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Your Chelsea History Lesson

THIS WEEKEND'S FIXTURE - -Chelsea vs. Portsmouth:

So this weekend’s game sees us up against the Pompey. We have played the Boys from the south coast a total of  34 times at Stamford Bridge with mixed results. We have managed to win fifteen, draw twelve, and lose seven; scoring a credible 70 goals against them with the Pompey boys knocking in 49.  

Our first game against them was at the Bridge, way back in the 1924-25 season, in the ‘old ‘ 2nd division. It was on a cold, cold 25th  February night.  The Boys in Blue went down 2-3 in front of 37,000, some of which (I think) may have been  “on leave” sailors. Our goals came from our #8 Brown and #11 McNeil .  One game that surely needs to be mentioned is the game towards the end of the promotion season 1962-63. It was a night with a carnival atmosphere as Chelsea were dreaming of clinching  that second promotion place back to their rightful place in the top tier of English football.  All they had to do was beat a Portsmouth team who were in the lower reaches of the table, but no threat to relegation, so they didn’t have a lot to play for. All Chelsea had to do was win to go up.  Simple really,  but you know how our beloved boys can be, don’t you!! The match was played in front of a 54,558 crowd. Straight from the start, Chelsea were looking to settle their nerves and after 90 seconds Kevan Headed in from close range.  We eventually ran out 7-0 winners with goals coming from Tambling (4), Blunstone and Venables (pen).We were back in the first division after just one season down . Recent history has been better for Chelsea with a good 2-0 home win in February 2006, with Lamps & Robben getting the goals.  

So, let’s have a look at how both teams have fared since The Pompey entered the lucrative business of the Premiership. They entered the premiership for season 2003-04 and for a lot of the season nearly left in 2003-04.  While Chelsea were finishing an excellent second, the Pomp finished a respectable thirteenth. Chelsea’s top scorer that season was JFH with 13 goals from 30 games.  Portsmouth’s top scorer was Yakubu Ayegbeni – he actually scored 3 more than JFH from 37 games. We also had the “Indian sign” over Pompey this year, as both their games against us were their heaviest defeats with 0-2 at Fratton Park & 3-0 at the Bridge. Get in there!!!!                

           

TOP 5 APPEARANCE MAKERS

TOP 5 GOAL SCORERS

Ken Armstrong              20

James Lewis             6

Roy Bentley                  15

Bobby Tambling        6

Harold Miller                 14

Jimmy Greaves         5

John Harris                   13

Roy Bentley             4

Vic Woodley                 12

King Kerry               3

 

PLAYED FOR BOTH TEAMS

Glen Johnson (loan)

Micky Hazard

Alexei Smertin (loan)

Garry Stanley

Bob Salmond

 

 


  

Scott Parker  Oct 13

Sir Charles Cooke   Oct 14

Michael Duberry   Oct 14

Didier Deschamps   Oct 15

Frankie Blunstone  Oct 17

Graeme Le Saux       Oct 17

Frank Upton    Oct 18

Ashley Hughes 19th (my stepdaughter) sweet 16

Claudio Ranieri Oct 20

Winston freeloader Bogarde Oct 20

Memorable Match: 

It was a cold, wet, damp, miserable day on the South coast of England, but getting up at the crack of dawn and driving all the way down to Pompey was going to be worth it.  I mean, we’re in the 6th round of the cup.  There’s only Wimbledon, Chesterfield, & Boro left.  It’s got to be our year this year…it’s got to be! So, the game gets underway and the mist starts rolling in from the sea.  No, I’m not singing Mull of Kintyre.  Wisey pops up to put us 1-0 up.  I must admit,  I thought Mr. Goal Machine himself, Stevie Clarke,  got it ,but who cares…we were winning!  By half-time, we were 2-0 with a further goal coming from Mark Hughes. By the start of the second half, the mist had turned into fog and you really couldn’t see the far goal. Thankfully, Chelsea were attacking our end.   Pompey were playing really well and should have scored at least twice, then Zola came up and made it 3-0 ( in these times, I was only happy when we were 3-up because I’ve seen us give 2 goals up on too many occasions).  The fog was really bad and Pompey were getting right back into the game when Deon Burton Smashed one past Grodas to make it 3-1 . At this point. there was talk going around the ground that the game could be postponed and replayed at a later date. This is not what I wanted to hear with Pompey all over us like a rash.  And I thought this was going to be our year. Right near the end, Wisey came up and put another one in the back of the ‘old onion bag’ to make it 4-1.  Then, a few minutes later, the whistle went and we were in the Semi Final.  Woo hoo!  A great, if not stressful day, was had and the long journey back to The West Midlands was prolonged by frequent pub stops.   

Games From This Week In Years Gone By                                                                                                                                                           

 Oct 15th 1955: vs  Tottenham Hotspur (H)   W 2-0  R Bentley B  Smith   Att 48,195                                                                                                   

 Oct 15th 1966 vs Manchester Utd  (A)   D 1-1  Crerand (og)    Att 56,789                                                                                              

 Oct 17th 1998 vs Charlton Athletic (H)  W 2-1 Leboeuf (pen) Poyet   Att 34,639  

CHELSEA LEGEND: John Terry.  Where do I start when I’m talking about a Chelsea hero such as John Terry? John is still in his relatively early 20’s yet already he is a Legend. The reason being he is a tough, no nonsense type of defender which endears him to his adoring fans.  That, and he’s a damn decent bloke as well . He wanted the #26 shirt so he could be one better than Zola. He rose through the ranks at Chelsea before making his debut as a sub against Aston Villa. He didn’t get a regular run in the side until the 2000-2001 season. But, as of the start of this season, he has played in over 270 games scoring 30 goals. He is also the first homegrown talent since last week’s Chelsea Legend, Ray Wilkins, to captain England. Even though he was first playing at Senrab FC in the East End as a midfielder, he has now blossomed into a great defender.  In years to come JT will be mentioned at Chelsea in the same breath as Ron Harris & Marcel Desailly and as an England player with the great Bobby Moore…John Terry is , and will forever be, the biggest English CHELSEA LEGEND…Ever. 

ON THIS IMPORTANT DATE: This week’s important date is October 15, 2002.  The nearest game we have to that date is when our Boys in Blue were playing on October 19, 2002 against Manchester City.   (A) It was a good day for the lads, as we ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in front of a Maine Road crowd of 34,953, who saw goals from JFH & Zola (2). Our team that day was…Cudicini, De Lucas, Desailly, Le Saux, Gallas,  Melchiot, Lampard, Morris, Petit, JFH & Franco. Sub was Oliveira who came on for Zola in the last minute. But, more importantly, (B) is because on October 15, I married my third and final wife, Amy, in Vegas, baby.  How the hell she’s put up with me for four years is beyond me. LUV YA AIM!!  

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!  In The  Season 2003 -2004 Chelsea two  biggest victories one at home & one away were both by the same score 5-0 .The Barcodes at the Bridge  & Wolves  at Molineux  ...I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!!! 

QUIZ QUESTIONS:  

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

   1: Two players to have won the football writers award with two different teams…Sir Stan Matthews at Blackpool & Stoke  & Gary Lineker at Everton & Spuds

  2: Two premiership players who have won the Premier/ FA Cup/ Champions league/ European Championship… The farmer from Denmark & Le Sulk…otherwise known as Schmeichel & Anelka

 THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS

   1.   What was unusual about Arnold Birch’s 5 goal haul for Chesterfield in 1924?

   2.   What happened to Liverpool for the first time in the 1987 League cup final vs. Le Arse?

 

Until Next Time Then…….Cheerio!  Tel