So here we are at my all time favorite fixture, Villa away. The atmosphere at this game is always one of the best, and for some reason the Villa fans hate us nearly as much as I hate them. We don’t have a very good record at Villa Park, having played 59 times we have only won 13,drawing 17 & losing 29.We have scored 81 times against their 112.Our biggest loss at Villa Park was a tight 1-7 contest in 1952 with Jimmy Smith getting our only but yet the best goal of the game. Our Biggest win there was a 2-6 thrashing with Boyle getting 1 & Tambling getting 5 in Sept 66.Our team that day was Bonetti, Kirkup, McCreadie, Hollins, Hinton, Harris, Boyle, Graham, Osgood, Cooke & Tambling.

Recent Statistics: Our recent stats up at “the Villa” are not that good, even though we having lost many we haven’t won many either. Our last win up there was back in Mar 99 when we stuffed them 0-3, goals coming from Goldbaek & Flo 2.But in recent games we have lost 2 & drawn 5, so a win this week is due (plus its my birthday so give me a nice present guys).In season 99-00 (the year we beat them in the final) we finished 5^th with Villa finishing just below us. Albeit 7 points behind. The top scorers for both teams this year were Dion Dublin with 12 from 26 games & our top scorers were Poyet & Flo with 10 a piece, but way down at the bottom of the league the top scorer for West ham was none other then the future “ super Frankie Lampard” with a “can only get better” total of 7.

Games from this week in years gone by:

Jan 1^st 02 Vs Southampton (H) L 2-4...Goalscorers... Gudjohnsen Hasselbaink..Att35, 156

Jan 1^st 87 Vs QPR (H) W 3-1...Goalscorers... McNaught 2 Wegerle…Att 20,982

Jan 1^st 72 Vs Derby County (A) L 0-1…Att 33,663

Me 1^st	Vinnie Jones 5^th
Derek Saunders 6^th	Terry Venables 6^th

CHELSEA LEGEND. This weeks legend is none other than our guest of honor in Chicago the ‘Wizard of the Dribble’ Sir Charlie Cooke. His career started out at Aberdeen where he was transferred to Dundee for a then record between two Scottish clubs 44,000 GBP.Cookey was signed from Dundee in Apr 66 for a bargain 72,500 GBP, but didn’t get his league debut until the start of the 66-67 season Vs West Ham, in which he scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 win. Charlie was one of the greatest entertainers in the 70’s which is a high compliment when you consider there was talent in nearly every team in the first division, he was an old fashioned style winger who was very direct, he loved to twist and turn defenders inside out .He set up chances for teammates on both sides of the border during an impressive career spanning 15 years and close on 600 appearances. As a Chelsea player he managed to grab just 16 caps for Scotland (66-75).After returning from a 16 month spell at Crystal Palace he returned back to where he was loved most. Once back the club was in a steady decline but Charlie always the entertainer played some of his best football, one game I remember was way back in Oct 77 when he ran rings around the Bristol City defence.I remember the newspapers saying “how could a player of his age”(37) still be playing at this standard. Charlie along with the caps from Scotland won a respectable amount on medals whilst at Chelsea during the 70’s but most of all he won the hearts of all Chelsea fans. He now runs a very successful football coaching school out of Cincinatti Ohio. To meet him in Chicago, like so many of us did was a dream come true. Charlie Cooke will always be one of the biggest…CHELSEA LEGENDS.

QUIZ QUESTIONS:

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

1: The only team who starts with 5 consonants is…Crystal Palace

2:.The team with the longest name in British football is. Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS

1: Who is the only player to have scored in a Merseyside derby, Manchester derby & Glasgow derby?

2: Which ground is closest to the River Mersey?

Next weeks lesson is Vs Wigan Ath

Until Next Time Then…….Cheerio! Tel