Personalised Chelsea FC Books
Chelsea FC were 100 years old in 2005 and they celebrated by becoming champions in England for the second time!
Initially the sport was dominated by northern teams but the founder of the club Gus Mears had the foresight to purchase land to the west of London and persevered with the concept of a football stadium and successful team in the capital.
Unusually the team was created around the stadium – the reverse of most club histories. Chelsea Star players were a feature from the very start.
In the 20's three FA Cup finals were played at Stamford Bridge prior to the opening of Wembley Stadium. The thirties saw the biggest attendance ever for a match against Arsenal which was watched by 82905 fans. Surprisingly, the expensive player purchases over the decades could not bring forth the big prizes. After the second world war history remained largely unchanged with the club failing to fulfil its true potential. In the 50's Ted Drake as manager rebuilt the in his own style bringing on players from the youth squads and lower leagues and kindled the Chelsea spirit. Come the 55 season, the blues won the championship on St Georges day. The resurgence was somewhat short lived but the 60's did see the investment in youth rewarded and Tommy Docherty as manager was able to build a new revitalised team around a core of youthful star players which went on to clinch a triple of trophies in '65. The 70's started with a win in the FA Cup and a 3rd place in the championship and then managed a win in the European Cup Winners Cup. The shine wore off in dramatic fashion and the club were in division two by '74. Unbelievably the 80's saw new depths being plumbed until the arrival of Ken Bates as owner. Things improved but the club still did time in the second division for some seasons. Manager Glen Hoddle got the club to another FA cup final against Manchester United in 1993 but the club were beaten squarely. Ruud Gullit first as player then as manager brought some style back to Stamford Bridge in the late 90's with the incorporation of a number of international football stars. Now a string of achievements came; even though Gullit left in 1998, and this success continued to a large extent to the present day with the club enjoying a position in the upper echelons of domestic and international football despite manager, player and owner changes. The die had been cast and Chelsea maintain their international flavour today.
What better way for your fan to enjoy their love of Chelsea than by staring in their own cup final with the Blues? They can play with the international stars and score the winning goal! Try our demo to see how it works.
