THIS WEEKEND'S FIXTURE - -Arsenal Vs Chelsea So it’s off to the new library we go with a record that really could do with improving. We have played Le Arse a total of 69 times at Highbury, or the Manor ground as it was known in the1919- 1920 season. And we haven’t fared to well. Our record show’s we have won just 17, drawn 18 & lost the rest, we have for some reason scored more goals (87) there than at the Bridge, by four. As for WLD’S: Defeats, there are a few and a lot of heavy one’s, fortunately most of them were during the war’s so a lot of the players were guests, but none the less we still lost to them. There were a lot of 1-4’s & 0-3’s  but our heaviest loss was Nov 6^th 43 in front of a crowd of 16,007, we lost in a close game 0-6(in a football league south game).As for draw’s, there’s loads of 2-2’s but the highest was a 3-3 and that was pretty recent.Sept 04^th  96 saw us come from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with goals from Leboeuf,Wise & Vialli.As for the win column, our biggest win was in the London Combination on Jan 15^th 16 ,we ran out 0-6 winners with goals coming from Bob Thomson, Charlie Buchan 2 & Harry Ford 3.

Recent Stats: Maybe not that recent but I’ve gone back to the first premiership season we finished above our opponents (by one place), and this was the 1994-95 season. This year we finished 11^th with a symmetrical home record, played 21 won 7 drew 7 & lost 7, (this was the last season of 42 league games) our away form wasn’t to dissimilar, won 6 drew 8 & lost 7. Our goals for both home & away were 25 each & goals against were at home 22 & away 33, so all in all a pretty none eventful season really. At the start of the season we were in 4^th place, and apart from rising to 7^th in mid Nov there was a continual slide to mid table mediocrity. Our biggest win was a home game Vs Leicester, 4-0 with goals from, Spencer 2 Shipperley & Peacock .Our top scorer this season was the mighty John Spencer with a net busting 11. As for attendances, our capacity back then was only 31,791,our highest crowd was 31,161 with our lowest being 14,130, which brings the average gate to a respectable (considering what we had to endure) 21,061. But on the plus side we had some good youngsters coming through and they got more games as we knew we were not going to be in the relegation battle. One footnote, we did not score from one direct free kick all season…Oh how we needed Franco Zola!!! 

Memorable Game: Le Arse have always claimed this game doesn’t count as they played their reserve team (sound familiar?),but anyway we didn’t have a full squad either, none the less as the saying’s go,  a win’s a win ,we can only play what’s in front of us, and so on. Anyway it was Nov 11^th 98, the 4^th round of the League cup, both teams were in European competition so both teams put out weakened teams. As the game got underway the Chelsea fans had a feeling that tonight we might actually get results, mainly due to the fact that they had hardly anyone in their team that had played more than a hand full of games. We  played really well and was 0-2 up by half time, courtesy of a Leboeuf header and a goal from Luca, in the second half we really ripped them to shreds scoring 2 more goals, one more from Luca and one from Poyet,0-4 up with a few minutes to go and the Chelsea faithful were joyous in knowing we had thumped Le Arse, when from nowhere up popped Poyet to slide one passed the hopeless/useless Manniger. HA 0-5 and their manager, not sure who, some French bloke, whined about us not putting out as weak a team as he did (you would have thought he would have learned by now then wouldn’t you?).

 

 

Chelsea Trivia: Since the start of the prem Chelsea are second in the disciplinary charts with Everton top & Le Arse just behind us.                                                                                                                                                                     

Games from This Week in Years Gone By: May 6^th 67 Vs Leeds Utd (H) D 2-2..Goalscorers McCreadie Baldwin..Att 35,882

May 3^rd 97 Vs Leeds Utd (H) D 0-0..Att 28,277

May 7^th 05 Vs Charlton Ath  (H) W 1-0..Goalscorer Makelele..Att 42,065

CHELSEA LEGEND: Ok so who can remember seeing this guy play, he reminded me as an 80’s version of Charlie Cooke but with a hairstyle reminiscent of a lead singer from a flock of seagulls. This week’s ledge is none other than Pat Nevin. Pat joined us from Clyde in July 93 for a bargain price of 95,000GBP. Pat was a very stylish type of player even if he was a bit unorthodox. He could be out of a game for long periods but the suddenly burst into a 30-40 yard mazy run which would excite the Chelsea faithful and no doubt lead to a pin point cross onto Kerry Dixon’s barnet. He did lack consistency but when he was on form he was without a doubt exciting to watch. Pat was voted player of the year twice in 1984 & 1987. He made over 240 appearances and banged in a respectable 46 goals, it’s not logged how many crosses he put in for Dixon to score but I’m sure Dixon would tell you how grateful he was to having such an enigmatic winger in the side. Pat also won a second division medal & a full member’s medal while at the Bridge. As good as Nevin was, sadly the one thing I will remember him for was that penalty Vs Man City, thankfully we were 4-1 up at the time! But that apart, a player who was once mentioned in the same breath as the great Sir Stanley Matthews, the mercurial Pat Nevin will always be a …CHELSEA LEGEND! 

THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS:
1: Can you name a player who’s last name is part of the name of the ground on which he play’s?
2: Who has held the FA Cup the longest?

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:
1: The team with a ground in two countries is Chester City, their pitch is in Wales but the main stand is in England
2: The two players with their names on the front and back of their shirts are Lee (Sharp) Sharpe of M Utd & Ian (Walkers) Walker of Spurs

Until Next Time Then…….Cheerio!  Tel