On 2/23/2018 at 05:54, old git said:

You forgot Hugh Johns mate. "Knowles....left peg....one nil....pick that one out".

He would always say '' Oh that was a great drive''.

13 hours ago, erskblue said:

Same here mate. The sheer joy of that season after the very real threat of relegation to the old Division 3 in 1982/83. And it was a very real threat!

Yes it was weird Ersk last game of the season I was on the pitch against Boro 0-0 so we avoided relegation. The next season I was on the pitch against Leeds after we got promoted. What John Neal done was nothing short of miraculous unearthing diamonds like Nevin, Spackman, Speedie, Dixon, Eddie etc for modest fees and turning them into a team that would be challenging for a place in Europe the following season.

4 hours ago, old git said:

I'm bloody ancient! I used to go with the old man when Roy Bentley was banging 'em in and Eric Parsons was scampering down the wing.

Respect to ya. My old man used to tell me stories about Roy Bentley, but his most talked about player is Jimmy Greaves. One story about Greaves when playing for Chelsea, and how he beat almost the whole team (Birmingham he thinks) directly from kick off and scored. My old man is 83 now and his memory of things changes. 

Edited February 25, 20188 yr by Osgood is Good

11 hours ago, Ewell CFC said:

Good away trip that one.

When the programme cost 40p!

10 hours ago, bluehaze said:

Yes it was weird Ersk last game of the season I was on the pitch against Boro 0-0 so we avoided relegation. The next season I was on the pitch against Leeds after we got promoted. What John Neal done was nothing short of miraculous unearthing diamonds like Nevin, Spackman, Speedie, Dixon, Eddie etc for modest fees and turning them into a team that would be challenging for a place in Europe the following season.

Yeah totally agree. Trying to keep up with our signings in the summer of 1983 from the West of Scotland wasn't that bad as the great John Neal signed a few Scottish players,so there was relatively decent Chelsea coverage in the sports pages.

The legendary 1983/84 final league stats.

P42 W25 D13 L4 F90 A40 Pts 88. Position 1st in Division 2.

Chelsea were back.

19 hours ago, Osgood is Good said:

Respect to ya. My old man used to tell me stories about Roy Bentley, but his most talked about player is Jimmy Greaves. One story about Greaves when playing for Chelsea, and how he beat almost the whole team (Birmingham he thinks) directly from kick off and scored. My old man is 83 now and his memory of things changes. 

I'm 70 and my memory is no better than your Dad's! However, when Greavesie burst on the scene, after Dickie Foss and Jimmy Thompson noticed this kid taking the piss out of other kids on his council estate, he was an enigma because there was nobody else like him. For a start, he was equally adept with both feet which was unusual. What I do remember is the time he breezed past, the then England captain Billy Wright, as though he was a Saturday afternoon player, and planting the ball in the bottom corner. There was an audible gasp around the ground because everybody knew they'd seen something special. He left far too early to go to AC Milan. 

22 hours ago, Ewell CFC said:

I take my hat off to you Sir- just out of interest, what dyou reckon was the biggest gate in games you attended in the 50's, 60's

You must go back to the period before the old West Stand was built in 65 and that side was all terracing.

Edit- just checking online, from 65 onwards our capacity must have been capped at about 62, 000, until the old East Stand was torn down in 73. Our highest gates during that period were against Man Utd every year with the exception of Spurs in 69/70.

I reckon the last 60,000 plus gate would have been Bobby Charlton's farewell in 73

 

 

Stats. aren't my strong suit mate, but I remember in the early 50's, the place was always heaving. As I've mentioned before somewhere, my dad, uncles and me used to walk to the ground from Wandsworth Road and, invariably, always arrived when the game had kicked off. We used to climb the steps behind one of the goals, and I used to get passed down by the crowd, over the heads of everybody to the front pitchside. That was because you couldn't slip a fag paper between one bloke and the next, it was so packed. A couple of times, if it was really chocka, I used to get lifted up on to the pitch by a copper. Quaint times, never to be repeated I'm afraid.

On 06/02/2018 at 16:54, Osgood is Good said:

 

Hard to believe that this match was 33 years ago. Jan 30th 1985. 

One of my favourite matches, right up there with Barcelona at SB in 2000 which we won 3-1.

I was actually talking about this game recently. Don't get me wrong the recent plaudits for the recently and sadly departed Cyrille Regis were fully appropriate and justified, but Paul Canoville should also be a beacon of strength against racism. To come into the Chelsea side of that era, getting booed by our own fans and to carve a career out with us. My biggest memory from that game was Cano coming on at half time to a "mixed" reception and scoring with his first touch. Quality. Top player

On 12/02/2018 at 12:21, Famous CFC said:

I know it's a little more recent, but I just came across this. The legendaryness in this photo is ridiculous.

Top 3 Chelsea players ever, imo. 

 

If Charlie Cooke was sat alongside them i would be made up. Even in my fifties i would probably print it off and pin it to the bedroom wall.

10 hours ago, old git said:

I'm 70 and my memory is no better than your Dad's! However, when Greavesie burst on the scene, after Dickie Foss and Jimmy Thompson noticed this kid taking the piss out of other kids on his council estate, he was an enigma because there was nobody else like him. For a start, he was equally adept with both feet which was unusual. What I do remember is the time he breezed past, the then England captain Billy Wright, as though he was a Saturday afternoon player, and planting the ball in the bottom corner. There was an audible gasp around the ground because everybody knew they'd seen something special. He left far too early to go to AC Milan. 

I have asked my old man and he is unsure, but maybe you have some insight. Do you know why Greaves left Chelsea so early, and why he does not seem to mention Chelsea with any fond memories ?. Did he have a beef with Chelsea ?

Just checked Jimmy Greaves goal scoring record for us.

In the youth team he scored an amazing 114 goals in 1956/57. ( I haven't misread that have I ?)

Then scored on his debut aged 17 away at Spuds. He scored 132 goals in 169 games before leaving for AC Milan in summer 1961.

 

2 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

If Charlie Cooke was sat alongside them i would be made up. Even in my fifties i would probably print it off and pin it to the bedroom wall.

He'll of a photo ain't it? All three sat there knowing there amazing players. If you had a photo Charlie Cooke, Ron Harris and Peter Osgood id frame the hell out of it. Maybe throw Peter Bonetti in there too. And John Hollins. 

Edited February 26, 20188 yr by Famous CFC

2 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

I was actually talking about this game recently. Don't get me wrong the recent plaudits for the recently and sadly departed Cyrille Regis were fully appropriate and justified, but Paul Canoville should also be a beacon of strength against racism. To come into the Chelsea side of that era, getting booed by our own fans and to carve a career out with us. My biggest memory from that game was Cano coming on at half time to a "mixed" reception and scoring with his first touch. Quality. Top player

Excellent post

1 hour ago, erskblue said:

Just checked Jimmy Greaves goal scoring record for us.

In the youth team he scored an amazing 114 goals in 1956/57. ( I haven't misread that have I ?)

Then scored on his debut aged 17 away at Spuds. He scored 132 goals in 169 games before leaving for AC Milan in summer 1961.

 

Jimmy Greaves was a truly great player. 

13 hours ago, Osgood is Good said:

I have asked my old man and he is unsure, but maybe you have some insight. Do you know why Greaves left Chelsea so early, and why he does not seem to mention Chelsea with any fond memories ?. Did he have a beef with Chelsea ?

I've got a feeling that the club needed the money at the time, and were keen to sell. He didn't fancy going to Italy but Mears forced his hand. That's probably why he got the hump with us. For all Greavie's goals, we had a squad of aging players sprinkled with a few youngsters which culminated in us conceding a lot of goals, hence our poor League position.

I'm sure we needed the money in spring 1961 and also there was still the maximum wage for footballers I'm place. I'm sure I read that Jimmy Greaves got a £15,000 signing on fee when he signed for AC Milan. An absolute fortune back then.

On 25/2/2561 at 20:02, Osgood is Good said:

Respect to ya. My old man used to tell me stories about Roy Bentley, but his most talked about player is Jimmy Greaves. One story about Greaves when playing for Chelsea, and how he beat almost the whole team (Birmingham he thinks) directly from kick off and scored. My old man is 83 now and his memory of things changes. 

I was knee high to a grasshopper when we won the old First Division in 1955. Bentley's goals were instrumental in that but we also had a strong defence and midfield (still played the 2 -3- 5 system in those days !). I remember looking up and seeing Stan Wicks doing a speech after the game. But the man who changed everything was Ted Drake. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Wimbledon dog track just before he died in 1995. Me and my brothers had a quick chat with him about the old days and he was very polite, but the next race was coming up and he was more intent on studying up to find the winner!

According to my old mans mate, there was a whisper going round at the time that he was carted off because he was carrying on with the Chairmans daughter or granddaughter- most likely a load of cobblers.

Edited February 27, 20188 yr by Ewell CFC

Graeme Souness states in his book. He earned more money from the signing on fee for Sampdoria in the summer of 1984,than he earned in his entire Liverpool career. He was captain and very probably the second highest paid player after Dalglish at Liverpool then. Just showing that the big money was either I'm Italy ot Spain back then.

13 hours ago, erskblue said:

Just checked Jimmy Greaves goal scoring record for us.

In the youth team he scored an amazing 114 goals in 1956/57. ( I haven't misread that have I ?)

Then scored on his debut aged 17 away at Spuds. He scored 132 goals in 169 games before leaving for AC Milan in summer 1961.

 

He also was the youngest player in the top flight of English football to score 100 league goals,  (when he was still 20 years old.)  This is still a record.

Im guessing Michael Owen's well up on that list?

Can you imagine the media hype today if a Chelsea striker made his debut at 17. Scored in it away at Spuds then went on to score 100 Premiership goals by the time he was 20 !

 

1 hour ago, erskblue said:

Can you imagine the media hype today if a Chelsea striker made his debut at 17. Scored in it away at Spuds then went on to score 100 Premiership goals by the time he was 20 !

 

They wouldn't leave him alone. They'd think he was the second coming.

By the time he was 21. Michael Owen had played 124 League Matches scoring 64 goals.

Wayne Rooney had played 193, scoring 70 goals on the League.

Just looked at these two for a comparison to Jimmy Greaves League games and goals at the same age.

Here you go Ersk.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chelsea-Badge-Boys-In-Blue-Division-Two-Champions-1983-84-Yellow-and-Blue/232676174163?hash=item362c94a953:g:9ZkAAOSwWHBaJUHO