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.