Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English professional football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool plays in the Premier League, and is the most successful club in the history of English football, having won more trophies than any other English club. They have won a record 18 English League titles, although the last time they won the title was in 1990. Liverpool have won five European Cups, an English record. Only A.C. Milan and Real Madrid have won Europe's premier club competition more times. They have won the FA Cup and League Cup seven times. Liverpool have played at Anfield since they were founded in 1892. However, plans have been formed to start work on a new 71,000 all reserved seat stadium, in the summer of 2010 near Stanley Park.

The new stadium will be funded by Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who became the club's owners on February 6, 2007.

Liverpool have a large and diverse fanbase, who hold a string of long-standing rivalries with several other clubs; the most notable of these is with neighbours Everton, with whom they regularly contest the Merseyside derby. Liverpool have a fierce rivalry with Manchester United, due to the success of both clubs, as well as their proximity to each other.

The club's fans have been involved in two major disasters. At the Heysel Stadium disaster, 39 Juventus F.C. fans died when a wall collapsed after crowd trouble in the 1985 European Cup Final, and the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989 where 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives.

History

For more details on this topic, see History of Liverpool F.C..

For information on the current season, see Liverpool F.C. season 2007-08.

In 1891 John Houlding, the leaseholder of Anfield stadium, purchased the ground outright and proposed increasing the rent from £100 to £250 per year. Everton F.C., who had played at Anfield for seven years, refused to meet his demands and moved to Goodison Park.^[1] Liverpool F.C. were founded by Houlding on 15 March 1892 to play at the vacated Anfield. The original name was to be Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds, Ltd., or Everton Athletic for short, but was changed to Liverpool F.C. when The Football Association refused to recognise the team as Everton.^[2]

Liverpool's team during its first season, 1892–1893

In their first season Liverpool won the Lancashire League, and were elected to the Football League Second Division for the 1893–94 season.^[2] Liverpool ended the season unbeaten as Second Division Champions,^[3] and were promoted to the First Division. Liverpool won their first Football League championship in the 1900–01 season, and were champions again in 1905–06. Liverpool played their first FA Cup final in 1914, but lost 1–0 to Burnley.^[4] In 1921–22 and 1922–23 Liverpool won their first back-to-back League titles. This was followed by the longest spell without a trophy in their history, which ended when Liverpool won the league during the 1946–47 season. However, Liverpool struggled following this success, and were relegated to the Second Division in 1953–54.

In December 1959, Bill Shankly was appointed manager, during his first year, he released 24 players and reshaped the squad.^[5] In 1961–1962, his third season as manager, Liverpool won the Second Division Championship by eight points and were promoted to the First Division, where they have remained ever since. In 1963–1964, Liverpool lifted the League Championship for the first time in 17 years. Liverpool were League Champions again in 1965–1966, having won their first FA Cup the previous season. Liverpool won their eighth league title and defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach to win their first European trophy, the UEFA Cup, in 1972–1973. However, a year later, following another FA Cup victory, Shankly retired, his assistant, Bob Paisley, became manager.^[6]

In 1975–1976, at the end of Paisley's second season in charge, Liverpool became champions, and won the UEFA Cup. The following year, Liverpool retained their League Championship, lost the FA Cup Final, but won their first European Cup, beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1. Liverpool retained the trophy in 1978, beating Club Brugge 1–0, and in 1979 they broke another domestic record by winning the league title with 68 points,^[7] and only 16 goals conceded in 42 matches.^[8] In 1979–1980, Liverpool won the league title for the fourth time in five seasons, and Paisley's third European Cup victory came in 1980–1981. In the following two seasons, Liverpool won a League Championship and League Cup "Double". During the nine seasons Paisley managed the club, Liverpool won a total of 21 trophies, including three European Cups, a UEFA Cup, six league titles and three consecutive League Cups. The only domestic trophy to elude him was the FA Cup.

The succession of managers appointed from within the club's staff is worthy of note. These managers are often referred to as "the boot room boys" after a part of Anfield where the Liverpool staff discussed strategy and allegedly stored gin.^[9] Just as Shankly had been succeeded by Paisley, so too Paisley handed the reins to his assistant, veteran coach Joe Fagan. He was 63 when he became manager in 1983–1984. In his first season in charge, Liverpool become the first English club to win three major trophies in a single season; the League title, the League Cup and the European Cup.^[10] Liverpool reached the European Cup final again in 1985. The match was against Juventus at the Heysel Stadium but before kick-off, disaster struck. Liverpool fans breached a fence separating the two groups of supporters and charged the Juventus fans. The resulting weight of people caused a retaining wall to collapse, killing 39 fans, mostly Italians.^[11] The match was played regardless and Liverpool lost 1–0 to Juventus. English clubs were consequently banned from participating in European competition for five years, with Liverpool receiving a ban for ten years, which was later reduced to six. Fourteen of their fans received convictions for involuntary manslaughter.^[11]

Kenny Dalglish became Liverpool's first player-manager in 1985.^[12] His reign saw the club win another three League Championships and two FA Cups including a league and cup Double in 1985–86. However, Liverpool's successes were overshadowed by the Hillsborough disaster. On April 15, 1989, when Liverpool were playing Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final, hundreds of Liverpool fans were crushed against perimeter fencing.^[13] 94 fans died that day; the 95th victim died in hospital from his injuries four days later and another nearly four years later having never regained consciousness, to make the total 96.^[14] After the Hillsborough tragedy there was a governmental review of stadium safety. Known as the Taylor Report, it paved the way for legislation requiring all-seater stadiums in the top-flight. The report ruled that the main reasons for the disaster were overcrowding due to a failure of police control.^[15][16]

Fans on the Kop hold aloft the team badge

Graeme Souness was installed as manager in 1991. However, apart from an FA Cup win in his first season, his reign was not successful. "Boot room" veteran Roy Evans took over in 1994. While his tenure saw some improvement in league form, in his five seasons the club never finished higher than third. Evans' only trophy was the 1995 League Cup. Gérard Houllier, the former French national coach, was drafted into the Liverpool management team for the 1998–99 season to work alongside Roy Evans, but the partnership did not work out and Evans resigned in November 1998.^[17]

Houllier's second full season in sole charge, 2000–01, was Liverpool's most successful season for many years as the team completed a combination of the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.^[18] They finished second in 2001–02, a season in which Houllier underwent major heart surgery.^[19] Houllier would only win one more trophy in his time in charge, against a background of growing disquiet amongst Liverpool supporters, Houllier and Liverpool parted by mutual consent at the end of the 2003–04 season.^[20]

Spaniard Rafael Benítez took over and in his first season Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League. The season had a surprising ending, however, as Liverpool won their fifth European Cup in Istanbul.^[21] In 2005–06 Liverpool picked up 82 points in the Premiership, their highest points total in the top-flight since 1988, and ended the season by winning the FA Cup in yet another dramatic final, this time against West Ham. In 2006–07, the club's search for investment came to an end when American businessmen George Gillett and Tom Hicks became the owners of Liverpool F.C. in a deal valuing the club and its outstanding debts at £218.9 million.^[22] That season, Benítez guided the team to the UEFA Champions League final once again, where they lost 2–1 to A.C. Milan.

Notable players

For more details on this topic, see List of Liverpool F.C. players.

Elisha Scott, Liverpool's longest serving player

In the period before the Second World War several players played for Liverpool for lengthy periods of time, earning themselves great admiration. Among these were Ephraim Longworth, a solid full-back who became Liverpool's first England captain in 1921,^[23] and Elisha Scott, who played in goal for Liverpool for 22 years, making him the longest serving Liverpool player ever.^[24] In front of goal, of particular note is Gordon Hodgson, who scored a record 17 hat tricks playing for the club in the 1920s and 1930s.^[24]

In the 1960s, as Bill Shankly transformed the club into a European power, among the players who established themselves as key elements of Liverpool's success were Ron Yeats, who Shankly famously described as his "colossus",^[25] and Roger Hunt, who scored 245 league goals (still a club record) as well as being part of England's World Cup winning team in 1966.^[26]

Paisley's additions to the squad were an important factor in Liverpool's success during the 1970s and 1980s. Two Scottish signings of 1977 had a particular impact: Alan Hansen, who was a part of three European Cup winning teams,^[27] and Kenny Dalglish, known to fans as 'King Kenny',^[12] would excel as a Liverpool player before becoming Liverpool's first Double-winning manager. In 1980 Paisley signed 19-year-old Ian Rush, who progressed to become the club's leading goalscorer.^[24]

More recently famous players have emerged from Liverpool's youth set up. In the early-1990s Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler emerged to play as winger and striker for the club, while later in the decade Michael Owen, current captain Steven Gerrard and vice-captain Jamie Carragher came through the Liverpool Academy.^[28]

Colours and crest

Liverpool's original home colours (1892–1894)

Liverpool's traditional colours are red and white, with the home kit having been all red since the mid 1960s. However, it was not always this way. In the early days, when the club took over Anfield from Everton, they used the Toffees' colours of blue and white, wearing a kit almost identical to that worn by the Everton team of the time. By 1894 Liverpool had adopted the colour of red, and in 1901 the city's liver bird was adopted as the club badge.^[29] For the next 60 years Liverpool's kit was red shirts with white shorts, socks alternated over the years from red, to black, to white, and back to red again.

In 1964, then Liverpool manager Bill Shankly decided to send the team out in all red for the first time against Anderlecht, as Ian St. John recalled in his autobiography:

“

He thought the colour scheme would carry psychological impact—red for danger, red for power. He came into the dressing room one day and threw a pair of red shorts to Ronnie Yeats. “Get into those shorts and let’s see how you look,” he said. “Christ, Ronnie, you look awesome, terrifying. You look 7ft tall.” “Why not go the whole hog, boss?” I suggested. “Why not wear red socks? Let’s go out all in red.” Shankly approved and an iconic kit was born.[30]

”

Liverpool's third/European away kit for the 2007–08 season.

Liverpool's away colours are traditionally either white shirts and black shorts or all yellow. However, in 1987 an all grey kit was introduced. The away kit was then grey until the centenary season of 1991–92, when it was replaced by a combination of green shirts and white shorts. After various colour combinations in the 1990s, including gold and navy, bright yellow, black and grey, and ecru, the club have settled down in the 2000s into a pattern that alternates yellow with white each year.^[31]

The current kits are designed by adidas,^[32] who also made the club's kits between 1985 and 1996. The only other branded shirts worn by the club were made by Umbro up until 1985, and Reebok for ten seasons from 1996.^[33] The current away kit is white shirts, black shorts and white socks, all with red trim.^{[citation needed]} There is also a third kit of all black with red and white trim, designed primarily for Champions League away games, but is also used for any domestic games where both red and white would clash.^[34]

Liverpool were the first British professional club to wear a sponsor's logo on their shirts,^[35] agreeing a deal with Hitachi in 1979. In the years since, the club has had relatively little variation in sponsorship deals, linking up with Crown Paints and Candy before signing their current deal with Carlsberg in 1992 — a deal which is the longest-standing current agreement in English top-flight football.^[36]

The current Liverpool badge is based around the traditional liver bird, which is placed inside a shield. Above the shield is a representation of the Shankly Gates bearing the title of club's famous anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone". The twin flames at either side are symbolic of the Hillsborough memorial, where an eternal flame burns outside Anfield, in memory of those who died in the disaster.^[37]

Stadia

Anfield, home of Liverpool F.C.

The Kop, as it stands after redevelopment in 1994.

For more details on this topic, see Anfield.

For information on Liverpool's proposed new stadium, see Stanley Park Stadium.

Liverpool have only ever had one home ground, Anfield, where they have played since foundation. Anfield was built in 1884 on land adjacent to Stanley Park, and was originally inhabited by Everton.^[38] They left the ground in 1892 over a rent dispute, with the owner of Anfield; John Houlding, who decided to form a new club to play at the ground. The capacity of the stadium was 20,000, however only 100 spectators attended Liverpool's first match at Anfield.^[39][40]

In 1906, the banked stand at one end of the ground was formally renamed the Spion Kop,^[41] after a hill in Natal. The hill was the site of the battle of Spion Kop in the Second Boer War, where over 300 men of the Lancashire Regiment died, many of whom were from Liverpool. At its largest, the stand could hold 28,000 spectators, and was one of the largest single tier stands in the world. The stand was considerably reduced in capacity due to safety measures brought in following the Hillsborough disaster, and it was completely rebuilt as an all seater stand in 1994, with a capacity of 12,390. Though the Kop is still composed of a single tier.^[42]

The Anfield Road stand is positioned at the opposite end to the Kop, and houses the away-fans. It is the newest stand at Anfield having been rebuilt in 1998 with a capacity of 9,074. The two stands adjacent to these are the Main Stand, with a capacity of 12,227; and the Centenary Stand, which has a capacity of 11,762. The Main Stand is the oldest part of Anfield, having remained largely untouched since its redevelopment in 1973. It houses the players' changing rooms and the director's box, and the dug-outs are in front of the stand. The Centenary Stand was previously known as the Kemlyn Road Stand until it was rebuilt for the club's centenary in 1992. The redevelopment saw the houses in Kemlyn Road demolished and the address become non-existent. The current overall capacity of the stadium is 45,362 and it is rated as a four Star Stadium in the UEFA Stadia List.^[43][44]

On July 30, 2004, Liverpool City Council granted the club planning permission to build a new 61,000 seat stadium just 300 yards (270 m) away from Anfield at Stanley Park^[45] and on September 8, 2006 Liverpool City Council agreed to grant Liverpool F.C. a 999-year lease of land on the proposed site.^[46] Following the takeover of the club in February 2007 by George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks there was a re-design of the proposed stadium. In November 2007 the new design received the green light from the council and construction is due to start in spring 2008.^[47] The new stadium is being built by HKS, Inc. and is expected to be completed in 2011.^[48]

Melwood, in West Derby, Liverpool, is home to Liverpool FC's training ground, it is not attached to The Academy, which is in Kirkby. Melwood is based in the West Derby area of Liverpool and has been their home since the 1950s. The ground previously belonged to St Francis Xavier, a local school.^[49]

Supporters

Shankly Gates

Liverpool have a large and generally loyal fanbase, with virtually all home matches selling out; in 2006–07 Liverpool had the fourth-highest average League attendance for an English club; 43,561, which was 99.7% of available capacity,^[50] and the second-highest all-time average attendance.^[51] Liverpool fans often refer to themselves as "Kopites", which is a reference to the fans who once stood, and now sit, on the Kop at Anfield.

The song "You'll Never Walk Alone", originally from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel and famously recorded by Liverpool musicians Gerry & The Pacemakers, is the anthem of the club, and has been sung by the Anfield crowd since the early-1960s. The song has since gained popularity among fans of other clubs around the world. Claims that "You'll Never Walk Alone" was first sung by fans at other clubs have been dismissed as very unlikely.^[52] The song's title adorns the top of the Shankly Gates, which were unveiled on 2 August 1982 in memory of former manager, Bill Shankly. The "You'll Never Walk Alone" portion of the Shankly Gates is also reproduced in the club's crest. Popular chants include "Fields of Anfield Road" (to the tune of "The Fields of Athenry"), "Poor Scouser Tommy" (first section to the tune of "Red River Valley; second section to the tune of The Sash") and "Liverbird Upon My Chest" (to the tune of "Ballad of the Green Berets").^[53]

Liverpool's longest standing rivalry is with fellow Merseyside team Everton, against whom they contest the Merseyside derby. This stems from Liverpool's formation after a dispute with Everton officials and the owners of Anfield, which was the ground Everton were using at the time. Religious differences have been cited as a division, though both teams stem from a Methodist origin, undermining the notion of a Catholic–Protestant split.^[54] The Merseyside derby is usually a sell out fixture and tends to be a scrappy affair; it has had more red cards than any other fixture in Premiership history.^[55]

Liverpool also have a significant rivalry with north-west neighbours Manchester United. This is mostly due to the success enjoyed by the two clubs and the geographical proximity of the two cities. Liverpool and Manchester United are the two most successful teams in England, both with large international support. Liverpool dominated English football from the mid 1970s through the 1980s with 11 titles in 18 years, and they also won four European Cups in the period, while Manchester United have dominated the Premier League era from 1992 with nine titles in 15 years to 2007, with one UEFA Champions League.^[56]

Liverpool in popular culture

Liverpool featured in the first edition of the BBC's Match of the Day, which screened highlights of their match against Arsenal at Anfield on 22 August 1964. Liverpool were also the subject of television's first colour football transmission, which showed their match against West Ham United live.^[57] Liverpool fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" were featured in the Pink Floyd song, "Fearless".^[58] A documentary on the Hillsborough disaster directed by Jimmy McGovern, was screened in 1996. It Featured Christopher Eccleston as Trevor Hicks, whose story formed the focus of the script. Hicks lost two teenage daughters in the disaster and went on to campaign for safer stadia, as well as helping form the Hillsborough Families Support Group.^[59]

Statistics and records

For more details on this topic, see List of Liverpool F.C. statistics and records.

Liverpool's first competitive game was in the Lancashire League against Higher Walton. The match was won 8–0, with a mostly Scottish team.^[60] Ian Callaghan holds Liverpool's appearance record, having made 857 over the course of 19 seasons from 1958–78.^[61] He also holds the record for League appearances with 640.^[43] Of the current squad Jamie Carragher has the most appearances with 500 as of January 15, 2008.

Liverpool's all time leading scorer is Ian Rush, who scored 346 goals in two spells at the club from 1980–1987 and 1988–1996.^[61] Rush holds the record for the most goals in a season with 47 in 1983–84. However, during his career, Rush could not surpass the league goal-scoring record of Roger Hunt, which has stood at 245 since 1970.^[43] In the 1961–62 season, Hunt scored 41 goals, setting the club record for league goals in a single season.^[43] Gordon Hodgson is the club's third highest scorer with 240 goals,^[61] and holds the club record of 17 hat tricks.^[62] The most goals scored by a player in a single match is five, which has been achieved by John Miller, Andy McGuigan, John Evans, Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler.^[63] Fowler also holds the club and Premiership record for the fastest hat trick from when he scored three past Arsenal in four minutes, 32 seconds in the second game of the 1994–95 season.^[64]

Steven Gerrard is Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer in the European Cup with 21 goals. Liverpool's biggest ever victory was 11–0 against Strømsgodset I.F. in 1974, in which nine of the ten outfield players scored — a Liverpool record.^[43] Rotherham Town were the victims of Liverpool's biggest league win, losing 10–1 in 1896.^[43] This margin of victory was matched in the modern era, as Crystal Palace were defeated 9–0 at Anfield in 1989.^[65] Liverpool's heaviest defeats were against Huddersfield Town in 1935 which finished 0–8, and Birmingham City in 1954 which ended 1–9.^[43] Liverpool's 8–0 victory on November 6, 2007 against Beşiktaş JK in the Champions League is the record win in the competition.^[66]

Current squad and staff

As of 29 January 2008.^[67]

First team players

No. Position Player 3 DF Steve Finnan 4 DF Sami Hyypiä 5 DF Daniel Agger 6 DF John Arne Riise 7 MF Harry Kewell 8 MF Steven Gerrard (captain) 9 FW Fernando Torres 10 FW Andriy Voronin 11 MF Yossi Benayoun 12 DF Fábio Aurélio 14 MF Xabi Alonso 15 FW Peter Crouch 16 MF Jermaine Pennant 17 DF Álvaro Arbeloa 18 FW Dirk Kuyt 19 FW Ryan Babel 20 MF Javier Mascherano

No. Position Player 21 MF Lucas 23 DF Jamie Carragher (vice-captain) 25 GK Pepe Reina 30 GK Charles Itandje 33 MF Sebastián Leto 34 MF Jay Spearing 35 MF Ray Putterill 36 MF Ryan Flynn 37 DF Martin Škrtel 38 FW Craig Lindfield 39 DF Stephen Darby 40 GK David Martin 42 MF Nabil El Zhar 45 DF Mikel San José 47 MF Damien Plessis 48 DF Emiliano Insúa

Players out on loan

No. Position Player GK Scott Carson (Aston Villa – to the end of 2007–08 season) GK Nikolay Mihaylov (FC Twente – to the end of 2009–10 season) DF Godwin Antwi (Hartlepool United – to the end of 2007–08 season) DF Jack Hobbs (Scunthorpe United – to the end of 2007–08 season) DF Miki Roque (Xerez CD – to the end of 2007–08 season)

No. Position Player DF Robbie Threlfall (Hereford United – to the end of 2007–08 season) MF Paul Anderson (Swansea City – to the end of 2007–08 season) MF Danny Guthrie (Bolton Wanderers – to the end of 2007–08 season) MF Adam Hammill (Southampton – to the end of 2007–08 season) FW Anthony Le Tallec (Le Mans – to the end of 2007–08 season)

For recent transfers, see Liverpool F.C. season 2007-08.

Reserves and Academy players

See Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Academy players.

Technical staff

As of 11 January 2008.^[67]

Name	Role
Rafael Benítez	Manager
Alex Miller	First Team Coach
Xavi Valero	Goalkeeping Coach
Gary Ablett	Reserve Team Manager
Angel Vales	Reserve Team Coach / Head of Technical Analysis
Eduardo Macia	Chief Scout
Mark Waller	Club Doctor

Managers

For more details on this topic, see List of Liverpool F.C. managers.

Rafael Benítez manager of Liverpool since 2004

As of 21 December 2007. Only competitive matches are counted.^[68]

Name	Nat	From	To	Record
				P	W	D	L	F	A
W. E. Barclay and John McKenna[69]		February 1892	August 1896	131	80	20	31	344	158
Tom Watson		August 1897	May 1915	742	329	141	272	1226	1056
David Ashworth		December 1919	February 1923	138	70	40	28	220	118
Matt McQueen		February 1923	February 1928	229	93	60	76	354	307
George Patterson		March 1928	August 1936	366	137	85	144	665	700
George Kay		August 1936	January 1951	357	142	93	122	551	511
Don Welsh		March 1951	May 1956	232	81	58	93	387	423
Phil Taylor		May 1956	November 1959	150	76	32	42	294	211
Bill Shankly		December 1959	July 1974	783	407	198	178	1307	766
Bob Paisley		July 1974	July 1983	535	307	132	96	955	406
Joe Fagan		July 1983	May 1985	131	70	37	24	225	97
Kenny Dalglish		May 1985	February 1991	307	187	78	42	617	259
Ronnie Moran		February 1991	April 1991	10	4	1	5	20	16
Graeme Souness		April 1991	January 1994	157	65	47	45	248	186
Roy Evans		January 1994	July 1998	226	116	57	53	375	216
Roy Evans and Gérard Houllier[70]		July 1998	November 1998	18	7	6	5	33	20
Gérard Houllier[71]		November 1998	May 2004	307	158	75	74	516	298
Rafael Benítez		June 2004	Present	207	116	40	51	332	172

Honours

For more details on this topic, see Liverpool F.C. seasons.

Liverpool's tally of 18 Football League championships is a record for English clubs, their nearest challenger being Manchester United with 16.^[72], although Liverpool are yet to win the title in the 16 year long Premier League era. Liverpool's seven League Cup victories is a record, being two clear of Aston Villa.^[73] Liverpool achieved the League and FA Cup "Double" in 1986 and have won three trophies in one season twice - the first of League, League Cup and European Cup was achieved in 1984, and in 2001 comprising the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.^[73].

Liverpool's total of five European Cups^[74] is an English record and the third highest total overall, after Real Madrid and AC Milan.^[73] The fifth victory in 2005 entitled Liverpool to receive the UEFA badge of honour, thus allowing them to keep the trophy permanently.^[75]

Domestic

League

• League^[76]

Winners (18): 1900–01, 1905–06, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1946–47, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90

Runners-up (11): 1898–89, 1909–10, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1990–91, 2001–02

• Division Two (Level 2)

Winners (3): 1893–94, 1895–96, 1904–05, 1961–62

• Lancashire League

Winners (1): 1892–93

Cups

• FA Cup

Winners (7): 1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006

Runners-up (6): 1914, 1950, 1971, 1977, 1988, 1996

• League Cup

Winners (7): 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003

Runners-up (3): 1978, 1987, 2005

• Community Shield^[77]

Winners (15): 1964 (shared), 1965 (shared), 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986 (shared), 1988, 1989, 1990 (shared), 2001, 2006

Runners-up (6): 1922, 1971, 1983, 1984, 1992, 2002

• Screen Sport Super Cup^[78]

Winners (1): 1986

International

• European Cup and UEFA Champions League^[74]

Winners (5): 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005

Runners-up (2): 1985, 2007

• UEFA Cup

Winners (3): 1973, 1976, 2001

• UEFA Super Cup

Winners (3): 1977, 2001, 2005

Runners-up (2): 1978, 1984

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Runners-up (1): 1966

• Intercontinental Cup and Club World Cup

Runners-up (3): 1981, 1984, 2005

Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea Football Club (also known as The Blues or previously The Pensioners) are an English professional football club based in west London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier in English football. They have had two broad periods of success, one during the 1960s and early 1970s, and the second from the late 1990s to the present day. Chelsea have won three league titles, four FA Cups, four League Cups and two UEFA Cup Winners' Cups.^[2]

Chelsea's home is the 42,055 capacity^[1] Stamford Bridge football stadium in Fulham, West London, where they have played since their foundation. Despite their name, the club are based just outside the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. In 2003, the club was bought by Russian oil magnate Roman Abramovich.^[3]

The club's traditional kit colours are royal blue shirts and shorts with white socks. Their traditional crest is a ceremonial blue lion holding a staff; a modified version of this was adopted in 2005

Chelsea F.C.
Full name	Chelsea Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Pensioners The Blues
Founded	14 March 1905
Ground	Stamford Bridge Fulham Road London SW6 England (Capacity 42,055[1])
Chairman	Bruce Buck
Manager	Avram Grant
League	Premier League
2006–07	Premier League, 2nd
Home colours 　 Away colours

History

For more details on this topic, see History of Chelsea F.C.

The first Chelsea team in September 1905.

Chelsea were founded on 14 March 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook), opposite the present-day main entrance to the ground on Fulham Road, and were elected to the Football League shortly afterwards. The club's early years saw little success; the closest they came to winning a major trophy was reaching the FA Cup final in 1915, where they lost to Sheffield United. Chelsea gained a reputation for signing big-name players^[5] and for being entertainers, but made little impact on the English game in the inter-war years.

Former England centre-forward Ted Drake became manager in 1952 and proceeded to modernise the club. He removed the club's Chelsea pensioner crest, improved the youth set-up and training regime, rebuilt the side, and led Chelsea to their first major trophy success – the League championship – in 1954–55. The following season saw UEFA create the European Champions' Cup, but after objections from The Football League and the FA Chelsea were persuaded to withdraw from the competition before it started.^[6]

The 1960s saw the emergence of a talented young Chelsea side under manager Tommy Docherty. They challenged for honours throughout the decade, and endured several near-misses. They were on course for a treble of League, FA Cup and League Cup going into the final stages of the 1964–65 season, winning the League Cup but faltering late on in the other two.^[7] In three seasons the side were beaten in three major semi-finals and were FA Cup runners-up. In 1970 Chelsea were FA Cup winners, beating Leeds United 2–1 in a final replay. Chelsea took their first European honour, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph, the following year, with another replayed win, this time over Real Madrid in Athens.

The late 1970s and the 1980s were a turbulent period for Chelsea. An ambitious redevelopment of Stamford Bridge threatened the financial stability of the club,^[8] star players were sold and the team were relegated. Further problems were caused by a notorious hooligan element among the support, which was to plague the club throughout the decade.^[9] Chelsea were, at the nadir of their fortunes, acquired by Ken Bates for the nominal sum of £1, although by now the Stamford Bridge freehold had been sold to property developers, meaning the club faced losing their home.^[10] On the pitch, the team had fared little better, coming close to relegation to the Third Division for the first time, but in 1983 manager John Neal put together an impressive new team for minimal outlay. Chelsea won the Second Division title in 1983–84 and established themselves in the top division, before being relegated again in 1988. The club bounced back immediately by winning the Second Division championship in 1988–89.

After a long-running legal battle, Bates reunited the stadium freehold with the club in 1992 by doing a deal with the banks of the property developers, who had been bankrupted by a market crash.^[11] Chelsea's form in the new Premier League was unconvincing, although they did reach the FA Cup final in 1994. It was not until the appointment of former European Footballer of the Year Ruud Gullit as player-manager in 1996 that their fortunes changed. He added several top-class international players to the side, particularly Gianfranco Zola, as the club won the FA Cup in 1997 and established themselves as one of England's top sides again. Gullit was replaced by Gianluca Vialli, who led the team to victory in the League Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1998, the FA Cup in 2000 and the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2000. Vialli was sacked in favour of another Italian, Claudio Ranieri, who guided Chelsea to the 2002 FA Cup final and Champions League qualification in 2002–03.

In June 2003, Bates sold Chelsea to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for £140 million, completing what was then the biggest-ever sale of an English football club.^[3] Owing to Abramovich's Russian heritage, the club were soon popularly dubbed "Chelski" in the British media.^[12] Over £100 million was spent on new players, but Ranieri was unable to deliver any trophies, so he was replaced by successful Portuguese coach José Mourinho, who had just guided FC Porto to victory in the UEFA Champions League.

In 2005, Chelsea's centenary year, the club became Premiership champions in a record-breaking season (most clean sheets, fewest goals conceded, most victories, most points earned),^[13] League Cup winners with a 3–2 win over Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium and reached the Champions League semi-finals. The following year, they were again League Champions, equalling their own Premiership record of 29 wins set the previous season. They also became the fifth team to win back-to-back championships since the Second World War and the first London club to do so since Arsenal in 1933–34.^[14] In 2007, Chelsea won the FA Cup and League Cup,^[15][16] but finished runners-up to Manchester United in the Premier League. On 20 September 2007, manager José Mourinho parted company with Chelsea by mutual consent and was replaced by Director of Football Avram Grant.^[17][18]

Stamford Bridge

Chelsea vs. West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge on September 23, 1905; Chelsea won 1-0.

For more details on this topic, see Stamford Bridge (stadium).

Chelsea have only ever had one home ground, Stamford Bridge, where they have played since foundation. It was officially opened on 28 April 1877. For the first 28 years of its existence it was used almost exclusively by the London Athletics Club as an arena for athletics meetings and not at all for football. In 1904 the ground was acquired by businessman Gus Mears and his brother, J T Mears, who had previously acquired additional land (formerly a large market garden) with the aim of staging football matches on the now 12.5 acre (51,000 m²) site.^[19]

Stamford Bridge was designed for the Mears family by the noted football architect Archibald Leitch.^[20] They offered the stadium to Fulham Football Club, but the offer was turned down. As a consequence, the owners decided to form their own football club to occupy their new ground. Most football clubs were founded first, and then sought grounds in which to play, but Chelsea were founded for Stamford Bridge. Since there was already a football club named Fulham in the borough, the founders decided to adopt the name of the adjacent borough of Chelsea for the new club, having rejected names such as Kensington FC, Stamford Bridge FC and London FC.^[21]

Starting with an open bowl-like design and one covered terrace, Stamford Bridge had an original capacity of around 100,000.^[19] The early 1930s saw the construction of a terrace on the southern part of the ground with a roof that covered around one fifth of the stand. It eventually became known as the "Shed End", the home of Chelsea's most loyal and vocal supporters, particularly during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The exact origins of the name are unclear, but the fact that the roof looked like a corrugated iron shed roof played a part.^[19]

The East Stand during a match in 2006. The cost of building this stand caused many of Chelsea's financial problems during the 1970s and 1980s.

During the late 1960s and early 70s, the club's owners embarked on a modernisation of Stamford Bridge with plans for a 50,000 all-seater stadium.^[19] Work began on the East Stand in the early 1970s but the cost almost brought the club to its knees, and the freehold was sold to property developers. Following a long legal battle, it was not until the mid-1990s that Chelsea's future at the stadium was secured and renovation work resumed.^[19] The north, west and southern parts of the ground were converted into all-seater stands and moved closer to the pitch, a process completed by 2001.

The Stamford Bridge pitch, the freehold, the turnstiles and Chelsea's naming rights are now owned by Chelsea Pitch Owners, a non-profit organisation in which fans are the shareholders. The CPO was created to ensure the stadium could never again be sold to developers. It also means that if someone tries to move the football club to a new stadium they could not use the Chelsea FC name.^[22]

The club plans to increase its capacity to over 50,000. Owing to its location in a built-up part of London on a main road and next to two railway lines, fans can only enter the stadium through the Fulham Road entrance, which places severe constraints on expansion due to health and safety regulations.^[23] As a result, Chelsea have been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge to sites including the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Battersea Power Station and the Chelsea Barracks.^[24] However, the club have reiterated their desire to keep Chelsea at their current home.^[25]

Crest

Chelsea's first crest.

Club crest 1953–1986.

Club crest 2005–2006 (Centenary).

Since the club's foundation, Chelsea have had four main crests, though all underwent minor variations. In 1905, Chelsea adopted as their first crest the image of a Chelsea pensioner, which obviously contributed to the "pensioner" nickname, and remained for the next half-century, though it never appeared on the shirts. As part of Ted Drake's modernisation of the club from 1952 onwards, he insisted that the pensioner badge be removed from the match day programme in order to change the club's image and that a new crest be adopted.^[26] As a stop-gap, a temporary emblem comprising simply the initials C.F.C. was adopted for one year. In 1953, Chelsea's crest was changed to an upright blue lion looking backwards and holding a staff, which was to endure for the next three decades.

Club crest 1986–2005.

This crest was based on elements in the coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea^[27] with the "lion rampant regardant" taken from the arms of then club president Viscount Chelsea and the staff from the Abbots of Westminster, former Lords of the Manor of Chelsea. It also featured three red roses, to represent England, and two footballs. This was the first club badge to appear on shirts, since the policy of putting the crest on the shirts was only adopted in the early 1960s.^[26]

In 1986, with new owners now at the club, Chelsea's crest was changed again as part of another attempt to modernise and to capitalise on new marketing opportunities.^[26] The new badge featured a more naturalistic non-heraldic lion, yellow and not blue, standing over the C.F.C. initials. It lasted for the next 19 years, with some modifications such as the use of different colours. With new ownership, and the club's centenary approaching, combined with demands from fans for the club's traditional badge to be restored, it was decided that the crest should be changed again in 2004. The new crest was officially adopted for the start of the 2005–06 season and marks a return to the older design of the blue heraldic lion holding a staff.^[4] As with previous crests, this one has appeared in various colours, including white and gold.

Colours

Chelsea's first home colours, used from 1905 until c.1912.

Chelsea have always worn blue shirts, although they initially adopted a lighter shade than the current version, and unlike today wore white shorts and dark blue socks. The lighter blue was taken from the racing colours of then club president, Earl Cadogan. The light blue shirts were short-lived, however, and replaced by a royal blue version in around 1912.^[28] When Tommy Docherty became manager in the early 1960s he changed the kit again, adding blue shorts (which have remained ever since) and white socks, believing it made the club's colours more distinctive, since no other major side used that combination; this kit was first worn during the 1964–65 season.^[29]

Chelsea's traditional away colours are all yellow or all white with blue trim, but, as with most teams, they have had some more unusual ones. The first away strip consisted of black and white stripes and for one game in the 1960s the team wore Inter Milan-style blue and black stripes, again at Docherty's behest.^[30] Other memorable away kits include a mint green strip in the 1980s, a red and white checked one in the early 90s and a graphite and tangerine addition in the mid-1990s.^[31]

Chelsea's third kit for the 07/08 season.

The 2007/2008 Chelsea away strip consists of an 'electric yellow' shirt with thick black lines forming separate panels of the shirt. The adidas three stripes are black, and run down the arms. It is worn with black shorts and black socks, but in the case of further clashes it is worn with "electric yellow" shorts and/or socks. The crest on the shirt is in "electric yellow" and black to go with the rest of the kit, instead of the usual blue, white, red and gold. For the 07/08 season, there is also a third kit, which is all white with blue and black trim.

Chelsea's kit is currently manufactured by Adidas, which is contracted to supply the club's kit from 2006 to 2011. Their previous kit manufacturer was Umbro. Chelsea's first shirt sponsor was Gulf Air, agreed midway through the 1983–84 season. Following that, the club were sponsored by Grange Farms, Bai Lin tea and Italian company Simod before a long-term deal was signed with computer manufacturer Commodore International in 1989; Amiga, an off-shoot of Commodore, also appeared on the shirts. Chelsea were subsequently sponsored by Coors beer (1995–97), Autoglass (1997–2001) and Emirates Airline (2001–05). Chelsea's current shirt sponsor is Samsung Mobile.^[32]

Supporters

Chelsea fans at a match with Tottenham Hotspur, on 11 March 2006.

Chelsea have the fifth highest average all-time attendance in English football^[33] and regularly attract over 40,000 fans to Stamford Bridge; they were the fifth best-supported Premiership team in the 2005–06 season, with an average gate of 41,870.^[34] Chelsea's traditional fanbase comes from working-class parts of West London, such as Hammersmith and Battersea, from wealthier areas like Chelsea and Kensington, and from the Home Counties. In addition to the standard football chants, Chelsea fans sing songs like "Carefree", "Blue is the Colour", "We all follow the Chelsea" (to the tune of Land of Hope and Glory), "Ten Men Went to Mow", "Zigga Zagga", "Hello! Hello!" and the celebratory "Celery", with the latter often resulting in fans ritually throwing celery.

Chelsea do not have a traditional rivalry, in the manner that Liverpool and Everton, or Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur do. The club's nearest neighbours are Fulham, but they are not seen as big rivals by Chelsea fans, because the clubs have spent most of the last 40 years in separate divisions. A 2004 survey by Planetfootball.com found that Chelsea fans consider their main rivalries to be with (in order): Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.^[36] Additionally, a strong rivalry with Leeds United dates back to several heated and controversial matches in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the FA Cup final in 1970.^[37] A more recent rivalry has grown with Liverpool following several clashes in cup competitions.

During the 1970s and 1980s in particular, Chelsea supporters were long associated with football hooliganism. The club's "football firm", originally the Chelsea Shed Boys, now known as the Chelsea Headhunters, were nationally notorious for violent acts against hooligans from other teams, such as West Ham United's Inter City Firm and Millwall's Bushwhackers, both during and after matches.^[38] The increase in hooliganism in the 1980s led chairman Ken Bates to propose an electric fence to deter them from invading the pitch; the proposal was rejected by the GLC.^[39] Chelsea's hooligan element were revealed to have links with neo-nazi groups such as Combat 18, and other far-right or racist organisations including the British National Party.^[40] Since the 1990s there has been a marked decline in crowd trouble at matches, as a result of stricter policing, CCTV in grounds and the advent of all-seater stadia.^[41]

Records

For more details on this topic, see Chelsea F.C. statistics.

Among Chelsea's current players, Frank Lampard has made the most appearances and scored the most goals.

Chelsea's highest appearance-maker is ex-captain Ron Harris, who played in 795 first-class games for the club between 1961 and 1980.^[42] This record is unlikely to be broken in the near future; Chelsea's current highest appearance-maker is Frank Lampard with 366.^[43] The record for a Chelsea goalkeeper is held by Harris's contemporary, Peter Bonetti, who made 729 appearances (1959–79). With 116 caps (67 while at the club), Marcel Desailly of France is Chelsea's most capped international player.

Bobby Tambling is Chelsea's all-time top goalscorer, with 202 goals in 370 games (1959–70).^[42] Seven other players have also scored over 100 goals for Chelsea: George Hilsdon (1906–12), George Mills (1929–39), Roy Bentley (1948–56), Jimmy Greaves (1957–61), Peter Osgood (1964–74 & 1978–79), Kerry Dixon (1983–92), and Frank Lampard (2001–). With 193 goals, Dixon is the only player in the club's recent history to have come close to matching Tambling's record. Greaves holds the record for the most goals scored in one season (43 in 1960–61). Lampard is the top scorer currently at the club.

Officially, Chelsea's highest home attendance is 82,905 for a First Division match against Arsenal on 12 October 1935. However, an estimated crowd of over 100,000 attended a friendly match against Soviet team Dynamo Moscow on 13 November 1945.^[44] The modernisation of Stamford Bridge during the 1990s and the introduction of all-seater stands mean that neither record will be broken for the foreseeable future. The current legal capacity of Stamford Bridge is 42,055.^[1]

Chelsea hold numerous records in English and European football. They hold the record for the highest points total for a league season (95), the fewest goals conceded during a league season (15), the most consecutive clean sheets during a league season (10), the highest number of Premier League victories in a season (29), the highest number of clean sheets overall in a Premier League season (25) (all set during the 2004–05 season),^[13] and the most consecutive clean sheets from the start of a league season (6) (2005–06).^[45]

The club's 21–0 aggregate victory over Jeunesse Hautcharage in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1971 remains a record in European competition.^[46] Chelsea may also hold the British transfer record, but the fee for Andriy Shevchenko, estimated at around £30m, remains unconfirmed.^[47] Roberto Di Matteo holds the record for fastest goal in an FA Cup final at Wembley, which came 42 seconds into Chelsea's win over Middlesbrough in 1997.^[48] Chelsea hold the record for the longest streak of unbeaten matches at home in the English top-flight. They secured the record on 12 August 2007, beating the previous run of 63 matches set by Liverpool between 1978 and 1980.^[49] The record is ongoing, and currently stands at 81 matches.

Chelsea have recorded several "firsts" in English football. Along with Arsenal, they were the first club to play with shirt numbers on 25 August 1928 in their match against Swansea Town.^[51] Chelsea were the first English side to travel by aeroplane to a domestic away match, when they visited Newcastle United on 19 April 1957,^[52] and the first First Division side to play a match on a Sunday, when they faced Stoke City on 27 January 1974. On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first British side to field an entirely foreign (non-UK) starting line-up in a Premier League match against Southampton.^[53] On 19 May 2007, they became the first team to win the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium, having also been the last to win it at the old Wembley.