History of Chelsea Football Club
Chelsea History
History of Chelsea Football club - Introduction
Chelsea FC history can start on March 10th, 1905 as this is the date when this great club was founded at The Rising Sun pub, now known as The Butchers Hook.
Chelsea history shows that they were first introduced as Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea and after being rejected to join the Southern League because of objections from Fulham and Tottenham (neighbor teams), Chelsea was accepted into the Football League (second division in England at the time).
Chelsea FC history shows that the club played their first league match on September 2nd, 1905 against Stockport County which they lost 1-0.
Their first home match was a friendly against Liverpool which ended in a 4-0 result in favor of Chelsea.
Chelsea FC finished their first season 3th in the Second Division under John Robertson who was hired as player-manager and would also leave the club in 1907 because of board of directors not letting him lead the team the way he envisioned.
After Robertson left, club secretary William Lewis took temporary charge of Chelsea FC and surprisingly led them to promotion at the end of the season.
The promotion was largely due to the goals of Windridge and George "Gatling Gun" Hilsdon who would also become the first of many prolific goal scorers for the club scoring 5 goals in his first match debut and 27 goals in the promotion season according to history of Chelsea football club.
George Hilsdon was also the first player to score 100 goals for the club.
Club secretary turned club manager William Lewis was suceeded by David Calderhead after the promotion. Calderhead stayed the Chelsea FC manager for the next 26 years according to Chelsea football club history.
Chelsea history shows that the club saw little to no success in the early seasons being relegated to Second Division in 1909-10 than promoted again in 1911-12 season and finished 19th in the 1914-15 season pending relegation.
History of Chelsea football club shows that 1914-15 season was also the final competitive season before the league was suspended due to World War I.
Important to mention in this Chelsea history is the fact that Chelsea FC reached their first FA Cup final in 1915 which they lost 3-0 to the strong side of Sheffield United.
Once the season was resumed in 1919 and the league expended to 22 teams Chelsea FC escaped relegation and were re-elected to the First Division.
Despite struggling to win any titles, history of Chelsea FC shows that the club became one of the best supported teams in the Country with the highest average attendance in English soccer league from 1907 to 1914 mostly because Chelsea played entertaining attacking football and signing star players such are half back Ben Warren and striker Bob Whittingham.
After the war had ended and the first full season was resumed following the war in 1919-20 Chelsea saw the most success since their establishment in 1905 finishing 3th in the league and reaching FA Cup semi finals and losing to Aston Villa who went on to win the FA Cup according to history of Chelsea football club.
History of Chelsea football club shows that the club was relegated from the top English League again in 1923-24 and would remain in the Second Division for the next 5 seasons.
After spending 5 seasons in English Second League, Chelsea history shows them finally reaching promotion to the First Division in 1929-30 season where they would also remain for the next 32 years.
Following promotion, Chelsea FC spent $49,000 on three big name players at the time, Hughie Gallacher, Alex Jackson and Alec Cheyne in hopes of winning some trophies.
The trio occasionally clicked but had nowhere near the impact on the success for the team and all three players would leave Chelsea by 1936 at a significant financial loss.
In 1932, Chelsea FC reached the semi finals for the FA Cup but were denied any further advancement by Newcastle United.
David Calderhead, who led Chelsea since 1907 was succeeded by Leslie Knighton in 1933 but the appointment of new manager saw little change in Chelsea FC fortunes.
History of Chelsea FC shows us that Chelsea had great players such are Tommy Law, Sam Weaver, Syd Bishop, Harry Burgess, Dick Spence and Joe Bambrick, all established internationals, yet their highest league finish in the decade was 8th.
History of Chelsea football club shows that even with some of the top players in the world playing for The Blues, Chelsea barely avoided relegation by two points in 1932-33, 1933-34 and by a single point in 1938-39.
Chelsea manager Leslie Knighton had not come close to any success with the club and he stepped down in 1939 to be succeeded by Scotsman and former Queens Park Rangers manager, Billy Birrell.
Soon after Birrell was appointed new Chelsea manager, World War II would cause the football in England to be put on hold three games into the 1939-40 season for the duration of the conflict.
Following the ending of the war in October, 1945 as part of the goodwill gesture it was announced that FC Dynamo Moscow, reigning champions of the Soviet Union, would tour the United Kingdom and play several home teams including Chelsea FC.
Chelsea history shows that this match took place on November 13th, 1945 in front of over 100,000 fans which is still a record attendance for Stamford Bridge.
Fans watched the game which ended in 3-3 from various places including many fans watching the game from the dog track and on the top of stands.
Following the war, Chelsea FC had only 2 players left from the original Chelsea team before the war.
They bought three big name forwards spending a large sum at the time of about $40,000 for Tommy Lawton, Len Goulden and Tommy Walker.
The trio brought goals and entertainment to the club with Lewton setting a new club record for scoring 26 goals in 34 league games during the 1946-47 season.
History of Chelsea football club shows the team never finishing the season higher than 13th place under Birell.
1950 saw Chelsea enjoy another run in the FA Cup getting all the way to the semi finals where they were knocked out by London rivals Arsenal FC.
In 1951 history of Chelsea football club shows Chelsea escaping relegation on goal difference after winning their last four games of the season and coming back into safe zone from being 6 points behind and last in the league table.
1952 Chelsea history shows them reaching the FA Cup semi final once again against their London rivals Arsenal.
Arsenal again came out victorious knocking Chelsea out of the FA Cup, forcing the Chelsea Manager Birrell to resign shortly after the match.
Former Arsenal and England striker Ted Drake took over Chelsea FC as manager modernising the club by introducing the new and improved training regime mostly with ballwork and also changing the nickname of the team from the Pensioners to the Blues by changing the club crest.
History of Chelsea football club shows that Ted Drake also stopped the spending on the big name players but instead opted for bringing in young players from lower divisions and raising players through new and improved youth programs.
Drake's first year was unpromising having finished 19th in the league, just a point away from relegation while his second year with the club yielded an 8th place finish.
In 1954-55 everything clicked for the club and to everyone's surprise Chelsea FC won their first league title with their squad consisting of various unknown players.
The following years didn't follow with the same success as Chelsea FC finished in 16th place the following season and mid table in the following years according to the history of Chelsea football club.
Ted Drake was sacked in September, 1961 after disappointing loss of 4-0 to Blackpool and with Chelsea at the bottom of league table.
Ted Drake's replacement was 33 year old player-coach Tommy Docherty who took over the already doomed for relegation team in 1962.
Tommy Docherty right away started selling old players and bringing in youth players emerging from the youth system experimenting with different players and formations focusing on the future since relegation for Chelsea FC could not be escaped.
In his first full season with the club, Docherty helped Chelsea reach promotion back into the English top league with his new strict regime of discipline and playing quick passing game with the newly formed youth squad.
Following promotion into the First Division, Chelsea finished in the 5th place with a very promising squad that included the still record holder for most goals scored for Chelsea (202), winger Bobby Tambling.
In the following years under Docherty, Chelsea had become a tough opponent to beat but would only earn one trophy for the League Cup in 1964-65 season.
History of Chelsea FC shows them reaching the FA Cup final in 1966-67 season only to suffer a loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
Docherty was sacked the following 1967-68 season after the team won only two of their opening 10 games.
Docherty's assistant Ron Suart was given temporary charge of the team until his replacement Dave Sexton, EX Chelsea coach was appointed manager according to Chelsea football club history.
Sexton led Chelsea to two more top six finishes in the following two seasons and in the 1969-70 season Chelsea FC finished 3th in the league and also reached FA Cup final.
This time Chelsea managed to win the FA Cup final in extra time against reigning league champions Leeds United.
Winning the FA Cup qualified Chelsea to play in their first ever UEFA Cup Winners Cup where they had great success winning their first European honor after beating Real Madrid in the final match.
History of Chelsea football club shows that the European success proved to be the only success that Chelsea FC would see in the 1970s and early 1980s as the team took a strong decline finishing lower and lower in the league until eventually earning relegation into second division in 1975.
Chelsea was promoted back into the First division in 1976-77 only to be relegated again in 1978-79 spending the next 4 years in Second Division.
History of Chelsea football club shows that Summer of 1983 marked a turning point in Chelsea history as the new appointed manager John Neal made a series of signings who where crucial in turning around the clubs fortunes.
With the new signings, John Neal helped Chelsea earn the promotion into the First Division during his first year with the club.
Upon their return into the First Division during 1984-85 season, Chelsea finished 6th earning them a spot in the European competition next year.
John Neal retired at the end of the 1984-85 season because of health problems and was replaced by Hollins.
Hollins finished his first 1985-86 season in 6th position although Chelsea was considered to be a title contender in the early season days.
Hollins also helped Chelsea to their first Full Members Cup title after winning the final match 5-4 against Manchester City according to Chelsea football club history.
Following this new beginning, Chelsea FC started to decline in form and would find themselves in relegation trouble once again in 1987-88.
Hollins was fired in March of 1988 and his replacement Bobby Campbell took over the team but couldn't prevent Chelsea's relegation trouble.
Right after being relegated to Second Division in 1987-88, Chelsea bounced back earning promotion to the First Division the following year 1988-89.
After an impressive return to the First Division, having won the Second Division by 17 points ahead of every other team Campbell led mostly unremarkable players to 5th place as the 1989-90 season finished according to history of Chelsea FC.
This same season Campbell led Chelsea to their second Full Members Cup success, winning the final against Middlesbrough 1-0 and earning their second Full Members Cup.
Despite recruiting the club's first million pound players, Dennis Wise and Andy Townsend, 1990-91 season proved to be a disappointment as Chelsea finished 11th in the First Division and were knocked out of both cups by lower league opposition.
At the end of 1990-91 season Campbell was promoted to general manager and his successor Ian Porterfield helped Chelsea finish high enough in 1991-92 season to qualify for the first ever season of the English Premier League.
Ian Porterfield was fired half into the 1992-93 season for poor performance of the team having lost all matches in the first two months of the season. He was succeeded by the 1970 FA Cup Hero David Webb, who steered the club clear of relegation and an 11th place finish.
After the 1992-93 season was over, David Web was replaced once more by former England midfield player Glenn Hoddle, who had just won promotion to the English Premier League as player-manager of Swindon Town.
Glen Hoddle's first season (1993-94) as manager saw Chelsea decline in form threatening relegation but the goals from the new signing of striker Mark Stein played an important role in Chelsea survival in the top English League according to history of Chelsea football club.
In 1993-94 Chelsea reached another FA Cup Final only to lose the match to rival Manchester United.
In the summer of 1995, Chelsea signed two world famous players, Dutch legend Ruud Gullit and Manchester United Striker Mark Hughes, both of whom would have a major impact in clubs future success.
Hoddle guided Chelsea to 11th place finish in 1995-96 and another FA Cup semi final, and than resigned to become the manager of the England National Team.
History of Chelsea soccer club shows that great Ruud Gullit was appointed player-manager for the 1996-97 season and added several more top class players to the Chelsea side including Gianluca Vialli, Frank Leboeuf, Gianfranco Zola and Robero Di Matteo.
Later in the season they were joined by Uruguayan midfielder Gustavo Poyet and Norwegian super sub Tore Andre Flo.
With such star studded team, Gullit made Chelsea emerge as one of the Englands top soccer teams and gained reputation for playing a neat, entertaining and attractive passing game according to Chelsea history.
History of Chelsea football club shows them finishing 6th in Ruud Gullit's first year as manager in 1996-97 and also winning the FA Cup final against Middlesbrough, ending the club's 26 year wait for a major trophy.
Contract dispute caused Ruud Gullit to be fired in February 1998 with the team 2nd in the Premiership and in the semi final of two cup competitions.
Another player-manager was appointed, 33 year old Gianluca Vialli who begin his management in style by winning two trophies in two months including The League Cup and Cup Winners Cup.
During the 1998-99 season, Chelsea FC managed to finish 3th in a season that promised much but ultimately ended trophy-less.
By finishing 3th, Chelsea FC ensured their first ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League.
Their run in the 1999 Champions League had shown some impressive performances en route to a quarter final exit against Barcelona according to history of Chelsea football club.
By now Chelsea FC had a star studded team consisting of national team players including Zola, Di Matteo, Poyet, Ed de Goey, Lebouf, Desailly and Didier Deschamps.
Important to mention in this history of Chelsea football club is the fact that under Gianluca Vialli, Chelsea became the first side in English soccer to field a starting 11 players composed entirely of foreign players.
1999-00 season saw Chelsea finish in a disappointing 5th place primarily because of the busy schedule with the league and cup games.
Vialli did lead Chelsea to another FA Cup trophy in four years during the 1999-00 season winning the final match against Aston Villa.
Gianluca Vialli was fired in September 2000 after winning just one of the opening five matches.
Before he was sacked, history of Chelsea FC shows Vialli spending £26 million on high scoring Dutchman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Iceland striker Eidur Gudjohnsen.
Vialli was replaced by Italian Claudio Ranieri who led the team to another top 6 finish in his first year with Chelsea after 2000-01 season.
Ranieri started rebuilding the Chelsea side selling some older players including Wise and Poyet, and replacing them with John Terry, William Gallas, Frank Lampard and Jesper Gronkjaer.
Ranieri's second year as the club manager helped Chelsea reach the League Cup semi finals and FA Cup finals but would lose out on both trophies to rival Arsenal.
The 2001-02 season ended with Chelsea in the 6th place according to history of Chelsea football club.
2002-03 season still under Italian Claudio Ranieri saw Chelsea make an unexpected title challenge finishing 4th in the league and earning a spot in the Champions League.
In 2003 after having many financial troubles, Chelsea FC was sold to billionaire Roman Abramovich following financial crisis according to Chelsea FC history.
Roman Abramovich quickly paid off most of the clubs £80 million debt and than went on a spending spree before the start of 2003-04 season buying players like Claude Makelele, Geremi, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole and Damien Duff.
History of Chelsea football club shows that the investment in players by Roman Abramovich paid off during the 2003-04 season as the club finished the season in 2nd place (best league finish in last 49 years) and reached Champions League semi finals where they were knocked out by AS Monaco.
At the end of the 2003-04 season Claudio Raineri was replaced by Jose Mourinho who already won many titles with FC Porto and was considered a top manager in the world.
Jose Mourinho brought a lot of success to the club starting with the most successful season in clubs history during 2004-05 where they lost only one game during the season earning a record 95 points and winning the League title after almost 50 years according to Chelsea football club history.
Chelsea FC had also won the League Cup making it their domestic double for the club.
Their lineup included the talented defender partnership between John Terry and new signing Ricardo Carvalho, the versatile William Gallas, midfield linchpin Claude Makelele and world class goalkeeper Petr Cech providing defensive backbone for an already tough Chelsea FC side.
History of Chelsea shows them conceding only 15 goals all season and keeping 25 clean sheets while Cech went 1025 minutes without conceding a goal, which is a Premier League record.
This same year Chelsea FC reached semi finals of the Champions League but would lose out to Liverpool 1-0, and missing out on the chance for a treble title in 2004-05 season.
The following season 2005-06 Chelsea managed to retain the league title while setting more records in the process becoming the first London club to win back to back league titles since the Second World War.
Chelsea did not perform well in the cups this season as they were knocked out of Champions League by FC Barcelona and the FA Cup semi final by Liverpool.
The 2006-07 season saw Chelsea lose the Premier League trophy to Manchester United as they finished the season 2nd in the league.
History of Chelsea football club shows them winning the League Cup, FA Cup and reaching the semi finals of the Champions League only to be knocked out again by rival Liverpool FC.
Jose Mourinho left Chelsea in 2007 by mutual consent after dissagreeing with the owner Roman Abramovich and was succeded by Chelsea's director of football, Israeli Avram Grant.
Under the leadership of Avram Grant Chelsea looked sure to win three competitions including League Title, League Cup and Champions League title but would finish runner up in all three competitions losing both the League Title and the Champions League Title to rival Manchester United.
Avram Grant was sacked and Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari took over the club for the 2008-09 season but would be sacked that same year following poor club performance.
Brought in his place was Russan coach Guus Hiddink until the end of the season.
Under Guus Hiddink, Chelsea lost only one more game all season, eventually finishing 3th in the league and reaching another Champions League semi final only to be beaten by FC Barcelona on away goals.
History of Chelsea football club shows that under Guus Hiddink Chelsea brought one title by winning the FA Cup final match against Everton.
According to history of Chelsea football club former AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti was confirmed as successor to Hiddink in June, 2009.
Ancelotti's first competitive match saw Chelsea play against Manchester United in the Community Shield winning the game on penalties to take the first trophy under Carlo Ancelotti.
At the end of the 2009-10 season, after exchanging the 1st place with Manchester United on several occasions, Chelsea sealed their third Premier League title in six seasons.
The following week after securing the League title, Chelsea completed a first League Title and FA Cup title double in their history by beating Portsmouth 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
Chelsea began their 2010-11 season with a loss to Manchester United in the Community Shield final.
Chelsea's dip in form saw them fighting to stay in the top 4 teams and leading to high profile signings of David Luiz for £21.3m and Liverpool's Fernando Torres for £50m according to the history of Chelsea football club.
New signings were not enough to salvage something from Chelsea's season as they failed to win any trophy resulting Carlo Ancelotti to lose his manager position with the club.
On June 22nd, 2011 Andre Villas-Boas was appointed as the new Chelsea manager on a three year contract.
Under the new management Chelsea added several new players including the Spanish International Juan Mata and Raul Meireles but the poor results in the league and cups caused Villas-Boas to be sacked on March 4th, 2012 because of poor club performance.
Italian first team assistant manager and former Chelsea player Roberto Di Matteo was appointed temporary manager until the end of 2011-12 season.
Under the new leadership of Roberto Di Matteo Chelsea FC managed to win the Champions League title after beating Bayern Munich on penalties in the final and the FA Cup title after beating Liverpool in the final.
Chelsea's league success was not as good as they ended the season in a poor 6th place.
HISTORY OF CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB - TEAM HONORS
HISTORY OF CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB - PREMIER LEAGUE
4 TITLES: 1954–55, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10
4 Runners-Up: 2003–04, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11
HISTORY OF CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB - SECOND DIVISION
2 TITLES:1983–84, 1988–89
5 Runners-Up: 1906–07, 1911–12, 1929–30, 1962–63, 1976–77
CHELSEA HISTORY - FA CUP
7 TITLES: 1969–70, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12
4 Runners-up:1914–15, 1966–67, 1993–94, 2001–02
HISTORY OF CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB - LEAGUE CUP
4 TITLES: 1964–65, 1997–98, 2004–05, 2006–07
2 Runners-up: 1971–72, 2007–08
CHELSEA FC HISTORY - FA COMMUNITY SHIELD
4 TITLES: 1955, 2000, 2005, 2009
5 Runners-up:1970, 1997, 2006, 2007, 2010
CHELSEA FC HISTORY - FULL MEMBERS CUP
2 TITLES: 1985–86, 1989–90
HISTORY OF CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB - UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
1 TITLE: 2011-12
1 Runner Up: 2007-08
CHELSEA HISTORY - UEFA CUP WINNERS CUP
2 TITLES:1970–71, 1997–98
CHELSEA HISTORY - UEFA SUPER CUP
1 TITLE: 1998
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