What was worn to The Bridge in April 1920. We won 2-0.😀

Close season friendly programme.

24th May 1936.

www.stamford-bridge.com

Action from Tournoi International de Paris Final on 6th June 1937. We played Bologna going down 4-1.

On 06/06/2025 at 05:18, erskblue said:

Action from Tournoi International de Paris Final on 6th June 1937. We played Bologna going down 4-1.

I keep overlooking this "West Brom" thread, great pictures as usual Ersk 👍

It's hard to imagine, today, the mighty Chelsea touring Argentina and losing 5-0 to Unión, with three goals from Malcorra and two from Gamba (?), but a long time ago, more specifically in 1929, the English toured part of South America and faced several Argentine teams. Here's the memory.

Just as in our country, many clubs are accused of being a fad, having increased the number of kite fans through a good run of titles, the same thing happens abroad.

Chelsea carries the burden of having fueled its trophy cabinet from the 1990s onward, and especially since 2003, with the arrival of billionaire Roman Abramovich. The English club had only won one league title until then (1954/55) and had also been on the brink of extinction in the 1980s, facing relegation twice, endangering its stadium, and selling its shares for the paltry price of £1.

But before all that, in 1929, when they were just a traditional London team struggling in the Second Division (that year they would be promoted to the First Division), the Blues took a ship to cross the seas for several days, in search of challenges on this continent. While the players trained on the deck (go get it yourself if it falls into the Atlantic), several teams on this side of the world wanted to compete with the Englishmen.

After disembarking in Brazil and arriving by land in Argentina, the weary Chelsea players , who traveled without their usual manager, played their first match on May 25, 1929, against Buenos Aires XI , a combined team of Argentine players. The result? The Londoners won 3-2.

They would later achieve 1-0 victories against the Argentine Amateur Association and 2-0 against San Lorenzo de Almagro . They also drew 1-1 with Independiente , but of course, we're not talking about the defeats, which were numerous.

In these lands, Chelsea fell 4-0 to the Provincia team , 3-2 to Buenos Aires XI , 2-1 to Rosario , 4-3 to Boca Juniors , 1-0 to Racing Club , and 3-2 to Estudiantil Porteño . And we're missing one, of course. The most resounding defeat.

On June 17, the Blues arrived in Santa Fe to play a match against Unión . It seemed like just another match on the South American tour, but it ended up being a major blow to the English team's pride. That day, Tatengue won decisively 5-0, adding the names of 11 players to their list of favorites: Olivieri; Angelini and Gómez; Napoleoni, Monzón and Garbagnoli; Simonsini, Beltramini, Valiente, Acosta and Mir.

The British, who eventually became known as "the numbered ones" for wearing numbers on their shirts (something that wasn't yet common at the time), continued the tour through Uruguay and Brazil , where the media criticized them for not having learned anything. And worst of all, they had to return by boat...

Article on our 1929 Tour of South America. Translated from the Spanish .

www.enunabaldaso.com

1929 AMISTOSO INTERNACIONAL Independiente 1-1 Chelsea (ENG)

www.estadisdicaacai.blogspot.com

Amistoso Internacional 1929
15/6/1929		Independiente 1 – 1 Chelsea (ENG)
Independiente: Sangiovanni; Debuglio, Chiarella; J. Pérez, Gross, L. Martínez; Canaveri, Lalín, Ravaschino, Seoane, Paolinetti.
Chelsea: Millington; Smith, Law; Irving, Rodger, Bishop; Crawford, Thain, Weaver, Miller, Pearson.
Goles: PT: 6’ Seoane. ST: 25’ Miller
Arbitro: A. Tejada (URU)

South America Tour 1929

Chelsea embarked upon a three-month tour of South America in 1929. During the trip the Blues earned the nickname 'Los Numerados' (the numbered ones), due to the Chelsea team wearing numbers on their shirts; ten years before numbered shirts were introduced by the Football League, and one year after becoming the first club (along with Arsenal to wear shirt numbers.)

www.thechelsinfo.com

D	M	Year	Opposition	Result	Score	Venue
25	May	1929	Buenos Aires XI	Won	3-2	Buenos Aires, Argentina
26	May	1929	Provincia	Lost	0-4	Buenos Aires, Argentina
30	May	1929	Argentine Amateur Association	Won	1-0	Buenos Aires, Argentina
2	June	1929	Buenos Aires XI	Lost	2-3	Buenos Aires, Argentina
8	June	1929	San Lorenzo de Almagro	Won	2-0	Buenos Aires, Argentina
9	June	1929	Penarol	Lost	1-2	Montevideo, Uruguay
15	June	1929	Independiente	Drew	1-1	Buenos Aires, Argentina
16	June	1929	Union, Santa Fe	Lost	0-5	Santa Fe, Argentina
16	June	1929	Rosario	Lost	1-2	Rosario, Argentina
20	June	1929	Racing Club	Lost	0-1	Buenos Aires, Argentina
22	June	1929	Estudiantil Porteno	Lost	2-3	Buenos Aires, Argentina
23	June	1929	Wanderers	Won	1-0	Montevideo, Uruguay
28	June	1929	Rio de Janeiro XI	Drew	1-1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
30	June	1929	Rio de Janeiro XI	Lost	1-2	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4	July	1929	Corinthians	Drew	4-4	São Paulo, Brazil
7	July	1929	São Paulo	Lost	1-3	São Paulo, Brazil

Some more pictures of the South American Tour of 1929.

1929 photo.

A vintage postcard featuring headshots of Chelsea FC footballers superimposed on an illustration of a football and a goal, circa 1907-1908.

Included are: Billy Bridgeman, Frank Lyon,George Henderson,Jack Whitley, Jimmy Stark,Jimmy Frost, Ben Whitehouse ,Martin Moran, Norrie Fairgay, James Windridge, George Hilsdon, Fred Rouse,William Brawn,Ted Birnie,Bob McRoberts,George Key,Tommy Miller, Jock Cameron and Bob Whiting (Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto via Getty Images).

Caption states it’s a 1905 team photograph,

Back row, L-R: J,T,Robertson, (Manager), H,A,Keare, (Director), Byrne, F,W,Parker, (Hon, Financial Secretary), McRoberts, William "Fatty" Foulke, (Captain), Copeland, Mackie, Miller, (Trainer), McEwan, Ransom, (Trainer), Craigie, W,Lewis, (Secretary), J,White, (Ass,Trainer),

Middle row, L-R: Moran, Donaghy, T,Millet, Jas,Robertson, O'Hara, Windridge, Key, Kirwan,

Front four, L-R: McDowland, Seaton, Wolfe, Watson.

Edited June 29, 20251 yr by erskblue

Bob McRoberts.

Our first ever £100 signing. He played in our first League game in on 2nd September 1905.

On 4 November 1905 we beat Barnsley 6–0 at The Bridge McRoberts scored the club's first-ever penalty.

He was with us from August 1905- December 1909, making 106 appearances scoring 10 goals.

The famous Dynamo Moscow game on 13th November 1945.

There is not a single space to be seen on the terracing.

Charlton keeper Sam Bartram saves on a muddy goalmouth from Eric Parsons (No 7).

Late 40s or early 50s.

Inter Varsity Sports at The Bridge in 1929. The Bridge was ‘the home of British Athletics’ at the time.

http://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/images/Squads/1919-20.jpg

 

1919-20 Team Photo.

Back row L-R.Dickie,Halse, Mr David Calderhead (Manager),Betteridge, Wilding, Hampton,Logan, Whitley (Trainer), Harrow.

(Front row L-R. Ford, Dole, Cock,Croal, McNeil,

 Sat 31st Jan 1920. F.A. Cup - 2nd Round v Swindon Town at The Bridge

 A great attendance of  67,054  Remember we were just 15 years old as club at that time.   Not bad eh.

 We won 4 - 0

Edited August 9, 2025Aug 9 by erskblue

This OS Map of The Bridge is dated 1951. Courtesy of Old Maps.

Caption states this is A match against Notts County in September 1909

. If so, it was on Wednesday 1st Sept with a 5.15pm kick off. A 2-2 draw in front of 12,000 spectators. Our first match of the 1909-10 season. The terrace looks quite packed for an attendance of 12,000!

Action from a 2-2 draw with The Wednesday, (as Sheffield Wednesday were known then) in Division One. October 1908.

Edited August 14, 2025Aug 14 by erskblue

Edited August 14, 2025Aug 14 by erskblue

13 hours ago, erskblue said:

Caption states this is A match against Notts County in September 1909

. If so, it was on Wednesday 1st Sept with a 5.15pm kick off. A 2-2 draw in front of 12,000 spectators. Our first match of the 1909-10 season. The terrace looks quite packed for an attendance of 12,000!

12,000 ?? Someone was on the fiddle I reckon !

9 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

12,000 ?? Someone was on the fiddle I reckon !

More like a complete fiddle orchestra !😀 Allegedly!!😀😀