Your Chelsea History Lesson

  

Memorable Match: As we have two games against Barcelona in the U.C.L either side of the Sheffield Utd game, I thought I would write about a game against our opponents from the South coast of Spain. It would be easy for me to write about the 4-2 game from March of last year, but I’m going to tell you about the game from the 1999-00 season. This game was a game approached   with a lot of apprehension, yet excitement. I think the general feeling around The Bridge was if we could get a 1-0 win that should see us in good stead for the second leg at the Nou Camp. The ground was rather full by the time I got there, which was strange as there was  no beer on sale inside the ground (due to FIFA regulations). The noise made by the 33,662 crowd was incredible.  I’m sure they must have borrowed the sound system from Galatasary. The teams came out, Barca had the likes of Figo, De Boer (both of them), Cocu, Kluivert, Zenden and, of course, Rivaldo. It was like a who’s who of football. The Champions league music came blasting through the speakers and, to this day, it still sends a tingle down my spine.  The atmosphere was like nothing I had ever experienced. This is when I realized that the team I had been supporting ever since I was potty trained had ‘finally arrived’. We started off well but Barca, with their intricate passing, always had the edge. Then, the most incredible 8 or 9 minutes of watching Chelsea unfolded. At 29 minutes, Zola scored with a lovely free kick, 1-0. Four minutes later, Flo turned in a Zola cross, 2-0.  Was this really us two up against Barcelona?  At 37 minutes, Flo again, chipping Hesp to put us 3-0 up.  The whole Stamford Bridge was stunned, bewildered, and excited but we wanted more.   That wasn’t to be with Figo scoring a well worked goal in the second half to make the final score 3-1.  I still say that goal was the one that knocked us out the Champions league, not the 5-1 loss at the Nou Camp 2 weeks later. But I’m sure if any Chelsea fan who reads this and was at the game, they too would have taken 3-1 at the start of the tie. Probably one of my favorite games ever.

 

Games From This Week In Years Gone By    

    Oct 24^th 1981 vs Barnsley   (H)    L  1-2       Goal: Mayes  Attendance: 15,268                                                                                                                                                

    Oct 26^th 1996 vs Spurs    (H)   W  3-1         Goals: Lee(pen) Di Matteo  Gullit  Attendance:  28,373  (this was the Matthew Harding memorial game)

    Oct 24^th 2001 vs West Ham Utd  (A) L 1-2   Goal: Hasselbaink  Attendance:  26510 

CHELSEA LEGEND:  This week’s legend is probably the greatest legend ever known at the Bridge as God…we’ll call him Gianfranco Zola. Franco joined Chelsea in November ‘96 and we all thought his best days were behind him and that he had come for one last big pay check.   His first game was at Blackburn.  The following weekend saw his home debut vs. Newcastle which he put an elegant cross into the box but Vialli said he got his head to it and claimed the goal.  Personally, I think Zola had scored but Luca knew there was a new hero on the horizon, so he just wanted to take the acclaim of the fans. By the end of the season, Zola, who had only been in the country 6 months, won the player of the year award, as well as a FA Cup winners medal.  I saw Zola play many many times and I have to be truthful and say I can’t remember one poor game. The man had skill. If there was a free kick outside the box, you knew where it was going.  Even the goalie’s knew but they still couldn’t do anything about it. Some of his goals that come to mind: West Ham when he ran rings round Julian Dicks; Everton, the free kick; Southall - had defenders on the line but between them they just stood and watched it go in; Man U when he takes on half the team, gets to the bye line, and puts it through Schmeichel’s  legs; and Wimbledon semi final…need I say more?! The greatest goal has to be the one vs Norwich from 2 maybe 3 yards out.  The mid air back heel, which, thankfully, was down at my end (the Matthew Harding stand). Even the Norwich keeper said in the press a few days later after the goal that it was the greatest goal he had let in…Pure Brilliance! Zola’s last game for Chelsea was against Liverpool in May 2003.  He came on as a sub to a standing ovation, not just from the Chelsea fans but also from the Liverpool fans…Gianfranco Zola will always be the Greatest CHELSEA LEGEND!  I wish you all could have seen him play

 

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT! Did you know that after playing in the same team for close on two decades Peter Bonetti and Ron Harris both made their 700^th appearance in the same game  ...I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!!!

QUIZ QUESTIONS:

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

   1: What was unusual about Arnold Birch’s 5 goal haul for Chesterfield in 1924…Answer: all his goals were penalties

   2: What happened to Liverpool for the first time in the 1987 League cup final vs. Le Arse…Answer: it was the first time they had lost when Ian Rush had scored 

THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS

   1. Who are the 5 different players to have scored for 5 different premiership clubs?

   2. Which Scottish international scored 7 goals in an FA cup tie and still finished on the losing side?      

                                                                                                               

Until Next Time Then…….Cheerio!  Tel