Sheff Utd at The Bridge in 1914.

New grounds of the London Athletic Club at Stamford Bridge. 

The London Athletics Club Grounds in 1889. The Bridge!😀

Edited May 10, 20233 yr by erskblue

John Rinkel of Britain passes the baton to Roger Leigh-Wood, while Taylor of the USA American Taylor passes the baton to team mate Barbuti. This was during a meet between the U.S. and British Olympic relay teams .The Bridge 20th August  1928.
The U.S. team won the relay, setting the one-mile mark of 3 minutes, 13 2/5 seconds.

Many foreign champions competed in the British Games held at The Bridge. A  triangular athletics event was staged between the  Achilles Club of London; the Berliner and Deutscher Sports Club of Germany; and the Stade Francais of France. Think this is in the early 1930s.

The team that toured on Argentina in 1929.

The team that toured on Argentina in 1929.

 

Match results and match details of our South American Trip of 1929.

www.rsssf.org

 

Thought these stats were more appropriate in this thread.

25.05.1929	Buenos Aires	Combinado Capital	2-3	Chelsea FC

26.05.1929	Avellaneda	Combinado Provincia	4-0	Chelsea FC

31.05.1929	Buenos Aires	Argentina		0-1	Chelsea FC

02.06.1929	Buenos Aires	Combinado Capital	3-2	Chelsea FC

08.06.1929	Buenos Aires	San Lorenzo		0-2	Chelsea FC

09.06.1929	Montevideo	Peñarol			2-1	Chelsea FC

15.06.1929	Avellaneda	Independiente		1-1	Chelsea FC

16.06.1929	Rosario		Liga Rosarina		2-1	Chelsea FC

16.06.1929 	Santa Fe	Unión			5-0	Chelsea FC

20.06.1929	Avellaneda	Racing Club		1-0	Chelsea FC

22.06.1929	Buenos Aires	Estudiantil Porteño	2-3	Chelsea FC

23.06.1929	Montevideo	Montevideo Wanderers	0-1	Chelsea FC

28.06.1929	Río de Janeiro	Río Janeiro Select	1-1	Chelsea FC

30.06.1929	Río de Janeiro	Río Janeiro Select	2-1	Chelsea FC

04.07.1929	São Paulo	Corinthians		4-4	Chelsea FC

07.07.1929	São Paulo	São Paulo Select	3-1	Chelsea FC

Match details

[at San Lorenzo de Almagro]

COMBINADO CAPITAL 		2-3		CHELSEA FC

[M.Evaristo 2, P.Bartolucci 72]			[H.Miller 15, J.Crawford 24, S.Elliot 67]

ALTERIO, Eduardo [Chacarita Juniors]		MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-						-

OMAR, Pedro [San Lorenzo] 			SMITH, George 	

IRIBARREN, Juan Carlos [River Plate]		LAW, Thomas 	

-						-

BARTOLUCCI, Pablo [Huracán]			IRVING, Sam 		

MONTI, Luis [San Lorenzo] 			TOWNROW, John 	

ORLANDINI, Rodolfo [Sportivo Buenos Aires]	FERGUSON, Willie 			

-						-

PEUCELLE, Carlos [Sportivo Buenos Aires] 	CRAWFORD, John 	

SCOPELLI, Alejandro [Estudiantes LP]		WEAVER, Reginald	

STÁBILE, Guillermo [Huracán] 			ELLIOT, Sidney 	

CHERRO, Roberto	[Boca Juniors]		 	MILLER, Harold

EVARISTO, Mario [Boca Juniors] 			PEARSON, George

				Referee: 	GALLI, José

---

[at Racing Club]

COMBINADO PROVINCIA 		4-0		CHELSEA FC

[I.Morgada 25, 86, A.Scopelli 57, M.Ferreira 70]

BOSSIO, Ángel [Talleres RE]			MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-						-

DEBUGLIO, Carlos [Independiente]		SMITH, George 	

PATERNOSTER, Fernando [Racing Club]		LAW, Thomas 	

-						-

MANFRÍN, Federico [Lanús]			IRVING, Sam 		

BRIZUELA, Bartolomé [San Fernando]		TOWNROW, John 	

MARTÍNEZ, Luis [Independiente]			BISHOP, Syd 			

-						-

LAURI, Miguel Ángel [Estudiantes LP]	 	CRAWFORD, John 	

SCOPELLI, Alejandro [Estudiantes LP]		WILSON, Andrew	

FERREIRA, Manuel [Estudiantes LP]		WEAVER, Reginald 	

ZUBIZARRETA, Luis [Talleres RE]		 	MILLER, Harold

MORGADA, Ismael [Gimnasia y Esgrima LP]		PEARSON, George

				Referee: 	LIÑEYRO, Enrique

---

[at River Plate]

ARGENTINA	 		0-1		CHELSEA FC

 						[A.Wilson 5]

BOSSIO, Ángel [Talleres RE]			MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-						-

OMAR, Pedro [San Lorenzo]			ODELL, Leslie 	

PATERNOSTER, Fernando [Racing Club]		LAW, Thomas 	

-						-

EVARISTO, Juan [Sportivo Palermo]		IRVING, Sam 		

BRIZUELA, Bartolomé [San Fernando]		TOWNROW, John 	

MARTÍNEZ, Luis [Independiente]			BISHOP, Syd 			

-						-

PEUCELLE, Carlos [Sportivo Buenos Aires] 	MEREDITH, John 	

SCOPELLI, Alejandro [Estudiantes LP]		CRAWFORD, John 

FERREIRA, Manuel [Estudiantes LP]		FERGUSON, Willie 	

GAINZARAIN, Enrique [Ferro Carril Oeste] 	WILSON, Andrew	

MORGADA, Ismael [Gimnasia y Esgrima LP]		JACKSON, William

				Referee: 	MACÍAS, José Bartolomé

---

[at Boca Juniors]

COMBINADO CAPITAL 		3-2		CHELSEA FC

[G.Stábile 27, E.Kuko 52, 86]			[A.Wilson 58, W.Jackson 62]

ALTERIO, Eduardo [Chacarita Juniors]		MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-						-

CHERRO, Felipe [Sportivo Barracas]		SMITH, George 	

IRIBARREN, Juan Carlos [River Plate]		ODELL, Leslie 	

-						-

BARTOLUCCI, Pablo [Huracán]			RUSSELL, William 

MONTI, Luis [San Lorenzo] 			RODGER, George 	

ORLANDINI, Rodolfo [Sportivo Buenos Aires]	FERGUSON, Willie 			

-						-

PEUCELLE, Carlos [Sportivo Buenos Aires] 	MEREDITH, John 	

TARASCONI, Domingo [Boca Juniors]		WEAVER, Reginald	

STÁBILE, Guillermo [Huracán] 			WILSON, Andrew	

KUKO, Esteban	[Boca Juniors]		 	MILLER, Harold

EVARISTO, Mario [Boca Juniors] 			JACKSON, William

				Referee: 	GARIGLIANO, Cirilo

---

SAN LORENZO 		0-2	CHELSEA FC

				[S.Elliot 61, H.Miller 89]

ORIO, Hércules			MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-				-

OMAR, Pedro			SMITH, George 	

TARRÍO, Oscar			LAW, Thomas 	

-				-

CORSETTI, Francisco		IRVING, Sam 

MONTI, Luis 			TOWNROW, John

FOSSA, José Hipólito		BISHOP, Syd 		

-				-

CARRICABERRY, Alfredo 		CRAWFORD, John 

CORTECCI, José 			THAIN, Albert 

MAGLIO, Juan 			ELLIOT, Sidney 	

GARCÍA, Diego		 	MILLER, Harold

ARRIETA, Arturo 		JACKSON, William

		Referee: 	GALLI, José

---

[at Estación Pocitos]

PEÑAROL 		2-1	CHELSEA FC

[L.Fernández 66, J.Anselmo 86] 	[A.Wilson 55]

ESTÉVEZ, Cirio			MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-				-

NOGUÉS, Alberto 		SMITH, George 	

DAGOSTO, Demis			LAW, Thomas 	

-				-

SILVA, Gildeón			RUSSELL, William 

GESTIDO, Álvaro 		TOWNROW, John

MAINARDI, Luis			BISHOP, Syd 		

-				-

ARREMÓN, Juan Pedro 		CRAWFORD, John 

SACCO, Antonio			WILSON, Andrew	

FERNÁNDEZ, Lorenzo 		ELLIOT, Sidney 	

ANSELMO, Juan Peregrino	 	MILLER, Harold

CAMPOLO, Antonio 		PEARSON, George

		Referee: 	MERGLEN, A.

---

INDEPENDIENTE 		1-1	CHELSEA FC

[M.Seoane 6] 			[H.Miller 70]

SANGIOVANNI, Néstor		MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-				-

DEBUGLIO, Carlos 		SMITH, George 	

CHIARELLA, Ernesto		LAW, Thomas 	

-				-

PÉREZ, José Bautista		IRVING, Sam 

GROS, Carlos 			RODGER, George

MARTÍNEZ, Luis			BISHOP, Syd 		

-				-

CANAVERI, Zoilo 		CRAWFORD, John 

LALÍN, Alberto  		THAIN, Albert 

RAVASCHINO, Luis 		WEAVER, Reginald

SEOANE, Manuel 			MILLER, Harold

PAOLINETTI, Alfredo		PEARSON, George

		Referee: 	TEJADA, Aníbal (Uru)

---

[at Newell's Old Boys]

LIGA ROSARINA	 		2-1		CHELSEA FC

[F.Bussolini 62, 77] 				[H.Miller 50]

GUIDA, Carlos [Belgrano (Rosario)]		MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-						-

GARRAMENDI, Andrés [Central Córdoba]		SMITH, George 	

BURSET, Ginés [Nacional (Rosario)]		ODELL, Leslie 	

-						-

CHABROLÍN, Alfredo [Newell's Old Boys]		RUSSELL, William 

FAGGIANI, Victorio [Tiro Federal]		RODGER, George

CONTI, Silvestre [Nacional (Rosario)]		FERGUSON, Willie 	

-						-

BONZI, Eduardo [Tiro Federal]		 	MEREDITH, John 	

RIVAS, Gerardo [Rosario Central]		CRAWFORD, John 

SOSA, Gabino [Central Córdoba]			WEAVER, Reginald

BUSSOLINI, Félix [Central Córdoba]		MILLER, Harold

LÓPEZ, Celestino [Tiro Federal]			PEARSON, George

				Referee: 	BIENER, Teodoro

---

UNIÓN (SANTA FE)	5-0	CHELSEA FC

[F.Valiente 20, 35, 72, F.Acosta 28, D.Beltramini 48]

OLIVIERI 			WHITLEY, Jack 

-				-

ANGELINI, Juan 			IRVING, Sam

GÓMEZ, Arturo			LAW, Thomas 	

-				-

NAPOLEONI, Ángel		THAIN, Albert 

MONZÓN 				TOWNROW, John

GARBAGNOLI, Osvaldo		BISHOP, Syd 		

-				-

SIMONSINI, Antonio 		JACKSON, William

BELTRAMINI, Domingo  		FERGUSON, Chris 	

VALIENTE, Francisco 		ELLIOT, Sidney 	

ACOSTA, Fidel 			WILSON, Andrew	

MIR, Julio			HIGGS, Frank

		Referee: 	FORTE, Eduardo

Note:				A.Wilson missed a penalty 41.

---

RACING CLUB		1-0	CHELSEA FC

[F.Perducca 36]

ARZENI, Argento	 		MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-				-

DELLA TORRE, José		SMITH, George 	

PATERNOSTER, Fernando		ODELL, Leslie 

-				-

POMPEY, Pedro			RUSSELL, William 

STAGNARO, Andrés 		RODGER, George

DE MARE, Antonio 		BISHOP, Syd 		

-				-

GARCÍA, José 			CRAWFORD, John 

OCHOA, Pedro  			THAIN, Albert 

PERDUCCA, Feliciano 		ELLIOT, Sidney 	

TABAR, José 			MILLER, Harold

CERRUDO, Félix			PEARSON, George

		Referee: 	GALLI, José

---

[at River Plate]

ESTUDIANTIL PORTEÑO	2-3	CHELSEA FC

[O.Mapelli 13, F.Martínez 15] 	[Elliot 2, Meredith 11, A.Russell 44]

CADEL, Eugenio	 		MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-				-

MARTÍNEZ, Juan			SMITH, George 	

PUJOLAS, Antonio		ODELL, Leslie 

-				-

CARÁTOLO, Fidel			RUSSELL, William 

CATELLI, Antonio 		RODGER, George

GARGIULO, José			FERGUSON, Willie 	

-				-

PEDEVILLA, Juan Carlos 		MEREDITH, John 	

DEMARÍA, Atilio  		FERGUSON, Chris 

MARTÍNEZ, Francisco 		THAIN, Albert

MAPELLI, Oscar 			ELLIOT, Sidney 	

BETTINOTTI, Juan 		JACKSON, William

		Referee: 	REPOSSI, Jerónimo

---

[at Parque Central]

MONTEVIDEO WANDERERS	0-1	CHELSEA FC

 				[R.Weaver 7]

CERIANI, A.	 		MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-				-

DEAGUSTINI, Rodolfo		SMITH, George 	

TEJERA, Domingo			ODELL, Leslie 

-				-

PERCIVALE, J.			THAIN, Albert

OCCHIUSSI, Francisco 		TOWNROW, John

CARRICA, A. 			BISHOP, Syd 	

-				-

DEAGUSTINI, Luis 		MEREDITH, John 	

ALVAREZ, A.  			CRAWFORD, John 

RAPPETI, J. 			WEAVER, Reginald

CONTI, Nicolás 			MILLER, Harold

FIGUEROA, Roberto 		PEARSON, George

		Referee: 	TEJADA, Aníbal

---

[at Estádio das Laranjeiras]

RIO DE JANEIRO SELECT	 	1-1	CHELSEA FC

[Ripper 81] 				[W.Jackson 44]

JOEL 				MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-					-

HILDEGARDO 			SMITH, George 	

HESPANHOL [Vasco da Gama] 		ODELL, Leslie 	

-					-

NASCIMENTO [Fluminense]			BISHOP, Syd

FERNANDO GIUDICELLI [Fluminense]	TOWNROW, John

FORTES [Fluminense]			FERGUSON, Willie 	

-					-

RIPPER [Fluminense]	 		JACKSON, William

LAGARTO	[Fluminense]			CRAWFORD, John 

LUIZ [Botafogo]				WEAVER, Reginald

NILO [Botafogo]				MILLER, Harold

TEÓPHYLO [São Cristóvão]		PEARSON, George

			Referee: 	MORAES CASTRO, L.

---

[at Estádio das Laranjeiras]

RIO DE JANEIRO SELECT	 	2-1	CHELSEA FC

[Theophilo 46, Nilo 38] 		[R.Weaver 42]

JOEL 				MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-					-

HILDEGARDO 			LAW, Thomas 	 	

HESPANHOL [Vasco da Gama] 		ODELL, Leslie 	

-					-

NASCIMENTO [Fluminense]			BISHOP, Syd

FERNANDO GIUDICELLI [Fluminense]	TOWNROW, John

FORTES [Fluminense]			FERGUSON, Willie 	

-					-

RIPPER [Fluminense]	 		JACKSON, William

LAGARTO	[Fluminense]			FERGUSON, Chris 

LUIZ [Botafogo]				WEAVER, Reginald

NILO [Botafogo]				MILLER, Harold

TEÓPHYLO [São Cristóvão]		PEARSON, George

			Referee: 	DE CASTRO, Alfonso

---

[at Parque Antarctica]

CORINTHIANS	     4-4(3-3)	CHELSEA FC

[Gambinha (1-3)(3-3), Grané (2-3), De María (4-3)]

[W.Jackson (0-1), A.Wilson (0-2), S.Elliot (0-3)(4-4)]	

				MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-				-

GRANÉ				SMITH, George 	

DEL DEBBIO 			LAW, Thomas 	 	

-				-

NERINO				RUSSELL, William 

GUIMARÃES			RODGER, George

LEONE				BISHOP, Syd

-				-

APPARICIO	 		MEREDITH, John 	

PERES				CRAWFORD, John 

GAMBINHA			ELLIOT, Sidney 	

RATTO				WILSON, Andrew	

DE MARÍA			JACKSON, William

		Referee: 	BEVILACQUA, A.

---

[at Parque Antarctica]

SÃO PAULO SELECT		3-1	CHELSEA FC

[Feitiço 16, 86p, Araken 34] 		[A.Wilson 15]

ATHIÉ [Santos]				MILLINGTON, Simeon 

-					-

DEL DEBBIO [Corinthians]		SMITH, George 	

MIGUEL 					LAW, Thomas 	 	

-					-

ARGENTINO [Syrio]			RUSSELL, William 

SERAFINI [Palestra Itália]		RODGER, George

NERINO [Corinthians]			FERGUSON, Willie 

-					-

ARAKEN [Santos] 			DAVIES, Thomas

FEITIÇO [Santos]			WILSON, Andrew 

MINISTRINHO [Palestra Itália]		JACKSON, William

CAMARÃO [Santos]			ELLIOT, Sidney 

EVANGELISTA [Santos] 			PEARSON, George

			Referee: 	GUERRA, S

20th June 1929. Read all about it. If you know the language!😀

Pi

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 20233 yr by erskblue

 

 Pablo Ciullini On Twitter 

 

Edited May 21, 20233 yr by erskblue

 

 

Edited May 21, 20233 yr by erskblue

The only draw in Argentina  occurred on 15th June 1929,when we drew 1-1 in Avellaneda against Independiente. Manuel Seoane opened the score for Independiente and Miller equalized for us

Edited May 21, 20233 yr by erskblue

 

 

The Bridge was the venue for England v Austria on Wed 7th Dec 1932.

Signs were put up at the turnstiles in both English and German. 

A crowd of 40,000 saw England win 4-3.

Fans queue outside before the game.

Edited May 22, 20233 yr by erskblue

Just over two minutes footage from British Pathe News,of the above England v Austria match of December 1932

 

21st January 1939: A crowd of 69,987 saw this FA Cup tie v Fulham at The Bridge.We won 3-0.

 

Players training in Feb 1939.

Pre Season Training in early August 1939. And look at the litter on the terracing of The Shed!
A very short official season, due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

Edited May 22, 20233 yr by erskblue

 

Our. team that toured on South America in 1929, photographed in Argentina.      

Chelsea v. Corinthians, in Sao Paulo. Both captains greet before the match.

Edited May 22, 20233 yr by erskblue

Here you go @erskblue one for you I just noticed that rhymes 😆

The Sunlight Laundry man delivering the clean strip for the Chelsea Football team c 1912. The laundry facilities were on Broughton Road, Fulham and were near ‘ Sands End’ so called as this was the last stretch of the Thames that had anything resembling a beach.

9 hours ago, bluehaze said:

Here you go @erskblue one for you I just noticed that rhymes 😆

The Sunlight Laundry man delivering the clean strip for the Chelsea Football team c 1912. The laundry facilities were on Broughton Road, Fulham and were near ‘ Sands End’ so called as this was the last stretch of the Thames that had anything resembling a beach.

bluehaze: Cheers for the picture. Yeah it rhymes!😀

Great Dane – Nils Middleboe

www.gameofthepeople.com

Boosted by Buchan – Chelsea’s forgotten title of 1916

Great Dane – Nils Middleboe

Football in the two World Wars has largely been overlooked by historians. It was only in recent years that the contribution of the sport to public morale during times of conflict was acknowledged. This replaced what was a feeling of discomfort about a mere pastime being continued during a time of intense strife. The game in the Great War has often been swept under scullery mats by those that felt it should have been abandoned until peace returned. The plethora of cartoons suggesting that football was, indeed unnecessary, underlined the mood of the time.

Most football clubs ignored their “war record” and many record books simply pointed to “competition suspended”. Little wonder, then, that some clubs failed to mark their successes during what was a very low profile set of competitions during the wars. In the case of WW1, clubs played numerous regional leagues, which were largely poorly attended, especially in metropolitan areas where a large football crowd might be ready-made target practice for a bomb-laden airship.

Chelsea, historically, paid little attention to their WW1 performance. Of course, football continued in its conventional format in 1914-15, despite a lot of criticism and soul-searching. On the flip-side, football did allow itself to become a recruitment centre for Kitchener’s army. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final in 1915, but they had also finished in a relegation position. Once the 1914-15 season was finished, football adopted a more austere model, and one of the beneficiaries in the south of England were “the Pensioners” as they were then known.

With troop movements all over the country, Chelsea’s team, like most London clubs, had guest players appearing. Basically, if there was a chance to get a top name in your side because he happened to be barracked nearby, the club would take it. In Chelsea’s case, they picked up one Lance-Corporal C. Buchan.

This was none other than Charles Buchan, who would later lend his name to Charles Buchan’s Football Monthly, and prior to that, would play for Sunderland, Arsenal and England.

Buchan was an England international when he turned out for Chelsea in 1915-16. He had been a member of Sunderland’s 1913 team that so nearly won the “double”, but had to settle for “just” the league title. And he was widely regarded as the best player in the country. Chelsea knew all about him – he had scored twice against them in a 4-0 Sunderland win in 1912-13 and once in 1913-14.

Buchan was a Londoner, despite playing for Sunderland. He was born in Plumstead and started his career with his local club, Woolwich Arsenal, and then moved on to Leyton. He transferred to Sunderland in 1911.

Buchan, who was training to be a teacher, enlisted early on after war was declared. He was told that he was tall enough to be a Grenadier Guard and was sent down to London. In 1916, he was sent to the Western Front and saw action at the Somme, Cambrai and Passchendale. He would later win promotion to Sergeant and the Military Medal for bravery.

The London Combination, a competition that morphed into the Football Combination, was run over two campaigns in 1915-16 – the Primary competition and then a supplementary competition. Chelsea won both. The first started on the opening Saturday in September, with Chelsea beating Clapton Orient 3-1 thanks to a hat-trick by Buchan. The crowd was 12,000. Chelsea lost just twice in the 22 games of the Primary, both single goal defeats, to QPR and Millwall.

They finished seven points clear of second-placed Millwall. Buchan scored 24 goals in 17 appearances. “His rare ability as a dribbler has delighted thousands of spectators,” said the Athletic News when summarising Chelsea’s season.

Charles Buchan in Sunderland colours

Chelsea’s team included Nils Middleboe, a Danish international who became a popular figure with the Stamford Bridge crowd. Middleboe, who was actually born in Sweden, played for KB Copenhagen and appeared in both the 1908 and 1912 Olympic football finals. He was ever-present in the Primary competition and barely missed a game in the Supplementary competition.

Chelsea finished top of the second campaign, just one point clear of West Ham. They lost three of their 14 games, but had the satisfaction of beating Arsenal 9-0 at Stamford Bridge in front of 26,000 people. Buchan scored four times against one of his future clubs. In that second competition, he netted 17 goals, but he was not top scorer – that honour fell to one-eyed centre-forward Bob Thomson, who grabbed 25, including seven against Luton Town in an 11-1 victory.

The Chelsea team was going its separate ways, though, responding to the call to arms. Tommy Logan, a tough centre half, was devastated when his wife died after just a few months of married life. He enlisted in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. Charlie Freeman, a veteran inside forward, joined the flying corp and moved to Curragh Camp. Goalkeeper Colin Hampton was a Bombardier in the Army, while forward Harold Brittan was Private Brittan of the motor transport section by the time the season ended.

Others were involved in valuable government work – Jack Harrow, a loyal Chelsea man, was employed making explosives and Walter Bettridge worked in munitions. Another guest player was Cyclist L. Moores, a left winger from Manchester: “Very speedy but lacking resource.” Chelsea could also call on old favourites like Harold Halse, Harry Ford and Jimmy Croal.

Manager David Calderhead tried to temper excitement about Chelsea’s success. He told Athletic News that his team had “played up to” Buchan and made the most of their star forward. He also underlined the role football had played in wartime Britain: “The playing of the game had served a useful purpose in many ways – especially in affording entertainment to the soldiers.”

But Calderhead admitted that Chelsea had played “extraordinarily well and for pure football, no team wearing our colours has ever acquitted themselves so well.”

Chelsea would do it again during WW1 – they finished top in 1917-18.

Then, they would have to wait until 1954-55 to end a season in first place!

THE WANDERING WINGER.

by Vince Cooper | Nov 28, 2018 | The Big Feature

www.readtheleague.com

By Vince Cooper

WE’VE all heard the expression that a specific player plays football ‘with a smile on his face’. One player this seemed particularly true of was Alex Jackson. He was a Wembley Wizard, a scorer of the first-ever hat-trick on the famous ‘hallowed turf’, and a superstar

But four years after his Wembley heroics Jackson, who the Daily Mirror had called ‘The Player of the Century’ was gone from the English professional game at just 27 years of age. And it wasn’t injury or illness that forced him out of the game; it was money.

 

Alexander Skinner Jackson was born in 1905 and started playing football for Renton Victoria close to his home, 20 miles north of Glasgow. He would later say of his home; “It is just a small agricultural district where every boy and every girl play football all year round. That football madness may seem somewhat crude to the civilised south but there’s no doubt that it bred footballers”.

it was whilst playing for Victoria that Alex he was spotted by Dumbarton who made an offer for his services Renton couldn’t refuse – a football. In return for the ball Dumbarton got themselves an excellent player, a winger with pace and close control rarely seen. But after a single season Jackson was on the move again, and to an unlikely place.

In the summer of 1923 Alex and brother Wattie, who had been playing for Kilmarnock, went to visit another brother, John, in Detroit, Michigan. There they were contacted by representatives of Pennsylvania team Bethlehem Steel of the American Soccer League.

Wattie was offered $25.00 per week to sign (it’s not known how much Alex got but in all likelihood it was considerably less as Wattie was the senior and more experienced Jackson and got all of the press coverage on signing). This was triple the money he was being paid in Scotland so the brothers decided to stay.

The brothers spent a season in the U.S. and Alex tried his hand at Baseball where he felt he could have made a living as a pitcher. Alex scored 14 goals in 28 games with no less than the New York Times complimenting him for having ‘the speed of a deer and dexterous footwork’. Wattie bagged 13 in 23 as Bethlehem finished 2nd in the league but in the summer of 1924 they returned to Scotland, signing for Aberdeen.

 

They had left for home supposedly ‘on a visit’ and has assured officials at Bethlehem that they would return in four weeks. In reality the pair had already agreed to join Aberdeen and four days after their boat docked both made their debuts for their new team causing much outrage in America. The United States Football Association complained to their Scottish counterparts, a complaint which fell on deaf ears.

That the Scottish FA took little notice of the Americans should come as no surprise given that the ASL had been prying players from them for a number of years by outbidding their Scottish League counterparts.

Alex spent a single season with Aberdeen and won his first Scottish cap while at the club after being described in the Scottish press as being ‘fast with good ball control and a sinuous swerve which is very perplexing’.

Huddersfield Town days

English clubs were all over the youngster with Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers in the hunt for his services before Herbert Chapman’s Huddersfield Town splashed out £5,000 (Wattie would leave the following year for Preston before eventually returning to the U.S. to play for Bethlehem).

The deal was sealed when Chapman travelled to Renton to get his father’s blessing. He took Mr Jackson Sr to a local hostelry for a drink ‘and a lemonade for the boy’. He then generously offered to buy a round for the two or three other locals in the pub; ‘to drink to Alex’s success’. “That started it”, Alex would recall much later. “They came running from all around town. They even came from the hillsides to join in the hospitality. Even some of them who never touched a drop crowded in to get something for nothing.

“Chapman didn’t turn a hair although it must have cost him pounds out of his own pocket. I knew then I was dealing with a real man.”

Huddersfield were already English champions when Jackson signed but his trickery and pace took them to another level. Despite Chapman leaving for Arsenal a year later, the player thrived, and was described by one sports paper as being ‘born with a genius for the game’.

Jackson spent five years at Leeds Road, winning a title in his first season, finishing runner-up twice and appearing on the losing side in two F.A. Cup finals.

 

Although nominally an outside-right, Jackson was as happy cutting inside or, indeed, playing through the middle, a rarity in those times. Nicknamed ‘Jack-in-the-box Jackson’ by famous reporter of the time Ivan Sharpe, he increased the versatility of forward play and would often be found alongside the centre-forward when balls were being crossed from the opposite wing.

Perhaps he is best remembered for his performance in a more central role on one particular occasion with the Scottish national team. Having made his international debut in 1925, the following year he got the only goal in his country’s win over England at Old Trafford, and two years later he travelled to Wembley as a key part of a diminutive but deadly front line.

Jackson is out of shot but has just scored for the Wembley Wizards

The Scotland selectors had received a great deal of criticism for their team choice for Wembley. Established stars Jimmy McGrory and Davie Meiklejohn were left out. Eight Anglos (Scots playing in the English Football League) we’re picked.

At 5’9” Jackson was the tallest member of the forward line at Wembley. Hughie Gallacher (Newcastle), Jimmy Dunn (Hibernian), Alex James (Preston North End) and Alan Morton (Rangers) completed the attack. What they lacked in height, these five more than made up for in skill and toughness.

Early on, England hit the Scottish post. Undeterred, the visitors went straight up the other end where a Morton cross was met by Jackson to give Scotland the lead. Just before half time a one-two with Jackson left James in the clear and he doubled the lead.

The third goal came when Morton found Jackson again and when the referee played an advantage after Gallacher was fouled, James claimed his second, and his country’s fourth.

The ‘Wembley Wizards’ match ball  on display at the Scottish Football Musuem

The icing on the Scottish cake came when yet another Morton cross was tapped into an empty net by Jackson who claimed the match ball and completed the first-ever hat-trick at Wembley. A late consolation from Bob Kelly did little to hide the fact the English had been thrashed, and in their own backyard.

In all Jackson would go on to total eight goals in 17 games fo his country, an amount which might have been greater were it not for the Scots selectors eventually turning their back on Anglos after the Football League announced that clubs would only be forced to release their players if it was to play for England.

Jackson continued to receive glowing praise. One profile in the ‘Sports Post’ called him; “A thing of grace, of action, of fire, of … he’s just alive with every mortal picture which shows activity” before later going on to add; “He is like a kitten on his toes. His judgment of position play is immense. He makes up his mind in a moment and he acts almost as quickly as he thinks”.

The Roman Abramovich era hasn’t been the only time Chelsea were big spenders. After winning promotion back to the top flight in 1929-30 manager David Calderhead was given the green light, and the money, to add big-name stars to the Stamford Bridge line-up.

With Chelsea and Scotland teammate Hughie Gallacher

Calderhead went on a spending spree, splashing out around £25,000 to recruit a pair of Wembley Wizards in Gallacher (for £10,000) and Jackson (for £9,500) along with fellow Scot. Alec Cheyne.

Jackson said that the move came about because he ‘wanted a change’ but also admitted that his business interests would be improved by a move to the capital. Sure enough he was soon the landlord of a pub, The Angel and Crown in St Martins Lane whilst also taking a share in the Queen’s Hotel in Leicester Square, and was writing a weekly syndicated column. He was also a greyhound owner and very active at the Wandsworth track which he would attend regularly (he also tried to get the management at the South London track to start a football team).

Five (Chelsea) men in a boat – Jackson far right.

The result of Chelsea’s new arrivals was entertaining football but no honours as the team became the epitome of mid-table inconsistency. They came close once, reaching the 1932 F.A Cup semi-final but there they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of eventual winners Newcastle United.

Chelsea 1931-32

Leslie Knighton, the manager who replaced Calderwood at Stamford Bridge, coined the term ‘The Wandering Winger’ for the player, and it was not simply due to his play but also his antics off the pitch. The new manager later  said; “Football gossip attached itself to him like barnacles to a ship. A genius – but with the temperament of a genius – rumours followed him everywhere”.

Still, he was loved at Chelsea by fans and initially by those in the boardroom (where he was the only player allowed), with one of the directors handing him the match ball on one occasion and telling him he was captain without the knowledge of the manager or his teammates.

But the situation changed quickly. On an away trip to play Manchester City, Jackson ordered that drinks for the entire team be sent to his room on the night before the match. The directors were not happy with this open show of rebellion, fined and suspended him, told him he would never play for the club again and put him on the transfer list.

Jackson felt he was being victimised and readily admitted that he had become unhappy at Stamford Bridge. Along with a number of other players he was approached by French club Nimes and offered a bumper deal to move across the channel. He was 27 and in his prime. He insisted that if Chelsea wanted to keep him they would need to break their maximum pay rule. The club refused and it turned into a stand-off between club and player and in such a situation at that time there could only be one winner.

Chelsea had the upper hand. They held the players’ registration and could simply refused to pass them on to another English team which is exactly what they did. Cheyne went to France (though he would return two years later), Tommy Law and Hughie Gallacher priced themselves out of the move and ended up staying at Chelsea. As for Jackson, he didn’t move to France but also didn’t want to play for Chelsea anymore

The only way Jackson could carry on playing was to move into the non-league ranks and play for a team not covered by the registration ruling. He joined one such team, Cheshire County League side Ashton National. His new club paid him £15 per week as an employee (he was on £8 at Chelsea) but soon realised that the inflated salary was sending them hurtling towards bankruptcy.

Ashton National finished 6th in the Cheshire County League that season but Jackson, agreeing to sacrifice himself to ensure the club survived, was gone before the end of the campaign. His next stop was the Kent League where Margate paid him £10 per week. He made a mere seven appearances for the south coast club but helped them to win the title.

He was told at the end of the campaign that Chelsea would allow him back into the fold, if he accepted the error of his ways. “I made a special journey to meet Jackson during the summer before my first season at Chelsea”, recalled Knighton.

“And I came to the view that nothing could be done – nothing at all.

“Alas there are some tasks that are beyond mere enthusiasm”.

So the man called ‘The Gay Cavalier’ by some shunned the game but used his fame, taking on roles advertising cigarettes and a bookmaker. The Football League took a much more serious view of the second of these and he would have been banned – were he playing. 

After this Jackson finally got his move to France. In the summer of 1933 he got married and took his wife to Paris for their honeymoon. With Chelsea still asking £4,000 for his registration he signed for OGC Nice who didn’t need the registration and spent a season there before one with Le Touquet after which he hung up his boots.

He was still only 28 years old, still in his prime, but the man who had been dubbed the best player in football a mere three years before was out of the game, and there he would stay.

It is clear that he was embittered with Football. As he said after leaving Chelsea: “After my experience in this country I would not be sorry to put a finish to my playing career”.

Little is known of what Jackson did in the years leading up to the 2nd World War, although it is thought that he still managed the pub. What is known is that once hostilities started he quickly signed up, joining the 8th Army and going to fight in Egypt. He turned out for the Army in a match against the R.A.F and, according to one soldier in attendance; “made us all rub our eyes with his uncanny control of the ball.

When the war ended he volunteered for extra service, working in the Suez Zone. In 1946 he was driving a truck in Libya when it overturned. Jackson was fatally injured. He left behind nine-year-old twins (called Alex and Grace) and grieving widow Grace and is buried in the Fay*d war cemetery in Egypt..

The noted football writer John McAdam once said of Jackson: “There have been good footballers and dashing footballers and gay footballers, but never in my experience of the game have all these qualities become fused in the character of one man as they were in Jackson”.

It is quite astonishing to think that everything Alex Jackson achieved in football came before he reached what could well have been his prime. And tantalising to wonder ‘what might have been’ if the ‘Wandering Winger’ had carried on playing.

 

 

Founders’ Day: The Birth of the Blues

10 Mar   /  Stamfordblue

Our current campaign, 2022/23, has been notable for the highest number of Chelsea debuts since that original season when inevitably for a club just a few months old but with huge ambition, a major recruitment drive for new players took place. Who they were and where they came from is an intriguing tale, told here in this birthday feature by club historian Rick Glanvill…

When Noni Madueke entered the fray in the second half against Fulham at Stamford Bridge in place of Mykhalio Mudryk last month, it is unlikely he was aware of the noteworthy place in Chelsea history he was reserving for himself.

As debutant number 16 for the 2022/23 season, the England Under-21 winger ensured the current squad surpassed the 15 who made their bow for the Pensioners back in 1909/10, matched in 2017/18 by the likes of Toni Rudiger and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Racked by injuries in 1910, the relegation-threatened Londoners blooded so many new players that the Football League introduced the first transfer deadline day in response. But that is a tale for another day.

Of course, 16 is still not the most freshly registered footballers Chelsea have ever fielded in one season because, even further back, 27 embarked on their Stamford Bridge careers in the club's inaugural season, 1905/06.

To mark our Founders' Day on 10 March, almost 12 decades on from the famous meeting above the Rising Sun public house across the road from Stamford Bridge (now the Butcher's Hook), this is the story of how that first squad was assembled, who was responsible, and the obstacles they overcame to make the new club such a success.

On the evening of 10 March 1905, the sports news agency J E Dixon & Co. sent out the following press release: 'It has been decided to form a professional football club, to be called the Chelsea Football Club, for Stamford-bridge.' Within three years Chelsea would have the highest average home attendance in the world.

Still missing was the head honcho: the manager. One candidate considered by the board was Londoner Frank Scott Walford, a former Tottenham player and referee who had just hung up his whistle. Walford's tactical services were also sought by Norwich, but in the end he would join Brighton, then of the Southern League, and oversee three indifferent seasons.

Another hopeful for the Chelsea hot-seat was 40-year-old Archie Goodall. Born in Belfast and recently let go by Glossop North End after a mediocre showing, Goodall was keen on recruiting compatriots from Ireland. Snubbed by London's newest club, he took over at Wolverhampton but lasted just one season.

Instead, around 23 March 1905 John Tait 'Jacky' Robertson, 28-year-old skipper of Scotland, half-back with Glasgow Rangers, and three-time league winner north of the border, was handed the reins of this brand-new sporting endeavour as player-manager.

Remember Chelsea had started from scratch three months earlier, with no pitch, no team, and no league to compete in. As Archibald Leitch's grandstand took shape in the capacious former athletics grounds off the Fulham Road, Robertson – likewise forged from Scottish iron – began construction of the squad alongside Fred Parker: a wise athletics supremo, and the driving force as well as honorary financial secretary of the whole football club scheme.

The deadline for delivering a presentable line-up of recruits was 29 May 1905 – the day of the Football League's annual meeting, when existing clubs would vote on which applicants to add to their roster, including the west Londoners. Robertson and Parker set out to spread the word of Chelsea's plans, glad-handing League clubs in a whistle-stop tour and testing the water on transfer targets.

By late April the first names could finally be pencilled onto the team sheet. 'The Birmingham club [then Small Heath, now City] and their manager, the late Alfred Jones, helped in every way,' Parker recollected some years later. 'It was in their club office that the first two Chelsea players were signed. These were Bob McRoberts, our original centre-forward, and subsequently centre half-back and captain, and James Robertson, an inside-right who scored many a goal for us in our early days.

'And a week later Birmingham transferred to us a player destined to become known as “the Wizard” … the best man in that [inside-left] position known up to that time. I mean Jimmy Windridge. And you know what those three players cost us? The cheque to cover the transfers of the three players was exactly £340 – less than £120 apiece.' All were genuine prospects worthy of elite football.

Remarkably, though, while Parker continued his steam-train diplomacy and contract-signing, Robertson reported back for his day job as a Rangers midfielder. In fact, the 28-year-old played six of his 27 games for the Gers that season after committing his future to the Londoners, and scored two of his five goals.

On top of that, the half-dozen games between 25 March and 6 May in which Robertson 'moonlighted' for the Ibrox club were hardly meaningless affairs for such perennial trophy-hunters.

They included a Scottish Cup semi-final victory against bitter enemies Celtic, then the drawn final and a replay defeat by Third Lanark; and two vital league matches that clinched parity with their 'Old Firm' rivals on 41 points in the final table.

The stalemate meant a Scottish League play-off match against the Celts at neutral Hampden Park on 6 May. Robertson's contribution in this fraught decider – adjudicated by a specially hired English referee Mr Kirkham – was the Gers' consolation in a traumatic 2-1 loss.

With such playing commitments Robertson's ability to contribute to squad-building for a club 350 miles to the south must have been stressful. The internet and messaging were 90 years away, and the Flying Scotsman railway train was the closest thing to a private jet waiting to whisk a new signing back to SW6.

However, the manager presumably maintained contact with Parker, wealthy owner Gus Mears or club secretary William Lewis via telephone (although it is not clear exactly when the Chelsea Football and Athletic Club's phone line, 'Kensington 1476', was installed) or possibly telegram, the electronic message system that was an exercise in brevity, directed to the club's 'Chelstam' address.

Maybe they even discussed likely targets, fees and salaries in first-class letters – no one considered the postal service 'snail mail' back then.

Robertson certainly received unsolicited letters from people inspired by the Stamford Bridge project. One, he revealed, 'from a man who said he was a splendid centre-forward but if that position was not vacant he could manipulate a turnstile' and another claiming 'you will be astonished to see me skip down the touch-line like a deer.' Sadly, Bambi did not make the squad.

While Robertson was indisposed in Glasgow, newspapers in the know talked of a 'Chelsea Committee' making a list of targets and ticking recruits off one by one. Or, as it transpired, two by two: multiple talents arrived from several clubs such as Hearts, of Edinburgh, Tottenham and, naturally, Robertson's own Rangers as well as Birmingham.

Does that suggest an expedient 'while we're here, which of your team-mates should we grab too' strategy?

More broadly, several of the assembled influencers at Chelsea brought great connections to the young club's network. Club secretary Lewis had spent time at Brentford, while Robertson knew club director George Thomas, owner of Southampton's Dell, and vice-president C B Fry (hailed as the 'greatest living Englishman') from his time with the Hampshire club. The Saints and Brentford were Southern League outfits, and it is no surprise many of the recruits came from the likes of Spurs and that rival competition, not the Football League.

Equally, Dumbarton-born international skipper Robertson would have been better-versed in Scotland's bravehearts than other 'committee' members. More than a dozen squad members hailed from north of the border, presumably on his say-so as well as that of fellow Scot and highly-regarded first team trainer, Jimmy Miller, snapped up from West Brom at the start of May.

The speedy recruitment and carpetbagging set the Londoners up competitively for the Football League admission vote in a smoky room at the Tavistock Hotel in London's Covent Garden at the end of that month. 'We had a good case to present to the League, and had little fear,' Parker recalled. 'Thanks to the enterprise of the late Gus Mears we had a ground and stand more than equal to those of most League clubs, and the names of players already engaged were more than sufficient to convince everyone that the new club would do credit to the Second Division.

'Goal: Will Foulke (Sheffield United; backs Mackie (Hearts), McEwan, (Glasgow Rangers), Miller (Falkirk); half-backs, J T Robertson, McRoberts, Key (from the Hearts); forwards, Martin Moran (Sheffield United and Millwall), Dave Copeland (Tottenham Hotspur), with his partner, Jack Kirwan, besides Windridge and Robertson.'

Other club representatives were impressed and elected Chelsea into League Division Two for 1905/06 'without ever kicking the ball as a club'. Some of them had more incentive than others. 'The cheque was handed to Birmingham immediately after our election to the League,' Parker explained. 'If we had failed in the ballot the players would still have been ours but Birmingham [and other clubs] would not have received anything.'

Still the recruitment continued, and newspapers were immensely impressed.

'Chelsea, having engaged J T Robertson, the international half, have scooped up players from far and near,' observed the Edinburgh Evening News, 'and if their playing elements blend they should make a very strong force. They must have paid an enormous sum in transfers. On paper this team will take a lot of beating.'

The Middlesex Independent felt 'London's latest first-class professional club, Chelsea, bids fair to make a name in the football world. In the first place, the club has a ground exceptionally well appointed, and old Stamford Bridge is today one of the best football rendezvous in the kingdom.

'Burly W Foulke, late of Sheffield United, will be in charge of goal with M Byrne, who last season played with Southampton, as understudy. To use the words of Chelsea's manager, Foulke is playing better than ever. R Mackie, who comes from the Heart of Midlothian Club, was one of the finest backs in Scotland last season. He stands 5ft 10½ins, weighs about 12st 4lbs, and is one of the fastest men playing. Then comes Tom Watson … a right-back of considerable promise.

'Tom Miller, who comes to Chelsea from Falkirk, is regarded as one of the catches of the season. In the words of Mr Robertson he is thought to be the equal of the Manchester City player, Burgess, one of the best men that ever represented England in her international matches. R McEwan, who comes from the Glasgow Rangers, is another back of promise. He has also played for Bury, weighs 13st and stands 5ft 10½ins in his stockings. G Key, who comes from the Heart of Midlothian Club, is a Scottish international. He plays right half-back and is considered one of the finest halves in that position playing. He is diminutive in size but he is a fearless tackler and a rare good feeder of his forwards.

'Chelsea have also secured R McRoberts, the late centre-forward of Small Heath. Some people consider him the best man in that position now playing, but he will probably play centre half-back for Chelsea. “Jock” Robertson, one of the finest of footballers will play for the club he manages. Craigie, from Manchester City, will make a useful right- or centre-half and others who are expected to render useful service are Wolff, from Hull City, and old Millwall man Mike Moran. But more important than all it is interesting to note that “Davie” Copeland and John Kirwan, late of Tottenham Hotspur, will figure in the Chelsea ranks. The former will play inside-right to Moran, and the Irish international and J Windridge, late of Birmingham Small Heath, are expected to make an excellent pair on the left, Kirwan, of course, playing outside.'

The Daily Mail enthused: 'The new Chelsea Football Club is going to make a big name in the football world. Mr H A [Gus] Mears does not believe in half measures and no expense is being spared in launching the club on what should prove to be a prosperous career.'

The echoes in today's Chelsea continue with that record-setting 1905/06 debut count. On 2 September, 11 men played their inaugural game for Chelsea at Stockport County. Willie Foulke, Robert Mackie, Robert McEwan, George Key, Bob McRoberts, Thomas Miller, Martin Moran, James Robertson, David Copeland, James Windridge and Jack Kirwan, a big box-office line-up, inspired a record attendance at Edgeley Park but a 1-0 loss.

Player-manager Robertson, absent for that opener, made his bow a week later at Blackpool, also recording the club's first-ever winning goal. Pages from the Football League's registration book, reproduced here by courtesy of the English Football League and National Football Museum, show 27 new players took part in Chelsea's 1905/06 campaign, 15 of them making 14 or more appearances. The newly formed Pensioners missed out on instant promotion to Division One by just one place.

The assembly also captured the public's imagination, as hoped. Good Friday had drawn a Division Two record 68,000 spectators to the Bridge for the visit of promotion rivals Manchester United.

Although 'the custodian of mammoth build' Foulke quit for Bradford before the season was out and player-manager Robertson departed in November 1906, many contributed to promotion in 1906/07 and stayed for three seasons or more. Windridge the Wizard proved the greatest success of that first draft, netting 57 goals (still the 34th highest tally today) over 152 matches (141st most appearances). There were many more hits than misses.

Even now, one wise reflection from Jacky Robertson resonates down decades. 'It may be said that nothing is certain in football, and therefore no one can be certain of success,' he wrote in 1905, 'but, at any rate, Chelsea are determined to deserve it.'

One-hundred-and-eighteen years later, we still are.

Yes I know it’s not ‘Founders Day’. 

 

 

Edited May 24, 20233 yr by erskblue