Rosenior Utilising The Opportunity To Continue His Coaching Education

Derby County’s Liam Rosenior has revealed he is utilising the unexpected break to continue to learn and develop as a coach.

Rosenior, 35, joined manager Phillip Cocu’s coaching staff as Specialist First Team Coach last summer.

His role with the Rams is his first in a first-team environment since retiring from professional football in 2018.

Upon hanging up his boots he took up a coaching role with Brighton’s Under-23s, which accompanied his media commitments with Sky Sports.

The outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has provided a drastic change in everyone’s way of life in recent weeks as the battle to control the spread of the virus continues.

Strict new curbs on life in the United Kingdom to tackle the spread of the virus were announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in March, encouraging people to stay at home unless it is essential to travel.

Johnson is due to provide an update on Sunday to the country on the plans for the future.

The football season across most countries in the world has come to a halt and the football authorities have collectively agreed that the professional game in England will not resume until it is safe to resume.

Cocu’s side were last in action two months ago, on Sunday 8th March, when they defeated Blackburn Rovers 3-0 at Pride Park Stadium.

Derby’s players have had to keep themselves in shape at home and following exercise programmes to ensure they are primed and ready to go for when the time comes that football can be played again.

For Rosenior, it has been an opportunity to watch games – both Derby and other teams – and coaching sessions online in order to remain in tune with the game he clearly loves.

Watching Derby’s matches back, weeks and months on, as allowed him to take in the good and bad both objectively and without any emotion.

“I’ve been watching lots of football,” Rosenior told RamsTV in an interview as part of the recently launched project named ‘Stay Safe. Stay Fit. Stay Connected.’

“I love watching football and I am a football geek; all I want to do is watch football and learn.

“Apart from spending time with my wife, daughters and our dog, and also speaking to my family, I have been watching football, studying and trying to improve.

“I am very fortunate that my job is my hobby and my passion. Watching games, watching players, watching different teams play, and also watching our matches back, has given me a really nice focus.

“That’s kept me going and staying in tune with the game keeps me happy. That’s what I love to do.”

“I’ve been on YouTube watching other coaches sessions, I’ve watched other teams that I really respect and also different styles of play to try and take things from everything.”

He added: “I love watching Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, and also Liverpool and Manchester City too. I think you can learn from the best.

“When you’re working week-in-week-out in the Championship you are concentrating very much on your own team and how you can improve.

“What has been really nice is, without the pressure of Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday games, I’ve been able to watch us back a bit more objectively and without emotion.”

On top of maintaining his personal development and staying tuned in by watching matches and coaching sessions, Rosenior has also been regularly watching individual players.

Whether that be a player on Derby’s books already, or an individual elsewhere who may be a future transfer target, Rosenior feels it’s important for the Rams to be ahead of the curve for when the time comes for football to resume in the future.

He said: “There’s always plenty to do be doing in the job I have and analysing a lot.

“I’ve been working a lot with the recruitment team because the market is going to be so different when we get back to football, so we need to try and be ahead of the curve and other teams and understand what we can and can’t do.

“I’ve watched our own players, to see how we can improve them, and also players we have discussed. There’s so much you can do.”

Rosenior, and the rest of Derby’s coaching team, have remained in close contact with the players.

Remaining in dialogue and conversation, from a professional and personal aspect, is something Rosenior values highly.

“I’ve also spoken to all the players, calling them twice now,” Rosenior explained.

“It’s been amazing to speak to them and had some long conversations and it’s important to remain in contact and letting them know we’re thinking of them and their family.”

On the work Derby’s players have been given whilst at home, Rosenior added: “The players have been given their fitness programmes and we are able to see their statistics and all of them have gone beyond what we have asked them to do.

“That shows the motivation, and good players, we have within the group.”