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Chelsea F.C.

*** Shopping-Tip: Chelsea F.C.
{{Football club infobox | clubname = Chelsea Football Club | image = Image:Chelsea FC.png 100px|Chelsea logo | fullname = Chelsea Football Club | nickname = The Blues, The Pensioners | founded = 1905 | ground = Stamford Bridge (stadium) Stamford Bridge, London | capacity = 42,360 | chairman = {{flagicon|USA}} Bruce Buck
(for Image:Flag_of_Russia.svg 20px|Russian Roman Abramovich)| manager = Image:Portugal_flag_large.png 20px|Portuguese JosÃ© Mourinho | CEO = {{flagicon|England}} Peter Kenyon | Life President = {{flagicon|England}} Richard Attenborough | league = FA Premier League | season = FA Premier League 2004-05 2004-05 | position = Premier League, 1st | pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=| leftarm1=0000FF|body1=0000FF|rightarm1=0000FF|shorts1=0000FF|socks1=FFFFFF| pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=| leftarm2=CCFFFF|body2=CCFFFF|rightarm2=CCFFFF|shorts2=000000|socks2=CCFFFF| shirtsupplier=Umbro | shirtsponsors=Samsung Samsung Mobile }} '''Chelsea Football Club ''' (also known as the ''Blues'', previously known as the ''Pensioners'', a reference to the Chelsea pensioners), founded in 1905, is an FA Premier league English Premier League football (soccer) football team that plays at the Stamford Bridge (stadium) Stamford Bridge football ground in south-west London. Chelsea are the reigning FA Premier League champions. Despite its name, the club is based just outside the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is on the Fulham Road, which runs between Fulham and Chelsea, London Chelsea.

History

Stamford Bridge
''For main article see Stamford Bridge (stadium) Stamford Bridge.'' Stamford Bridge officially opened on 28 April 1877. For the first 28 years of its existence it was used almost exclusively by the London Athletic Club as an arena for athletics meetings and not at all for football. In 1904 the ground was acquired by H A (Gus) Mears and his brother, J T Mears, who had previously acquired additional land (formerly a large market garden) with the aim of accommodating a football team there on the now 12.5 acre (51,000 m²) site. The Mears family remained the owners of the ground (and subsequently the Club) until the 1970s. Stamford Bridge was designed for the Mears family by Archibald Leitch. They offered the stadium to Fulham F.C. Fulham Football Club, but the offer was turned down. As a consequence, the owners decided to form their own football club to occupy their new ground. Most football clubs were founded first, and then sought grounds in which to play, but Chelsea was founded for Stamford Bridge. Since there was already a football club named Fulham in the borough, the founders decided to adopt the name of the adjacent borough of Chelsea for the new club, having rejected names such as ''Kensington FC'', ''Stamford Bridge FC'' and ''London FC''. The pitch is owned by Chelsea Pitch Owners, an organisation that took out a loan to purchase the stadium and also the rights to the Chelsea FC name. This was done to ensure the stadium could never be sold to developers. It also means that if someone tries to move the football club to a new stadium they could not use the name.

Early years (1905-52)
Chelsea F.C. was founded on March 14 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook) opposite today's main entrance to the ground on the Fulham Road. After being denied entry to the Southern League, the club applied for admission to the Football League and were accepted at the Football League AGM on May 29, 1905. Blue shirts were adopted by Mears, after the horse racing racing colours of Lord Chelsea and the club's first match took place away at Stockport County F.C. Stockport County on September 2, 1905. They lost the game 1-0. Their first home match was against Liverpool F.C. Liverpool in a friendly. They won 4-0. The club began with established players recruited from other teams, such as new player-manager John Tait Robertson, FA Cup-winning goalkeeper William Foulke (footballer) William "Fatty" Foulke and prolific goalscorer George Hilsdon George "Gatling Gun" Hilsdon. Promotion to the top flight was swift, but the club's early years brought no trophies. Chelsea played in the "Khaki" FA Cup final of 1915 (so-called because of the large number of uniformed soldiers in attendance) but lost out to Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United. They also finished 3rd in the Football League First Division First Division in 1920 and reached the FA Cup semi-finals in the same season (thus missing out on a chance to play in the final at Stamford Bridge (stadium) Stamford Bridge), but spent much of the inter-war period in mid-table. However, they consistently attracted enormous crowds. 77,952 attended the fourth round FA Cup tie against Swindon on 13 April 1911, and 82,905 attended the league game against Arsenal on 12 October 1935. Safety considerations make such attendances impossible now: the current legal capacity of the stadium is 42,522.

=The visit of Dynamo
= In October 1945, with the Second World War having just ended, the England English football authorities sought a way to celebrate the return of the peace-time game. As part of a goodwill gesture, it was announced that FC Dynamo Moscow, reigning champions of the Soviet Union, would tour the United Kingdom and play several home teams, including Chelsea. Chelsea drafted in a host of star players, including England national football team England internationals Tommy Lawton and Len Goulden, much to the annoyance of the Russia Russians. The match took place on 13 November at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea wearing an unfamiliar red strip due to a kit clash. Before kick-off, the Dynamo players presented a bouquet of flowers to their opposite number. Despite this faux pas, the curious Russian side surprised many observers with their talent by fighting back from 0-2 and 2-3 down to secure a deserved 3-3 draw, albeit with a disputed equaliser. An estimated crowd of 100,000 - a record for Stamford Bridge - attended the match, with many on the dog track.

Drake's Ducklings (1952-61)
In 1952, Ted Drake was appointed manager and he proceeded to modernise the club, both on and off the pitch. One of his first actions was to remove the image of a Chelsea pensioner from the match programme and the club's old nickname was no more. He also improved the club's training regime, its youth system and he recruited talented young players from the lower divisions. In 1954-55 in English football 1954-5, Chelsea won the Football League First Division First Divsion title under Drake with a team that included captain and top-scorer (with 21 league goals) Roy Bentley, goalkeeper Charlie 'Chic' Thomson, left-half Derek Saunders, inside-right John McNichol Johnny 'Jock' McNichol, right-half Ken Armstrong, outside-left Frank Blunstone, full-back Peter Sillett and future England National Football Team England manager Ron Greenwood at centre-half. The team were affectionately known as ''Drake's Duckling's'', after the relative youth of the side. Though Chelsea were only 12th in the table in November, they secured the title with a game to spare after a 3-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday. Key to the success were two league wins against eventual runners-up Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers and a ten-game unbeaten streak in the title run-in. Chelsea's points total of 52 for that season remains the lowest to have secured the English League title since the First World War. That same season saw the club complete a unique quadruple, with the reserve, 'A' and junior sides also winning their respective leagues. Winning the Championship should have ensured that Chelsea became the first England English participants in the inaugural UEFA Champions League European Champions' Cup competition to be staged the following season. Indeed, they were drawn to face Swedish Champions (football) Swedish champions DjurgÃ¥rdens IF Fotboll DjurgÃ¥rdens in the first round. However, Chelsea were denied by the intervention of the The Football League Football League and the The Football Association F.A., many of whose leading members were opposed to the idea and felt that primacy should be given to domestic competitions, so the club were persuaded to withdraw. {{ref|euro}} Chelsea did play an unofficial United Kingdom UK championship Friendly match friendly against Scottish 1954-55 in Scottish football champions Aberdeen F.C. Aberdeen, which Aberdeen won. Chelsea presented a plate with the club crest to Aberdeen as a reward. Chelsea were unable to build on their title success, however, and finished 16th the following season. The team was ageing and there followed a succession of equally uninspiring mid-table finishes; the one major bright spot in this period being the emergence of the ultra-prolific goalscorer Jimmy Greaves, who scored 122 league goals in four seasons. When Greaves was sold to AC Milan in June 1961 the writing was on the wall and without his goals, the club's performances slumped. This run culminated in relegation from the First Division in 1962 and the departure of Drake, who was replaced by 33-year-old player-coach Tommy Docherty.

Blue is the Colour (1963-72)
The swinging sixties ushered in an era that saw football and inimitable style merge in the heart of London; with the fashionable Chelsea, London King's Road at the heart of the swagger. A 60s Chelsea that oozed charisma and class ultimately failed to match its swagger with on-field triumphs, and endured several near-misses. In his first season as manager Docherty led Chelsea to promotion as Football League Second Division Second Division runners-up with a new, youthful team which included Captain (football) captain Ron Harris (footballer) Ron "Chopper" Harris, goalkeeper Peter Bonetti, prolific goalscorer Bobby Tambling, defender Eddie McCreadie and playmaker Terry Venables. Chelsea finished a credible 5th in their first season back in the top-flight, and in the next narrowly missed out on a domestic "treble", being denied by a poor run of form in the title run-in and defeat in the FA Cup semi-finals, though the League Cup was secured with a two-legged win against Leicester City F.C. Leicester City (the club's first League Cup). Docherty famously sent home eight key players for breaking a curfew before a crucial match when the side were just two points behind leaders Manchester United F.C. Manchester United, which contributed to the club's failure in the title race and led to the premature break-up of the team, with Venables, George Graham (footballer) George Graham and Barry Bridges all being sold within a year. This was followed by an FA Cup final loss to Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham in 1967. Docherty left shortly after that defeat, and was replaced by Dave Sexton. The early 1970s saw a great Chelsea team which is still fondly remembered (not least because it was a couple of decades before its achievements were matched at the club): it featured the "King of Stamford Bridge" Peter Osgood and his gangly strike partner, Ian Hutchinson, playmaker Alan Hudson, and winger Charlie Cooke (footballer) Charlie Cooke. In 1970 Chelsea ran out FA Cup Final 1970 FA Cup winners (beating Leeds United F.C. Leeds 2-1 in a pulsating final replay at Old Trafford (football) Old Trafford with a late David Webb (footballer) David Webb winner). A UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph was added to the haul the following year with a replayed win over Real Madrid in Athens—Chelsea's first European honour. The club also reached a second League Cup final in 1972, though it surprsingly lost out to Stoke City F.C. Stoke City.

Troubled Times (1975-89)
But there was no further success in that decade, as the discipline of the team degenerated and an over-ambitious redevelopment of the stadium (which only got as far as the pioneering East Stand, which retains its place even in the modern stadium) threatened the financial stability of the club. Further problems were caused by a fearsome reputation for violence amongst a section of the supporters (the boundary between passion and hooliganism being dangerously narrow in those days) and the club started to fall apart both on and off the field. The financial problems exacerbated the club's other difficulties - several key players, such as Osgood, Hudson and Tommy Baldwin had fallen out with Sexton over their lifestyle and been transfer (football) transferred - and a spiral of decline began. Sexton himself was sacked early into the 1974-75 in English football 1974-75 season after a poor start, and was replaced by his assistant, Ron Suart, who was unable to reverse the decline and also left within a year. Star players were sold off, the team was relegation relegated in 1975, and the Fee simple freehold of the stadium site was sold off to property developers, which was to create serious problems in the years to come. As always, however, Chelsea retained its high profile; and its widespread base of supporters, many of them very hard core, saw it through what proved to be the very difficult years of the 1970s and 1980s. However, although relegated to the Second Division twice, it never fell further (although it came dangerously close). A succession of managers came and went (including several ex-players) but all were hamstrung by the club's financial troubles. Between August 1974 and June 1978, Chelsea were unable to buy a single player. Eddie McCreadie led the side to promotion in 1976-77 in English football 1976-77, but left after a contract dispute and the club were again relegated. The stability of the team appeared to have finally been secured by manager John Neal (footballer) John Neal who, having seen Chelsea avoid relegation to the Football League Third Division Third Division in the final home game of the 1982-83 in English football 1982-83 season, put together an inexpensive yet impressive side. In 1982, Chelsea Football & Athletic Company (the club), heavily in debt and unable to pay its players, was, at the nadir of its fortunes, acquired from the Mears family interests by businessman and one-time chairman of Oldham Athletic F.C. Oldham Athletic, Ken Bates, for the princely sum of Â£1, though he declined to buy the stadium and its substantially larger debts, a move he was later to regret. Bates proved to be a real fighter as the new chairman, although his opponents included supporters (who did not take kindly to his suggestion of Electric fence electrified fences to keep them off the pitch) as well as property developers Marler Estates, to whom chairman Brian Mears had sold the Stamford Bridge freehold instead. In 1992, Bates finally outmanoeuvred the latter and reunited the freehold with the Club, by seeing the property developers go bust after a market crash and doing a deal with their banks. In the meantime, Chelsea, having spent the early part of the decade in the Second Division, were promoted as champions in 1984 under Neal (who retired a year later due to ill-health). With an impressive team which included the likes of Kerry Dixon, Pat Nevin and David Speedie, Chelsea were unlikely European contenders in 1984-85 in English football 1984-85 and title contenders a year later, topping the table in February, but ultimately finished 6th on both occassions after poor run-ins. Following another slump, the club were relegated in 1988 via the short-lived play-off system and emphatically won promotion to the First Division as Second Division champions a year later with 99 points. This time, the club managed to stay in the top flight, where it has remained ever since.

The 1990s: back on track
Chelsea had an impressive return to the First Division in 1989-90. Manager Bobby Campbell (footballer) Bobby Campbell guided a squad of mostly unremarkable players to a creditable fifth place in the final table. Although the ban on England English clubs in European football was lifted that year, Chelsea missed out on a UEFA Cup place because the only English place in the competition that year went to runners-up Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa. Campbell resigned a year later and he was replaced by Ian Porterfield, who helped Chelsea finish high enough in 1991-92 to qualify for the first-ever season of the FA Premier League Premier League. He quit halfway through the season and was replaced on a caretaker basis by former Chelsea hero David Webb (footballer) David Webb, who guided Chelsea to an 11th place finish. Webb was replaced at the end of the season by 35-year-old former England midfielder Glenn Hoddle, who had just won promotion to the Premiership as player-manager of Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town. Hoddle's first season as manager saw Chelsea's league form dip slightly, but they reached the FA Cup final - and, although they lost 4-0 to Manchester United (who were awarded two penalties), this was sufficient to qualify Chelsea to compete in Europe for the 1994-95 Cup Winners Cup (since Manchester United had independently qualified for the Champions League). They reached the semi-finals of the competition and went out by one goal to eventual winners Real Zaragoza. Chelsea now had a decent squad with several top class players, the most significant of which was inspirational captain (football) captain Dennis Wise. But chairman Ken Bates and director Matthew Harding were making millions of pounds available for the club to spend on players, and two world-famous players were signed in the summer of 1995 - Netherlands Dutch legend Ruud Gullit (free transfer from U.C. Sampdoria Sampdoria) and Manchester United's high-scoring striker Mark Hughes (Â£1.5million). Hoddle guided Chelsea to another 11th place finish in FA Premier League 1995-96 1995-96, and another FA Cup semi-final, and then quit to become manager of the England national football team England team. Gullit was appointed player-manager for the 1996-97 season, and added several top-class players to the side, including European Cup-winning Juventus striker Gianluca Vialli, cultured France French defender Frank Leboeuf and Italy national football team Italian internationals Gianfranco Zola and Roberto Di Matteo (the latter for a club record Â£4,900,000). He had an impressive first season in management by winning the FA Cup and finishing sixth in the Premiership - the club's highest league placing for a decade. The FA Cup Final 1997 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough at Wembley Stadium Wembley ended Chelsea's 26-year wait for a major trophy, and was a happy end to a season which had looked to be dominated by sadness after the death in October of director and financial benefactor Matthew Harding in a helicopter crash. Gullit was suddenly sacked in February 1998 with Chelsea set for a top-five Premiership finish, and in the semi-finals of two cup competitions. Another player-manager was appointed - the 33-year-old Vialli. Vialli began his management career in style with victory in the Cup Winners Cup and the League Cup. Following that, he led the club to a 1-0 win over European champions Real Madrid in the European Super Cup Super Cup at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. He also guided Chelsea to a third-place finish in the 1998-99 Premiership campaign after missing out on the title by four points, high enough for a first-ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League Champions League. Vialli also guided Chelsea to another FA Cup victory and a trip to the Champions League quarter-finals in the Spring of 2000. By now, Chelsea had a top-notch multi-national squad which included Zola, Di Matteo, Netherlands Dutch goalkeeper Ed de Goey, Uruguay Uruguayan midfielder Gustavo Poyet and France French Football World Cup 1998 World Cup-winning trio Frank Leboeuf, Marcel Desailly and Didier Deschamps.

The new millennium: glory days
Image:Stamford Bridge stands.jpg Stamford Bridge (stadium) thumb|float|200px|Chelsea's home ground is [[Stamford Bridge (stadium)|Stamford Bridge, in London.html" title="Meaning of Stamford Bridge.html" title="Meaning of thumb|float|200px|Chelsea's home ground is [[Stamford Bridge (stadium)|Stamford Bridge">thumb|float|200px|Chelsea's home ground is [[Stamford Bridge (stadium)|Stamford Bridge, in London">Stamford Bridge.html" title="Meaning of thumb|float|200px|Chelsea's home ground is [[Stamford Bridge (stadium)|Stamford Bridge">thumb|float|200px|Chelsea's home ground is [[Stamford Bridge (stadium)|Stamford Bridge, in London Vialli was dismissed in September 2000 after a poor start to the season and was replaced by another Italian, Claudio Ranieri, who guided them to two more top six finishes and another FA Cup final in 2002, but was unable to prevent them from losing to double winners Arsenal F.C. Arsenal. In the final game of 2002-03 in English football 2002-03, Chelsea defeated Liverpool 2-1 to finish 4th and secure another qualification for the Champions League. Bates unexpectedly sold Chelsea F.C. in June 2003 for Â£60 million. In so doing, Bates reportedly recognized a personal profit of Â£17 million on the club he had bought for Â£1 in 1982 (his stake had been diluted to just below 30% over the years). The club's new owner was Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who also took on responsibility for the club's Â£80 million of debt, quickly paying most of it. He then went on a Â£100 million spending spree before the start of the season and landed players like Claude MakÃ©lÃ©lÃ©, Geremi Njitap Geremi, Glen Johnson (footballer) Glen Johnson, Joe Cole (footballer) Joe Cole and Damien Duff. The spending saw a good return, with Chelsea finishing as Premiership runners-up (their best league finish for 49 years) and reaching the UEFA Champions League Champions League semi-finals after dramatically beating Arsenal in the quarter-finals. But Ranieri was sacked after some bizarre tactical decisions in the semi-final loss against AS Monaco and for ending the season trophyless. In his place, Abramovich recruited JosÃ© Mourinho (who had lifted two SuperLiga Portuguese league titles, a Cup of Portugal Portuguese Cup, a UEFA Champions League European Cup and a UEFA Cup with Futebol Clube do Porto FC Porto) as the club's new manager. 2004-05 was the most successful season in the history of Chelsea Football Club. They secured the Premiership title in a record breaking season by gaining 95 points from 38 fixtures (ending a 50-year wait for the title with the highest Premiership points total for a 38 game season), along with setting records for: most wins (29), fewest goals against (15) and most clean sheets (25) in a 38 game season -- all this in the season that also saw "The Blues" lift the League Cup with a thrilling 2005 League Cup Final 3-2 victory over Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium. The club also announced record losses of Â£140 millon for the year ending June 2005.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/4659432.stm] In addition to the two major trophies won, Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, controversially losing 1-0 on aggregate to the eventual winners Liverpool F.C. Liverpool.

Current season: 2005-2006
2005-06 is Chelsea's centenary season, and is being marked by the introduction of a new badge based on an old time badge, and by various special events. Chelsea has signed a five-year (starting from the 2005-06 season) Â£10 million a year shirt sponsorship deal with Korean electronics company Samsung, ending Emirates sponsorship. This is the largest annual shirt sponsorship yet agreed by an English football club. Chelsea has also agreed a new kit deal with Adidas, worth approximately Â£12 million a year to the club, and effective from the 2006-07 season. Chelsea are currently top of the Premiership table. [http://www.chelseafc.com/article.asp?hlid=252757&m=1&y=2005&nav=news&sub=latest+news]

Crest
Image:Cfcpensioner.gif thumb|left|160px|Chelsea's first crest Image:Chelsea's old badge.jpg thumb|160px|Club crest 1953-1986 Image:Cfcbadge.gif thumb|160px|Club crest 1986-2005 Since the club's foundation, Chelsea have had four main crests, though all underwent minor variations. In 1905, Chelsea adopted as its first crest the image of a Chelsea pensioner, which obviously contributed to the ''pensioner'' nickname, and remained for the next half-century, though it never appeared on the shirts. As part of new manager Ted Drake's modernisation of the club from 1952, he insisted that the pensioner badge be removed from the match day programme in order to change the club's image and that a new crest be adopted. As a stop-gap, a temporary emblem comprising simply the initials C.F.C. was adopted for one year. In 1953, the club adopted what is arguably its most famous crest - that of an upright blue lion looking backwards and holding a staff (stick) staff - which was to endure for the next three decades. The crest was based on elements in the coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea (discussed and illustrated [http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/lcc.html#chelsea%20bc on this website]) with the "lion rampant regardant" taken from the arms of then club president Earl Cadogan Viscount Chelsea and the staff from the Westminster Abbey Abbots of Westminster, former Lords of the Manor of Chelsea. This was also the first club badge to appear on shirts, since the policy of putting the crest on the shirts was only adopted in the early 1960's. In 1986, with new owners now at the club, Chelsea's crest was changed again as part of another attempt to modernise and to capitalise on new marketing opportunities, because new Chairman Ken Bates was advised he had not acquired any copyright in the existing crest. The new badge featured a more naturalistic non-heraldic lion, yellow and not blue, standing over the C.F.C. initials. It lasted for the next 19 years, though with some modifications such as the use of different colours. With new ownership, and the club's centenary approaching, combined with demands from fans for the club's traditional badge to be restored, it was decided that the crest should be changed again in 2004. The new crest was officially adopted for the start of the 2005-6 season and marks a return to the older design of the blue heraldic lion holding a staff.

Rivalries
Chelsea fans have a strong rivalry with various clubs, but don't have have an immediately obvious one in the manner of Arsenal F.C. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur, or Liverpool F.C. Liverpool and Everton F.C. Everton. The club's nearest neighbours are Fulham F.C. Fulham (Chelsea FC is itself based in the Hammersmith and Fulham borough), but they are generally not seen as big rivals by Chelsea fans, owing to the fact that the clubs have spent the greater part of the last 40 years in separate divisions. As a result, the club whom Chelsea fans regard as the biggest rival is partially a generational issue. The rivalry with Leeds United F.C. Leeds United dates back to their heated and controversial FA Cup final in 1970, and coloured all future matches between the sides, especially during the 1970s and 1980s. Chelsea are rivals with numerous London clubs, such as West Ham United F.C. West Ham United and Millwall F.C. Millwall (west and east London), though perhaps that is now more on the part of those fans than of Chelsea. Perhaps the most fierce rivalry is that with Tottenham (north and south London), which has also been exacerbated by some memorable matches between the sides. In more recent years, the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool might be added to the list, with Chelsea challenging for major honours in direct competition with those clubs and, again, having been involved in some contentious matches with them.

Current players
{{Fs start}} {{Fs player | no=1 | nat=Czech Republic | pos=GK | name= Petr Cech}} {{Fs player | no=2 | nat=England | pos=DF | name= Glen Johnson (footballer) Glen Johnson}} {{Fs player | no=3 | nat=Spain | pos=DF | name= Asier del Horno}} {{Fs player | no=4 | nat=France | pos=MF | name= Claude MakÃ©lÃ©lÃ©}} {{Fs player | no=5 | nat=Ghana | pos=MF | name= Michael Essien}} {{Fs player | no=6 | nat=Portugal | pos=DF | name= Ricardo Carvalho}} {{Fs player | no=7 | nat=Portugal | pos=MF | name= Maniche .html">FC Dynamo Moscow Dynamo Moscow}} {{Fs player | no=8 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= Frank Lampard}} {{Fs player | no=9 | nat=Argentina | pos=FW | name= HernÃ¡n Crespo}} {{Fs player | no=10 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= Joe Cole (footballer) Joe Cole}} {{Fs player | no=11 | nat=Ireland | pos=MF | name= Damien Duff}} {{Fs player | no=12 | nat=England | pos=FW | name= Carlton Cole}} {{Fs player | no=13 | nat=France | pos=DF | name= William Gallas}} {{Fs player | no=14 | nat=Cameroon | pos=MF | name= Geremi Njitap Geremi}} {{Fs mid}} {{Fs player | no=15 | nat=Ivory Coast | pos=FW | name= Didier Drogba}} {{Fs player | no=16 | nat=Netherlands | pos=MF | name= Arjen Robben}} {{Fs player | no=19 | nat=France | pos=MF | name= Lassana Diarra}} {{Fs player | no=20 | nat=Portugal | pos=DF | name= Paulo Ferreira }} {{Fs player | no=22 | nat=Iceland | pos=FW | name= Eidur Gudjohnsen}} {{Fs player | no=23 | nat=Italy | pos=GK | name= Carlo Cudicini}} {{Fs player | no=24 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= Shaun Wright-Phillips}} {{Fs player | no=26 | nat=England | pos=DF | name= John Terry}} (captain) {{Fs player | no=29 | nat=Germany | pos=DF | name= Robert Huth}} {{Fs player | no=31 | nat=England | pos=GK | name= Lenny Pidgeley}} {{Fs player | no=41 | nat=BEL | pos=GK | name= Yves Ma-Kalambay|}} {{Fs player | no=42 | nat=ENG | pos=MF | name= Anthony Grant}} {{Fs player | no=-- | nat=ENG | pos=FW | name= Scott Sinclair}} {{Fs end}}

Players out on loan
{| {{Fs player | no=18 | nat=England | pos=DF | name= Wayne Bridge .html">Fulham F.C. Fulham until summer 2006}} {{Fs player | no=27| nat=Czech Republic | pos=MF | name= JiÅ™Ã JaroÅ¡Ãk .html">Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City, season-long}} {{Fs player | no=--| nat=Argentina | pos=MF | name= Juan SebastiÃ¡n VerÃ³n .html">Internazionale Milano F.C. Inter until summer 2007}} |}

Backroom Staff

Management
*Manager: {{flagicon|Portugal}} JosÃ© Mourinho *Assistant Manager: {{flagicon|Brazil}} Baltemar Brito *Assistant Manager: {{flagicon|Scotland}} Steve Clarke *Assistant Coach/Chief Scout: {{flagicon|Portugal}} Andre Villas *Goalkeeping Coach: {{flagicon|Portugal}} Silvino Louro *Fitness Coach: {{flagicon|Portugal}} Rui Faria *Assistant Fitness Coach: {{flagicon|England}} Ade Mafe *Reserve Team Coach: {{flagicon|England}} Mick McGiven

Medical Staff
*Chief Medical Officer: {{flagicon|England}} Bryan English *First Team Physio: {{flagicon|Australia}} Dean Kenneally *Reserve Team Physio: {{flagicon|England}} Mike Banks *Reserve Team Doctor: {{flagicon|Germany}} Alex Nieper *Rehabilitation Doctor: {{flagicon|Germany}} Ian McCurdie *Rehabilitation: {{flagicon|France}} Thierry Laurent *Rehabilitation: {{flagicon|England}} Rob Brinded *Masseur: {{flagicon|Cyprus}} Pedro Phillipou *Masseur: {{flagicon|England}} Stuart Sullivan *Masseur: {{flagicon|Scotland}} Billy McCulloch *Masseur: {{flagicon|Italy}} Mauro Doimi

Notable former players
{{details|List of Chelsea F.C. players}} * '''1900s-1940s:''' William Foulke (footballer) William Foulke, Hughie Gallacher, John Harris (footballer) John Harris, George Hilsdon, Tommy Lawton, Nils Middelboe, George Mills (footballer) George Mills, John Tait Robertson. * '''1950s:''' Ken Armstrong, Roy Bentley, Jimmy Greaves, Ron Greenwood, John McNichol, Eric Parsons, Peter Sillett. * '''1960s:''' Barry Bridges, Peter Bonetti, George Graham (footballer) George Graham, John Hollins, Eddie McCreadie, Ken Shellito, Bobby Tambling, Terry Venables. * '''1970s:''' Tommy Baldwin, Charlie Cooke (footballer) Charlie Cooke, Ron Harris (footballer) Ron Harris, Alan Hudson, Ian Hutchinson, Peter Osgood, David Webb (footballer) David Webb, Ray Wilkins. * '''1980s:''' John Bumstead, Kerry Dixon, Pat Nevin, Eddie Niedzwiecki, Nigel Spackman, David Speedie, Clive Walker. * '''1990s:''' Ed de Goey, Roberto di Matteo, Ruud Gullit, Mark Hughes, Dan Petrescu, Gianluca Vialli, Dennis Wise, Gianfranco Zola. * '''2000s:''' Marcel Desailly, Albert Ferrer, Tore AndrÃ© Flo, Jesper Gronkjaer, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Mateja Kezman, Graeme Le Saux, Adrian Mutu, Gustavo Poyet.

Chelsea player of the year (1967-2005)
{| |valign="top"| {| class="wikitable" !Year !Winner |- |1967||Peter Bonetti |- |1968||Charlie Cooke (footballer) Charlie Cooke |- |1969||David Webb (footballer) David Webb |- |1970||John Hollins |- |1971||John Hollins |- |1972||David Webb (footballer) David Webb |- |1973||Peter Osgood |- |1974||Gary Locke |- |1975||Charlie Cooke (footballer) Charlie Cooke |- |1976||Ray Wilkins |- |1977||Ray Wilkins |- |1978||Micky Droy |- |1979||Tommy Langley |- |1980||Clive Walker |- |1981||Peter Borota |- |1982||Mike Fillery |- |1983||Joey Jones |- |1984||Pat Nevin |- |1985||David Speedie |- |1986||Eddie Niedzwiecki |} |width="50"| |valign="top"| {| class="wikitable" !Year !Winner |- |1987||Pat Nevin |- |1988||Tony Dorigo |- |1989||Graham Roberts (footballer) Graham Roberts |- |1990||Ken Monkou |- |1991||Andy Townsend |- |1992||Paul Elliott |- |1993||Frank Sinclair |- |1994||Steve Clarke |- |1995||Erland Johnsen |- |1996||Ruud Gullit |- |1997||Mark Hughes |- |1998||Dennis Wise |- |1999||Gianfranco Zola |- |2000||Dennis Wise |- |2001||John Terry |- |2002||Carlo Cudicini |- |2003||Gianfranco Zola |- |2004||Frank Lampard |- |2005||Frank Lampard |} |}

Managers
{| class="wikitable" !Name !Period |- |John Tait Robertson |1905 - 1907 |- |David Calderhead |1907 - 1933 |- |Leslie Knighton |1933 - 1939 |- |Billy Birrell |1939 - 1952 |- |Ted Drake |1952 - 1961 |- |Tommy Docherty |1962 - 1967 |- |Dave Sexton |1967 - 1974 |- |Ron Suart |1974 - 1975 |- |Eddie McCreadie |1975 - 1977 |- |Ken Shellito |1977 - 1978 |- |Danny Blanchflower |1978 - 1979 |- |Geoff Hurst |1979 - 1981 |- |John Neal (footballer) John Neal |1981 - 1985 |- |John Hollins |1985 - 1988 |- |Bobby Campbell (footballer) Bobby Campbell |1988 - 1991 |- |Ian Porterfield |1991 - 1993 |- |David Webb (footballer) David Webb |1993 |- |Glenn Hoddle |1993 - 1996 |- |Ruud Gullit |1996 - 1998 |- |Gianluca Vialli |1998 - 2000 |- |Claudio Ranieri |2000 - 2004 |- |JosÃ© Mourinho |2004 - |- |}

Honours
*'''FA Premier League League Championship''' **'''Winners:''' 1955, 2005 *'''Football League Second Division 2nd Division''' **'''Winners:''' 1984, 1989 *'''FA Cup''' **'''Winners:''' FA Cup Final 1970 1970, FA Cup Final 1997 1997, 2000 *'''League Cup''' **'''Winners:''' 1965, 1998, 2005 League Cup Final 2005 *'''FA Charity Shield/FA Community Shield Community Shield''' **'''Winners:''' 1956, 2000, 2005 *'''Full Members Cup Full Members' Cup''' **'''Winners:''' 1986, 1990 *'''Cup Winners' Cup UEFA Cup Winners' Cup''' **'''Winners:''' 1971, 1998 *'''European Super Cup UEFA Super Cup''' **'''Winners:''' 1998 *'''FA Youth Cup''' **'''Winners:''' 1960, 1961

Club Records
*'''Record League Victory:''' 9-2 v Glossop North End A.F.C. Glossop, Football League Second Division Division 2, 1 September, 1906 *'''Record Cup Victory:''' 13-0 v Jeunesse Hautcharage, Cup Winners' Cup, 1st Round 2nd Leg, 29 September 1971 *'''Record Defeat:''' 1-8 v Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Football League First Division Division 1, 26 September 1953 *'''Record Cup Defeat:''' 0-6 v Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday, FA Cup FA Cup Round 2 Replay, 5 February 1913 *'''Most League Points (2 for a win):''' 57, Football League Second Division Division 2, 1906-1907 *'''Most League Points (3 for a win):''' 99, Football League Second Division Division 2, 1988-1989 *'''Most League Goals:''' 98, Football League First Division Division 1, 1960-1961 *'''Highest League Scorer in Season:''' Jimmy Greaves, 41, 1960-1961 *'''Most League Goals in Total Aggregate:''' Bobby Tambling, 164, 1958-1970 *'''Most League Goals in One Match:''' **5, George Hilsdon v Glossop North End A.F.C. Glossop, Football League Second Division Division 2, 1 September, 1906 **5, Jimmy Greaves v Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Football League First Division Division 1, 30 August, 1958 **5, Jimmy Greaves v Preston North End F.C. Preston North End, Football League First Division Division 1, 19 December, 1959 **5, Jimmy Greaves v West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion, Football League First Division Division 1, 3 December, 1960 **5, Bobby Tambling v Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa, Football League First Division Division 1, 17 September, 1966 **5, Gordon Durie v Walsall F.C. Walsall, Football League Second Division Division 2, 4 February, 1989 *'''All-time top goalscorers:''' **202, Bobby Tambling (1958-70) **193, Kerry Dixon (1983-92) **150, Roy Bentley (1948-56) **150, Peter Osgood (1964-74 & 1978-9) **132, Jimmy Greaves (1957-61) **123, George Mills (1929-43) **107, George Hilsdon (1906-12) *'''Most Capped Player:''' Marcel Desailly, 67 (116), France national football team France *'''Most League Appearances:''' Ron Harris (footballer) Ron Harris, 655, (1962-80) *'''Most Appearances in Total:''' **795, Ron Harris (footballer) Ron Harris, (1962-1980) **729, Peter Bonetti (1959-79) **592, John Hollins (1963-75 & 1983-84) **445, Dennis Wise (1990-01) **421, Steve Clarke (1987-98) *'''Youngest League Player:''' Ian Hamilton (footballer) Ian Hamilton, 16 years 138 days v Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur, 18 March 1967 *'''Record Transfer Fee Received:''' Â£12,000,000 from Rangers F.C. Rangers for Tore AndrÃ© Flo, November 2000 *'''Record Transfer Fee Paid:''' Â£24,400,000 to Olympique Lyonnais Lyon for Michael Essien, August 2005 *'''Longest Sequence of League Wins:''' 10, 19 November 2005 - 15 January 2006 *'''Longest Sequence of League Defeats:''' 7, 1 November 1952 - 20 December 1952 *'''Longest Sequence of League Draws:''' 6, 20 August 1969 - 13 September 1969 *'''Longest Sequence of Unbeaten League Matches:''' 40, 23 October 2004 - 29 October 2005 *'''Longest Sequence Without a League Win:''' 21, 3 November 1987 - 2 April 1988 *'''Successive scoring Runs:''' 27 from 29 October 1988 *'''Successive Non-scoring runs:''' 9 from 14 March 1981 *'''Highest home attendance:''' 82,905 v Arsenal F.C. Arsenal, Football League First Division Division 1, 12 October, 1935 (an estimated crowd of 100,000 attended a friendly match against FC Dynamo Moscow Dynamo Moscow, 13 November, 1945)

Trivia
*Chelsea gained admission to the Football League in 1905 despite having never played a competitive fixture. *Chelsea, along with Arsenal F.C. Arsenal, were the first club to play with shirt numbers on 25 August 1928 in their match against Swansea Town F.C. Swansea Town. *Chelsea's highest attendance - 82,905 - in a home match against Arsenal on 12 October, 1935 is also the highest ever for an England English Football League match. *Chelsea's points ratio in their 1954-55 in English football 1954-55 title-winning season (1.71 per game) is the lowest ever for an English Championship-winning side. Conversely, their points total of 95 for their FA Premier League 2004-05 2004-05 title-winning season is the highest. *Chelsea were the first English side to travel by aeroplane to an away match, when they visited Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United on 19 April 1957. *Chelsea were the first Football League First Division First Division side to play a match on a Sunday, when they faced Stoke City F.C. Stoke City on 27 January 1974. *On Boxing Day 1999, Chelsea became the first British side to field an entirely foreign (non-United Kingdom UK) line-up in a Premier League match against Southampton F.C. Southampton. *In their 69 seasons in the top-flight, Chelsea have finished in every position (1st to 22nd) at least once.

1st:  2    5th:  5    9th:  2    13th: 5    17th: 1    21st: 2
2nd:  1    6th:  7    10th: 1    14th: 4    18th: 6    22nd: 2
3rd:  4    7th:  1    11th: 6    15th: 1    19th: 6
4th:  2    8th:  3    12th: 5    16th: 2    20th: 2

Notes

#{{note|euro}} There was at the time an ambivalent and somewhat arrogant attitude towards foreign competitions among the English football authorities, best demonstrated by England's non-participation in the world cup finals until 1950. The pressure put on club chairman Joe Mears to withdraw is referenced in this [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2005/04/06/sfnphi06.xml&sSheet=/sport/2005/04/06/ixfooty.html ''Telegraph'' article]. See also {{cite book | author=Greaves, Jimmy | title=Greavsie | publisher=Time Warner Books| year=2003| id=ISBN 0316725293}}, ch2, for a brief account of the affair.

References
*{{cite book | author=Batty, Clive | title=Kings of the King's Road: The Great Chelsea Team of the 60s and 70s| publisher=Vision Sports Publishing Ltd| year=2004| id=ISBN 0954642813}} *{{cite book | author=Batty, Clive | title=A Serious Case of the Blues: Chelsea in the 80s| publisher=Vision Sports Publishing Ltd| year=2005| id=ISBN 1905326025}} *{{cite book | author=Glanvill, Rick | title=Chelsea FC: The Official Biography - The Definitive Story of the First 100 Years| publisher=Headline Book Publishing Ltd| year=2005| id=ISBN 0755314654}} *{{cite book | author=Hadgraft, Rob | title=Chelsea: Champions of England 1954-55| publisher=Desert Island Books Limited| year=2004| id=ISBN 1874287775}} *{{cite book | author=Harris, Harry | title=Chelsea's Century| publisher=Blake Publishing| year=2005| id=ISBN 184454110X}} *{{cite book | author=Ingledew, John | title=And Now Are You Going to Believe Us: Twenty-five Years Behind the Scenes at Chelsea FC| publisher=John Blake Publishing Ltd| year=2006| id=ISBN 1844542475}} *{{cite book | author=Matthews, Tony | title=Who's Who of Chelsea | publisher=Mainstream Publishing| year=2005| id=ISBN 1845960106}} *{{cite book | author=Mears, Brian | title=Chelsea: A 100-year History | publisher=Mainstream Sport| year=2004| id=ISBN 1840188235}} *{{cite book | author=Mears, Brian | title=Chelsea: Football Under the Blue Flag| publisher=Mainstream Sport| year=2002| id=ISBN 1840186585}}

External links
{{BBC Football Info|BBClinkname=c/chelsea}}
- Official website
- Official Auction website
- Chelsea Football Club Blog (Unofficial)
- Chelsea FC - Premierleague.com {{Champions League 2005/06}} {{FA_Premier_League}} Category:English football clubs Category:Chelsea F.C. Category:FA Premier League Category:1905 establishments Category:Sport in London ar:Ù†Ø§Ø¯ÙŠ ØªØ´ÙŠÙ„Ø³ÙŠ bg:Ð¤.Ðš. Ð§ÐµÐ»Ñ?Ð¸ cs:Chelsea FC de:Chelsea F.C. es:Chelsea Football Club fr:Chelsea Football Club gd:Chelsea F.C. id:Chelsea F.C. it:Chelsea F.C. he:×¦'×œ×¡×™ (×§×‘×•×¦×ª ×›×“×•×¨×’×œ) lt:ChelseaFC nl:Chelsea FC ja:ãƒ?ã‚§ãƒ«ã‚·ãƒ¼FC no:Chelsea FC nn:Chelsea FC pl:Chelsea FC pt:Chelsea FC ro:Chelsea F.C. ru:Ð§ÐµÐ»Ñ?Ð¸ (Ñ„ÑƒÑ‚Ð±Ð¾Ð»ÑŒÐ½Ñ‹Ð¹ ÐºÐ»ÑƒÐ±) simple:Chelsea F.C. fi:Chelsea FC sv:Chelsea FC th:à¸ªà¹‚à¸¡à¸ªà¸£à¸Ÿà¸¸à¸•à¸šà¸à¸¥à¹€à¸Šà¸¥à¸‹à¸µ vi:Chelsea F.C. tr:Chelsea F.C. zh:åˆ‡å°”è¥¿è¶³ç?ƒä¿±ä¹?éƒ¨ {{catmore1|Chelsea F.C.}} Category:English football clubs Category:Sport in London Category:Hammersmith & Fulham zh:category:åˆ‡çˆ¾è¥¿è¶³ç?ƒä¿±æ¨‚éƒ¨

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