Key Takeaways
- Calum McFarlane, 38, is Chelsea’s caretaker boss for the second time after Liam Rosenior was sacked.
- The former youth coach will lead the team at Wembley despite never managing a senior side permanently.
- McFarlane’s 15-year journey began at local south-London clubs and took him via Norway and Manchester City to Stamford Bridge.
Calum McFarlane calls the last few days a “whirlwind”. On Wednesday he was Chelsea’s Under-21 lead coach; by Saturday he will walk out at Wembley as the club’s caretaker manager.
The 38-year-old has never played professional football and has no permanent senior managerial job on his CV. Yet he has been asked to steady the ship after five straight league defeats pushed the Blues out of the Champions League places and cost Rosenior his job.
McFarlane’s first taste of the top seat came in January when he stepped in for two matches, including a 1-1 draw away to Manchester City. Now he could oversee up to six games if Chelsea reach the FA Cup final.
Fans have protested against the club’s owners, and some anger has spilled onto social media pages of McFarlane’s former grassroots clubs. The softly-spoken Londoner, born in Forest Hill, is trying to block out the noise.
“There’s huge talent in that dressing room,” he said. “We can still turn this season around.”
His route to the spotlight is unusual. After giving up on his own playing dream, McFarlane volunteered at Crystal Palace and Fulham academies while running sessions for Lambeth Tigers. A chance link-up with two Norwegian youngsters brought him to the attention of Tromsø’s technical director Thomas Hafstad, who invited him to Norway in 2013. McFarlane coached Tromsø’s Under-14s, then the Under-19s, and even took parts of first-team training while the club competed in Europe.
He returned home in 2014 and spent six years with south-London charity Kinetic Foundation, guiding teenagers from disadvantaged areas into professional academies. Work at Manchester City and Southampton followed, before Chelsea hired him last July to lead the Under-21s. Assistants Harry Hudson and Dan Hogan, also former Kinetic coaches, joined the academy staff.
McFarlane holds a UEFA A licence but not the Pro diploma required for a permanent Premier League role. If he wants the job full-time he must start the course within 12 weeks.
Those who have worked with him say his strength is man-management. Hafstad recalls a coach who “listened to 11-year-olds and made them feel important”, while Kinetic founder James Fotheringham points to nearly 15 years of “hard yards” in parks and portakabins.
On New Year’s Day McFarlane was planning a family light show when the club rang; this week the call came again. From spectator in the stands to tactician on the touchline, the whirlwind continues for Chelsea’s unlikely interim boss.