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Leroy Rosenior
MBE
Personal information
Full name	Leroy De Graft Rosenior
Date of birth	24 August 1964 (age 60)
Place of birth	London, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s)	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team
1982–1985	Fulham
1985–1987	Queens Park Rangers
1987–1988	Fulham
1988–1992	West Ham United
1990–1991	→ Fulham (loan)
1991–1992	→ Charlton Athletic (loan)
1992–1994	Bristol City
1994–1996	Fleet Town
1996–1998	Gloucester City
Total
International career
	England U16
	England U21
1993	Sierra Leone
Managerial career
1996–1998	Gloucester City
2001–2002	Merthyr Tydfil
2002–2006	Torquay United
2006	Brentford
2007	Sierra Leone
2007	Torquay United
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Leroy De Graft Rosenior MBE (born 24 August 1964) is a football coach and pundit. He is a former footballer whose clubs included Fulham, Queens Park Rangers (for whom he appeared as a substitute in the 1986 League Cup Final), Bristol City and West Ham United. Rosenior represented his birthplace England as a youth international, before formally switching to represent the Sierra Leone national football team.

Rosenior has managed clubs including Gloucester City, Merthyr Tydfil, Torquay United, Brentford and was assistant to Gary Peters at Shrewsbury Town.

Playing career

Club career

Rosenior was a striker for most of his career although towards the end of his playing days at Gloucester City he also turned out at centre-back, even in goal in a match against Kingstonian. He started at Fulham, also playing for Queens Park Rangers, West Ham United, Charlton Athletic, Bristol City and Fleet Town.

International career

He played for England at Under-16 and Under-21 levels but later changed allegiance to represent the Sierra Leone national team.^[3] In total he gained one cap for Sierra Leone, it came in the form of a 1994 African Nations Cup qualifying game versus Togo in Conakry on 9 January 1993.^[4] Togo later withdrew from the competition.

Coaching and managerial career

After a period as Bristol City's youth team coach Rosenior's first managerial post was with Southern League Premier side Gloucester City. His first full season in charge saw Gloucester lose a third replay in the FA Trophy semi-final to Dagenham and Redbridge and defeat on the final day of the season to Salisbury City cost a place in the Football Conference, with local rivals Cheltenham Town being promoted. Rosenior left the following season, taking over Bristol City's reserve side.^[5]

Rosenior returned to non-league, managing Merthyr Tydfil before moving to Torquay United from July 2002 to January 2006, when he left the club by mutual consent after a 3–1 home defeat to Rochdale. In his second season in charge he took Torquay to promotion to Football League One, but was unable to keep them there, experiencing relegation on the last day of the season. The return to Football League Two heralded the departure of Alex Russell and Adebayo Akinfenwa, two of the club's best players. After languishing near the bottom of the league for half the season, Leroy eventually left the club by mutual consent.^[6]

In March 2006, he was named first team coach at Shrewsbury Town, acting as assistant to manager Gary Peters. He left in June 2006 to take up the managerial position at Brentford, succeeding Martin Allen.^[7] 20 years earlier he had replaced Allen when he came on as a substitute in the 1986 League Cup final.^[8] Five months after his appointment, Rosenior left the club,^[9] after a run of 16 games without a win, which culminated in a 4–0 home defeat to Crewe Alexandra.^[10]

He was scheduled to take charge of the Sierra Leone national side for a friendly against Leyton Orient in May 2007,^[11] which they won 4–2.^[12] It was announced in May 2007 that he would take charge of Sierra Leone in their upcoming African Nations Qualifiers.^[13]

Rosenior was to return to Torquay United as head coach on 1 June 2007, replacing Keith Curle,^[14] but some 10 minutes after his appointment was announced on 17 May, the club was bought by a local consortium which installed Colin Lee as chief executive, who then appointed former Gulls player and Exeter City assistant manager Paul Buckle as manager.^[15]^[16]

Personal life

His son, Liam, is a former professional footballer and the former head coach of Hull City.

Honours

Player

Individual

PFA Team of the Year: 1987–88 Third Division^[17]
Fulham Player of the Year: 1987^{[citation needed]}
Fulham Young Player of the Year: 1982^{[citation needed]}

Manager

Torquay United

Third Division promotion: 2003–04

Other professional interests

Rosenior works as a presenter and pundit on G-Sports, an African Pay-Per-View channel, and for the BBC's coverage of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. Other punditry work has included BBC Radio 5 Live as well as The Football League Show and The League Cup Show on BBC television. He also appeared alongside fellow ex-pro Graeme Murty and presenter James Richardson in the BBC South, BBC South West and BBC West local Monday night football round-up show Late Kick Off.

Rosenior is a leading anti-racism campaigner in British football and travels the country working as an ambassador for the Show Racism The Red Card campaign. He was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours, for his work in tackling discrimination in football and elsewhere in society.^[18]

References

^ "Leroy Rosenior". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 302. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
^ "Former Torquay Boss Rosenior to Coach at Welshpool". www.welshpremierleague.com. 29 February 2008. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
^ "Rosenior takes over Sierra Leone". BBC. 23 May 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
^ "Rosenior: return to the city could spur Tigers on to great things". Gloucestershire Echo. 31 August 2012. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
^ "Boss Rosenior leaves Torquay job". BBC Sport. 25 January 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
^ "Rosenior appointed as Manager". Brentford FC. 15 June 2006. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
^ "England – League Cup Finals 1961–2001". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^ "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | LEROY'S CONTRACT TERMINATED". brentfordfc.co.uk. 19 November 2006. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^ "Rosenior sacked as Brentford boss". BBC Sport. 18 November 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
^ "Rosenior gets Sierra Leone chance". BBC Sport. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
^ "Leyton Orient 2–4 Sierra Leone Pictures". Leyton Orient Official Site. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
^ "CANQualifiers". www.2008.canqualifiers.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
^ "Rosenior makes return to Torquay". BBC Sport. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
^ "Carl Fletcher: Leyton Orient manager sacked after 29 days in charge of League Two club" - BBC Sport, 14 November 2019
^ "Rosenior loses job in 10 minutes". BBC Sport. 20 May 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
^ Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 147.
^ Frost, Sam (28 December 2018). "New Year honour for ex-footballer and anti-racism campaigner". North Somerset Times. Retrieved 29 December 2018.