Neville Blasts BlueCo Over Rosenior Sacking, Points Finger at Chelsea Pair

Gary Neville has launched a scathing attack on Chelsea's BlueCo ownership following their decision to part ways with Liam Rosenior on Wednesday, whilst also taking aim at two experienced squad members he believes conspired against the 41-year-old boss.

Rosenior's tenure came to an abrupt end after Chelsea surrendered five straight Premier League matches without finding the back of the net. With the club now languishing seven points adrift of Liverpool and Champions League football in fifth place, interim boss Calum McFarlane will take the helm for a second spell of the campaign ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final clash against Leeds.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Neville defended Rosenior's credentials but reserved his harshest words for both the club's hierarchy and a pair of key players. He accused Cucurella and Fernandez—arguably Chelsea's only truly seasoned operators—of undermining the manager by publicly expressing their preference for predecessor Enzo Maresca, despite their own inconsistent performances.

"The results haven't been adequate," Neville explained. "When that happens, a manager gets the chop. But Cucurella and Fernandez, experienced professionals, stitched him up by making clear they fancied Maresca, even though they weren't exactly setting the world alight under him either."

Neville went on to deliver a withering assessment of Chelsea's entire operational structure, describing their long-term contract strategy as "almost laughable from the start." He suggested the ownership "haven't got a clue what they're doing," whilst acknowledging his own mistakes as an owner but emphasising the importance of accepting responsibility.

"They're all over the place," he continued. "This is on them, not on a coach who probably shouldn't have been thrust into the role as quickly as he was. He's a promising young manager who should have been allowed to develop his career properly. You can't turn down Chelsea, but the reality now is he needs to move forward and put this behind him as rapidly as possible."

Neville expressed surprise at the timing of Rosenior's departure, having anticipated the club might retain him through to the end of the season given his six-year contract. He stressed that the manager's departure reflected poorly on the club's decision-makers rather than Rosenior himself, and predicted Chelsea's supporters would be thoroughly dismayed by recent events.

"I'm not shocked he's going," Neville said. "I'm shocked it's happening now. I reckoned they'd stick with him until summer after handing him that six-year deal. This isn't on Liam—he's lost plenty of matches lately and he'll be gutted about that. But the owners, the sporting directors, and these players need to have a long hard look in the mirror about what's occurred."

He concluded by lamenting the club's overall composition, noting that whilst Chelsea possess talented youngsters and relatively inexperienced sporting directors, the ownership group itself is equally green—having only been in charge for two or three years. "You need some seasoned heads somewhere in the building," Neville remarked.