from the media and has also been likened to Will McKenzie, the nerdy lead character from The Inbetweeners.
“I’m not afraid to be myself,” he said. “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: “The reason I know is because I’ve got teenage children,” he said. “They’re on social media. It affects them, it affects my parents and my family. But I knew walking in to this job it was going to happen. It’s normal.
“When you’re prepared for it, it makes you smile. I’m a confident person. If you’re affected by things like that, you shouldn’t be in this job.
“I quite enjoy it, to be honest. I didn’t help myself with my first touch at Arsenal. But it comes with the territory. I know in time people will start judging me by what they see on the pitch.
Chelsea defender Reece James is a doubt to face Leeds on Tuesday due to illness.
Head coach Liam Rosenior revealed the right-back is fit, but was unwell on Monday after missing the last two matches.
“Reece is fit,” said Rosenior. “A small issue is that he’s feeling unwell today. It’s no conspiracy, it’s the truth.
“Hopefully, he’ll be feeling well enough to be involved in tomorrow’s game.”
Andrey Santos trained on Monday after picking up a knock against Wolves on Saturday while centre-back Tosin was also back involved.
Romeo Lavia is working back to full fitness having trained during the last two days.
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