There was no further success in the decade as several major problems combined to almost bring the club to its knees. From the early 1970s, the discipline of the team began to degenerate, as Sexton fell out with several key players, most notably Osgood, Hudson and Baldwin over their attitude and lifestyle. As the spirit of the team declined, so too did results. Chelsea were knocked out of the 1971-72 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup by little-known Åtvidabergs FF, the FA Cup by Second Division Leyton Orient despite having led 2-0, and lost in the League Cup final to Stoke City; on each occasion the team had lost to a technically inferior side despite having dominated for large spells. They finished 12th in 1972-73 and 17th the following season. The feud between Sexton and Osgood and Hudson reached its peak after a 2-4 home defeat to West Ham United on Boxing Day 1973; the pair were both sold a few months later. Sexton himself was sacked early into the 1974-75 season after a poor start, and succeeded by his assistant, Ron Suart, who was unable to reverse the club's decline and they were relegated in 1975.
The building of the pioneering East Stand (which retains its place even in the modern stadium) as part of a plan to create a 60,000 all-seater stadium added to the club's woes. The project had been described as "the most ambitious ever undertaken in Britain". It coincided with a world economic crisis and was hit by delays, a builders' strike and shortages of materials, all of which sent the cost escalating out of control, to the extent that the club were £3.4m in debt by 1976. As a result, between August 1974 and June 1978, Chelsea were unable to buy a single player. The decline of the team was matched by a decline in attendances - those who remained were marred by a fierce reputation for violence amongst a section of the Chelsea support (the boundary between passion and hooliganism being dangerously narrow in those days). The late 1970s and the 1980s were the "golden age" of football firms in England; Chelsea's own such firm, the Chelsea Headhunters, were particularly notorious, known for their violence and links to extremist political groups and would blight the club throughout the following years.
Former left-back Eddie McCreadie became manager shortly before Chelsea's relegation in 1975 and, after a year of consolidation in 1975-76, led the side to promotion again in 1976-77 with a team composed of youth players, most notably Ray Wilkins and 24-goal striker Steve Finnieston, and veterans from more successful times like Cooke, Harris and Bonetti. But McCreadie left following a contract dispute with Brian Mears over a company car and another ex-player was appointed, this time former right-back Ken Shellito.
Shellito kept Chelsea in the First Division in 1977-78, though the highlight of that season was a 4-2 win over European champions Liverpool in the FA Cup. Shellito resigned midway through the following season with the club having won just three league games by Christmas. Even the brief return of Peter Osgood did little to improve the club's fortunes. Shellito's successor, former double-winning Tottenham Hotspur captain Danny Blanchflower was unable to stem the slump and the club were relegated again with just five league wins and 27 defeats, bringing in one of the bleakest periods in Chelsea's history. Wilkins, one of the club's few remaining stars, was sold to Manchester United and England's 1966 World Cup final hero Geoff Hurst became manager in September 1979 with Bobby Gould as his assistant. Their arrival saw an immediate upturn in Chelsea's form, and for a large period Chelsea topped the table, but a late collapse saw them finish 4th, meaning the club missed out on promotion on goal difference. In the next season the team struggled to score goals, going on a nine-match run without one, winning only three matches in twenty and finishing 12th in 1980-81. Hurst was sacked.
In 1981 Brian Mears resigned as chairman, ending his family's 76-year association with the club. One of Mears' last actions was to appoint former Wrexham boss John Neal as manager. A year later, Chelsea Football & Athletic Company, heavily in debt and unable to pay its players, was, at the nadir of its fortunes, acquired from the Mears family interests by businessman and one-time chairman of Oldham Athletic, Ken Bates, for the princely sum of £1, though he declined to buy the stadium and its substantially larger debts, a move he was later to regret. Bates proved to be a real fighter as the new chairman, although his opponents included supporters (who did not take kindly to his suggestion of electrified fences to keep them off the pitch) as well as property developers Marler Estates, to whom David Mears, brother of Brian, had sold his share of the Stamford Bridge freehold instead.
1981-82, an otherwise forgettable season during which Chelsea again finished 12th, Chelsea went on their first significant FA Cup run for years and drew European champions Liverpool in the fifth round. They outplayed their illustrious opponents and won 2-0. In the quarter-finals, they were pitted against old rivals Tottenham Hotspur who, in a pulsating game, won 3-2, despite Chelsea taking the lead through Mike Fillery. 1982-83 season proved to be the worst in Chelsea's history. Following a bright start, the team slumped dramatically, going on a nine-match winless run as the season drew to a close and faced relegation to the Third Division which, given the club's financial troubles, could well have dealt it a killer blow. In the penultimate game of the season at fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers, Clive Walker hit a last-minute winner from 25 yards to ensure a crucial 1-0 win. A draw at home to Middlesbrough in the final game ensured the club's survival by two points.
The 2010–11 season is Chelsea Football Club's 96th competitive season, 19th consecutive season in the Premier League, and 105th year in existence as a football club. They went into the Premier League as the defending champions, but failed to retain it. Chelsea Premier League Tickets are available at FootballTicketExchangeOnline.com at affordable price. Football fans can buy or sell Football Tickets especially Chelsea Premiership Football Tickets at FootballTicketExchangeOnline.com conveniently.
No comments:
Post a Comment