ChelseaBoy

ONE of the younger Premier League clubs having been founded in 1905, Chelsea did not really establish themselves until the 1930s.

 

They then spent 31 consecutive years in Division One, winning their first league title in 1955 under Ted Drake.

 

The Blues went down in 1962 but returned at the first attempt and finished in the top half for nine seasons in a row.

And in a team containing the likes of Peter Osgood and Ron ‘Chopper' Harris, Chelsea won the FA Cup for the first time in 1970 when they beat Leeds 2-1 in a replay.

 

They then broke more new territory the following season, winning their first European trophy with another 2-1 replay victory against Real Madrid in the Cup Winners’ Cup.

But that kind of success could not be sustained and Chelsea were relegated in 1975 before spending the next 15 years jumping between the two top divisions until promotion in 1989 ended their yo-yo period.

 

The club were eventually able to attract stars from overseas including Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli and Gianfranco Zola and trophies soon followed with FA Cup wins in 1997 and 2000 and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998.

Chelsea finished every season from 1996 and 2003 between third and sixth before Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club from Ken Bates and changed its fortunes forever.

 

Jose Mourinho was brought in as manager to replace Claudio Ranieri and he won the League Cup and Premier League title with a record points total of 95 in his first season.

 

The crown again went to the Blues the following year and though they could not make it three in a row, they did win both domestic cups in 2007.

Chelsea won the Double under Carlo Ancelotti in 2009/10 but managers continued to come and go as Abramovich strived for European success.

 

They narrowly missed out on Champions League glory when they lost to Manchester United on penalties in 2008.

But the holy grail did come in 2012 when caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo guided them to an historic victory over Bayern Munich having already won the FA Cup.

Chelsea finished the 2013/2014 season 3rd in Mourinho's first season back after returning from Real Madrid.

 

Info used from: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/premteams/chelsea/4477380/Chelsea-history-stats-and-club-information.html