Numbers and Positions

[OnePeterOsgood]

Back in the day the number on your shirt corresponded with the position you played … overseas goalies often had number 1 on their jersey but over here you could simply recognise the goalie as he wore a thick woollen green polo neck probably knitted by his Mum! Most teams played the W Formation - the ‘top’ ends of the W were the outside right (7), the centre-forward (9) and the outside left (11). When we won the league in ‘55 we had Eric (Rabbit) Parsons at outside right, Frank Blunstone (my first Chelsea hero) at outside left, and the great Roy Bentley at centre-forward. The two bottom points of the W were inside right (8) and inside left (10). Our 8 was Johnny McNichol and the 10 was Seamus O’Connell … who was an amateur! Can you imagine the Premier league being won today with a player who was an amateur? (We had another amateur called Jim Lewis who had time off in the following season in order to play for England at the Melbourne Olympics!)

Our half backs were Ken Armstrong at right half (4), Stan Wicks at centre half (5) and Derek Saunders at left half (6). I think Derek may have started out as an amateur as well. Derek’s party piece was being in the right position to collect the ball after a corner and attempt to score but only succeeded in hitting it way over the bar …. I think he was playing the wrong code!

At right back (2) we had Peter (bullet) Sillet and at left back (3) the South African Stan Willemse who played every match as if we were defending a military attack! Our goalie was Charlie (Chick) Thomson who went on to play for Notts Forest when they won the cup in 1959. We also had Bill Robertson in goal.

Unlike today it was a pretty settled side who played every match unless they were injured or too hungover from the previous night’s session!

I don’t bother with Google to check any of these ‘facts’ as I’d rather be corrected by other fans who have an interest. Anyway, more to come in due course ….

 

[Scott]

And we only received 3 yellow cards all season Bentley(2), Parsons(1).

Different game back then.

 

[erskblue]

First club to wear numbers on shirts – 1927/28On 25 August 1928, Chelsea stepped onto the Stamford Bridge pitch for the opening game of the new campaign. It was against Swansea in front of a crowd of 47,264. And we won 4-0.

Something was a little different. For the first time, those in blue had white numbers on the back of their shirts, correlating to their position on the pitch.

Never before had a football team worn numbered shirts in a competitive game, but on that sunny August day, Chelsea and Arsenal did so.

In fact, it was Chelsea who first donned numerals on their back the year before, in a trial game.

Manager David Calderhead explained why: ‘We really did it to assist the spectators to follow some of the young and comparatively unknown players who took part in the trial yesterday.’

Numbered shirts were commonplace by the 1940s, the decade in which Chelsea's no.9 Roy Bentley started playing for the club

 

[The Rising Sun]

Back in the day the number on your shirt corresponded with the position you played … overseas goalies often had number 1 on their jersey but over here you could simply recognise the goalie as he wore a thick woollen green polo neck probably knitted by his Mum! Most teams played the W Formation - the ‘top’ ends of the W were the outside right (7), the centre-forward (9) and the outside left (11). When we won the league in ‘55 we had Eric (Rabbit) Parsons at outside right, Frank Blunstone (my first Chelsea hero) at outside left, and the great Roy Bentley at centre-forward. The two bottom points of the W were inside right (8) and inside left (10). Our 8 was Johnny McNichol and the 10 was Seamus O’Connell … who was an amateur! Can you imagine the Premier league being won today with a player who was an amateur? (We had another amateur called Jim Lewis who had time off in the following season in order to play for England at the Melbourne Olympics!)

Our half backs were Ken Armstrong at right half (4), Stan Wicks at centre half (5) and Derek Saunders at left half (6). I think Derek may have started out as an amateur as well. Derek’s party piece was being in the right position to collect the ball after a corner and attempt to score but only succeeded in hitting it way over the bar …. I think he was playing the wrong code!

At right back (2) we had Peter (bullet) Sillet and at left back (3) the South African Stan Willemse who played every match as if we were defending a military attack! Our goalie was Charlie (Chick) Thomson who went on to play for Notts Forest when they won the cup in 1959. We also had Bill Robertson in goal.

Unlike today it was a pretty settled side who played every match unless they were injured or too hungover from the previous night’s session!

I don’t bother with Google to check any of these ‘facts’ as I’d rather be corrected by other fans who have an interest. Anyway, more to come in due course ….

Great post mate , thanks

 

[The Rising Sun]

Back in the day the number on your shirt corresponded with the position you played … overseas goalies often had number 1 on their jersey but over here you could simply recognise the goalie as he wore a thick woollen green polo neck probably knitted by his Mum! Most teams played the W Formation - the ‘top’ ends of the W were the outside right (7), the centre-forward (9) and the outside left (11). When we won the league in ‘55 we had Eric (Rabbit) Parsons at outside right, Frank Blunstone (my first Chelsea hero) at outside left, and the great Roy Bentley at centre-forward. The two bottom points of the W were inside right (8) and inside left (10). Our 8 was Johnny McNichol and the 10 was Seamus O’Connell … who was an amateur! Can you imagine the Premier league being won today with a player who was an amateur? (We had another amateur called Jim Lewis who had time off in the following season in order to play for England at the Melbourne Olympics!)

Our half backs were Ken Armstrong at right half (4), Stan Wicks at centre half (5) and Derek Saunders at left half (6). I think Derek may have started out as an amateur as well. Derek’s party piece was being in the right position to collect the ball after a corner and attempt to score but only succeeded in hitting it way over the bar …. I think he was playing the wrong code!

At right back (2) we had Peter (bullet) Sillet and at left back (3) the South African Stan Willemse who played every match as if we were defending a military attack! Our goalie was Charlie (Chick) Thomson who went on to play for Notts Forest when they won the cup in 1959. We also had Bill Robertson in goal.

Unlike today it was a pretty settled side who played every match unless they were injured or too hungover from the previous night’s session!

I don’t bother with Google to check any of these ‘facts’ as I’d rather be corrected by other fans who have an interest. Anyway, more to come in due course ….

Do you remember the sports shop Frank Blunstone had on Lavender Hill? We used to go past it on the number 45 bus from Brixton every match day.

"Frank Blunstone owned a sports shop on Lavender Hill in London during the 1960s, where he sold various sports equipment and apparel. This venture followed his career as a professional footballer, allowing him to engage with the local community and sports enthusiasts"

 

[OnePeterOsgood]

Do you remember the sports shop Frank Blunstone had on Lavender Hill? We used to go past it on the number 45 bus from Brixton every match day.

"Frank Blunstone owned a sports shop on Lavender Hill in London during the 1960s, where he sold various sports equipment and apparel. This venture followed his career as a professional footballer, allowing him to engage with the local community and sports enthusiasts"

No, I didn’t know that, but I did know that he was related to the other famous Blunstone, Colin, who was in The Zombies and Argent … so, thanks for that.

 

[erskblue]

 

[OnePeterOsgood]

I forgot to mention Terry Venables. Terry was a great player, a real character and way ahead of his time. Two incidents I particularly remember during his playing days at Chelsea … firstly, we were playing Roma at home in what I guess was a Fairs Cup match. We were awarded a free kick at one point and whilst they were lining up their wall Terry, with considerable authority, started pacing out the distance to the wall while the defenders just watched … as soon as he had reached the wall the ball was simply passed to Terry who proceeded to pop it past the ‘unready’ goalkeeper! Secondly, in a game which I can’t identify, at one point during their attack in our half, Terry was seen crouching behind the referee, hiding from the oncoming player … a bit like cowboys hiding behind a rock … sure enough as he approached Terry sprang his ambush and nicked the ball! I’ve never found anyone to corroborate this story but it really did happen.

Anyway, back to the point, when Terry got into the team he was a right half with a 4 on his back … simples … but when John Hollins got into the first team, he took the number 4 shirt and Terry took the 10 … consternation …. what’s going on? Terry Venables playing at inside left when he’s a right half! As I said, El Tel was way ahead of his time. I remember Tommy Smith of Liverpool also wore the 10 although he played as a defender or possibly a midfield defender before the term had been coined.

On reflection I think everything changed when Brazil won the 1962 World Cup playing 4-2-4 which probably became the norm for the next few years.

 

[The Rising Sun]

I forgot to mention Terry Venables. Terry was a great player, a real character and way ahead of his time. Two incidents I particularly remember during his playing days at Chelsea … firstly, we were playing Roma at home in what I guess was a Fairs Cup match. We were awarded a free kick at one point and whilst they were lining up their wall Terry, with considerable authority, started pacing out the distance to the wall while the defenders just watched … as soon as he had reached the wall the ball was simply passed to Terry who proceeded to pop it past the ‘unready’ goalkeeper! Secondly, in a game which I can’t identify, at one point during their attack in our half, Terry was seen crouching behind the referee, hiding from the oncoming player … a bit like cowboys hiding behind a rock … sure enough as he approached Terry sprang his ambush and nicked the ball! I’ve never found anyone to corroborate this story but it really did happen.

Anyway, back to the point, when Terry got into the team he was a right half with a 4 on his back … simples … but when John Hollins got into the first team, he took the number 4 shirt and Terry took the 10 … consternation …. what’s going on? Terry Venables playing at inside left when he’s a right half! As I said, El Tel was way ahead of his time. I remember Tommy Smith of Liverpool also wore the 10 although he played as a defender or possibly a midfield defender before the term had been coined.

On reflection I think everything changed when Brazil won the 1962 World Cup playing 4-2-4 which probably became the norm for the next few years.

Another story I heard about Venables was that after the pre match tactics talk by Tommy Docherty, Venables would often tell the team when they got onto the pitch to " forget all that, this is what we'll do " !

Dunno if it's true, but sounds like El Tel !

Often forgotten is how young he was when he made his debut for Chelsea, he had only just turned 17 ! .

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[Gate 13]

Another story I heard about Venables was that after the pre match tactics talk by Tommy Docherty, Venables would often tell the team when they got onto the pitch to " forget all that, this is what we'll do " !

Dunno if it's true, but sounds like El Tel !

Often forgotten is how young he was when he made his debut for Chelsea, he had only just turned 17 ! .

I seem to think that Ossie wore the 9 shirt up to his injury and afterwards he wore the 4 shirt?

 

[The Rising Sun]

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I seem to think that Ossie wore the 9 shirt up to his injury and afterwards he wore the 4 shirt?

I honestly couldn't recall him wearing the number 4 , but you're right Mr Gate !!

"Best Chelsea Players to Wear the Number 4 Jersey – All Time

Peter Osgood

Peter Osgood sporadically had this shirt number throughout his time at the Blues so we’ll save a detailed discussion on him and his talents for his more iconic numbers. That said, he deserves a mention here for being one of the many legends to be the fourth man on the list."

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[OnePeterOsgood]

Yeh, he usually had the 9 but now that you’ve mentioned it I do recall him wearing the 4 on occasions.

Amongst the lesser known 4’s I remember were Andy Malcom who we signed from Charlton and the very oddly-named Sylvan Anderton who came from Reading, I believe.

When substitutes were first introduced they had to wear the 12 and were only allowed on to replace genuinely injured players - only one sub per match, of course. I remember Tommy Baldwin being subbed once at half time during this period - the excuse being that a roof tile had fallen on his head during the half time break so he couldn’t play in the second half!