Andrew Wrench writes the editorial for this issue. European football was back at the Bridge and atmosphere at the Bridge for the game against Viktoria Zizkov was fantastic. Neither leg was shown on TV due to the fact that the BBC had taken up the option of showing Blackburn Rovers (who were knocked out at the first hurdle) and ITV had decided to follow Arsenal, to “satisfy fans of dull football.”
Interestingly enough Blackburn were managed by Kenny Daglish at the time and Andrew tells us that the commentators never mentioned the way that Daglish’s team played a basic route one game.
This is how I remember Daglish’s management and I think Liverpool fans will be in for similar if Daglish is taken on full time. By the way, wasn’t he the one who started the rot at Liverpool in the first place?
Next up for Chelsea was a trip to Austria to take on Austria Vienna.
Andy Townsend and Graham Stuart had left the club and both were not faring too well at their new clubs. Townsend was not liked by Villa fans and was accused of “only coming alive for UEFA Cup and other big games.” Stuart was liked at Everton but one Everton fanzine reckons “he could become a great player if only he can improve his consistency.” That’s the Graham Stuart that I remember.
Andrew finishes with a concern with how some fans were behaving at the time.
“We must never behave like Tottenham or Arsenal fans and barrack our players.” (Nigel Spackman was regarded by some as not adequate.) He continues, “We must never expect success as of right, like an Evertonian: we must never laud our (soon to be gained) success over other supporters. Like Manchester United.”
Everton fans haven’t changed much, at the 2009 FA Cup final, some Everton fans told me that Chelsea had won “their cup.” Arrogance of the highest order.
View from the Chair was written by Ross Fraser. Ross comments on European away travel and the announcement from Colin Hutchinson that if you wanted to follow Chelsea in Europe you had to use official travel or not travel at all.
One of the arrangements offered by the club was a 24 hour coach trip, or “cattle drive” as it became known as. All under the watchful eye of the stewards who could withhold your match ticket if you misbehaved.
Ross jokes that “One lasting memory of a lifetime ambition fulfilling day in Jablonec was when at five past three, over the brow of the hill, behind the away terracing, appeared a stampede of the surviving members of the cattle drive.”
(At least they got a free baseball cap for their troubles.)
After 85 mins they were herded by a battalion of riot police back onto the coach for the 24 hour return journey.
Ross also mentions that there was a TV advert at the time that featured presenters of a localised TV programme wearing shirts from all of the London clubs. All except for one that is. One club didn’t reply to a letter asking to borrow a shirt for the advert. Can you guess which club that was?
Czech This One Out
Against his better judgement Paul Roberts travelled to Jablonec with Chelsea Worldwide Travel. He says it took longer for the coaches to leave Prague airport than it did fly there from London.
Although in general, the trip was pretty well organised, for which Janet Rainbow deserves thanks. “It was good to have just one day away from work and that entrance to the game was a guarantee.” A minus point was “not being able to see Prague and waiting around on the coaches as the fans couldn’t be trusted to get off and walk around on their own.”
Peter Watts asks “Does our Chairman get a raw deal?” in an article called Ken Bates – Hero or Villain? In a recent poll conducted by “When Saturday Comes” Ken Bates was named the most despised figure in football.
Peter defends Ken on the grounds that he is one of a few Chairmen who devotes so much time and money to the club. Peter also feels that he does display similar pride and love towards the club as the fans. Ken also attracted Glen Hoddle to the club.
On the other hand Bates is viewed as brash and arrogant. He was also responsible for the electric fence debacle and for today’s admission prices at the Bridge.
I’ll let you guys make up your mind about Master Bates.
Next up is the CISA awards for the Season 1993 – 1994.
Player of the Season
- Steve Clarke
- Dimitri Kharine
- Gavin Peacock
- John Spencer
Goal of The Season
- John Spencer v Spurs (H)
- Craig Burley v Liverpool
- Mark Stein v Newcastle
Best Team Performance
- Sheffield Wednesday FA Cup (A)
- Man United (A)
- Luton Town (Wembley)
Low Point of The Season
- Southampton (A)
- Losing the FA Cup
- Murder of Andres Escobar
Best Opponents
- Leeds United
- Blackburn Rovers
- David Elleray
- Newcastle United
Worst Opponents
- Swindon Town
- David Elleray
- Tottenham Hotspur
The Dean Saunders Award for The Most Hated Opponent
- Dean Saunders
- Teddy Sheringham
- David Ellery
What Really Annoys You About Chelsea At The Moment?
- New Orange Away Kit
- Admission Prices
- Colin Hutchinson
- European Travel
What Really Annoys You About Football At The Moment?
- Anything to do with Man United
- Sky Monday night football
- All seated stadium
- Admission prices.
That’s the way it happened was the name of the match reports feature. Mark Wheeler was the contributor. Note five games in 14 days.
10/09/1994 – Newcastle 4:2 Chelsea
Denis Wise sent off. GoalS from Peacock and Furlong
15/09/1994 – Chelsea 4:2 FK Victoria Zizkov
Two goals up within four minutes. Goals from Furlong, Sinclair, Rocastle and Wise. Graham Rix played as a 36 year old substitute.
18/09/1994 – Chelsea 1:2 Blackburn Rovers
Chelsea’s goal was scored by John Spencer. Sutton and Shearer scoring for Blackburn Rovers.
21/09/1994 – Chelsea 1:0 AFC Bournemouth
Rocastle scoring for the Blues in front of 8,974. Mark remarked that “The game was duller than Graham Kelly.”
24/09/1994 – Crystal Palace 0:1 Chelsea
Paul Furlong helps to relegate Palace with his fourth goal of the season. Chelsea end the month fifth in the League.
A Weatherly pays a Tribute to the Shed. He tells us that the Shed is “as famous as any terrace in the world, especially if the graffiti is anything to go by. “Chelsea Shed” is a sight on any bare wall in most parts of the world. It represented us the fans and the ghosts of fans long gone. It’s true to say you can take the fans out of the Shed but, you can never take the Shed out of the fans.”
In the Colliespondence section. Paul Holder from Brighton tells us about the farce that was the entry to Gate 7 in the West Stand for the Victoria Zizkov home match. Paul says that “Stupid stewards and dozy looking coppers” were to blame.
Jim Whitehouse of Ashford also complained about access to Gate 7 in the West Stand. Jim heard from a copper that Chelsea had printed too many tickets for the match in that section. Jim called Fulham police a few days later and spoke to an officer who was on duty that night. The officer told Jim that “the wrong seat numbers had been printed on block 7 tickets.”
Another gripe raised by Jim was a reference to the fact that big match tickets were sold via a voucher number and not a membership number.
This used to annoy me at the time as my membership number was just over 1600 but my voucher book number was far higher. Meaning that I could miss out on a ticket even though I had joined the membership scheme fairly early on.
Nick Alderman of Reading voted David Ellery as Twat of the Month. Ellery had just “refereed” a Leeds v Man Utd match. Ellery appeared not to realise that the 18yard line was the boundary of the penalty area and not the half way line.
