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{{Football club infobox |
==JEWS==
clubname = Chelsea |
image = [[Image:Chelsea FC.png|100px|Chelsea logo]] |
fullname = Chelsea Football Club |
nickname = The Blues |
founded = [[1905]] |
ground = [[Stamford Bridge]], [[London]] |
capacity = 42,449 |
chairman = [[Image:Russia_flag_large.png|20px|Russian]] [[Roman Abramovich]]|
manager = [[Image:Portugal_flag_large.png|20px|Portuguese]] [[José Mourinho]] |
CEO = {{flagicon|England}} [[Peter Kenyon]] |
Life President = {{flagicon|England}} [[Richard Attenborough]] |
league = [[FA Premier League]] |
season = [[FA Premier League 2004-05|2004-05]] |
position = Premier League, 1st |
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=|
leftarm1=0000FF|body1=0000FF|rightarm1=0000FF|shorts1=0000FF|socks1=FFFFFF|
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=|
leftarm2=CCFFFF|body2=CCFFFF|rightarm2=CCFFFF|shorts2=000000|socks2=CCFFFF|
shirtsupplier=[[Umbro]] |
shirtsponsors=[[Samsung|Samsung Mobile]]
}}
'''Chelsea Football Club''' (also known as the ''Blues'', previously known as the ''Pensioners'', a reference to the [[Chelsea pensioner|Chelsea pensioners]]), founded in 1905, is a [[FA Premier league|Premier League]] [[football (soccer)|football]] team that plays at [[Stamford Bridge]] football ground in South west [[London]]. Chelsea are the reigning English champions and are currently at the top of the FA Premier League.

Despite its name, it is based just outside the [[Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea]], in the [[London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham]]. It is on the [[Fulham Road]], which runs between Fulham and [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]].

==History==

===Stamford Bridge===

''For main article see'' [[Stamford Bridge]].

Stamford Bridge officially opened on 28th April 1877. For the first 28 years of its existence it was used almost exclusively by the London Athletic Club as an arena for athletics meetings and not at all for football. In 1904 the ground was acquired by H A (Gus) Mears and his brother, J T Mears, who had previously acquired additional land (formerly a large market garden) with the aim of accommodating a football team there on the now 12.5 acre (51,000 m²) site. The Mears family remained the owners of the ground (and subsequently the Club) until the 1970s.

Stamford Bridge was designed for the Mears family by [[Archibald Leitch]]. They offered the stadium to [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham Football Club]], but the offer was turned down. As a consequence, the owners decided to form their own Football Club to occupy their new ground. Most football clubs were founded first, and then sought grounds in which to play, but Chelsea was founded for Stamford Bridge. Although technically in Fulham, the founders decided to adopt the name of the adjacent borough of Chelsea for the new club as there was already a Fulham Football Club in existence.

===Early years (1905-1955)===
Chelsea F.C. was founded on [[March 14]], [[1905]] at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook) opposite today's main entrance to the ground on the Fulham Road. This was followed by the club's election into the Second Division at the Football League AGM on [[May 29]], [[1905]]. Chelsea's first match took place away at [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]] on [[September 2]], [[1905]]. They lost the game 1-0. Their first home match was against Liverpool in a friendly. They won 4-0. The Club began with established players recruited from other teams and promotion to the top flight was swift, but the club's early years brought no trophies. Chelsea reached the [[FA Cup]] final in [[1915]] but lost out to [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]]. They would have to wait a further forty years for their first major honour. However, they consistently attracted enormous crowds. 77,952 attended the fourth round FA Cup tie against Swindon on [[13 April]] 1911, and 82,905 attended the league game against Arsenal on [[12 October]] 1935. Safety considerations make such attendances impossible now: the current legal capacity of the stadium is 42,522.

In [[1952]], [[Ted Drake]] was appointed manager. One of his first actions was to remove the image of a Chelsea pensioner from the match programme and the club's old nickname was no more. In 1954-5, Chelsea won the [[Football League First Division|First Divsion]] title under Drake with a team that included captain and top-scorer (with 22 league goals) [[Roy Bentley]], goalkeeper Charlie 'Chic' Thomson, left-half Derek Saunders, inside-right Johnny 'Jock' McNicol, right-half [[Ken Armstrong]], outside-left Frank Blunstone, full-back Peter Sillett and future [[England National Football Team|England]] manager [[Ron Greenwood]] at centre-half.

Though Chelsea were only 12th in the table in [[November]], they secured the title with a game to spare after a 3-0 win against [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]]. Key to the success were two league wins against eventual runners-up [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]] and a ten-game unbeaten streak in the title run-in. Chelsea's points total of 52 for that season remains the lowest to have secured the English League title. That same season saw the club complete a unique quadruple, with the reserve, 'A' and junior sides also winning their respective leagues.

Winning the Championship should have ensured that Chelsea became the first [[England|English]] participants in the inaugural [[Champions League|European Cup]] competition the following season. However, they were denied by the intervention of the [[The Football League|Football League]] and the [[The Football Association|F.A.]], many of whose leading members were opposed to the idea and felt primacy should be given to domestic competitions, so the club withdrew. {{ref|euro}}

The club were unable to build on their title success, however, and there followed a succession of uninspiring mid-table finishes. This run culminated in relegation from the First Division in [[1962]] and the departure of Drake, who was replaced by player-coach [[Tommy Docherty]]. In his first season as manager Docherty led Chelsea to promotion.

===Sixties to eighties (1960-1989)===
The swinging 60s ushered in an era that saw football and inimitable style merge in the heart of London; with the fashionable [[Chelsea, London|King's Road]] at the heart of the swagger. A 60s Chelsea that oozed charisma and class ultimately failed to match its swagger with on-field triumphs. No major domestic titles were won, except for the [[League Cup]] in [[1965]] (Chelsea's first League Cup), followed by an FA Cup final loss to [[Tottenham Hotspur]] in [[1967]].

The early 1970s saw a great Chelsea team which is still fondly remembered (not least because it was a couple of decades before its achievements were matched at the club): it featured the likes of [[Ron Harris|Ron 'Chopper' Harris]], [[Ian Hutchison]] and [[Peter Osgood]]. In [[1970]] Chelsea ran out FA Cup winners (beating [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds]] 2-1 in a pulsating final). A UEFA [[Cup Winners' Cup]] triumph was added to the haul the following year—Chelsea's first European honour.

But there was no further success in that decade, as the discipline of the team degenerated and an over-ambitious redevelopment of the stadium (which only got as far as the pioneering East Stand, which retains its place even in the modern stadium) threatened the financial stability of the club as well. Further problems were caused by a fearsome reputation for violence amongst a section of the supporters (the boundary between passion and hooliganism being dangerously narrow in those days) and the club started to fall apart both on and off the field.

The financial problems exacerbated the club's other difficulties and a spiral of decline began. Star players were sold off, the team was relegated, and the freehold of the stadium site was sold off to property developers, which was to create serious problems in the years to come.

As always, however, Chelsea retained its high profile; and its widespread base of supporters, many of them very hard core, saw it through what proved to be the very difficult years of the 1970s and 1980s. However, although relegated to the Second Division twice, it never fell further (although it came dangerously close).

Chelsea was, at the nadir of its fortunes, acquired from the Mears family interests by [[Ken Bates]] for the princely sum of £1, and Bates proved to be a real fighter as the new Chairman, although his opponents included supporters (who did not take kindly to his suggestion of electrified fences to keep them off the pitch) as well as the property developers who now owned the freehold. In [[1992]], Bates finally outmanoeuvred the latter and reunited the freehold with the Club, by seeing the property developers go bust and doing a deal with their banks.

In the meantime, Chelsea had achieved promotion to the First Division again as Second Division champions in 1989 and, this time, it managed to stay in the top flight: indeed, it has remained there ever since.

===The 1990s: back on track===
Chelsea had an impressive return to the First Division in 1989-90. Manager Bobby Campbell guided a squad of mostly unremarkable players to a creditable fifth place in the final table. Although the ban on English clubs in European football was lifted that year, Chelsea missed out on a [[UEFA Cup]] place because the only English place in the competition that year went to runners-up [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]. Campbell resigned a year later and he was replaced by [[Ian Porterfield]], who helped Chelsea finish high enough in 1991-92 to qualify for the first-ever season of the [[FA Premier League|Premier League]]. He quit halfway through the season and was replaced on a caretaker basis by former Chelsea hero [[David Webb (footballer)|David Webb]], who guided Chelsea to an 11th place finish. Webb was replaced at the end of the season by 35-year-old former England midfielder [[Glenn Hoddle]], who had just won promotion to the Premiership as player-manager of [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]].

Hoddle's first season as manager saw Chelsea's league form dip slightly, but they reached the FA Cup final—and, although they lost 4-0 by Manchester United (who were awarded two penalties), this was sufficient to qualify Chelsea to compete in Europe for the 1994-95 Cup Winners Cup (since Manchester United had independently qualified for the Champions League). They reached the semifinals of the competition and went out by one goal to eventual winners [[Real Zaragoza]].

Chelsea now had a decent squad with several top class players, the most significant of which was courageous captain [[Dennis Wise]]. But chairman Ken Bates and director [[Matthew Harding]] were making millions of pounds available for the club to spend on players, and two world-famous players were signed in the summer of 1995 - Dutch legend [[Ruud Gullit]] (free transfer from [[U.C. Sampdoria|Sampdoria]]) and Manchester United's high scoring striker [[Mark Hughes]] (£1.5million). Hoddle guided Chelsea to another 11th place finish in 1995-96 and then quit to become manager of the [[England national football team|England team]].

Gullit was appointed player-manager for the 1996-97 season, and had an impressive first season in management by winning the FA Cup (and finishing sixth in the Premiership). The 2-0 victory over [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] at [[Wembley Stadium|Wembley]] ended Chelsea's 26-year wait for a trophy, and was a happy end to a season which had looked to be dominated by sadness after the death in October of director and financial benefactor Matthew Harding in a helicopter crash.

Gullit was suddenly sacked in February 1998 with Chelsea set for a top-five Premiership finish, and another player-manager was appointed—33-year-old Italian striker [[Gianluca Vialli]]. Vialli began his management career in style with victory in the Cup Winners Cup and the League Cup. He also guided Chelsea to a third-place finish in the 1998-99 Premiership campaign, high enough for a first-ever appearance in the [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]]. Vialli also guided Chelsea to another FA Cup victory in 2000. By now, Chelsea had a top-notch multi-national squad which included the likes of Italian striker [[Gianfranco Zola]], Dutch goalkeeper [[Ed de Goey]], Nigerian full-back [[Celestine Babayaro]], Italian midfielder [[Roberto di Matteo]] and French centre-half [[Frank Leboeuf]].

===The new millennium: glory days===
[[Image:Stamford Bridge stands.jpg|thumb|float|200px|Chelsea's home ground is [[Stamford Bridge]], in [[London]]]]
Vialli was dismissed in September 2000 and replaced by another Italian, [[Claudio Ranieri]]—who guided them to another FA Cup final in 2002 but was unable to prevent them from losing to double winners [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]].

Ken Bates unexpectedly sold Chelsea F.C. in June 2003 for £60 million, making a personal profit of £17 million on the club he had bought for £1 in 1982 (his stake had been diluted to just below 30% over the years). The club's new owner was [[Russia]]n billionaire [[Roman Abramovich]], who also took on responsibility for the club's £80 million of debt, quickly paying off most of it. He then went on a £100 million spending spree before the start of the season and landed players like [[Claude Makélélé]], [[Glen Johnson (footballer)|Glen Johnson]], [[Joe Cole (footballer)|Joe Cole]] and [[Damien Duff]].

The spending saw a good return, with Chelsea finishing the Premiership runners-up and reaching the [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] semifinals after beating Arsenal in the quarterfinals. But Ranieri was sacked after ending the season trophyless, and Abramovich recruited [[José Mourinho]] (who had lifted two [[SuperLiga|Portuguese league]] titles, a [[Cup of Portugal|Portuguese Cup]], a [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] and a [[UEFA Cup]] with [[Futebol Clube do Porto|FC Porto]]) as the club's new manager.

2004-05 was the most successful season in the history of Chelsea Football Club. They secured the Premiership title in a record breaking season by gaining 95 points from 38 fixtures (ending a 50-year wait for the title with the highest Premiership points total for a 38 game season), along with setting records for: most wins (29), fewest goals against (15) and most clean sheets (25) in a 38 game season. All this in the season that also saw "The Blues" lift the [[League Cup]]. Mourinho was regarded by many as one of the best managers in the world, and many of Chelsea's players were also critically acclaimed by journalists and supporters alike and figured prominently in the English national side (and other national sides). In addition to the two major trophies won, Chelsea reached the semifinals of the Champions League, losing to the eventual winners [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] to whom they had conceded only one goal.

===Current season: 2005-2006===

Chelsea has signed two new sponsorship deals: a new kit deal with [[adidas]], effective with the 2006/07 season, and a £50m five-year sponsorship deal with Korean electronics company [[Samsung]]. The deal is the biggest in English football, being bigger than [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United's]] four-year deal with [[Vodafone]], which is worth £36m.

On [[7 August]] [[2005]], Chelsea beat London rivals [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] 2-1 at the [[Millennium Stadium]] to win the [[FA Community Shield|Community Shield]]. As of [[7 November]], Chelsea have ten wins from twelve Premiership fixtures.

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==Current squad==
This is the current Chelsea playing staff. The players are allocated in the same way as they are on the official site [http://www.chelseafc.com/article.asparticle=249900&Title=Squad&lid=Navigation+-+Players&sub=Squad&nav=&sublid=]. Some players can play in more than one position and players who are not in the first team squad are not barred from making first team appearances, as English football does not employ a closed squad system.
{{football squad start}}
<!-- For help using the below template, please see [[Template talk:Football squad player]] -->
{{football squad player| no= 1| nat=Czech Republic| pos=GK| name=[[Petr Cech|Petr &#268;ech]]}}
{{football squad player| no= 2| nat=England | pos=DF| name=[[Glen Johnson (footballer)|Glen Johnson]]}}
{{football squad player| no= 3| nat=Spain | pos=DF| name=[[Asier del Horno]]}}
{{football squad player| no= 4| nat=France | pos=MF| name=[[Claude Makelele]]}}
{{football squad player| no= 5| nat=Ghana | pos=MF| name=[[Michael Essien]]}}
{{football squad player| no= 6| nat=Portugal | pos=DF| name=[[Ricardo Carvalho]]}}
{{football squad player| no= 8| nat=England | pos=MF| name=[[Frank Lampard]]}}
{{football squad player| no= 9| nat=Argentina | pos=FW| name=[[Hernán Crespo]]}}
{{football squad player| no=10| nat=England | pos=MF| name=[[Joe Cole (footballer)|Joe Cole]]}}
{{football squad player| no=11| nat=Ireland | pos=MF| name=[[Damien Duff]]}}
{{football squad player| no=12| nat=England | pos=FW| name=[[Carlton Cole]]}}
{{football squad player| no=13| nat=France | pos=DF| name=[[William Gallas]]}}
{{football squad player| no=14| nat=Cameroon | pos=MF| name=[[Geremi Njitap|Geremi]]}}
{{football squad player| no=15| nat=Côte d'Ivoire| pos=FW| name=[[Didier Drogba]]}}
{{football squad player| no=16| nat=Netherlands | pos=MF| name=[[Arjen Robben]]}}
{{football squad mid}}
{{football squad player| no=18| nat=England | pos=DF| name=[[Wayne Bridge]]}}
{{football squad player| no=19| nat=France | pos=MF| name=[[Lassana Diarra]]}}
{{football squad player| no=20| nat=Portugal | pos=DF| name=[[Paulo Ferreira]] }}
{{football squad player| no=22| nat=Iceland | pos=FW| name=[[Eidur Gudjohnsen]] <!--This is the standard English rendering of his name.-->}}
{{football squad player| no=23| nat=Italy | pos=GK| name=[[Carlo Cudicini]]}}
{{football squad player| no=24| nat=England | pos=MF| name=[[Shaun Wright-Phillips]]}}
{{football squad player| no=26| nat=England | pos=DF| name=[[John Terry]]}}
{{football squad player| no=29| nat=Germany | pos=DF| name=[[Robert Huth]]}}
{{football squad player| no=31| nat=England | pos=FW| name=[[Scott Sinclair]] }}
{{football squad player| no=32| nat=Scotland | pos=DF| name=[[Steven Watt]] }}
{{football squad player| no=40| nat=England | pos=GK| name=[[Lenny Pidgeley]]}}
{{football squad player| no=41| nat=Belgium | pos=GK| name=[[Yves Ma-Kalambay]] }}
{{football squad player| no=42| nat=England | pos=MF| name=[[Anthony Grant]]}}
{{football squad player| no=43| nat=Switzerland | pos=DF| name=[[Jonas Elmer]] }}
{{football squad end}}
;Senior players out on loan'''
{|
{{football squad player| no=––| nat=Czech Republic| pos=FW| name=[[Jirí Jarošík]] | other=on loan to [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]]}}
{{football squad player| no=––| nat=Russia | pos=FW| name=[[Alexei Smertin]] | other=on loan to [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton]]}}
|}

Chelsea also employ a number of young players on trainee contracts.

==Notable players==

'''[[1900s]]''': [[William Foulke (footballer)|William 'Fatty' Foulke]], [[George Hilsdon|George 'Gatling Gun' Hilsdon]], [[Robert McRoberts]], [[John Tait Robertson]], [[Ben Warren]]

'''[[1910s]]''': [[Jack Harrow]], [[Nils Middelboe]], [[Robert Whittingham]]

'''[[1920s]]''': [[Ben Howard Baker]], [[Jack Cock]], [[Tommy Law]], [[Tommy Meehan]], [[GR Mills]], [[Jack Townrow]], [[Bob Turnbull]], [[Andrew Wilson (footballer)|Andrew Wilson]]

'''[[1930s]]''': [[Hughie Gallacher]], [[Sam Weaver]], [[Vic Woodley]], [[George Mills]]

'''[[1940s]]''': [[John Harris]], [[Tommy Lawton]], [[Willi Steffen]]

'''[[1950s]]''': [[Ken Armstrong]], [[Roy Bentley]], [[Jimmy Greaves]], [[Johnny 'Jock' McNicol]]

'''[[1960s]]''': [[Frank Blunstone]], [[Peter Bonetti]], [[Eddie McCreadie]], [[Ken Shellito]], [[Bobby Tambling]], [[Terry Venables]]

'''[[1970s]]''': [[Charlie Cooke]], [[Ron Harris]], [[John Hollins]], [[Alan Hudson]], [[Ian Hutchinson]], [[Peter Osgood]], [[Ray Wilkins]]

'''[[1980s]]''': [[Paul Canoville]], [[Kerry Dixon]], [[Gordon Durie]], [[Pat Nevin]], [[Nigel Spackman]], [[David Speedie]], [[Clive Walker]]

'''[[1990s]]''': [[Steve Clarke]], [[Ed de Goey]], [[Roberto Di Matteo]], [[Tore André Flo]], [[Ruud Gullit]], [[Glenn Hoddle]], [[Mark Hughes]], [[Frank Leboeuf]], [[Graeme Le Saux]], [[Dan Petrescu]], [[Gianluca Vialli]], [[George Weah]], [[Dennis Wise]], [[Gianfranco Zola]]

'''[[2000s]]''': [[Marcel Desailly]], [[Eidur Gudjohnsen]] <!--This is the standard English rendering of his name.-->, [[Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink]], [[Slavisa Jokanovic]], [[John Terry]], [[Frank Lampard]], [[Joe Cole (footballer)|Joe Cole]], [[Carlo Cudicini]], [[Damien Duff]], [[Claude Makelele]], [[Arjen Robben]],[[Hernan Crespo]], [[Didier Drogba]], [[Petr Cech|Petr &#268;ech]]

== Chelsea player of the year (1967-2005) ==
{|
|valign="top"|
*1967 [[Peter Bonetti]]
*1968 [[Charlie Cooke]]
*1969 [[David Webb (footballer)|David Webb]]
*1970 [[John Hollins]]
*1971 [[John Hollins]]
*1972 [[David Webb (footballer)|David Webb]]
*1973 [[Peter Osgood]]
*1974 [[Gary Locke]]
*1975 [[Charlie Cooke]]
*1976 [[Ray Wilkins]]
*1977 [[Ray Wilkins]]
*1978 [[Micky Droy]]
*1979 [[Tommy Langley]]
*1980 [[Clive Walker]]
*1981 [[Peter Borota]]
*1982 [[Mike Fillery]]
*1983 [[Joey Jones]]
*1984 [[Pat Nevin]]
*1985 [[David Speedie]]
*1986 [[Eddie Niedzwiecki]]
|width="50"|&nbsp;
|valign="top"|
*1987 [[Pat Nevin]]
*1988 [[Tony Dorigo]]
*1989 [[Graham Roberts]]
*1990 [[Ken Monkou]]
*1991 [[Andy Townsend]]
*1992 [[Paul Elliott]]
*1993 [[Frank Sinclair]]
*1994 [[Steve Clarke]]
*1995 [[Erland Johnsen]]
*1996 [[Ruud Gullit]]
*1997 [[Mark Hughes]]
*1998 [[Dennis Wise]]
*1999 [[Gianfranco Zola]]
*2000 [[Dennis Wise]]
*2001 [[John Terry]]
*2002 [[Carlo Cudicini]]
*2003 [[Gianfranco Zola]]
*2004 [[Frank Lampard]]
*2005 [[Frank Lampard]]
|}

== Managers ==
{|
|[[John Tait Robertson]]
|[[1905]] - [[1907]]
|-
|[[David Calderhead]]
|[[1907]] - [[1933]]
|-
|[[Leslie Knighton]]
|[[1933]] - [[1939]]
|-
|[[Billy Birrell]]
|[[1939]] - [[1952]]
|-
|[[Ted Drake]]
|[[1952]] - [[1961]]
|-
|[[Tommy Docherty]]
|[[1962]] - [[1967]]
|-
|[[Dave Sexton]]
|[[1967]] - [[1974]]
|-
|[[Ron Stuart]]
|[[1974]] - [[1975]]
|-
|[[Eddie McCreadie]]
|[[1975]] - [[1977]]
|-
|[[Ken Shellito]]
|[[1977]] - [[1978]]
|-
|[[Danny Blanchflower]]
|[[1978]] - [[1979]]
|-
|[[Geoff Hurst]]
|[[1979]] - [[1981]]
|-
|[[John Neal (footballer)|John Neal]]
|[[1981]] - [[1985]]
|-
|[[John Hollins]]
|[[1985]] - [[1988]]
|-
|[[Bobby Campbell (footballer)|Bobby Campbell]]
|[[1988]] - [[1991]]
|-
|[[Ian Porterfield]]
|[[1991]] - [[1993]]
|-
|[[David Webb (footballer)|David Webb]]
|[[1993]]
|-
|[[Glenn Hoddle]]
|[[1993]] - [[1996]]
|-
|[[Ruud Gullit]]
|[[1996]] - [[1998]]
|-
|[[Gianluca Vialli]]
|[[1998]] - [[2000]]
|-
|[[Claudio Ranieri]]
|[[2000]] - [[2004]]
|-
|[[José Mourinho]]
|[[2004]] -
|-
|}

==Honours==
*'''[[FA Premier League|League Championship]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1955, 2005
**'''Runners-Up:''' 2004
*'''[[Football League Second Division|2nd Division]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1984, 1989
**'''Runners-Up:''' 1907, 1912, 1930, 1963, 1977
*'''[[FA Cup]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1970, 1997, 2000
**'''Runners-Up:''' 1915, 1967, 1994, 2002
*'''[[League Cup]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1965, 1998, 2005
**'''Runners-Up:''' 1972
*'''[[FA Charity Shield]]/[[FA Community Shield|Community Shield]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1956, 2000, 2005
**'''Runners-Up:''' 1971, 1997
*'''[[Full Members Cup|Full Members' Cup]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1986, 1990
*'''[[Cup Winners' Cup|UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1971, 1998
*'''[[European Super Cup|UEFA Super Cup]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1998
*'''[[FA Youth Cup]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1960, 1961
**'''Runners-Up:''' 1958

==Records==
*'''Record League Victory:''' 9-2 v Glossop, [[Football League Second Division|Division 2]], [[1 September]], [[1906]]
*'''Record Cup Victory:''' 13-0 v Jeunesse Hautcharage, [[Cup Winners' Cup]], 1st Round 2nd Leg, [[29 September]] [[1971]]
*'''Record Defeat:''' 1-8 v [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]], [[Football League First Division|Division 1]], [[26 September]] [[1953]]
*'''Record Cup Defeat:''' 0-6 v [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]], [[FA Cup|FA Cup Round 2 Replay]], [[5 February]] [[1913]]

*'''Most League Points (2 for a win):''' 57, [[Football League Second Division|Division 2]], 1906-1907
*'''Most League Points (3 for a win):''' 99, [[Football League Second Division|Division 2]], 1988-1989


*'''Most League Goals:''' 98, [[Football League First Division|Division 1]], 1960-1961
*'''Highest League Scorer in Season:''' [[Jimmy Greaves]], 41, 1960-1961
*'''Most League Goals in Total Aggregate:''' [[Bobby Tambling]], 164, 1958-1970
*'''Most League Goals in One Match:'''
**5, [[George Hilsdon]] v Glossop, [[Football League Second Division|Division 2]], [[1 September]], [[1906]]
**5, [[Jimmy Greaves]] v [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]], [[Football League First Division|Division 1]], [[30 August]], [[1958]]
**5, [[Jimmy Greaves]] v [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]], [[Football League First Division|Division 1]], [[19 December]], [[1959]]
**5, [[Jimmy Greaves]] v [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]], [[Football League First Division|Division 1]], [[3 December]], [[1960]]
**5, [[Bobby Tambling]] v [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]], [[Football League First Division|Division 1]], [[17 September]], [[1966]]
**5, [[Gordon Durie]] v [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]], [[Football League Second Division|Division 2]], [[4 February]], [[1989]]
*'''Most Capped Player:''' [[Marcel Desailly]], 67 (116), [[France national football team|France]]
*'''Most League Appearances:''' [[Ron Harris]], 655, 1962-1980
*'''Youngest League Player:''' [[Ian Hamilton (footballer)|Ian Hamilton]], 16 years 138 days v [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]], [[18 March]] [[1967]]
*'''Record Transfer Fee Received:''' £12,000,000 from [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] for [[Tore André Flo]], [[November]] [[2000]]
*'''Record Transfer Fee Paid:''' £24,400,000 to [[Olympique Lyonnais|Lyon]] for [[Michael Essien]], [[August]] [[2005]]
*'''Longest Sequence of League Wins:''' 9, [[7 August]] [[2005]] - [[15 October]] [[2005]]
*'''Longest Sequence of League Defeats:''' 7, [[1 November]] [[1952]] - [[20 December]] [[1952]]
*'''Longest Sequence of League Draws:''' 6, [[20 August]] [[1969]] - [[13 September]] [[1969]]
*'''Longest Sequence of Unbeaten League Matches:''' 40, [[23 October]] [[2004]] - [[29 October]] [[2005]]
*'''Longest Sequence Without a League Win:''' 21, [[3 November]] [[1987]] - [[2 April]] [[1988]]
*'''Successive scoring Runs:''' 27 from [[29 October]] [[1988]]
*'''Successive Non-scoring runs:''' 9 from [[14 March]] [[1981]]
*'''Highest home attendance:''' 82,905 v [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Football League First Division|Division 1]], [[12 October]], [[1935]] (an estimated crowd of 100,000 attended a friendly match against [[Dynamo Moscow]], [[13 November]], [[1945]])
Chelsea have spent 69 seasons in the national top flight (they rank 9th equal with Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion in this respect). In these 69 seasons, Chelsea have finished in the following positions:

<pre>
1st: 2 5th: 5 9th: 2 13th: 5 17th: 1 21st: 2
2nd: 1 6th: 7 10th: 1 14th: 4 18th: 6 22nd: 2
3rd: 4 7th: 1 11th: 6 15th: 1 19th: 6
4th: 2 8th: 3 12th: 5 16th: 2 20th: 2
</pre>
As one can see, the Blues' «favourite» position in the table is No. 6. They are one of those few clubs that found themselves in every position during the years in the top flight.

==Famous Fans==
*[[Richard Attenborough]], actor
*[[Tony Banks, Baron Stratford|Tony Banks]], MP
*[[Sebastian Coe]], athlete & MP
*[[Lawrence Dallaglio]], rugby union
*[[Tim Lovejoy]], broadcaster
*[[John Major]], prime minister 1990-1997
*[[David Mellor]], MP & broadcaster
*[[Sir Steve Redgrave]], Olympic rower
*[[Guy Ritchie]], film director
*[[Alec Stewart]], cricketer
*[[Graham McPherson|Suggs]], singer in Madness
*[[Johnny Vaughan]], broadcaster
*[[Dennis Waterman]], actor
*[[Jimmy White]], snooker player
*[[Damon Albarn]], musician in Blur & Gorillaz

==Notes==
#{{note|euro}} There was at the time an ambivalent and somewhat arrogant attitude towards foreign competitions among the English football authorities, best demonstrated by England's non-participation in the world cup finals until 1950. The pressure put on club chairman Joe Mears to withdraw is referenced in this [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2005/04/06/sfnphi06.xml&sSheet=/sport/2005/04/06/ixfooty.html ''Telegraph'' article]. See also {{Book reference | Author=Greaves, Jimmy | Title=Greavsie | Publisher=Time Warner Books| Year=2003| ID=ISBN 0316725293}}, ch2, for a brief account of the affair.

==References==
*{{Book reference | Author=Batty, Clive | Title=Kings of the King's Road: The Great Chelsea Team of the 60s and 70s| Publisher=Vision Sports Publishing Ltd| Year=2004| ID=ISBN 0954642813}}
*{{Book reference | Author=Glanvill, Rick | Title=Chelsea FC: The Official Biography - The Definitive Story of the First 100 Years| Publisher=Headline Book Publishing Ltd| Year=2005| ID=ISBN 0755314654}}
*{{Book reference | Author=Hadgraft, Rob | Title=Chelsea: Champions of England 1954-55| Publisher=Desert Island Books Limited| Year=2004| ID=ISBN 1874287775}}
*{{Book reference | Author=Harris, Harry | Title=Chelsea's Century| Publisher=Blake Publishing| Year=2005| ID=ISBN 184454110X}}
*{{Book reference | Author=Mears, Brian | Title=Chelsea: A 100-year History | Publisher=Mainstream Sport| Year=2004| ID=ISBN 1840188235}}
*{{Book reference | Author=Mears, Brian | Title=Chelsea: Football Under the Blue Flag| Publisher=Mainstream Sport| Year=2002| ID=ISBN 1840186585}}

==External links==
*[http://www.chelseafc.co.uk Official website]
*[http://www.chelseafcauctions.com Official Auction website]
*[http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team?id=363&cc=5739 Soccernet's Chelsea coverage]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/default.stm The BBC's Chelsea coverage]
*[http://www.4thegame.com/club/cfc/ 4thegame.com's Chelsea page]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/4374647.stm Chelsea's 1955 Championship winning team]
*[http://www.cfc-net.co.uk/content/default.asp CFCnet]
*[http://www.chelseablog.com Chelsea Blog]
*[http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7810196/ MSNBC story on Chelsea's record 2004-05 season]

{{Champions League 2005/06}}
{{FA_Premier_League}}

[[Category:English football clubs]]
[[Category:Chelsea F.C.| ]]
[[Category:FA Premier League]]

[[bg:Челси (футболен клуб)]]
[[cs:Chelsea FC]]
[[de:Chelsea F.C.]]
[[es:Chelsea F.C.]]
[[fr:Chelsea Football Club]]
[[id:Chelsea F.C.]]
[[he:מועדון הכדורגל צ'לסי]]
[[nl:Chelsea F.C.]]
[[ja:チェルシーFC]]
[[no:Chelsea FC]]
[[pl:Chelsea Londyn]]
[[pt:Chelsea FC]]
[[ro:Chelsea Londra]]
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[[zh:切尔西足球俱乐部]]

Revision as of 22:27, 11 November 2005

Chelsea
Chelsea logo
Full nameChelsea Football Club
Nickname(s)The Blues
Founded1905
GroundStamford Bridge, London
Capacity42,449
ChairmanRussian Roman Abramovich
ManagerPortuguese José Mourinho
LeagueFA Premier League
2004-05Premier League, 1st

Chelsea Football Club (also known as the Blues, previously known as the Pensioners, a reference to the Chelsea pensioners), founded in 1905, is a Premier League football team that plays at Stamford Bridge football ground in South west London. Chelsea are the reigning English champions and are currently at the top of the FA Premier League.

Despite its name, it is based just outside the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is on the Fulham Road, which runs between Fulham and Chelsea.

History

Stamford Bridge

For main article see Stamford Bridge.

Stamford Bridge officially opened on 28th April 1877. For the first 28 years of its existence it was used almost exclusively by the London Athletic Club as an arena for athletics meetings and not at all for football. In 1904 the ground was acquired by H A (Gus) Mears and his brother, J T Mears, who had previously acquired additional land (formerly a large market garden) with the aim of accommodating a football team there on the now 12.5 acre (51,000 m²) site. The Mears family remained the owners of the ground (and subsequently the Club) until the 1970s.

Stamford Bridge was designed for the Mears family by Archibald Leitch. They offered the stadium to Fulham Football Club, but the offer was turned down. As a consequence, the owners decided to form their own Football Club to occupy their new ground. Most football clubs were founded first, and then sought grounds in which to play, but Chelsea was founded for Stamford Bridge. Although technically in Fulham, the founders decided to adopt the name of the adjacent borough of Chelsea for the new club as there was already a Fulham Football Club in existence.

Early years (1905-1955)

Chelsea F.C. was founded on March 14, 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook) opposite today's main entrance to the ground on the Fulham Road. This was followed by the club's election into the Second Division at the Football League AGM on May 29, 1905. Chelsea's first match took place away at Stockport County on September 2, 1905. They lost the game 1-0. Their first home match was against Liverpool in a friendly. They won 4-0. The Club began with established players recruited from other teams and promotion to the top flight was swift, but the club's early years brought no trophies. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final in 1915 but lost out to Sheffield United. They would have to wait a further forty years for their first major honour. However, they consistently attracted enormous crowds. 77,952 attended the fourth round FA Cup tie against Swindon on 13 April 1911, and 82,905 attended the league game against Arsenal on 12 October 1935. Safety considerations make such attendances impossible now: the current legal capacity of the stadium is 42,522.

In 1952, Ted Drake was appointed manager. One of his first actions was to remove the image of a Chelsea pensioner from the match programme and the club's old nickname was no more. In 1954-5, Chelsea won the First Divsion title under Drake with a team that included captain and top-scorer (with 22 league goals) Roy Bentley, goalkeeper Charlie 'Chic' Thomson, left-half Derek Saunders, inside-right Johnny 'Jock' McNicol, right-half Ken Armstrong, outside-left Frank Blunstone, full-back Peter Sillett and future England manager Ron Greenwood at centre-half.

Though Chelsea were only 12th in the table in November, they secured the title with a game to spare after a 3-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday. Key to the success were two league wins against eventual runners-up Wolverhampton Wanderers and a ten-game unbeaten streak in the title run-in. Chelsea's points total of 52 for that season remains the lowest to have secured the English League title. That same season saw the club complete a unique quadruple, with the reserve, 'A' and junior sides also winning their respective leagues.

Winning the Championship should have ensured that Chelsea became the first English participants in the inaugural European Cup competition the following season. However, they were denied by the intervention of the Football League and the F.A., many of whose leading members were opposed to the idea and felt primacy should be given to domestic competitions, so the club withdrew. [1]

The club were unable to build on their title success, however, and there followed a succession of uninspiring mid-table finishes. This run culminated in relegation from the First Division in 1962 and the departure of Drake, who was replaced by player-coach Tommy Docherty. In his first season as manager Docherty led Chelsea to promotion.

Sixties to eighties (1960-1989)

The swinging 60s ushered in an era that saw football and inimitable style merge in the heart of London; with the fashionable King's Road at the heart of the swagger. A 60s Chelsea that oozed charisma and class ultimately failed to match its swagger with on-field triumphs. No major domestic titles were won, except for the League Cup in 1965 (Chelsea's first League Cup), followed by an FA Cup final loss to Tottenham Hotspur in 1967.

The early 1970s saw a great Chelsea team which is still fondly remembered (not least because it was a couple of decades before its achievements were matched at the club): it featured the likes of Ron 'Chopper' Harris, Ian Hutchison and Peter Osgood. In 1970 Chelsea ran out FA Cup winners (beating Leeds 2-1 in a pulsating final). A UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph was added to the haul the following year—Chelsea's first European honour.

But there was no further success in that decade, as the discipline of the team degenerated and an over-ambitious redevelopment of the stadium (which only got as far as the pioneering East Stand, which retains its place even in the modern stadium) threatened the financial stability of the club as well. Further problems were caused by a fearsome reputation for violence amongst a section of the supporters (the boundary between passion and hooliganism being dangerously narrow in those days) and the club started to fall apart both on and off the field.

The financial problems exacerbated the club's other difficulties and a spiral of decline began. Star players were sold off, the team was relegated, and the freehold of the stadium site was sold off to property developers, which was to create serious problems in the years to come.

As always, however, Chelsea retained its high profile; and its widespread base of supporters, many of them very hard core, saw it through what proved to be the very difficult years of the 1970s and 1980s. However, although relegated to the Second Division twice, it never fell further (although it came dangerously close).

Chelsea was, at the nadir of its fortunes, acquired from the Mears family interests by Ken Bates for the princely sum of £1, and Bates proved to be a real fighter as the new Chairman, although his opponents included supporters (who did not take kindly to his suggestion of electrified fences to keep them off the pitch) as well as the property developers who now owned the freehold. In 1992, Bates finally outmanoeuvred the latter and reunited the freehold with the Club, by seeing the property developers go bust and doing a deal with their banks.

In the meantime, Chelsea had achieved promotion to the First Division again as Second Division champions in 1989 and, this time, it managed to stay in the top flight: indeed, it has remained there ever since.

The 1990s: back on track

Chelsea had an impressive return to the First Division in 1989-90. Manager Bobby Campbell guided a squad of mostly unremarkable players to a creditable fifth place in the final table. Although the ban on English clubs in European football was lifted that year, Chelsea missed out on a UEFA Cup place because the only English place in the competition that year went to runners-up Aston Villa. Campbell resigned a year later and he was replaced by Ian Porterfield, who helped Chelsea finish high enough in 1991-92 to qualify for the first-ever season of the Premier League. He quit halfway through the season and was replaced on a caretaker basis by former Chelsea hero David Webb, who guided Chelsea to an 11th place finish. Webb was replaced at the end of the season by 35-year-old former England midfielder Glenn Hoddle, who had just won promotion to the Premiership as player-manager of Swindon Town.

Hoddle's first season as manager saw Chelsea's league form dip slightly, but they reached the FA Cup final—and, although they lost 4-0 by Manchester United (who were awarded two penalties), this was sufficient to qualify Chelsea to compete in Europe for the 1994-95 Cup Winners Cup (since Manchester United had independently qualified for the Champions League). They reached the semifinals of the competition and went out by one goal to eventual winners Real Zaragoza.

Chelsea now had a decent squad with several top class players, the most significant of which was courageous captain Dennis Wise. But chairman Ken Bates and director Matthew Harding were making millions of pounds available for the club to spend on players, and two world-famous players were signed in the summer of 1995 - Dutch legend Ruud Gullit (free transfer from Sampdoria) and Manchester United's high scoring striker Mark Hughes (£1.5million). Hoddle guided Chelsea to another 11th place finish in 1995-96 and then quit to become manager of the England team.

Gullit was appointed player-manager for the 1996-97 season, and had an impressive first season in management by winning the FA Cup (and finishing sixth in the Premiership). The 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Wembley ended Chelsea's 26-year wait for a trophy, and was a happy end to a season which had looked to be dominated by sadness after the death in October of director and financial benefactor Matthew Harding in a helicopter crash.

Gullit was suddenly sacked in February 1998 with Chelsea set for a top-five Premiership finish, and another player-manager was appointed—33-year-old Italian striker Gianluca Vialli. Vialli began his management career in style with victory in the Cup Winners Cup and the League Cup. He also guided Chelsea to a third-place finish in the 1998-99 Premiership campaign, high enough for a first-ever appearance in the Champions League. Vialli also guided Chelsea to another FA Cup victory in 2000. By now, Chelsea had a top-notch multi-national squad which included the likes of Italian striker Gianfranco Zola, Dutch goalkeeper Ed de Goey, Nigerian full-back Celestine Babayaro, Italian midfielder Roberto di Matteo and French centre-half Frank Leboeuf.

The new millennium: glory days

File:Stamford Bridge stands.jpg
Chelsea's home ground is Stamford Bridge, in London

Vialli was dismissed in September 2000 and replaced by another Italian, Claudio Ranieri—who guided them to another FA Cup final in 2002 but was unable to prevent them from losing to double winners Arsenal.

Ken Bates unexpectedly sold Chelsea F.C. in June 2003 for £60 million, making a personal profit of £17 million on the club he had bought for £1 in 1982 (his stake had been diluted to just below 30% over the years). The club's new owner was Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who also took on responsibility for the club's £80 million of debt, quickly paying off most of it. He then went on a £100 million spending spree before the start of the season and landed players like Claude Makélélé, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole and Damien Duff.

The spending saw a good return, with Chelsea finishing the Premiership runners-up and reaching the Champions League semifinals after beating Arsenal in the quarterfinals. But Ranieri was sacked after ending the season trophyless, and Abramovich recruited José Mourinho (who had lifted two Portuguese league titles, a Portuguese Cup, a European Cup and a UEFA Cup with FC Porto) as the club's new manager.

2004-05 was the most successful season in the history of Chelsea Football Club. They secured the Premiership title in a record breaking season by gaining 95 points from 38 fixtures (ending a 50-year wait for the title with the highest Premiership points total for a 38 game season), along with setting records for: most wins (29), fewest goals against (15) and most clean sheets (25) in a 38 game season. All this in the season that also saw "The Blues" lift the League Cup. Mourinho was regarded by many as one of the best managers in the world, and many of Chelsea's players were also critically acclaimed by journalists and supporters alike and figured prominently in the English national side (and other national sides). In addition to the two major trophies won, Chelsea reached the semifinals of the Champions League, losing to the eventual winners Liverpool to whom they had conceded only one goal.

Current season: 2005-2006

Chelsea has signed two new sponsorship deals: a new kit deal with adidas, effective with the 2006/07 season, and a £50m five-year sponsorship deal with Korean electronics company Samsung. The deal is the biggest in English football, being bigger than Manchester United's four-year deal with Vodafone, which is worth £36m.

On 7 August 2005, Chelsea beat London rivals Arsenal 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium to win the Community Shield. As of 7 November, Chelsea have ten wins from twelve Premiership fixtures.


Current squad

This is the current Chelsea playing staff. The players are allocated in the same way as they are on the official site [2]. Some players can play in more than one position and players who are not in the first team squad are not barred from making first team appearances, as English football does not employ a closed squad system. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Czech Republic CZE Petr Čech
2 DF England ENG Glen Johnson
3 DF Spain ESP Asier del Horno
4 MF France FRA Claude Makelele
5 MF Ghana GHA Michael Essien
6 DF Portugal POR Ricardo Carvalho
8 MF England ENG Frank Lampard
9 FW Argentina ARG Hernán Crespo
10 MF England ENG Joe Cole
11 MF Ireland EIR Damien Duff
12 FW England ENG Carlton Cole
13 DF France FRA William Gallas
14 MF Cameroon CMR Geremi
15 FW Ivory Coast CIV Didier Drogba
16 MF Netherlands NED Arjen Robben
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF England ENG Wayne Bridge
19 MF France FRA Lassana Diarra
20 DF Portugal POR Paulo Ferreira
22 FW Iceland ISL Eidur Gudjohnsen
23 GK Italy ITA Carlo Cudicini
24 MF England ENG Shaun Wright-Phillips
26 DF England ENG John Terry
29 DF Germany GER Robert Huth
31 FW England ENG Scott Sinclair
32 DF Scotland SCO Steven Watt
40 GK England ENG Lenny Pidgeley
41 GK Belgium BEL Yves Ma-Kalambay
42 MF England ENG Anthony Grant
43 DF Switzerland SUI Jonas Elmer
Senior players out on loan
–– FW Czech Republic CZE Jirí Jarošík (on loan to Birmingham City)
–– FW Russia RUS Alexei Smertin (on loan to Charlton)

Chelsea also employ a number of young players on trainee contracts.

Notable players

1900s: William 'Fatty' Foulke, George 'Gatling Gun' Hilsdon, Robert McRoberts, John Tait Robertson, Ben Warren

1910s: Jack Harrow, Nils Middelboe, Robert Whittingham

1920s: Ben Howard Baker, Jack Cock, Tommy Law, Tommy Meehan, GR Mills, Jack Townrow, Bob Turnbull, Andrew Wilson

1930s: Hughie Gallacher, Sam Weaver, Vic Woodley, George Mills

1940s: John Harris, Tommy Lawton, Willi Steffen

1950s: Ken Armstrong, Roy Bentley, Jimmy Greaves, Johnny 'Jock' McNicol

1960s: Frank Blunstone, Peter Bonetti, Eddie McCreadie, Ken Shellito, Bobby Tambling, Terry Venables

1970s: Charlie Cooke, Ron Harris, John Hollins, Alan Hudson, Ian Hutchinson, Peter Osgood, Ray Wilkins

1980s: Paul Canoville, Kerry Dixon, Gordon Durie, Pat Nevin, Nigel Spackman, David Speedie, Clive Walker

1990s: Steve Clarke, Ed de Goey, Roberto Di Matteo, Tore André Flo, Ruud Gullit, Glenn Hoddle, Mark Hughes, Frank Leboeuf, Graeme Le Saux, Dan Petrescu, Gianluca Vialli, George Weah, Dennis Wise, Gianfranco Zola

2000s: Marcel Desailly, Eidur Gudjohnsen , Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Slavisa Jokanovic, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Carlo Cudicini, Damien Duff, Claude Makelele, Arjen Robben,Hernan Crespo, Didier Drogba, Petr Čech

Chelsea player of the year (1967-2005)

 

Managers

John Tait Robertson 1905 - 1907
David Calderhead 1907 - 1933
Leslie Knighton 1933 - 1939
Billy Birrell 1939 - 1952
Ted Drake 1952 - 1961
Tommy Docherty 1962 - 1967
Dave Sexton 1967 - 1974
Ron Stuart 1974 - 1975
Eddie McCreadie 1975 - 1977
Ken Shellito 1977 - 1978
Danny Blanchflower 1978 - 1979
Geoff Hurst 1979 - 1981
John Neal 1981 - 1985
John Hollins 1985 - 1988
Bobby Campbell 1988 - 1991
Ian Porterfield 1991 - 1993
David Webb 1993
Glenn Hoddle 1993 - 1996
Ruud Gullit 1996 - 1998
Gianluca Vialli 1998 - 2000
Claudio Ranieri 2000 - 2004
José Mourinho 2004 -

Honours

Records

  • Most League Points (2 for a win): 57, Division 2, 1906-1907
  • Most League Points (3 for a win): 99, Division 2, 1988-1989


Chelsea have spent 69 seasons in the national top flight (they rank 9th equal with Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion in this respect). In these 69 seasons, Chelsea have finished in the following positions: 

1st:  2    5th:  5    9th:  2    13th: 5    17th: 1    21st: 2
2nd:  1    6th:  7    10th: 1    14th: 4    18th: 6    22nd: 2
3rd:  4    7th:  1    11th: 6    15th: 1    19th: 6
4th:  2    8th:  3    12th: 5    16th: 2    20th: 2

As one can see, the Blues' «favourite» position in the table is No. 6. They are one of those few clubs that found themselves in every position during the years in the top flight.

Famous Fans

Notes

  1. ^ There was at the time an ambivalent and somewhat arrogant attitude towards foreign competitions among the English football authorities, best demonstrated by England's non-participation in the world cup finals until 1950. The pressure put on club chairman Joe Mears to withdraw is referenced in this Telegraph article. See also . ISBN 0316725293. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help), ch2, for a brief account of the affair.

References

  • . ISBN 0954642813. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
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  • . ISBN 1840186585. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

Template:Champions League 2005/06

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