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Chelsea Football Club - The Story Of The Blues
By Nilesh Peshawaria, Thu Dec 8th
b>Stamford Bridge
Most teams have an emotional link to their home stadium,but the history of few teams and stadiums are as intertwined asthat of Chelsea FC and Stamford Bridge, their London home. Builtin 1877, Stamford Bridge was an athletics track until 1905 whentwo brothers (HA and JT Mears) purchased it with the intentionof attracting an existing team to play there. When this planfailed, they decided to take the bull by the horns and createtheir own team - Chelsea FC. And so began 100 years of history with many ups and downsalong the way.
The Story Of The Blues
Chelsea Football Club was officially formed on March 14 1905 inThe Rising Sun public house opposite the main entrance to thecurrent stadium. A few weeks later, the team joined the SecondDivision of the growing League, and they played theirfirst game (against Stockport County) on May 29, 1905. A long, uneventful period followed and it was not until 1955that Chelsea won their first league title. Initially nicknamed"The Pensioners" after the nearby Royal Hospital (home of armypensioners), an early manager thought it gave the wrongimpression - and ever since, Chelsea have been known as "TheBlues". The swinging 60s made Chelsea the fashionable heart of London,but the success of the surrounding area was not duplicated onthe field at Stamford Bridge. The team did become known off thepitch for their fashionable clothes, accessories, and celebritylifestyles and the club enjoyed a certain celebrity in the mediaduring this period. The trophy cabinet however remained largelyempty, and although Chelsea came close with an FA Cup final lossin 1967, the only major success of the decade was winning theirfirst League Cup in 1965.
Things Can Only Get Better
Matters did not improve during the 1970s and 80s, with theteam dipping in and out of the Second Division and seriousfinancial difficulties leading to the sale of star players. Atthe club's lowest financial point, the Mears family were forcedto sell the club to new owner Ken Bates for a price of $2 USD(yes two dollars!). The passionate supporters of Chelsea stayedloyal however, and some of the players from this troubled eraranked among the best in England. Notable among the players ofthis period are the team's famous goalkeeper Peter Bonetti, whoplayed for the team 729 times between 1959 and 1979, and strikerPeter Osgood who scored 150 goals in 380 appearances between1964 and 1979.
Although Jimmy Greaves became better known for his later careerat Tottenham Hotspur, he started playing at Chelsea,scoring in his debut game (a feat he repeated with every team hesubsequently played for). In 1960, aged 20, Greaves became theyoungest player ever to score 100 English league goals, and his1960-61 tally of 41 league goals remains a record at Chelsea tothis very day. Turning Point
The 1990s saw Chelsea slowly but surely establish themselves asa major force in English and European as Ken Bates fundedthe purchase of several world-class players including Dutchsuperstar Ruud Gullit (from Sampdoria) and goal-scoring supremoMark Hughes (from Manchester United). With Gullit in his firstseason as player-manager, Chelsea won their first trophy for 26years when they beat Middlesborough to win the FA Cup in 1997.
The shock departure of Gullit in 1998 led to the appointment ofanother player-manager, the Italian striker Gianluca Vialli, andthe development of the squad continued to bring some successwith an FA Cup win in 2000, shortly followed by Vialli'sdismissal. Consequently, his successor, Claudio Ranieri, was incharge of a squad that many commentators felt was of goodquality and depth, but under performing, when the turning pointin Chelsea's fortunes occurred.
The new dawn for Chelsea broke when the club was purchased byRussian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2003. He immediatelyopened his sizeable check book to the club management, whospent over $150
million on an injection of new talent includingClaude Makélélé, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole and Damien Duff.
Unfortunately, the investment produced no trophies, and newmanager José Mourinho was drafted in from Portugal for the 2004season. Mourinho made an immediate impression, not only on theChelsea team but on English in general, and his drive andambition combined with Ambramovich's fortune have transformedthe fortunes of Chelsea.
Chelsea Today
Today, Chelsea boasts an amazing array of top players: Echoingthe early popularity of Peter Bonetti, goalkeeper Petr Cech israted by many as the #1 'keeper in the Premiership and one ofthe best in the world. Still aged only 23, he made his debut inhis native Czech Republic when he was only 19. Captain JohnTerry is respected as one of the most tenacious defenders in thePremiership and his dedication and consistency earned him thePFA (Professional Footballers' Association) Player of the Yearaward. At only 24, Chelsea hopes he will be around to carry onthe good work for a few years yet.
In the midfield, Frank Lampard is a massive favourite with thefans. A tireless midfielder of great stamina, Lampard plays 90minutes of end-to-end every game and opposition teamsknow he can pop up anywhere on the pitch at any time, moving theball up field from defence one moment, then scoring goals - 13of them last season - the next. Although Lampard has been withChelsea since 2001, it is only in the last two seasons that hehas really developed into a world-class player - a change thatmanager José Mourinho can take credit for. While vice-captainLampard narrowly missed out on the PFA Player of the Year award,he has had the satisfaction of being Chelsea's own Player of theYear for 2004 and 2005.
A Record Breaking Season
Hardly surprising then that 2005 saw Chelsea win only theirsecond-ever League title, a mere 50 years after winning theirfirst! But this was just one element of what was the mostsuccessful year in Chelsea's history, with them also winning theLeague Cup and breaking a number of records for a 38 game season: Highest points total for a Premiership season (95) Most wins (29) Fewest goals against (15) Most games with no goals against (25) While it will be very difficult for Chelsea - or any other team- to produce a season that can rival 2004-5 in terms of trophywins and records, there can be no mistaking the intention of theclub's owners, management team and players to stay at the verytop of the English Premiership for as long as possible, and theyhave started this year with the kind of passion and success thatis likely to lead to another great season for fans of "TheBlues".
A Force To Be Reckoned With
No matter how unsuccessful the team has been in the past,Chelsea has always enjoyed the loyal support of local fans, butthe recent success of the team means that today Chelsea is aninternationally recognized team and a major business withmany facets.
The Chelsea FC online megastore now ships Chelsea-related soccerapparel, leisurewear, souvenirs, books and videos around theworld. Their multi-lingual ordering hotline is just oneindication of how internationally successful the Chelsea "brand"has become.
The club's sponsorship deal with Samsung is even bigger thanManchester United's Vodaphone deal, bringing additional incometo a club that is already generously funded by its owner andbenefactor. Indeed, some commentators are now expressing concernthat perhaps the Chelsea squad is too dominant, that perhaps theteam is too well funded. But after so many years in thedoldrums, you can be sure that today's Chelsea fans aredelighted they have "The Blues". About the author:Nilesh Peshawaria is a freelance writer providing tips andinformation for consumers purchasing various soccer gear,soccerapparel including replica jerseys, and soccer goalkeeper equipment.
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