Tomorrow night Chelsea take on Hull City in the FA Cup, providing the perfect opportunity to look back on Liam Rogniel’s tenure as Tigers manager.
Nizar Kinsella had a great chat with the former vice-president of the club who appointed Roniol:
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“I remember telling [Hull owner] Acun Ilicali: We are talking to top international coaches, but this young coach has something special,” Kessler said.
“Akon comes from the entertainment industry and he owns the rights to reality TV shows like The Voice and Survivor. I told him Liam could get into the limelight by giving him a chance.
“Liam spoke well and we hope he can apply his ideas. Finally, during our first coffee, I asked him where he sees himself in five years’ time.
“Knowing that the life of a Champions League coach is short, I wanted to see if he was pragmatic or really ambitious. He said: ‘I see myself coaching in the Champions League’. We took risks – calculated risks, not crazy risks.”
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This is certainly in line with the ambition we’ve seen from Ronnie Orr.
Ronnie Orr’s skills in communicating with young players
Liam Rosenior trains with Moises Caicedo. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea Football Club)
What we really liked was Akun’s message about how and why Ronnie Orr is so good at connecting with young players.
“Liam focuses on communication and saying what he needs to say in a very short period of time. This is crucial for a young player with a short attention span.”
This is some real insight and we can see it already playing out at Chelsea.
In other news…
Liam Delap’s summer move to Chelsea has been criticized by Jamie Carragher, who said it was a mistake for the striker to go somewhere where regular playing time has always been difficult to come by.
Bart Verbruggen has been heavily linked with a big-money move to Chelsea this summer, but for a number of reasons we simply can’t see it happening.
