It's getting ridiculous...

This Saturday Chelsea will take on Arsenal. Since their first encounter in1907 Chelsea and Arsenal have maintained a healthy rivalry. October 1935 is a perfect picture of this rivalry In honour of this I thought I would post this quick snap of Stamford Bridge circa 1935. The attendance of the match was 82,905, the biggest Stamford Bridge had seen! It was also the second highest attendance for a First League match at the time. In Fact to put it into context our lowest attendance of the season was 11,701 when Evert on paid a visit.

For those interested the matched ended Arsenal 1 Chelsea FC. Lets hope for better this time!

82,905 crowd at Chelsea v Arsenal, 1935

One of the most interesting facts I've found about the stadium at the time is that, as a result of the diversification of stadiums of the time Stamford Bridge was also home to a greyhound kennels behind the North Stand. Some sources I've found even say that some players were employed in the kennels!

Ted Drake's Influence

In 1952 ex-Arsenal centre forward took over the reigns of management at Chelsea. Drake not only helped to guide the team to their first ever league Championship but also oversaw the construction of a totally new Chelsea FC.

Ridding Chelsea of the pensioners crest and the nickname that accompanied it, Drake turned Chelsea FC from a relatively amateurish institution into Championship winning material.

Drake, for the first time, introduced scouting reports and new training regimes focusing on fitness and ball work. The clubs tendency to spend erratically on big names was also halted and Drake's knowledge of the lower league players was put to good use. Lesser known, more reliable players were introduced. The likes of John McNichol, Frank Blunstone, Derek Saunders, Jim Lewis and Peter Sillett bought some consistency and by 1953 Chelsea FC were experiencing there most successful period in history (Until Jose!).
 
Looks like we have one thing to thank Arsenal for!

1905-1952

1953-1986

1952-53

Given his brilliant debut I've done some searching and found a video of his highlights...here it is Oscar vs Juventus.






Feel Free to comment, love to see your preferred starting line up since this sensational debut!

szólj hozzá: C2-2J www.fasthighlights.com

Being a history graduate I've felt pretty bad about totally neglecting my degree subject over the past few months. Thats why I've decided to start uploading some snaps from the history of Chelsea FC. Every week or so I'll try to get a new one up (until I run out of pictures). Hope you guys enjoy them!

The 1939 North Stand (Pre-war development), demolished in 1975. The East stand was demolished in 1993. Looks a world away from the stadium today!