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Chelsea Football Club

History of Chelsea FC

Chelsea Football club was formed in 1905, and entered the Football League in the same year. The club, originally nicknamed the Pensioners, lost its first ever match 1-0 away at Stockport, but won 4-0 at home to Liverpool in a friendly shortly afterwards.

Chelsea Football Club’s early years were relatively uneventful with the only highlight being an FA Cup final loss to Sheffield United in 1915, and Chelsea had to wait half a century for success. In 1952, Ted Drake was appointed as manager and his first actions included the removal of the Chelsea Pensioner image from the team’s matchday programme and the dropping of the Pensioners nickname.

Now nicknamed the Blues, Chelsea’s first honours came in 1955 when they won the Football League. A period of growth followed, and as the popularity of the Kings Road area increased Chelsea Football Club became the most stylish team in English football. In 1970 Chelsea FC won the FA Cup, and followed this with a UEFA Cup triumph the following season.

Decline followed in the late 1970s and early ‘80s and Chelsea FC eventually dropped out of the first division, although they regained their place with promotion in 1989.

Chelsea shocked the football world in 1998 when they sacked manager Ruud Gullit after winning the League Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup. However Gullit’s replacement, former Italian striker Gianluca Vialli, soon established his credentials and guided the Blues to an FA Cup victory in 2000.

In 2003, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich took control of Chelsea FC. With the oil tycoon’s funding new manager Claudio Ranieri embarked on a spectacular spending spree, building a squad to be reckoned with at Stamford Bridge. Ranieri’s successor, Jose Mourinho, has continued with an aggressive signing policy and his star-studded side won the 2004/05 Premiership with apparent ease.

Chelsea FC - Trophies and Honours

FA Premier League / Division 1

Winners: 1954-55, 2004-05, 2005-06

Runners-Up: 2003-04

Division 2

Winners: 1983-84, 1988-89

Runners-Up: 1906-07, 1911-12, 1929-30, 1962-63, 1976-77

FA Cup

Winners: 1970, 1997, 2000

Runners-Up: 1915, 1967, 1994, 2002

League Cup

Winners: 1965, 1998, 2005

Runners-Up: 1972

FA Charity Shield/Community Shield

Winners: 1956, 2000, 2005

Runners-Up: 1971, 1997

Full Members' Cup

Winners: 1986, 1990

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Winners: 1970-71, 1997-98

UEFA Super Cup

Winners: 1998

FA Youth Cup

Winners: 1960, 1961

Runners-Up: 1958

Betting on Chelsea

If you are thinking of placing a bet on Chelsea FC to win a match or championship, visit our Football Betting Guide for more information, check out the Latest Football Odds on our odds comparison service and find out about forthcoming Chelsea matches and fixtures in our Events section.

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