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Your Chelsea History Lesson
THIS WEEKEND'S FIXTURE - - CHELSEA VS ASTON VILLA...
So, it's the Villains this week. Where do I start? Let's begin with the amount of times we've sent the Villa away empty handed. Out of 59 home league games, we have beaten them a credible 31 times with 10 draws and 18 losses. In doing so, we notched up 86 wondrous goals & let in a mere 68. The average attendance for a Chels-Villa game is 35,256.
Our first home league fixture against the Villa was way back in April 25 1907/1908 . We lost 1-3 with Birnie getting a cracking 45-yard header. The attendance was approx 30,000 & our average for the 1907/1908 season was 32,894. Not too bad when you consider we finished 13th in the old first division. The last time we lost to Villa was in the 2001/2002 season right on the back end, (just after the FA cup final against Le Arse) 1-3 with Eidur banging in a spot kick. So, in my book, that one doesn't count as we were still upset about losing to the Gooners. In the first season of the Premier League, way back in 1992/1993, can you believe that our opponents actually finished 2nd, albeit 10 points behind Manure Nited.
The top scores for both teams were...Dean Saunders with 13 and for Chelsea super Mick Harford with 9. Harford was the only player whose team's top scorer didn't hit double digits. Villa also had the longest losing streak in the division that season...3 games...Breaks your heart doesn't it!!!
Why can't they just get relegated?!
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TOP 5 APPEARANCE MAKERS |
TOP 5 GOAL SCORERS |
| Ken Armstrong 19 | Bobby Tambling |
| John Harris 17 | Dick Spence |
| Roy Bentley & Dennis Wise 14 | 3 on 5 including Roy Bentley |
| Jack Harrow & Peter Bonetti 13 | 5 on 4 including Jimmy Greaves, Tore Andre Flo |
PLAYED FOR BOTH TEAMS
Andy Townsend, Kenny Swain, Tommy Hughes, Ian “Chico” Hamilton, John Phillips, Mark Bosnich, Tony Dorigo, Tony Cascarino, and Tony Hateley
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John Mortimore |
September 23 |
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Craig Burley |
September
24 |
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Jon Harley, Mel Scott |
September 26 |
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Peter Bonetti |
September 27 |
Memorable Match
It has to be the 2000, FA Cup Final, even though the game itself was dreadful. The day started out nice and sunny so out came the flags and a drive round Stanmore pursued. After driving round, singing blue day and blue tomorrow, we headed to my house …no, sorry the pub..Ok, I spent more time in the pub so it felt like my house. After about 5 or 6 beers, it was off to Canons Park tube station where, upon purchasing my ticket, I could here a drunken chorus of 1 man went to mow. As soon as we were on the train, we carried on singing one man went to mow. Three stops later and only managing to get to eight men mowing a meadow, we were at Wembley. Out of the station it was a sea of blue and thankfully not much claret. By now, the weather was cloudy at best, but it didn't take away the fact that this was the last FA cup final with the twin towers. It was going to be a momentous occasion. Once inside the 'ancient ruins to be' it was a rush to (a) the toilets or (b) the bar...B won!! Woohoo!! Then the fun begun looking for my seat, which actually was a pretty view. It was bang in line with 18 yard box in which Bobby scored…not bad for 50 quid. There were all kinds of festivities going on…celebrating the past glories of the "old ground". The game itself wasn't one of the best. We knew we were going to win as Graham Poll was ref. We hardly ever lose with Poll in charge, do we? Anyway Bobbie scored 'again'...You know the rest. Dennis & Henry went up for the cup. But the memorable thing about it was I was there for the final. That, and the fact I got a limited edition program signed by the whole team. Get in there!
PLAYER PROFILE...Willie Foulke
Born: Dawley Shropshire, 12 April 1874 Died: 1 May 1916
Played for Sheffield United before joining Chelsea in May 1905 for the princely sum of 50 pounds. Playing just 34 league games & 1 FA Cup game, he let in 28 goals but kept 17 clean sheets. It looks like if he let 1 in he lost interest!!!! He left the Chels in April 1906 for Bradford before retiring in November 1907. His honors include: one England cap, two FA cup winners’ medals (1899 & 1902), one runners-up FA cup medal (1901) AND in between all this, he even had time to play some cricket for Derbyshire. He weighed an astonishing 311 lbs before died of pneumonia (Guess we know who et all the pies). Maybe the first Chelsea Legend.
I DIDN'T KNOW THAT! For all the goals King Kerry Dixon scored for us (193), he never won the Chelsea player of the year...I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!!!
QUIZ QUESTIONS:
LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:
1. Des Walker at Sampdoria
2. The team to come second the most in the 80's was…Liverpool
THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS
1 A nice easy one to start with: Which former premiership player came on as a sub for his dad in an international match?
2 If it was Sunderland in 1979 and Villa in 1981, who was it in 1980?
