José Mario Rocha
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| José Mario Rocha | |
| Full Name | José Mario Rocha |
| Date of Birth | c.1963 |
| Place of Birth | Gondomar, Portugal |
| Chelsea career | 2011-2012 |
| Role | First Team Fitness Coach |
| Previous Roles | N/A |
| Other clubs | Porto Académica |
José Mario Rocha was First Team Fitness Coach at Chelsea from June 2011 until March 2012. Rocha's arrival followed the appointment of new Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas, whom he had previously worked with at Académica and FC Porto. [1]
Before Chelsea
Rocha's career in professional football began in the early 1990s, as a coach at FC Porto.[2] He coached at various youth levels, including coaching the Under-17s, when he first worked with André Villas-Boas. When the young Portuguese manager decided to strike out on his own in 2009, he contacted Rocha while still at Inter Milan, inviting the long-serving Porto coach to join him in a new challenge at Académica of Coimbra, where he was assistant to Villas-Boas [3]. After one successful season Villas-Boas would return to Porto, and bring his coach with him, Rocha returning to the Estádio do Dragão as fitness coach to the first team. After a highly successful season at his former club, Rocha followed Villas-Boas to Chelsea, a move which would see him work abroad for the first time. The move also saw Rocha reunite with goalkeeper Hilário, whom he had coached at Under-19 level at Porto.
Chelsea career
Rocha left Chelsea when André Villas-Boas was relieved of his duties in March 2012.
