CFCnet Magazine - Unofficial Chelsea FC Magazine

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Exclusive Claude Makelele and Charlie Cooke Interviews

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CFCnet magazine

It’s all about the football!

ISSUE 2 WINTER/SPRING Unofficial Chelsea FC magazine The CFCnet magazine PO BOX 1183 REEPHAM NORWICH NR10 4WY www.cfcnet.co.uk Editor: Rob Hobson - robhobson@cfcnet.co.uk Assistant Editor: Grahame Fendle - grahamefendle@cfcnet.co.uk Production Manager Peter Sampson - petersampson@cfcnet.co.uk CFCnet Media Liaison Jez Walters - jezwalters@cfcnet.co.uk Fans Forum Representative Toby Brown - tobybrown@cfcnet.co.uk Special Thanks David Johnstone - cfcuk, Martin Knight, Charlie Cooke, Claude Makelele and Chelsea FC Photographs by kind permission of: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC and EMPICS www.empics.co.uk Associated Sports Photography www.sporting-heroes.net Dan Davies - www.ddpix.co.uk Jo Burridge, John Ingledew www.chelseabluesinblackandwhite.com

Welcome to the second edition of the CFCnet magazine, the only football mag in the world produced through a combination of blind enthusiasm and sheer terror. This time round, we're proud to bring you the interviews edition, with two bona fide legends to show you. First up is Bobby Moore-beating, Real Madrid-conquering, all round top guy Charlie Cooke. Second is one of the few men in the history of the game whose position on the park will always be judged by the standards he set: Claude "the Knife" Makelele. Kudos to Toby for keeping his awe in check as he meets these two titans of the game.

We've also got the next instalment of our Old Bill special, with further revelations of how the games were policed back in the good/bad old days. We've got Dan Davies on a little more Chelsea history, and an extract from Kelvin Barker's brilliant book where we look back at a classic Chelsea – Gooner match. Mark Daniell brings his insight from the site over to the mag for the first time in View From The Bridge. And there's also 60% more pictures than the previous edition, as we've just bought a camera, so you'll get a review of the season so far in glorious technicolour photo. And lots of other stuff too.

We'd also like to thank everyone who's supported the mag for us over the last couple of months, and send a plea out to our loyal and existing readers. The mag has been a bit of a learning curve for us, and a tough one to manage after the last few years of digital chicanery. We'd like to send a quick appeal out to everyone who's buying the mag: please... tell your mates, tell your enemies, buy one for your girlfriend, give your boss one for Christmas. We love making the mag, but we can only carry on doing it with your help.

Have a great New Year... we'll be back in '07. Rob Hobson

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Contributions Alexander Thomas, James Prescot, Mark Daniell Extracts Kelvin Barker - www.cfclegends.co.uk Magazine Design Eclipse Design - www.eclipse-design.co.uk

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CFCnet are a permanent member of Chelsea FC Consultative Forum Copyright CFCnet. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright owners. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, CFCnet cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.

The views and opinions within this magazine in no way represent the views of Chelsea Football Club. Moreover, the views and opinions within the magazine are not always those of CFCnet and should be attributed to the contributor. (We reserve the right to edit any material, or to exclude anything considered racist, sexist or overly offensive.)

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Finding it hard to remember the days before Roman? Alexander Thomas looks at the team that finished the 2002/2003 season and asks where are they now?

Chelsea returned to division 1 in 1984.

Arsenal away was the opener. One debutant stood out that day. Doug Rougvie.

Relive the season so far in glorious technicolour. We’ve selected some of the best imagary we could get our hands on.

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Ever wondered who had the best ‘firm’ in London during the 70’s and 80’s.

CFCnet spoke to one of the main men from the... Metropolitan mounted police.

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Any views put forward will try to take into account CFCnet readers’ comments via our online forums and correspondence, although it is impossible to put across all viewpoints due to diversity of opinion.

All opinion broadcast on media outlets should be attributed to the person being interviewed, not necessarily as a representative of other Chelsea supporters.

One of Chelsea’s finest wingers was in London promoting his new book. Whilst he was here, he talked to CFCnet and answered some of your questions.

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Occasionally Chelsea Football Club canvasses our opinion across pertinent issues that affect our readers. We attempt to maintain a cooperative and realistic dialogue with the Club that allows us to put our readers’ views forward in a way that ensures a mutually beneficial and constructive relationship. We believe that constructive dialogue with the Club is the best way forward. We also feel that this in everyone’s interests.

Makelele has only spoken to one group within the English media this season and that was CFCnet. That’s why he is a Chelsea Legend!

Front cover: Copyright Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC and EMPICS

CFCnet represents CFCnet readers at the Chelsea Consultative Fans Forum and we do our best to both put forward the majority viewpoint and also to pass on messages to the right person within the club where possible. However, please remember that it is our visitors that set our agenda at the Fans Forum, not us.

We are asked almost daily to comment on Chelsea FC issues and whilst we do not actively canvas media outlets, we will put forward our opinions if asked.

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Where are Alexander Thomas looks at the team pre-Roman Abramovich

Approaching the Christmas period of Jose Mourinho’s third season in the Chelsea hot-seat and the fourth of the Abramovich era, it seems like a long while ago when things weren’t like this.

Indeed it’s becoming hard to recall a time before Stamford Bridge reverberated to the merry strains of Kalinka, Joe Cole pounded its touchlines, or Claude Makelele swept the space in front of the back four.

seems content to stay at the Bridge and is again first choice keeper in the absence of Petr Cech.

Defenders Robert Huth The big German defender, who made his Chelsea debut in the last game of the 01-02 season, joined Middlesbrough this summer.

Yet as we all know before Chelsea’s history was transformed in the summer of 2003, the playing personnel were very different. In fact only Carlo Cudicini, Frank Lampard and John Terry remain from the squad assembled by Claudio Ranieri prior to Roman Abramovich’s arrival.

William Gallas After five years, 159 appearances and 12 goals for Chelsea, Gallas is now plying his trade at Arsenal after one of the most acrimonious transfer sagas of the club’s history.

John Terry A product of Chelsea’s youth system, Terry made his debut eight years ago in league cup tie against Aston Villa in October 98.

So who were the players that heaved Chelsea to a champions league berth, clinched in such dramatic fashion on the final day of the season against Liverpool and where are they now?

Mario Melchiot After becoming a scapegoat for Chelsea’s Champions League exit to Monaco in 2004, Melchiot was released to Birmingham City in July that year. After Birmingham’s relegation from the Premiership, he signed a one-year contract for Petr Cech’s former club Rennes, in France.

While most Chelsea supporters will retain fond reminiscences of such past players as Gianfranco Zola, Marcel Desailly and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink; recollections of Chelsea’s less illustrious servants of that era are probably not as indelible.

For those whose memories might need refreshing, below is a full list of Chelsea’s playing squad for the 20022003 season, detailing their careers since leaving Stamford Bridge.

Goalkeepers Carlo Cudicini Son of the AC Milan and Italy goalkeeping legend Fabio Cudicini, Carlo was initially signed on loan from the Italian Serie C side, Castel di Sangro (meaning castle of blood in English) during the 99-00 season. He was bought by Chelsea in 2000 and although missing out on two Premiership winners medals, Cudicini

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Stoke this summer and has recently held talks with his former club, Sparta Rotterdam about becoming their player coach.

Carlo Cudicini Initially signed on loan Mark Bosnich Since his infamous failed drugs test in September 2002, the former Australian international has not played for another club; although there have recently been rumours linking him with a return to football at conference side Grays Athletic.

Ed de Goey After leaving Chelsea in 2003, the 6ft 6 inch Dutch giant joined Stoke City on a free transfer, for whom he made a total of 53 appearances. After playing a substitute role for much of last season, he left

Celestine Babayaro Remembered for his acrobatic goal celebrations, Babayaro left Chelsea for Newcastle in January 2005 after making only four appearances during the Premiership-winning year. Ironically his replacement, Wayne Bridge was injured playing against Newcastle shortly after the transfer window closed, leaving Chelsea devoid of a natural left-back for the rest of the season.

Marcel Desailly Unfortunately age eventually caught up with the former Chelsea and France captain, voted by fans alongside John Terry as centre-back in Chelsea’s greatest ever

they now?

XI. Having won nearly every major trophy in football, Desailly was unable to win a Premiership title with Chelsea, and left at the end of 2004 season. He was allegedly offered a one-year deal at Real Madrid, which he rejected for the highly-paid comfort zone of Qatari football, playing for Al Gharafa and Qatar Sports club, before retiring from the game in 2005. He is currently linked with the Ghana national team manager’s position.

Captain John Terry made his Chelsea debut eight years ago.

Midfielders Frank Lampard A Chelsea player since 2001, Lampard has now made over 200 appearances for the Blues.

Emmanuel Petit Petit’s midfield partnership with Frank Lampard was instrumental in qualifying Chelsea for the Champions League in 2003. During his final season at Stamford Bridge, Petit suffered several knee injuries and was released in the summer of 2004.

After training with old club Arsenal as well as Bolton Wanderers, Petit retired from football in Jauary 2005, after finding out he required a knee operation.

Boudewijn Zenden In the first year of the Abramovich era, Zenden was loaned out to Middlesbrough, until his contract expired in 2004, when he signed a one-year deal at the Riverside. In 2005 he signed a contract with Liverpool.

Albert Ferrer The former Barcelona right-back and Spain International had been restricted to only seven league appearances in two years for Chelsea before retiring from the game in 2003. He had made 76 appearances and scored one goal for Chelsea.

Graeme Le Saux The former England left-back left Stamford Bridge shortly after Abramovich’s arrival as part of the deal to bring his replacement, Wayne Bridge, from Southampton. He made 44 appearances in his two years playing for the Saints.

Enrique De Lucas Ranieri’s only signing in the summer of 2002 returned to Spain the following summer after a miserable season at Chelsea. He signed for the Basque side Deportivo Alavés, suffering relegation after his first season. After gaining promotion in a year, Alavés were again relegated from La Liga in May 2006.

Mario Stanic After scoring a truly stunning debut volley against West Ham on the first day of the 00-01 season (later elected goal of the season), Stanic’s Chelsea career failed to take off. Making a total of 80 appearances (26 as substitute) and scoring 10 goals for the club, Stanic retired from football in 2004, aged 32 after suffering a serious knee injury.

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Where are they now? continued...

Jody Morris Once billed as the future captain of Chelsea, Morris’s fall from grace has had a lot to do with his bad-boy reputation. Now playing at Millwall after leaving Chelsea via Leeds United, Morris has recently been arrested for drunken driving and convicted.

Joe Keenan Given a four-year professional contract by Chelsea in 2002, Keenan was never more than a peripheral figure at the bridge and after several loans spells, joined Belgian side Willem II when his contract expired in the summer of 2006, having made a total of two substitute appearances for Chelsea.

Gabriele Ambrosetti Trumpeted by Vialli as the ‘Italian Ryan Giggs’, the lightweight winger was signed in 1999 to provide service to Chris Sutton. Ignored by Ranieri, he spent a period on loan at Piacenza and the move was made permanent in the summer of 2003. After moving to Pro Pratia in Italy’s third division in 2005, he has now retired from football.

Jesper Gronkjær One of the most frustrating players ever to wear the Chelsea shirt, the speedy winger created the first goal and scored a fabulous second against Liverpool in the final day Champions League decider of the 02-03 season.

Having scored some wonderful and crucial goals for Chelsea in his 88 appearances for the club, he was

Zola returned to Cagliari in 2003

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equally responsible for some dreadful shooting and woeful crosses. The Danish enigma moved to Birmingham City for the start of the 04-05 season, but after a poor start moved to Atlético Madrid in January. He left that summer for the Bundesliga, signing for VFB Stuttgart appearing 25 times for the club. This summer he signed for Danish Champions F.C Copenhagen.

Forwards Gianfranco Zola In the summer of 2003, the Chelsea legend signed for Italian club Cagliari, on his home island of Sardinia, despite efforts by Abramovich to make him stay. His displays helped win promotion to Serie A and his swansong was a final season in Italy’s top flight, which included a double against Juventus in his last professional game. His number 10 Jersey was then retired by Cagliari.

Zola is now a pundit on Italian television and coaches the Italian under-21 side with his friend and former

Chelsea team-mate Pierluigi Casiraghi.

There are rumours of a possible comeback this year in the Aussie league.

Carlton Cole Despite signing a seven-year contract shortly after Abramovich’s takeover, the Chelsea youth product failed to impress Jose Mourinho and was sold to West Ham United this summer, scoring on his debut for the Hammers.

Mikael Forssell After joining Chelsea in 1998, Forssell failed to truly establish himself and made only 34 appearances in his seven years at the club. He was loaned out on five different occasions to Crystal Palace (twice), to Borussia Mönchengladbach and twice to Birmingham City, who he saved from relegation. After being sold to Birmingham in a £3 million deal in the summer of 2005, he failed to regain his form after injury. He is still with Birmingham playing in the Championship.

Eidur Gudjohnsen Signed by the reigning European champions as a replacement for Henrik Larsson, Gudjohnsen has made a prolific start to his Barcelona career, scoring seven goals in ten games, after profiting from an injury to Samuel Eto’o.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Despite the arrivals of Adrian Mutu and Hernan Crespo, Hasselbaink was Chelsea’s lead scorer in the 03-04 campaign with 17 goals. Joining Middlesbrough on a free transfer in 2004, he scored 23 goals during his two seasons at the club, helping them to the UEFA cup final. However new manager Gareth Southgate deemed him surplus to requirements this summer and was released on a free transfer to Charlton Athletic.

Regardless of his claims that illegal payments were made to players at Chelsea in the 03-04 season, he was given a standing ovation at Stamford Bridge after refusing to celebrate his goal for Charlton.

MEDIA: the other game we play

A fairly eminent advertising man (yes, there is such a thing) from New York once told me that he envied the British their newspapers. “At least yours wear their hearts on their sleeves,” he growled, whilst ordering yet another Old Fashioned from the barman. “You know what you’re getting. OK, they have a political agenda, but at least they declare it. Over here, they still have an agenda. They just don’t tell you.”

Rob Hobson The CFCnet site ran a piece, not that long ago, listing the most-loathed journalists out there as voted for by our readers. We were pleased to see that we ran a pretty broad gamut: broadsheet, tabloid, radio and so on.

And presumably we all know the proand con-Blue hacks out there by now.

For the defence, among others, stand the Mirror’s Oliver Holt and (some of you may grit your teeth at this) the Guardian’s Kevin McCarra, from a footballing point of view at least. For the prosecution, a long list headed by Patrick Collins, Steve Curry and James Lawton. There are some eminent names in there, to be sure. But the nature of Chelsea as a club is such a divisive one. At the risk of stating the obvious, there is the money issue, which itself is enough to condemn us in many eyes as the harbingers of the footballing apocalypse. And once you’ve got past that, if you can, there’s the nature of the team’s football. Either you admire Chelsea or you don’t. We won’t even bother suggesting that the word “like” has any place in this debate.

The public relations disaster that the club has managed to produce in recent seasons has effectively removed any chance whatsoever of the domestic neutral finding the Chelsea recipe a palatable one.

This piece is supposed to be about

the media, but really it’s about how the media is used. Today’s managers need to be able to swim in the media sea. Remember Christian Gross’ tube ticket? In hindsight, a rather charmingly naïve gesture to share his unpretentious instincts. But this moment of un-guardedness sealed his fate: to be forever viewed as the bungling Mr Magoo character of English football. In the same vein, Ranieri might be a brilliant, erudite, witty man, but many of us will never be able to banish the clownish image that was presented to us in his early days.

So it suits the media to create stereotypes. José was the next big thing, when he arrived. Defeater of Ferguson, European champion, and so on. From housewives favourite to Gucciclad Lucifer, in less than two seasons.

But he has usually been comfortable in his face-to-face meetings with the media: we still see glimpses of the puckish wit that littered his first season.

Contrast this with the ham-fisted utterances of other club representatives.

As an example, how does it benefit Chelsea to announce that they will be “the world’s biggest club by 2014”?

What advantage, of any kind, does it bring? We have no shareholders. It’s not about investor confidence or appeasing the City. Does it intimidate our rivals? With 30,000 seats shy of Old Trafford’s capacity, I doubt it. Does it alert Nike to a potentially bigger shirt deal? Don’t we have a contract with Adidas for the next god-knows-howlong? Still more ludicrous is the deadline that Mr Kenyon sets himself. And…. you’ve got 8 years… get marketing!

Rant over. Getting back to the point, a Mourinho press conference is usually a guarded affair these days. The feeling seems to be that the journalists know what they want to say before a question has been asked, and therefore the man himself has less and less time to indulge them with sound bites. I’m sure you’ve all seen him post-match, being edged ever-so-gently towards a criticism of the referee or a condemnation of a player/ manager. Mourinho is big enough to stand up for himself, of course. But for the media then to suggest that he manipulates them… well, you can’t have it both ways. www.cfcnet.co.uk 7

What you think of your magazine!

Welcome to Issue 2 of the CFCnet magazine. It’s been a hectic few months for all of us here at CFCnet with the launch of the new forum as well as getting Issue 2 to the printers. Anyway you’re reading Issue 2 now and I hope you like it.

If this is the first time you’ve seen the CFCnet magazine please get yourself a subscription and if you haven’t got the first issue you’re quite welcome to back order it from the website www.cfcnetmagazine.com or by sending a cheque for £2 plus postage to our address below.

(Postage depends on where you are in the world. We have used the Royal Mail tariff and regions which mean that you will be in one of the following categories: UK, Europe or Rest of The World.) Send me an email if you are unsure. admin@cfcnet.co.uk If you haven’t made your mind up about subscribing here are just a few of your comments regarding the first issue.

“I think the mag’s great, good design, good quality, good content.”

“Thanks for my copy of CFCnet magazine, looks really good and I hope it is a big success.”

“First impression, impressive and professional. You’ve done a decent job.”

“Overall it’s very impressive. I’ll definitely be buying the next one.”

“We were not disappointed; thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“I must say it was even better than I expected!”

“Oh Yes, I will be buying the next issue” “I thought the magazine is excellent” “Magazine = great value, glad I subscribed!”

“Very nice job!”

“Keep them coming!”

“I love it so far and look forward to future issues.”

Feel free to write to us if you have any suggestions, thoughts or comments on the magazine and how we can make it better.

We are always in need of contributions to the magazine and, of course, our web site. If you wish to contribute to one or both please send your details to Rob Hobson directly by email editorial@cfcnet.co.uk or write to us at this address: The Editor CFCnet Magazine PO Box 1183 Reepham Norwich NR10 4WY If you would like to advertise in Issue 3, which is coming out in March, please contact me directly.

Kind Regards Peter Sampson admin@cfcnet.co.uk www.cfcnet-magazine.com

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WE’VE GOT NO HISTORY! Dan Davies.

As a life-long fan of Chelsea I’m sure I’m not alone in still feeling quite a buzz at the level of success we’ve achieved of late and of the worldwide fame of our current players. But whilst our success is unprecedented, our 101 year is littered with many highs and lows. Our ten clashes with Liverpool in the past two years could for example be compared with the season in which we faced Burnley seven times within five months; Until the 1990’s, the FA Cup was almost unique in that all drawn ties were decided by replays. Alas Police requirements for 14 days notice on replays and the crowded fixture list meant that Penalties were introduced and now even drawn finals seek their conclusion in this unsatisfactory fashion.

The winter of 1955/56 saw our longest ever cup tie. Chelsea, title winners the previous year, had shown little sign of a repeat, so great expectations were placed on our FA Cup run. First Hartlepool were dispatched as expected before the Fourth Round saw us drawn against Burnley, then a top-flight club.

Following an earlier league drawn, it was unsurprising that the tie, played at Turf Moor, ended level. Burnley took the lead when Irish star Jimmy McIlroy crossed for Peter McKay but a second half equaliser from Eric Parsons, “the rabbit”, set free by Captain Bentley saw the game go to its first replay.

Four days later and at Stamford Bridge another draw. In a game played on a rock-hard surface 1-1 was the score with Burnley winger Pilkington equalising a Frank Blunstone opener.

Extra time saw the visitors almost steal victory with a late long range McKay shot against the post but still the sides couldn’t be separated.

After a league defeat by Wolves the following Saturday, the two sides met again on Monday 6 February, this time

at Birmingham City’s St. Andrews.

This game ended 2-2. Peter McKay got his second goal of the tie to put the Lancastrians into an early lead before full back Peter Sillett equalised from the spot after a foul on Peter Brabrook. McIlroy put Burnley back in front before Roy Bentley scored one of his 150 Chelsea goals to take the game into extra-time. Those additional thirty minutes remained goalless, with Chelsea ’keeper Bill Robertson performing heroics to defy the Burnley forwards despite a pulled muscle. In contrast to the first replay, Chelsea were left cursing their luck when Ron Tindall saw a late effort cleared off the line. Small compensation was that we won the toss for choice of venue for instalment four.

the option of substitutions, Chelsea were exhausted and ultimately defeated.

Our season fizzled out into further disappointment, and the Champions ended up 16th and trophy-less. It was to be a further 14 seasons before we did pick up the FA Cup and we would never again play a fixture that went to four replays and was played on five different grounds.

Perhaps the closest we ever came to such an epic tie was the 1985 League Cup Quarter Final against Sheffield Wednesday which went to two replays and was chiefly remembered for the second half comeback in the first replay when 3-0 at half time was transformed to 4-3 thanks to a brace from Paul Canoville, the first coming only 30 seconds after his introduction as a half time substitute and further goals from Dixon and Mickey Thomas. Alas Doug Rougvie committed a late foul in the box to force a penalty that Wednesday’s Mel Sterland converted for 4-4. Chelsea won the second replay on 6 February 2-1 through goals from Speedo and Thomas but went out in a two legged semi-final to a Clive Walker’s Sunderland.

Only 48 hours later at Highbury and with both sides tiring, two more hours of football resulted in no goals and yet another replay. Once again the choice of venue was down to a toss of a coin and again Bentley came up trumps.

So to the final instalment - replay four on Wednesday 15 February. The circus moved to White Hart Lane and another hard pitch made good football difficult. More than 27,000 fans skipped work on a midweek afternoon to see Chelsea through.

Peter Brabrook created the first goal with a great run to set up Ron Tindall before amateur star Jim Lewis made the game safe with a simple late goal for a 2-0 victory.

After five matches, played over 18 days (during which we’d also played twice in the league) we finally prevailed. 17 players were used and a total of 163,446 fans watched on. Thoughts that it was to be “our year” in the cup were swiftly extinguished three days later when the fifth round saw us go out by a single goal at Everton in what was a third game in five days, and an eighth in three weeks. Without even www.cfcnet.co.uk 9

A View From The Bridge Traditionally the crossover territory between football and art is a treacherous land populated mostly by framed oversized shirts, novelty records and unconvincing Stallone goalkeeping antics. Most people, most of the time, will settle for keeping the two worlds separate. And so it was with some scepticism that I was lured into the Chelsea Cinema to see Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.

In case you are unaware, the ‘film’ is in fact a 90 minute document exclusively tracking Zizou during a Real Madrid home league tie against Villareal, and in being as much, is setting out not to explain football but instead to capture the essence of the biggest player of his generation. Basically, it’s big screen Sky playercam, but with better cameras and a better player.

As such, there’s no real drama.

Instead the rhythm and proximity of the cameras (with their Pentagonauthorised 1.20m lenses) induce something quietly hypnotic and almost trancelike. The Bernabeu begins to feel like the Colosseum in Gladiator and the whole film uses sound effects and imagery to draw parallels with wildlife programmes documenting lions hunting in Africa: planning a kill, getting into position, watching everything develop silently and then striking furiously. The atmosphere evokes the predatory mentality of the single chance: kill and you eat; fail and you go hungry.

It occurred to me as I stepped out of the cinema that there aren’t that many players that you could make such a film about. Winston Bogarde, for example, would not make such hypnotic viewing as he sat for three years, gurning behind the bench in a suit.

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Likewise Petr Cech would probably not be described as trancelike or leonine as he stood between the pipes kicking his heels together and watching the ball bouncing about in the other half.

Particularly if you chose a match during last year’s nine game run of clean sheets.

Still, the lesson I learnt from the film was that in spite of Stallone’s efforts, art does exist within football; specifically two types of art. The first, as demonstrated by Zizou, is the art of playing: the skills, the tricks, the strength, the genius. The second, as demonstrated by most of us on Saturdays, is the art of viewing football.

Now the art of viewing football has several very complex and profound aspects to it, all of which need to be measured out and accounted for if the viewer is not to be considered amateur. Just as you can’t expect to paint like Picasso when you first pick up a brush, so too should you not expect to become a seasoned football viewer without mastering the three separate segments to high level football viewing.

1 Expectation Management: Probably the most important element of football viewing, the message here is simply: don’t confuse dreams with expectations. If you don’t allow yourself to get carried away with ambitious hope but instead expect what is achievable then you’ll be disappointed less frequently. On a national level this translates as: don’t read the sports pages before a world cup; and on a club level it says: don’t expect invulnerability. Each game should be considered as its own obstacle. If you only dream of titles and cups, you’ll miss the day-to-day achievements of your club. Perhaps that’s a little philosophical, but isn’t reflecting life the very duty of art?

2 Viewing Company: There are a million places to watch a football match. Home, away, at home on TV, in the pub on TV, even on your mobile at a funeral. (It’s what he would’ve wanted.)

But the important thing to remember is that who you watch a game with has a direct influence on how you watch the game. Anyone who’s had an American standing next to them in the pub saying “Off-side? What does that mean? When are the powerplays?” will know what I mean. Shouting at the screen is a crucial part of football viewing, and what you shout is exclusively determined by who you’re with. It just goes to show that emotions like sheer elation can truly be bottled up when surrounded by a congregation of mourners. (Seriously, it’s what he wanted.)

3 Skill Knowledge: As every football viewer knows, an in-depth knowledge of the skills on display forms a vital foundation for personal commentary.

How else would you seriously be able to marvel at the Zidane Pirouette unless you yourself had tried it in the park? Furthermore it gives you an unhypocritical right to announce loudly that your own mother could do better than that.

The art of football viewing is a timehonoured tradition that recruits new members of every creed, colour and sex on a daily basis. It’s a chance to meditate, to transcend the trivialities of daily life. It’s a chance to you yourself be the artist and reflect the majesty on the screen.

And as my girlfriend sat next to me in the cinema, sound asleep, I nodded with silent admiration. Truly we had a natural amongst us, and the film Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait had enabled her to take it to the next level.

Mark Daniell

ARSENAL v CHELSEA

An extract taken from Kelvin Barker’s book Celery! Representing Chelsea in the 1980s

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August 1984 Anybody remember this chorus?

We’ll be rocking, take some stopping, Now that we’re back on the ball, We’ll have ‘em reeling, got the feeling, Now the Blues are on the ball That’s right, in the summer of 1984 Chelsea celebrated their return to the big league in the time honoured fashion: they released a truly awful record. Pressed onto blue vinyl and immaculately packaged with a cover that folded out to reveal the obligatory pre-season squad photo, it was that summer’s least desirable accessory. No doubt to the relief of most of the squad – who would probably have preferred to stick pins in their eyes than make an embarrassing Top of the Pops appearance – the record buying public avoided it in droves, and while it didn’t force it’s way into the pop charts it did, bizarrely, receive a favourable review from a member of Scottish band The Bluebells in Smash Hits magazine!

As if the prospect of a first season in the top-flight for six years wasn’t enough, the fixture list threw out a fantastic opening game for fans and players alike… Arsenal at Highbury.

Ken Bates was pictured in the newspapers offering a mock prayer of thanks!

Chelsea had made one significant signing that summer, bringing in Aberdeen’s left-back, Doug Rougvie. Rougvie was a Scottish international who had played in the Dons’ European Cup Winners Cup Final win over Real Madrid a year earlier.

With Joey Jones suspended, Dougie went straight into the team for the game at Highbury.

Arsenal are a club of outstanding tradition and, unfortunately, it took them years to realise that marching bands are traditionally rubbish. Their pre-match ‘entertainment’ that day consisted of a monotonous band all dressed in white, led by an old duffer with a white umbrella.

We hadn’t seen our beloved Chelsea play for three months but it seemed more like three years by the time the band had finished playing.

It was at 11.30am on Saturday 25th August 1984 that the two teams ran out for the new season. Over 45,000 were at the Highbury Library and 20,000 of those were supporting the Blues.

As if his surname wasn’t bad enough, Arsenal’s striker, Tony Woodcock, had brought further embarrassment to bear on himself prior to the start of the season by upholding another of Highbury’s great traditions: drink driving. The first time he ventured anywhere near the hordes of Chelsea in the Clock End he was greeted with a loud chorus of You’ve come all this way, on the bus.

To be fair to Woodcock, nobody was laughing more than he was. But really there was just one song dominating the Clock End on that baking hot day:

Hello Hello, Chelsea are back, Chelsea are back

Well, what could be better on a Saturday morning than a bit of Gary Glitter?

In addition to the suspended Jones, Mickey Thomas and John Bumstead were both injured, so Paul Canoville and Dale Jasper deputised. Arsenal, as always, fielded an array of international stars including goalkeeper Pat Jennings, Kenny Sansom, David O’Leary and Charlie Nicholas. Surprisingly, however, it was Chelsea who dominated the first-half only to fall behind to a headed goal from England striker Paul Mariner.

Just minutes later, Chelsea were awarded a free-kick in the Arsenal half which Doug Rougvie took quickly, setting up a chance for Kerry Dixon. The big striker’s first shot was parried by the legs of Jennings but the ball rebounded back into Dixon’s path and he volleyed an unstoppable shot into the back of the net. The massed ranks of blue behind that goal went wild with ecstasy, and a few did a line or two of Charlie, no doubt.

The second-half was more even and the final score of 1-1 was probably a fair reflection, but there was one incident in the second-half which really warmed the hearts of the Chelsea supporters. Making his debut at right-back for Arsenal that day was England’s Viv Anderson. Soon after half-time a ball ran loose on Chelsea’s left, close to the half way line.

Anderson and Rougvie both ran hard to reach it and as they got there, big Dougie launched himself into the hardest challenge I have ever seen, sending Anderson into orbit. The Chelsea supporters roared their approval as Anderson limped away with his tail between his legs. If the fans had been impressed by their new acquisition, the feeling was certainly mutual and Rougvie commented after the match that he was awestruck by the passion of the Blues’ followers, adding: “I’ve seen many Celtic-Rangers contests but what happened today outshone even those occasions”. www.cfcnet.co.uk 11

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12 www.cfcnet.co.uk

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Pictures supplied by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC EMPICS (www.empics.com) and CFCnet. Pictures may not be reproduced in any way without prior permission from EMPICS and CFCnet

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Cole goes for the Sheffield United goal www.cfcnet.co.uk 13

Policing Chelsea in the 70’S & 80’S – Part 2 of an interview with an ex-mounted officer

Eight feet tall!

Back in the day, Chelsea was talked about as much for their crowd trouble and hooliganism as they were their football. Pitch invasions were commonplace and fighting in the street an all too regular occurrence. Wherever there was trouble, you’d generally find the mounted officers imposing their presence on the Fulham road.

Were any of your boys rubbing their hands with glee at the idea of taking on the fans, and what stories can you tell us about them?

Strangely enough, it wasn’t a case of rubbing their hands with glee, especially at Chelsea. The main thing with most of the blokes was that we used to treat it as more of a game, rather than anything deadly serious, the only time it got deadly serious was if ever weapons were being used.

A lot of the time it was just a bit of instant madness for a lot of fans. Most police officers didn’t want a punch up with football supporters. In the middle of winter, you’ve already been on duty for several hours, you’re cold, wet and cheesed off. You want to get inside the ground and watch the match, grab something to eat and a cup of tea while the match is going on. So really, you don’t want to be standing out there fighting people, most of us wanted to get people into the ground quickly, so as soon as you were posted into the ground, at least you could enjoy some of the match as well.

Was there was a set agenda amongst the mounted police to get stuck in?

I can assure you that the officers definitely didn’t just want to get stuck in.

Most of us were just ordinary people who resented being there on a Saturday afternoon because you either wanted to be with your family, or if you were a fan then you wanted to be at the match properly and not just on duty.

Most police officers had to react to a situation that developed, it’s much easier to sit there on top of your horse for an afternoon and do nothing whatsoever and just chat to people as they walk by, rather than having to fight tooth and nail and risk getting injured.

14 www.cfcnet.co.uk

Although you’re up on a horse, you can still get injured as easily as the man on the ground, so no, there was never any agenda.

What tended to happen was that; if a situation blew up, then you would have to act very very quickly. At that point, it didn’t matter whether they were home fans or away fans, the situation had to be dealt with and you had to quell it as soon as possible. What people don’t understand is that you can go in talking to everyone, saying ‘Come on, calm down lads, don’t cause any more trouble’. That may work for those in your immediate vicinity but that certainly doesn’t work any more than three or four deep in the crowd.

There always seemed to be an attitude of aggression towards all Chelsea fans, and not just the one’s causing trouble.

There probably was a bit of aggression all around. The main thing is, and what the fans never seemed to understand, was that as a mounted police officer, you don’t know the good guys from the bad guys, and the good guys can

suddenly become the bad guys so, we’re sitting up on top of a horse and, say if I was posted at the Britannia pub, I could see all the way to the Shed end in one direction, and looking in the other direction I could see all the way to the railway station.

The thing being that we could see a problem, where the fans immediately near us couldn’t, so quite often we’d ride up across the pavement for instance, and stop fans pushing down, because what they couldn’t see, was a crush situation occurring at the tube, and there is no point letting more and more people push their way down.

Sometimes I could see why a crowd in the immediate vicinity could see it that we were being overly aggressive, however it wasn’t just a case of aggression, it was a need to split the crowd to stop a crush situation developing further down.

Sometimes it seemed that the police treated every Chelsea supporter the same way – as troublemakers.

I wouldn’t say that all Chelsea supporters were troublemakers, sadly, a lot of these people who came to the clubs to cause trouble weren’t actual fans, they were just there for the fighting. They used to organise a team of yobs to turn up at a match just to start a fight and nothing else. If that occurred, you would get some Chelsea fans that’d get drawn along with it because they wouldn’t understand the full story, and they would also get arrested. I’d say that on the whole though, most Chelsea fans weren’t a problem, they just came to the match to watch the game.

Who were the worst fans to police?

It’s difficult to say really, because it

varied. Normally, if we had a London derby, we always knew we were going to get a problem. Obviously Chelsea in a London derby was accessible to everyone. From away fans, those coming up from the south coast tended to be aggravation, again because you’d get vast amounts of them coming in.

Teams from up north you never got that much trouble as the away support wouldn’t be as large as the home support so, the tendency for trouble diminished quite considerably. Certainly I’d say any of the London derbies, any of the London teams would cause a problem, and certainly those coming up from the south coast.

In fairness, Chelsea was normally a pretty good crowd, certainly before the match, the grief tended to come after the match, obviously depending on the results.

Did you ever feel you had no option but to lean on some clubs more than others due to their reputation?

If you’ve got clubs that are causing a problem and are a thorn in your side then when you actually and physically go to police these clubs, you’ve got to use strong arm tactics, or certainly stronger arm tactics. If you can talk people into keeping an ordinary queue and not cause any problems then that’s the way to go, if that’s not going to work then you do have to go in very hard and fast because, one of the things people don’t fully understand is that; if you’ve got a crowd of 20,000-25,000 it only needs a very small hardcore to make that crowd a very dangerous situation for everyone. So if you’re dealing with that type of crowd, and they’re not listening to common sense, then you do have to go in hard and fast, grab the troublemakers, get them out very quickly, calm the rest of the crowd down and get them moving.

The general public really don’t realise just how dangerous crowd situations can be. We’ve seen at clubs in the past, the crush situations that happened before. All it would take is one idiot at the back of the stand to push, and the poor buggers at the front could die. That’s how easily something like this can happen, people don’t fully understand that when you’re dealing with huge crowds, how quickly something minor can flare up and people can get seriously injured.

As a police officer, one of your first duties to ensure that everyone is safe so, hard tactics, yes they do have to be used but they tend only to be used if

you’re dealing with the sort of crowd that aren’t going to listen any other way.

What kind of intelligence did you get in advance about potential flair points?

Back in the seventies and eighties there wasn’t really a great deal of intelligence, normally we just flew by the seat of your pants and made it up as you went along, as things happened, you reacted.

Towards the late eighties policing had got better, relationships with clubs got better, and the relationships with the fans had also improved. There were a lot of fans out there who also didn’t want problems so if they heard of a potential problem; they would actually give the police a ring, that’s how intelligence got built up. We started hearing about travelling fans that were going just to cause problems. From there we’d put plain clothes officers around, pick up whatever information you could and see if you could recognise any of the faces because, with most of

Did you ever have any run-in’s with the Chelsea Head-hunters and were you aware of their activities?

We were aware of their activities, but there again, when you go back into the seventies the Chelsea Head-hunters weren’t that well known, they didn’t sort of pick up until perhaps the mid-eighties.

In the early seventies we were always aware of certain militant groups for each club but then a lot of these tended not to be true fans, which is what most of us found. Although they’d say that they were fighting for Chelsea, for want of a better expression, they were just troublemakers turning up because normally you’d see these same faces on other weekends at QPR, Fulham or even over in North London at Arsenal.

There used to be a group of guys who’d turn up from Tottenham on a regular basis at Chelsea, they’d never have tickets and never have any intention of going into the ground. They would be there milling around with the Shed End people and by the time kick off started, they’d have drifted off to one of the local pubs, where they’d stay until 4:45, then they’d be milling around with the fans again, and they’d be giving it plenty about how they went into the Shed End, but most of the buggers never went in there!

Can’t all have been bricks and violence, got any stories about heartwarming moments?

these things, it was always the same hard-core faces that were causing the problem, those were the people which police don’t want and clubs don’t want because it gives everyone a bad name.

So the intelligence then wasn’t very good, but the intelligence today is extremely good because CCTV can pick out the faces and you can certainly pick out people who create a problem. All it is then is a case of time, and police officers looking at those photos afterwards and putting names to the faces, once you got the names to the pictures, there are your troublemakers.

The easy answer is then you take them out before they get to the ground.

There used to be a hot dog salesman who, many years ago, was getting attacked just around the back of the Britannia pub; a couple of mounted officers saved his bacon, literally. So whenever he then saw mounted officers he automatically would pull up his hot dog stall and give us a hot dog or hamburger. A lot of the time the fans really, were really good, they could come over and chat, especially if you happened to be a Chelsea fan as quite of lot of the officers were. They’d actually talk football and then walk away into the night, so yeah, it wasn’t always punch ups.

HK, who has to remain anonymous, served as part of an elite 200 mounted police officers responsible for the whole of London. He served all over the capital from the early 70’s until the early 90’s and covered just about every London club at one stage or another.

Toby Brown www.cfcnet.co.uk 15

The Bonnie Prince - Charlie Cooke Charlie Cooke was in the UK recently to promote the launch of his new book; The Bonnie Prince.

CFCnet managed to snag some of his time, to pose questions that our readers wanted to ask him.

will be a great player in the best leagues and I would love to see the Chelsea faithfuls’ and the Premiership’s reactions to him. If there’s anyone in the US right now who could get the fans off their seats like Cole, Robben & Co can, Freddie is the one.

I know you are doing great in the US, but would you ever consider coming back to the UK & taking up a management job?

Do you feel that, over the years, the club has done enough to ensure that former players remain a part of the Chelsea family?

Well you know how they say never say never. It might be a terrific challenge if the right situation came along but I can’t say I’ve thought much about it these last few years. I’ve been too caught up with our Coerver‚ Coaching businesses here in the US to think much about anything else.

I’ve heard criticism of the old administrations but living abroad I was never affected by it. The club had tough financial times to deal with then as well as trying to put a winning team on the field. So I think there were extenuating circumstances for any failures there may have been.

As for the Club today the welcome the current administration has given me and my old team mates in recent years has been nothing less than spectacular. Some of the Centenary Celebration events were superb and I’m delighted to have been a part of it these last few years.

What do you think Chelsea’s next step should be in the USA market?

Is there a reservoir of young talent we should be tapping into?

There’s a huge reservoir of talent and I think a lot of people outside the US haven’t fully realised what’s been happening here in the last ten years or so. US youth football, soccer in US lingo, and its coaching has improved beyond all recognition and is producing some terrific young players. Freddie Adu of DC United is a good example and it’ll be interesting to see how far Chelsea’s interest in him goes.

The US Men have qualified for the last three World Cups, more than can be said for all the home countries; and so many US bred players are playing abroad now especially in Europe and the Premiership you’d have to be living on mars to not know that there’s a lot going on here.

So to say the game, especially the youth game, is healthy in the US is an understatement. With all the good coaching and competition that’s taking place and the melting pot that the US is, Premiership clubs like Chelsea would be crazy not to be looking for more talent here in the future.

Which one player would you most like Chelsea to sign and why?

I’d like them to sign young Freddie Adu from DC United just to see how he could do. I think he’s a special talent and

16 www.cfcnet.co.uk

Who were the best players you played with and against?

Ferenc Puskas’ the Hungarian ‘Galloping Major’ of Real Madrid of the late fifties and early sixties and who just recently died in Budapest was my boyhood hero.

I mention him because I played against him late in his career when Chelsea played Real in a friendly at the Bridge.

He was near retirement and didn’t do much on the night but I was still in awe of him even then.

Jimmy Greaves was special. At the top of his form I don’t think there was a better striker or purer poacher of goals anywhere in the world at that time.

Dave Mackay was the rock at the heart of every team he played for. He was a colossus, the kind of player that looking back you were proud to be on the same field with. Tommy Smith had a similar presence at Liverpool. No nonsense, hard as nails and a great team leader.

Peter Thompson Tommy’s team mate used to give us and every other opponent all sorts of heartache especially at Anfield. At the top of his game he was one of the greatest wingers I ever saw. Fast, skilful and brave.

The same goes for Jimmy ‘Jinky’

Johnstone of Celtic. Jimmy was tiny but whippet quick and could start and stop on a dime. Tieing opponents in knots is may be a cliché but Jinky came closest of all of us to doing it.

Bobby Charlton was a star among the stars. You used to hold your breath when he wound up to shoot anywhere inside 30 yards. At Chelsea, Ossie made scoring look easy. The King of Stamford Bridge in full flow was a thing to see.

Huddie had a short lived Chelsea career but he had silky ball skills and a change of pace that left world class players in his dust. And Peter Bonnetti was the greatest keeper I ever played with, an all time Chelsea great and much undercapped in my opinion.

What is your best memory whilst you were at Chelsea?

The 1970 FA Final cup replay against Leeds at Old Trafford. Who could forget it. It had everything. The first FA Cup Final replay, great goals, lots of bone crunching tackles, a third Chelsea comeback from a goal down in two games, an extra time winning goal and crazy Blues fans celebrations at the end. I remember it especially because I floated the ball in for Ossie to head our eqaliser at 1-1. And who can forget Hutch’s long throw and Webby’s challenge in the box for the extra time winner under the lights.

Winning at Old Trafford was especially satisfying because we had played so poorly and lost the 1967 final to Spurs at Wembley three years earlier. We all felt we had let ourselves and our manager Tommy Doc, down then and although we came back twice to tie it in ’70 at Wembley to force the replay I didn’t think we had done much better than we had done in ‘67. So the Old Trafford win was redemption for many of us.

What was the lowest point of your time at the Bridge?

I think just before I was transferred to Palace in ‘71. At that point, Along with paddy Mulligan who went with me I was playing regularly in the first team. But the results had been disappointing and a huge financial cloud was hanging over the club as a result of the new the East Stand construction. The poor results combined with the club’s financial plight

that was widely publicised with stories of the club’s impending doom had everybody on edge. Dave Sexton had been changing the team a lot but not with any design as far as I could see except maybe to accommodate players he’d signed for big fees. I had always preferred playing in midfield but Dave persisted in using me wide, understandably I suppose because he was knee deep in midfielders and I had had success playing wide, winning a Player of the Year award for it. It also helped Dave I think to fill a position that nobody else filled quite as easily as me.

The other players Dave used were usually strikers given a run outside or midfield players forced somewhat uncomfortably to play wide, not unlike the current controversy over Steven Gerrard or even David Beckham’s most effective position. I felt Dave hadn’t adequately looked to either the reserves or the transfer market to get somebody who could naturally play wide and I would have to keep suffering in a sense because of my versatility. At least that’s how I saw it.

The upshot was that Palace made an offer for Paddy and me and I had the chance to move to Palace and play where I preferred in midfield. Or I could stay and play wide and maybe not always be selected by Dave was how I was reading the tea leaves. The fact that Dave was willing to let me go was devastating although part of the reason may well have been the club was strapped for cash and they would have listened to any reasonable offer for any of the first team at the time. So, disappointed and a bit fed up, along with Paddy I chose to move.

What’s your favourite goal out of those you scored?

There’s so few of them! There was one that I was never allowed to score against Gordon Banks at the Bridge. He was having such a fantastic period for both the England team and for Stoke following England’s World Cup win. It was similar I think to one that George Best scored once if my memory serves me; Banksy, still at the height of his fame, was about to kick the ball out and as he threw the ball up to kick it, I nicked it off him, cleanly with my foot, I never touched him physically, and stuck it in the net. The ref gave a foul against me. He ruled it “dangerous play” although how it could have been that when I didn’t make any contact with Gordon I couldn’t fathom.

I did score some good ones though.

One I remember was a low rasper from about twenty five yards against Fulham at Craven Cottage when I rifled the ball diagonally across the box from the inside right position to the goalie’s right side netting without it touching the ground.

Who in the current side would get into the 1970s team and vice versa?

I think we’d have to make up a squad just to keep the peace! I like all the players in the current squad, who wouldn’t. But I especially like Essien; what a player. I can’t think of many other midfielders with the range he has. He’s a great tackler and ball winner, has excellent speed and deception on the ball and above all he’s a strong competitor. If he could add a few more Frank Lampard like goals to his resume he would surely be among the top most valuable players in the world, which of course, he probably is already.

Looking back at players from my era that would complement the style of the current squad I think Ossie, Huddie and Peter Bonetti. The keepers today are superb but Bonetti was just mind blowing as far as I was concerned. And Webbie and Eddie mac with their swagger and competitive drive would do very well too I think.

With the great pitches and training facilities around now, do you think you could have been an even better player if you playing now?

No question about it. I think we’d all be slightly different and better players for it. I think we’d benefit from the more scientific approach and the top notch training fields and facilities. We’d more happily spend time there I think and be better physically for it, a little bit bigger bigger, stronger and faster, or at least I would be given today’s opportunities. I’d make sure of it.

But science can take you only so far and I think it’s in the intangibles like determination and team spirit and will to win where there’s no magical potions and no difference as far as I can see from years ago. Players still have to have that internal drive and coaches still have to create and nurture team spirit.

Everybody says the game is quicker at the top level nowadays but it’s also slowed down too I think with the best teams making more passes around the unchallenged back line to get the ball up the field than they used to. Struggling

teams are usually getting too much stick to be that patient. But often at the top level today teams will just give up half the field when losing the ball leading to slow build ups. I admire teams who have the patience and skill to break teams down but it’s also one reason I don’t think the game is so dramatically faster than years ago.

When you were last at Stamford Bridge for a game, how did you think things had changed, in terms of the way the game is now played and the crowd since your playing days?

The Bridge has changed beyond all recognition with seats and boxes on all four sides and today is a great place to play and watch. That maybe wasn’t the case all those years back when the dog track ran around the field and the Shed was pushed far back at the Fulham Road end where the club offices and Hotel is now.

But I think the crowds are essentially the same, totally into the game and their team and their funny songs even with all the new names and nationalities each team seems to absorb during the transfer windows. It’s one of the great ways I think the Premiership has changed and become a global TV phenomenon as opposed to the tough domestic league it used to be.

If you hadn’t been a footballer, what career would he have followed or like to have followed?

I think that journalists who write and report about sports have a great job and I’ve always envied them.

Finally, any message to the Chelsea supporters reading this?

I feel just like you now. I’m a supporter too. It’s great to look back and remember all the fantastic years and be part of such a history and I’m very proud of it. But I also get just as pumped as the next Chelsea fan when Frank Lampard cracks in another goal of Peter Czech tips one around the post or John Terry makes a flying last ditch tackle.

Like every Chelsea fan I’m a true Blue at heart too and love to see them win.

The Bonnie Prince – Charlie Cooke My Football Life, is available from www.london-books.co.uk - You can also check out what Charlie is up to in the USA at www.charliecooke.com Toby Brown www.cfcnet.co.uk 17

CLAUDE MAKELELE Claudio Ranieri famously called him the battery in the Chelsea watch, and it’s easy to see why. Claude Makelele has been one of the main men in keeping our wins ticking over nicely since his arrival. A player so integral to Chelsea’s recent achievements, Maka doesn’t give many interviews. Ours was the first he has given to any English media this season, one for the Chelsea supporters who he clearly holds in high esteem.

His is rarely a name that springs up immediately in the footballing greats conversations with your mates, but one that has everyone nodding in agreement once mentioned: Claude Makelele is the invisible legend, a player whom you notice most when not there.

As soon as he entered the room and flashed that famous smile of his, I could see why he escapes so many bookings and is so respected by his peers and pundits alike; there is something about Claude Makelele that you instantly warm to, and that makes you feel humble to be in his presence.

He is indeed, a footballing legend.

So tell us about your goal against Tottenham…

[Laughing] I think it was a good goal, no?

It was a great goal!

It was only my second goal in four years for Chelsea and it was nice. The problem is, I scored but the team lost, this is more difficult for me, but I’m happy that I scored a goal.

You’ve won almost everything in the game, what further goals do you have for your career?

I think that every player is always looking to win the next trophy. For me, the trophy I need now to win is the World Cup. I think a professional footballer should always be pursuing everything.

For now, for me, the Premiership is first, then maybe the Champions

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League. The Premiership is the best trophy in England, it’s very difficult to win it as well, as there are a lot of teams who can win, and want to win the trophy; so once you win the Premiership then you go for the Champions League as well.

When I won the Champions League for Real Madrid four years ago, their target was always the Champions League, but now the first trophy I want is the Premiership.

In your first season at Chelsea, did you feel the fans didn’t give you enough credit for the job you did?

No, it’s normal I think. It was different because I was coming in from Real Madrid, the people of Chelsea didn’t know me. They knew me from the TV and my time at Real Madrid; but they’d never seen me play for Chelsea.

I’m a professional, I give everything on the pitch, I tried to prove myself with every opportunity, to the supporters who judged me, and I think now that I have proven myself to them. In four years I have proven a lot to Chelsea supporters and other supporters in England and now I think they like my football.

You won the player’s player of the year award last year, how did it feel being voted the most valuable player by your team mates?

It’s nice you know… I think that there is no better judge on the pitch than that of another player. He knows everything; he lives with the team and is always fighting for the team, even if there’s a problem and he’s out injured, he’s there thinking for the team.

When the players gave this trophy to me it was one of the best moments for me. I don’t necessarily need recognition by some people outside of football, fans of Chelsea is different, but when given by players it is extra special.

What is it like to play in a World Cup final?

It is the desire of every player to play in a final, any final, generally.

But the World Cup? Not many people get this chance. It is one opportunity and if you miss this opportunity it is something that may never come back again so for me, it was a good experience.

You’ve played with some great midfielders, how would you compare the play of Frank Lampard to that of Zinedine Zidane?

With Zidane, I played with him since I was young. I know everything about him; he is my friend as well as a footballer. Frank is a different player, Zidane is a different player. It’s impossible to compare totally but each complements my midfield play.

I like playing with Frank; he’s a very good player and has proved that he is the best midfielder in Europe, if not the world, but Zidane is… Zidane, no? With his football, for six or seven years, he stayed the best player in the world.

Do you find it flattering that your position is now known as ‘The Makelele Position’?

[Laughing] I’m happy to have given some style to this position, and if now some younger players try this position, and also give everything for their football, then I am happy.

If you had to choose one thing, what is Jose Mourinho’s outstanding quality as a manager?

His psychology.

Samsung Mobile’s Mark Mitchinson Gets On His Bike!

Samsung Mobile announces the ‘Ultra Slim Cycle the Nile’ Challenge Chelsea FC’s shirt sponsors, Samsung Mobile today have announced the ‘Ultra Slim Cycle the Nile’ campaign.

This is a charity biking challenge that will see Mark Mitchinson, UK Director and Robert Staines, National Account Manager both from Samsung Mobile UK, cycle 200 miles down the Nile in aid of CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity affiliated with Chelsea FC. The challenge will take place in February 2007, but the hard work starts now both in terms of training and fundraising for lifelong Chelsea fan Mark Mitchinson. Mark comments; “We have developed an excellent working relationship with CLIC Sargent during the first two years of Chelsea FC shirt sponsorship and I am delighted to have the opportunity to set a personal challenge to support this worthwhile cause. It will be tough, but I am confident Rob and I will rise to the challenge to raise over £10,000.”

The ‘Ultra Slim’ part of the

Challenge title derives from the new range of Samsung Mobile phones recently launched onto the market. It also fits well with how they would both like to look at the end of the journey!

While Mark and Rob slog away at their grueling training schedule, corporate fundraising plans have swung into action with the announcement of the Ultra Slim Gala Evening which will take place on the 8th of February 2007 at Chelsea Football Club for Samsung Business partners..”

Querida Williams, Head of Corporate Fundraising from CLIC Sargent comments: “It is exceptionally important to us and to the children that we help that people like Mark and Rob take the time and effort to embark on this type of challenge. We wish them all the luck in the world and are looking forward to success of the Gala evening and the project as a whole. A huge thank you from all at CLIC Sargent for what we’re sure will be an amazing show of support.”

Other donations can be given via www.justgiving.com/markandrobcycle Year 1995 2000 2000 2001 2002 2002 2002 2002 2003 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006

Honour French 1st Division Champions Intercontinental Cup Finals European SuperCup Finals Primera League Champions Intercontinental Cup Winner European SuperCup Winner Champions League Winner Spanish Cup Finals Primera League Champions Carling Cup Winner Premiership Champions Community Shield Winner World Cup Finalist Premiership Champions

Club (Nantes) (Real Madrid) (Real Madrid) (Real Madrid) (Real Madrid) (Real Madrid) (Real Madrid) (Real Madrid) (Real Madrid) (Chelsea) (Chelsea) (Chelsea) (France) (Chelsea)

Our thanks go to Pippa Hancock, Simon Taylor and Simon Greenberg for the opportunity to spend some time with Maka, and of course to Claude himself, for everything.

Toby Brown www.cfcnet.co.uk www.cfcnet.co.uk19 19

Chelsea Legends:

By James Prescott

RUUD record of £4.9 million - an Italian still at his peak - and the then unknown sweeper Frank Lebeouf was signed for £2.5 million, as Gullit set out his Chelsea team to play a 3-5-2 sweeper formation, Lebeouf playing sweeper, Di Matteo the playmaker in midfield and Vialli the front man. He had bought a new spine for the team, around which other Chelsea legends such as Dan Petrescu, Dennis Wise, Steve Clarke and Mark Hughes could play. He brought in fitness coach Ade Mafe and the whole ethos of the club evolved yet further. Chelsea was moving on to a new plane.

Ruud Gullit’s managerial career began in May 1996. Then Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle was appointed as Terry Venables’ successor as England manager.

This left Chelsea searching for a new manager who could build on the foundations he had laid, and hopefully take them on to win the trophies the supporters had waited 25 years for. The media had been talking up two candidates – the pragmatic George Graham, successful manager with Arsenal, and Chelsea’s own dreadlocked Dutchman and talisman Ruud Gullit. But in the eyes of the Chelsea fans, there was only one candidate, which they made abundantly clear at Hoddle’s final game at Stamford Bridge. The banners and the shouts from the stand cheered for Gullit. Chelsea really had no choice.

So the following Friday Ruud Gullit was named as the new Chelsea playermanager. Like some Chelsea managers before him and indeed his immediate successor, he had no managerial experience at all. But his intelligence, reading of the game together with his sheer aura and image of style and class made him the only choice. The managerial set-up would see Gullit as coach of the first team alone, with Gwyn Williams handling the administrative side of the job. To back him up on the coaching side he had the often underestimated tactical nous of Graham Rix as his assistant. At 34, he

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was at that point the Premiership’s youngest manager, its first foreign manager and also it’s first – and as yet only – coloured manager.

What Gullit represented to Chelsea supporters and the general public was style, good passing football, and a continental style of football which would he could bring to Chelsea even more than his predecessor had. His name instantly attracted players of class to Stamford Bridge. Former Italian international striker and Juventus legend Gianluca Vialli came on a Bosman free, Roberto Di Matteo was signed from Lazio for a then club

Chelsea made an encouraging start to the season, and despite a 5-1 reverse at Anfield the results started to come.

Man Utd were beaten 2-1 at Old Trafford and Chelsea were starting to achieve more consistency and play some great football, which Gullit himself dubbed ‘sexy football’. Having been a talisman on the pitch the previous season, Gullit the player wasn’t really missed, indeed he was injured for most of his time as manager of Chelsea.

The tragic death of Matthew Harding brought everything into focus. The emphasis suddenly changed, the team took on a whole different mentality and had a whole new motivation. They beat Tottenham 3-1, Gullit scoring one of the goals, and things were looking good. But they were about to get even better.

Gianfranco Zola was signed from Parma for what now appears a measly £4.5 million, an absolute steal. He changed the course of Chelsea’s season. Through an injury to Vialli he was put up front with Mark Hughes and Chelsea’s never looked back. Vialli was left on the bench, causing a rift to build up between manager and player, as the skill of Zola and power of Hughes combined to form a deadly partnership.

But that season hinged on 45 minutes v Liverpool in the FA Cup. 2-0 down at half-time, Gullit, under the guidance of Rix, sent on Mark Hughes and he

GULLIT changed the course of the game, Chelsea switching to a diamond and scoring 4 in 26 minutes to win 4-2.

From that moment the fans sensed our name was on the Cup. They doggedly got past Leicester then swept past Portsmouth to meet Wimbledon in the semi-finals.

Wimbledon had beaten Gullit’s side earlier in the season and Gullit and Rix knew a change of tactics would be necessary to beat them. We switched to 4-4-2, and would stay that way henceforth. Zola and Hughes got the goals and we were at Wembley.

Favourites for the cup and still smarting from the 4-0 defeat three years earlier

by Man Utd, Chelsea were never going to lose. Barely had the supporters sat down than they were celebrating. 43 seconds into the final Roberto Di Matteo smashed the ball into the net and Chelsea were 1-0 up. Eddie Newton got the second in the 82nd minute and Chelsea had won the cup. Ruud Gullit in his first season had brought Chelsea their first silverware for 26 years, after so many near misses, and their highest place Premiership finish of sixth, with his self-proclaimed ‘sexy football’. Surely this was the dawn of a long era of success under the dreadlocked Dutchman.

The next season started with a flourish.

More star names arrived – Poyet, Le Saux, Flo, De Goey and Chelsea, despite a first day defeat to Coventry, started playing some superb football to shoot up the table. They were scoring goals for fun and playing some of the best football seen at Stamford Bridge since the 1970’s. Petrescu, Di Matteo, Poyet, Zola, Hughes, Lebeouf and Wise were the core of that team and they were second by the New Year and in contention for the title. Chelsea had beat Tottenham 6-1 at three-point-lane with a Flo hat-trick, Zola got a hat-trick against Derby and things were looking good.

But all was not well at the top. Chelsea chairman Ken Bates wanted Gullit to sign a new contract to keep Gullit at

The Manager

Chelsea past the millennium. But Gullit stalled, and stalled. He kept saying he would extend his contract which ran out that season. But it was still unsigned.

There were mutterings of unrest in the dressing room and that Gullit wasn’t taking his responsibilities as seriously as maybe he should have done. Despite the success achieved and great football being played, the end was near.

had been expected on his arrival. They started his second season poorly, losing four of their first five games, and crucially he fell out with Alan Shearer, left him on the bench and lost to Newcastle’s near neighbours Sunderland. His fate was sealed and he resigned only days later - but most knew that he had jumped before he was pushed.

Chelsea were starting to falter on the pitch. Defeat to Everton and Arsenal in the league and 3-1 behind in the League Cup semi-final, partly due to a poor performance on the pitch by the unfit Gullit, whose playing career was patently near its end. Behind in the Cup Winner’s Cup, after the first leg of the quarterfinal. But it was the 2-0 defeat at Highbury that was the end.

It is still a source of confusion to some why he couldn’t repeat his Chelsea success with Newcastle. At Chelsea he had shown great potential as a manager, that he was a winner who could get teams to play stylish attacking football and compete at the top level. However, it seems with slightly less talented players at his disposal and an equally strong character like Alan Shearer virtually running the dressing room, he was always on a hiding to nothing.

The events behind Gullit’s departure from Chelsea are still unclear. Gullit blames Bates for not backing him and leaving him in the dark, going behind his back. Bates said Gullit wanted too much money. What did happen is that a contract couldn’t be agreed and Chelsea didn’t want confusion over the future. To the shock of the football world Ruud Gullit, the most successful Chelsea manager for over 20 years, was sacked.

Personally, I believe that Gullit wanted more money than Chelsea were willing to pay, but because he wanted to be paid to be a player-manager, rather than just as a manager, which Chelsea wanted, it was probably the right move. Gullit had rarely played since becoming manager and when he had, especially in the second season of his reign, he had been poor. Gullit was gone, and Gianluca Vialli took his place as Chelsea playermanager.

Gullit took a short break from the game then took the Newcastle job in the summer of 1998, taking Chelsea’s own Steve Clarke on as his assistant. But although he reached the 1999 FA Cup final, the club made no real progress on the pitch. He never really brought them the stylish, ‘sexy football’ often seen in his time at Stamford Bridge and that

Between 1999 and 2004 he was out of management. Often linked to the Holland job by the British media, in his homeland it was a different story. The Dutch didn’t want him as their manager despite his success, because of his perceived arrogant attitude, while his fellow Milan players Van Basten and Rijkaard have both held the reins in the last decade.

Was that a waste of a clearly talented coach?

He finally went home to one of his first clubs, Feyenoord, in 2004 as manager.

He guided them to 4th place in the Dutch league, working with Chelsea’s very own Salomon Kalou and playing him up front. He stayed only one season, and is now working as a pundit on Sky. He was recently quoted as saying he would love a return to management in the Premiership. He still looks back at his days at Chelsea with great fondness and was at the game v Man Utd in 2006 where Chelsea retained the Premiership title, showing his happiness at their success. Will he been seen in the Premiership again? If he brings the style of football he brought to Chelsea, then he will surely be welcomed back. www.cfcnet.co.uk 21

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