CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC


CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC


CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC
CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC.CFC

Early years (1905–1952)

Chelsea F.C. was founded on March 14, 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook) opposite today's main entrance to the ground on the Fulham Road. This was followed by the club's election into the Second Division at the Football League AGM on May 29, 1905. Chelsea's first match took place away at Stockport County on September 2, 1905. They lost the game 1–0. Their first home match was against Liverpool in a friendly. They won 4–0. The Club began with established players recruited from other teams and promotion to the top flight was swift, but the club's early years saw little success. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final in 1915, but lost to Sheffield United at Old Trafford in one of the last competitive games in English football before the Great War saw senior football suspended. Chelsea made little impact on the English game during the inter-war years. After the war, Chelsea played FC Dynamo Moscow of Soviet Union in their 1945 tour of the United Kingdom.

Drake's Ducklings (1952-61)

Former Arsenal and England centre-forward Ted Drake became manager in 1952. After removing the club's Chelsea pensioner crest, improving the youth set-up and re-building the side, he led Chelsea to their first major trophy success - the League championship - in 1954–55. The side were affectionately known as 'Drake's Ducklings.' The following season saw UEFA create the European Cup, which was contested between the champions of European domestic leagues, but after objections from The Football League and the FA Chelsea were persuaded to withdraw from the competition before it started.[2]

Drake's later years saw no more success; the team was ageing and the side were firmly rooted in mid-table. The late 1950s saw an impressive crop of youngsters emerging from the youth set-up, such as Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Tambling and Terry Venables, but the team's poor league form culminated in relegation at the end of the 1960-61 season and saw Drake replaced by Tommy Docherty. In his first season as manager, Docherty led Chelsea to promotion with a new, youth-orientated team.

Rising to fame (1960s and 1970s)

The swinging '60s ushered in an era that saw football and inimitable style merge in the heart of London; with the fashionable King's Road at the heart of the swagger. A '60s Chelsea that oozed charisma and class soon built up a major following, but ultimately failed to match its swagger with on-field triumphs, enduring several near-misses in the process. No major domestic titles were won, except for the League Cup in 1965 (Chelsea's first League Cup), though the side narrowly missed out on a domestic treble in the final weeks of the same season. This was followed by defeat in the FA Cup and Fairs Cup semi-finals a year later and then an FA Cup final loss in 1967.

The early 1970s saw a great Chelsea team which is still fondly remembered (not least because it was a couple of decades before its achievements were matched at the club): it featured the likes of Ron 'Chopper' Harris, Ian Hutchinson, Charlie Cooke and Peter Osgood. In 1970 Chelsea ran out FA Cup winners, beating Leeds United 2–1 in a pulsating final replay with a late David Webb winner, having fallen behind three times. A UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph was added to the haul the following year - Chelsea's first European honour - with another replayed win, this time over Real Madrid in Athens.

Decline and recovery (1975–1989)

But there was no further success in that decade, as star players were sold, the team were relegated and an over-ambitious redevelopment of the stadium (which only got as far as the pioneering East Stand, which retains its place even in the modern stadium) threatened the financial stability of the club, which ultimately resulted in the sale of the Stamford Bridge freehold. Further problems were caused by a fearsome reputation for violence amongst a section of the supporters (the boundary between passion and ho