They say if you don’t remember the swinging 60’s, you weren’t there. The London neighbourhood of Chelsea was at the heart of the action in this era of change, and for celebrities such as Michael Caine, Steve McQueen, Raquel Welch,  John Wayne, Robert Redford, Terrence Stamp and Richard Attenborough, Stamford Bridge was the place to be seen. Even former U.S. President Bill Clinton frequently watched Chelsea while studying at Oxford in the 60’s. As a result, Chelsea FC had become the first fashionable football club, and one of the most glamorous in the world. They were the football club that most encapsulated the swinging 60’s.

 

Manager Tommy Docherty took over Chelsea in 1962, and proceeded to modernise the club both on and off the field. Docherty wanted a youger, fresher team, so the most obvious action was to get rid of Chelseas old nickname “the Pensioners”, which had resonated from the clubs association with the Chelsea Pensioners and the fact that many of their players were now aging. Most of the older players were turfed out and replaced with talented youngsters such as  Bridges, Tambling, Venables, Harris and Bonetti. Soon, the average age of the side plummeted to just 21. Out of those five players came Chelseas all time record goalscorer, all time record appearance maker and longest serving goalkeeper. From this point on, Chelsea would become known as The Blues.

 

After previous manager Ted Drake and forward powerhouse Jimmy Greaves left the club in 1961, Chelsea were relegated to the second division. But when Docherty and his “Diamonds” arrived, the club instantly regained promotion and were back in the top flight. The side oozed charisma and class. They played football with swagger, and established Chelsea as a big name club for the first time. Their improved fitness and youth meant that they were able to play a fast-paced and entertaining style of soccer, but ultimately the team could not match their swagger with success, and suffered a number of near misses over the coming years.

In their first season back, Chelsea managed to finish a credible fifth in the first division, and the following year they looked to be on track for the domestic treble of league, FA Cup and League Cup. Utilising innovative tactics such as overlapping fullbacks, Chelsea set the early pace and a three way battle for the title soon emerged between them, Manchester United and Leeds United. Their first victory was the League Cup which was secured with a 3-2 win over Leicester. Cracks started to appear as the team were defeated by Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final. Docherty sent 8 key players home for breaking curfew before a crucial league match against Burnley. The reserves and youngsters that remained were resoundly beaten, and Chelseas title chase collapsed, Man United becoming the eventual winners.

 

The following year, Chelsea lost in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the Fairs Cup. In 1967, Chelsea played Tottenham in the “Cockney Cup Final”. Again, Chelsea underperformed and lost 2-1 to a side that contained former Chelsea players Venables and Greaves. Dave Sexton replaced Docherty as manager that year. He proved to be a stabalising influence, leading Chelsea to two more top 6 finishes. In 1969-70 Osgood and Hutchinson helped the club to a third place league finish by scoring 53 goals between them, and again they reached the FA Cup final, this time playing rivals Leeds United, defending champions and one of the most dominant sides of the era. Chelsea mustered a 2-2 draw, and in the replay they equalised three times to finally gain FA Cup glory.

 

This qualified Chelsea to compete in the Cup Winners Cup. They staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Club Brugge, and dispatched champions Manchester City in semi. They defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in the final replay to gain their first European honour. The era ended around 1973, when a series of issues almost brought the club to its knees. The spirit of the team, consequentley, their results, degenerated. Knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup by Leyton Orient and Stoke respectively, several players fell out with Sexton over their lifestyles, who was soon sacked. This exciting and hedonistic time in the clubs history was over.

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Acheivements:
FA Cup-Winners x1
League Cup- Winners x1
Cup Winners Cup – Winners x1

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Star Player: Peter Osgood, dob 20 Feb 1947, pob Windsor, England

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Peter Osgood is the player who most epitomised the glamorous Kings Road image of footballers in the 1960’s. In his career, he made 560 appearances for Chelsea and Southampton, scoring 220 goals. He also won the European Cup Winners Cup and the FA Cup twice. Osgood was signed to Chelsea at 17, scoring 30 goals in 20 games for the reserves and 12 goals in 8 games during a tour of Australia. Osgood classified himself among the flair players of the era, whose game relied on natural ability rather than coaching development. As a result, he was loved by fans but rejected by England managers, playing just four times for the national side. He was not selected for the team in 1966, and 23 and despite being the leagues top scorer, he was on the squad but overlooked by Alf Ramsey and given no game time in the 1970 World Cup. Osgood broke his leg in 1966 but recovered under Dave Sexton and came back to make 380 appearances for The Blues. Osgood lived a playboy lifestyle, and belonged to a long-gone school of hard tackling football that demanded that players drank as hard off the pitch as they played on it. Osgood was dissapointed with the shirt pulling that prevails in the modern game, stating “It’s disgraceful. We used to kick and elbow and nut people, but we never pulled shirts”. Ironically, Osgood passed away while attending a funeral in 2006. His ashes are buried under the Shed End penalty spot at Stanford Bridge.