History of Chelsea Football Club Essay

Chelsea were founded on 10 March 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butchers Hook), opposite the contemporary main entrance to the ground on Fulham Road, and were elected to the Football federation shortly afterwards. The clubs early years saw little success the closest they came to winning a major loot was reaching the FA instill final in 1915, where they lost to Sheffield United. Chelsea gained a reputation for signing big-name players and for creation entertainers, moreover made little impact on the English game in the inter-war years.Former Arsenal and England centre-forward Ted Drake became private instructor in 1952 and proceeded to modernize the club. He removed the clubs Chelsea pensioner crest, improved the youth set-up and schooling regime, rebuilt the side, and led Chelsea to their first major trophy success the League relief in 195455. The following assuage saw UEFA create the European Champions loving cup, nevertheless after objections from The Football Leag ue and the FA Chelsea were persuaded to withdraw from the competition in front it started.The 1960s saw the emergence of a talented young Chelsea side under manager Tommy Docherty. They challenged for honour throughout the decade, and endured several near-misses. They were on course for a treble of League, FA Cup and League Cup way out into the final stages of the 196465 season, winning the League Cup but faltering late on in the other two. In three seasons the side was beaten in three major semi-finals and were FA Cup runners-up. Chelsea were FA Cup winners in 1970, beating Leeds United 21 in a final replay. Chelsea took their first European honour, a UEFA Cup Winners Cup triumph, the following year, with another replayed win, this time over Real Madrid in Athens.The late 1970s through to the 1980s was a turbulent period for Chelsea. An ambitious redevelopment of Stamford connect threatened the financial stability of the club, star players were sold and the team were relegated. Further problems were caused by a ill-famed hooligan element among the support, which was to plague the club throughout the decade. In 1982 Chelsea were, at the nadir of their fortunes, acquired by slew Bates for the nominal sum of 1, although by now the Stamford Bridge freehold had been sold to property developers, meaning the club set about losing their home. On the pitch, the team had fared little better, coming close to relegation to the Third Division for the first time, but in 1983 manager John Neal put together an impressive new team for minimal outlay. Chelsea won the indorse Division title in 198384 and established themselves in the top division, before being relegated again in 1988. The club bounced back immediately by winning the Second Division championship in 198889.After a long-running legal battle, Bates reunited the stadium freehold with the club in 1992 by doing a plentifulness with the banks of the property developers, who had been bankrupted by a market cras h.14 Chelseas form in the new Premier League was unconvincing, although they did reach the 1994 FA Cup Final. It was not until the appointment of former European Footballer of the Year Ruud Gullit as player-manager in 1996 that their fortunes changed. He added several top-class international players to the side, as the club won the FA Cup in 1997 and established themselves as one of Englands top sides again. Gullit was replaced by Gianluca Vialli, who led the team to victory in the League Cup and the Cup Winners Cup in 1998, the FA Cup in 2000 and the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2000. Vialli was plunder in spare of another Italian, Claudio Ranieri, who guided Chelsea to the 2002 FA Cup Final and Champions League qualification in 200203.In June 2003, Bates sold Chelsea to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for 140 zillion, completing what was then the biggest-ever sale of an English football club. Over 100 million was spent on new players, but Ranieri was unable to d eliver any trophies, so he was replaced by Portuguese coach Jos Mourinho. Under Mourinho, Chelsea became the fifth English team to win back-to-back league championships since the Second World War (200405 and 200506), in addition to winning an FA Cup (2007) and two League Cups (2005 and 2007). In phratry 2007 Mourinho was replaced by Avram Grant, who led the club to their first UEFA Champions League final, in which they lost on penalties to Manchester United. Grant was sacked days later and succeeded by Luiz Felipe Scolari in July 2008.