1950s and Onwards

A man known as Ted Drake became the new Chelsea manager in 1952 and he improved the club greatly. He had previously played as a centre forward for Arsenal and England. He decided to take away the pensioner crest, improved the youth system and the training regime. He also rebuilt the side for the better making cheap, but impressive signings from the lower leagues. He guided Chelsea to their first major trophy success in 1955 when he won the league championship for the first time. The following season, UEFA created the champions league but Chelsea were convinced to withdraw from the competition before it even began due to objections from the FA and Football League. Even though this was a successful few years for Chelsea and it looked like they would push on, they spent the rest of the 1950s in and around mid table. In 1961, Drake was sacked and replaced by player-coach Tommy Docherty.

History and Foundation

Chelsea were founded in 1905 on the 10th of March. Names such as, London FC, Stamford Bridge FC, and Kensington FC were all considered at the time as there was already a team known as Fulham, but in the end, Chelsea FC was the one that was chosen. Their stadium is called Stamford Bridge and it has been their stadium from the start. It is actually situated in Fulham rather than in Chelsea. In just their second season, they won promotion to the First Division. In their early years they moved back and forth between the First and Second Division. In 1915, they reached the FA Cup Final where they were defeated by Sheffield United in Old Trafford. They reached their highest league finish so far in 1920, when they finished in 3rd place. Chelsea attracted huge crowds and they gained a reputation for making big name signings. However, despite these positives they continued on for a number of years without achieving a huge amount of success.

Introduction

Hi my name is David and this is my blog on Chelsea Football Club. I have supported Chelsea since I was 6.