It’s not so easy as one might think to pinpoint exactly when Chelsea were put on the road to success. Of course, Roman Abramovich’s millions were on the face of things the catalyst that would lead to a good deal of success throughout the last decade, but what was it that made the club stand out to Roman and suggest that it had real potential?
In truth, I think we’d have to go back to 1997 where Ruud Gullit lead his Chelsea side to an FA Cup triumph and a respectable sixth place finish in the Premier League. An FA Cup trophy may not seem too important to Chelsea fans nowadays (though I’m sure they’d take it this year!) but it’s important to remember that this was there first major trophy in twenty-six years! Ruud himself notes that:
“It was the beginning of winning things again, so it was great for Chelsea for that reason”.
When Glen Hoddle left Chelsea in the summer of 2006 to become England manager the club faced an uncertain future. Up stepped Ruud who accepted the role of player-manager. Looking back, I think we have to accept that he done a brilliant job given his resources.
Just look at what he achieved in his second season in charge. Before he was sacked Chelsea were second place in the League table and were proceeding to the quarter finals of two major competitions. More importantly, Ruud changed the way Chelsea played their football:
“I remember also at the beginning it was very difficult to play the way that we wanted. We were trying to keep possession all the time, and the crowd wanted the ball into the box as quickly as possible. We tried to do something different because when you are in possession the opposition can’t do anything. At the start, the fans had difficulty with that but later on they accepted it because we started to win. Therefore it was a great beginning for the club.”
A different style of football in combination with the re-introduction of winning ways makes for a rather remarkable success. His time as manager at Stamford Bridge may have been somewhat shortlived, but I’d argue it was more important than most would make out. Of course, credit has to go out to the likes of Jose Mourinho who spearheaded Chelsea’s success, but I have to wonder: If Gullit didn’t have his time in charge at Chelsea would the club have been seen as a good investment in Abramovich’s eyes?
What’s your take? Let us know!
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