Liam Rosenior believes he can prove himself to be a success as Chelsea’s new head coach and has claimed, "I’m not arrogant, I’m good at what I do".
The 41-year-old will take charge of his first game at Charlton on Saturday in the FA Cup third round after joining from Strasbourg, who are owned by Chelsea's parent company BlueCo.
Despite his lack of experience at a top-level club and having managed barely 100 matches altogether, Rosenior insists he never ruled out one day being in charge of Chelsea, having initially been labelled a "joke" by the media at Strasbourg.
"You don't limit your ambitions," the former Hull City boss said on Friday. "I'm not arrogant, I'm good at what I do. In every job I've worked, whether as an interim, assistant, head coach, relative to the group I've worked with, I've been successful.
"I've always wanted to be at a club like this but it's not about just being here, it's about being successful. Nobody can guarantee wins but at the same time I've worked very hard for a long time to try and put myself in a position where I can be successful.
"When I went in at Strasbourg, they said I was a joke in the media. They said my team would finish last, that it was an impossible project, the players were way too young, too inexperienced, and that I was a nobody from England.
"We finished three points outside the Champions League. The outside noise is just noise. If you focus on the job, your players and staff, and your process, I feel like you can do amazing things.
"I am not promising it, I am working towards it, but I believe very strongly we can be successful here.
"At a club of this stature, fans want success and have every right to want success now. To win over the fans, I need to win games. I think they need to see a team that represents them. I was born not far up the road.
"It's about hard work, determination. We're trying to build something in a different way. I'm very confident that in time, we'll show people why we've done it this way."
Enzo Maresca departed after a breakdown in relations with the club, but Rosenior, who is able to benefit from the experience of working under BlueCo's multi-club ownership, says he won't change from being himself.
"I don't think it's possible to ever be in this job and not be your own man. People will see through you straight away," he said.
"I will make the decisions at this club, that's why I've been brought in. I understand, I'm not an alien, I know what's being said in the press, but there's no way you can be successful as a manager if you don't make the decisions for yourself."
Rosenior is the fourth permanent head coach hired by the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly consortium and he is conscious of the expectations he will be working under.
"The turnover of managers, regardless of club, is huge. The pressure is there from day one. I'm aware of that," he said. "The bigger club you're at, the higher the pressure, but the higher the privilege. I have to take that into account.
"I can't wait for tomorrow night. I couldn't wait to get here when we agreed the deal to meet the players and staff.
"It comes with the territory. If you're scared or fearful, there's no point being a coach. I've worked so hard, pretty much my whole life, for this opportunity.
"I'm going to work 24 hours a day. I'm intense when I'm with the players and I'm going to push them as hard as I possibly can to be successful."
Chelsea have won just once in their last nine Premier League matches which has seen them slip four points adrift of fourth place.
"I've said to the players to focus on winning the next game and winning the next game and winning the next game. That's how you go on a run," said Rosenior, whose first league game in charge will be at home to Brentford on January 17.
"With the talent we have and the level of professionalism of the group, the intensity with which they've trained the last two days, their engagement to something new, there are really positive signs here.
"The potential for this club and group is limitless and I won't limit limitlessness. I want to be successful. I'm ambitious. I have to make sure we get from where we are to where we need to be and that takes time. I'm not asking for too much time, but you need to make sure you know where your processes are headed."
He added: "We're not far away which is important for the players to know."
One issue for Rosenior to solve is Chelsea's poor discipline which has seen them collect seven red cards this season.
He said: "It's one of a few things we can improve on. I know how we do that. I've spoken to the players in a different way about managing setbacks because in life, you get setbacks.
"They have passion and show emotion for the shirt, which is a positive thing. It's making sure in key moments we react positively to a setback and stay calm.
"Those mistakes come from passion, the lads want to win, so I don't want to take that out of them. To win, you can't be nice all the time, you have to have an edge and I don't want to take that away from the lads."
