For those of you who don't know who Tommy Langley is you can see him briefly in action here:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KRGFQddrJ0U&...feature=related

Look around on the net and you'll find out more about him. You'll find out he made his debut for us a 16 year old. You'll find out he was our player of the year 1979.

To give you a feel for what type of player he was, here's the opening sentence of his biography from "Chelsea - Player By Player"

"If international caps were awarded on the basis of effort and determination, Tommy Langley would have ended up with a cupboardful."

Anyone who ever saw him play will know how true those words are.

Now Tommy, unfortunately, played for us in an era when we weren't very good. In fact, at times, we were dire. Big money footballers hadn't been invented then so he never made a fortune out of the game. He left us in 1980 for QPR but he never really made an impact at the highest level and became a footballing wanderer playing in Greece and Hong Kong amongst many other places. But you know what? He never lost his love for his first team. Our team. Chelsea.

Tommy Langley has a season ticket in the front row of the Shed Upper and sits four rows in front of me. Last night when the game wasn't going to plan a steady chorus of Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea rang out from the Shed in the 22nd minute. A short while later a rendition of "who's that team we call the Chelsea" Tommy Langley, our old number 9, was singing along with everyone else.

What's the point of all this you ask? Well, when I see people in the Carlo to Spurs thread saying loyal servant this, tribute page that and that Carlo Wotisname was owed this move by Chelsea for his sterling service, (I would imagine he has been very highly paid for this sterling service), please bear a thought for a genuine, but long forgotten, Chelsea loyal servant like Mr Tommy Langley.

And if you should ever bump into Tommy at the ground, and there's every chance you will, he's always there. Please make a point of going up to him and thanking him personally for his effort and committment all those years ago and for never going to Tottenham.

and for never going to Tottenham.

:D As I was reading through your post I was actually planning a response that started with exactly that!

Slightly off topic but along the same lines.

I was listening to the radio the other day and Ian Wright was talking about Tottenham's situation at the moment. Wright was arguing that nobody except Arsenal fans would get pleasure out of seeing Spurs go down. Did he play football in a bubble?

I don't hate Poyet the way you and BJD do and I don't hate Carlo for going there however they did instantly lose any claim to legend/great status in my eyes.

Tommy Langley was before my time so i cant really comment but i agree completly on Cudicini we treated him brilliantly and he WAS a loyal servent but going to them is a kick in the teeth and i don't understand how a player who spent nearly a decade here and was without doubt a legend could so readily go to our biggest rivals.

Just. I know Tommy Langley was a decent player for us who's a lifelong fan as well. But when you say he left us in 1980 the reality is he ignored all offers to stay to sign for QPR when he was a first team regular with us. Mind you, we were pretty crap back then, and a division below them.

I know he's seen the light since and has admitted it was a stupid decision to turn his back on the club he loves.

Langley scored quite a few for us - I remember the one at Wolves in 77 that took us up - but one I missed was when we beat Liverpool 3-1 at home in the league. Can't remember if it was the same season as the clip you posted, Just, but I missed my train on the way to the game, and I remember reading that he scored a cracker that day. The match wasn't televised, though.

Tommy was a great worker and he is a part of our history.

If he were playing in todays game I doubt he would have reacted/chosen any different than Carlo.

Tommy was a great worker and he is a part of our history.

If he were playing in todays game I doubt he would have reacted/chosen any different than Carlo.

I'll ask him next time Midland. But I think he'll say, "sign for tottenham? Are you taking the piss?"

I'll ask him next time Midland. But I think he'll say, "sign for tottenham? Are you taking the piss?"

I think he might put it even more strongly, Just, and with good reason! ;)

He might well say it, but would he mean it?

as I said, in todays game money is god and if Langley played in todays league he would be the same as would 99.9% of all players.

I remember Tommy Langley, but only vaguely as it was a long time ago. My recollection of him is that he did indeed work his b***s off, but that he fell over a hell of a lot and wasn't very good (but then few of our players were at that time). I also remember him scoring against us when he was at QPR and at that moment I hated him...

Great to see him on Chelsea tv though and his love for Chelsea is obvious.

But had Spurs come in for him back then and offered him a huge salary would he really have turned them down? I wonder...