MANCHESTER CITY FC

MANCHESTER CITY FC



Full Name: Manchester City Football Club
City: Manchester
Founded: 1880
Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium (47,500)
Colors: Blue, White
Previous Names: West Gorton (St Marks) (1880-84), Gorton AFC (1884-87), Ardwick AFC (1887-94)
Nicknames: Man City, The Blues, The Citizens
Rivals: Manchester United
Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
Official Website: mcfc.co.uk

Description:

The club was founded by members of the St Marks Church in West Gorton, a neighborhood of East Manchester. Briefly merged with Gorton Athletic, then renamed to Gorton AFC after the breakup of the merger. Moved to the neighborhood of Ardwick (also in East Manchester) in 1887, resulting in a name change. Ardwick joined the Football League in 1892 after one season in the rival Football Alliance. Financial problems two years later led to a reorganization and a new name - Manchester City Football Club. At this time they were playing in the Hyde Road ground. In the 1920s they moved further south to the Maine Road stadium, which they occupied for eighty years before moving to the City of Manchester Stadium in East Manchester. Blues fans are credited with launching the inflatables craze in British football in the late 1980s. The City of Manchester Stadium was built for the 2003 Commonwealth Games, which were held in Manchester. Manchester City's emblem includes an eagle and a ship, both symbols of the city of Manchester, as well as the club's motto - Superbia in Proelio (Pride in Battle). The Citizens nickname is a play on City and isn't actually used all that often. Previous stadiums - Clowes Street (1880-81), Kirkmanshulme Cricket Ground (1881-82), Queens Road (1882-84), Pink Bank Lane (1884-87), Hyde Road (1887-1923), Maine Road (1923-2003).

Manchester City FC History

Manchester City F.C. is a football club based in Manchester, United Kingdom. Having been formed in 1880 as West Gorton Saint Marks, it went on to become Ardwick F.C. in 1887 and moved to Hyde Road, before finally becoming Manchester City F.C. in 1894.

Winning the Second Division in 1899 gave the club their first honours. They went on to claim their first 'major' honour in 1904, beating Bolton Wanderers to claim the FA Cup. In 1923 they moved to Maine Road in Moss Side, Manchester.

They first claimed the First Division title in 1937. The next time was in 1968 - their "golden era" of football, acquiring much silverware in the late 60s and early 70s under manager Joe Mercer with the deadly contingent of Francis Lee, Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and Mike Doyle. Their most significant moment in Europe was capturing the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970 by beating Gornik Zabrze 2-1 in Vienna.

One of the highlights of the last season in the old Maine Road stadium (now demolished) was a 3-1 derby victory over their Manchester rivals Manchester United to end a run of 13 years without a win. A goal from Nicolas Anelka and two from Shaun Goater, gave City full points. In 2003 they moved to The City of Manchester Stadium, a newly constructed state of the art 48,000 seater stadium situated in East Manchester, which they lease from the local council. In the 2002-2003 season they came 9th in the Premiership and qualified for the 2003-2004 UEFA Cup through the "fair play league".

They opened their new stadium with a 2-1 win over Spanish giants F.C. Barcelona with goals scored by Nicolas Anelka and Trevor Sinclair.

Their current squad contains the likes of Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, David James, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Paul Bosvelt, Trevor Sinclair and Claudio Reyna. Stuart Pearce is the caretaker manager.

Over the previous two seasons, veteran goalkeepers Peter Schmeichel and David Seaman have seen out their careers here.

In the pre-season of 2002-2003 they spent £13,500,000 (US$20,000,000) on Anelka. Their rise was rapid; from being in the third tier of English football in 1999, to being in European competition, having a large stadium, with top facilities and having world class players in their squad. In February 2005, a report by accountants Deloitte & Touche ranked Manchester City as the 16th richest club in the world in terms of income.

None of this, however, has diluted their distinguishing characteristic of comical unpredictability. A brilliantly-headed own-goal scored from some distance when playing Queens Park Rangers in 1998 was not only voted by their fans as the goal of the season, it was also instrumental in Manchester City's subsequent relegation.

Fortunately, their supporters display great wit and loyalty. When Arsenal F.C. played some of the best football ever seen at Maine Road and scored four goals in the first forty-five minutes, the stoic City fans responded with a chant of "boring, boring Arsenal". Manchester City will never face that accusation.

2 Years later when they played the same team and found themselves 5-0 down with a minute to spare, City scored a goal to make it 5-1. City fans responded with a chant of "You're not singing anymore" to the buoyant Arsenal fans.

Oasis are known to be huge supporters of Manchester City and have played at Maine Road.

Stadium information

Since 2002 the club moved from Maine Road to the City of Manchester Stadium, a newly constructed state of the art 48,000 seater stadium situated in East Manchester, which they purchased from Manchester City Council after the Commonwealth Games were held there in 2002.

Since moving to the stadium, Manchester City FC have spent about GB£35 million on upgrading it and lowering the field of play from ground level (during the Commonwealth Games) to below ground level, adding an additional tier of seating around the entire pitch and also building the new North Stand.


HONORS

League Titles:

* Football League First Division (1937, 68)
* Football League Second Division (1899, 1903, 10, 28, 47, 66)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1937, 68, 72)
* FA Cup (1904, 34, 56, 69)
* Football League Cup (1970, 76)

International Titles:

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1970)

JUVENTUS FC

JUVENTUS FC


Full Name: Juventus Football Club
City: Turin
Founded: 1897
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico (27,128)
Colors: Black, White
Previous: Sport Club Juventus (1897-99)
Nicknames: Juve, La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady), Bianconeri (The Black and White)
Rivals: Torino, Inter, Milan
Official Website: juventus.com

Description:

Juventus = youth in Latin. Formed on November 1, 1897 by students of the Liceo Massimo d'Azeglio at their regular meeting place on a bench on Corso Re Umberto. Juve is pronounced YOU-vay. Juventus has been owned for years by the Agnelli family, who also own Fiat, although technically Juventus is a now a publicly-traded company. The black and white striped jerseys are actually taken from English club Notts County. An early club member visited England and, liking the jerseys, brought back a set for the club. The club are relegated to Serie B for the first time in their history for the 2006-07 season as punishment for their involvement in the recent match-fixing scandal. The 2005 and 2006 titles were also revoked. Previous stadiums - Piazza d'Armi (1900-23), Corso Marsiglia (1923-33), Stadio Communale (1933-90), Stadio delle Alpi (1990-2006). The club owns their previous ground the Stadio delle Alpi which is currently being redeveloped.

Juventus FC History

Juventus F.C. (Latin for Youth) is one of Italy's oldest and most successful football clubs, based in Turin. It competes in Serie A.

The team typically plays in black-and-white striped shirts and black shorts (but for decades in white shorts), and is nicknamed la Vecchia Signora (the Old Lady). The team gets its black-and-white striped kits from English side Notts County. The club's stadium is the 69,041-seat Stadio Delle Alpi, which it currently shares with Torino Calcio. This arrangement will end after the 2004–05 season, when Torino will open a new ground of its own.

Juventus F.C. was founded in November 1897 by students from Massimo D'Azeglio Lyceum, and won a previous version of the national league titles as early as 1905, but did not win their second until 1926. In 1923, the Agnelli family (owners of Fiat) gained control of the club, and built a private stadium in Villar Perosa (near Turin) and a complete series of facilities and services.

From 1931, the club won five consecutive Italian league championships (Italian scudetto). In 1933, they began playing at the Stadio Comunale. Post-war the club was very successful domestically, winning its tenth championship in 1961, but did not win any European titles until 1977 with the UEFA Cup. The height of European success was not reached until 1985, when they won the European Champions Cup, and then repeated the success in 1996. Juventus also won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1984 and two more UEFA Cup (1990, 1993). They have won 27 Italian titles and nine Coppa Italias to date, both national records. The club is also one of only four to have won all three major European trophies.

Until recently, Juventus' players had to wear short (and regular) hair; the club also provided the team with official formal wear (made by famous tailors) and forced them to complete their educational studies. Most of its players remained with Juventus until the end of their careers; many still work for it or for Fiat (or related companies).

Juventus is now a corporation, listed on Milan's stock exchange. The sale of Zinedine Zidane to Real Madrid of Spain was the most expensive in football to date, costing the Spanish club over $64 million (US).


HONORS



League Titles:

* Italian Championship (1905, 26)
* Serie A (1931, 32, 33, 34, 35, 50, 52, 58, 60, 61, 67, 72, 73, 75, 77, 78, 81, 82, 84, 86, 95, 97, 98, 2002, 03)

Cup Titles:

* Coppa Italia (1938, 42, 59, 60, 65, 79, 83, 90, 95)
* Supercoppa Italiana (1995, 97, 2002, 03)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1985)
* Champions League (1996)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1984)
* UEFA Cup (1977, 90, 93)
* Intercontinental Cup (1985, 96)

AC MILAN FC

AC MILAN FC


Full Name: Associazione Calcio Milan
City: Milan
Founded: 1899
Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza - San Siro (85,700)
Colors: Red, Black, White
Previous: Milan Football and Cricket Club (1899-1919), Milan Football Club (1919-39), Associazione Calcio Milano (1939-45)
Nicknames: Rossoneri (The Red and Black), Diavoli (The Devils)
Rivals: Inter, Juventus
Official Website: acmilan.com

Description:

Milan were founded by Englishman John Edwards in 1899 as Milan Football and Cricket Club. The cricket section was abandoned not long after and officially dropped from the club name in 1919. From 1939-45 the name became AC Milano, a change forced upon the club by the Fascist government of the time who disapproved of foreign names. Milan finished the 1991-92 season as unbeaten champions, the only time that has occurred in Italian football history. The derby with Inter is called the Derby della Madonnina, in honor of the statue of the Madonna which graces the famous Duomo cathedral in the center of Milan and which is the symbol of the city. The club's emblem includes the red and black vertical stripes of the jersey on one side and the emblem of the city of Milano on the other. Previous Stadiums: Arena Civica (-1926).


AC Milan History

AC Milan is an Italian football club. Based in Milan, they play in red-and-black stripes and black shorts, giving them the nickname rossoneri ("red-blacks"). The second most successful club in Italian soccer history, they won the Serie A 17 times and Coppa Italia five times.

The club was founded in 1899 as the Milan Cricket and Football Club by Alfred Edwards, a British expatriate. In honour of its origins, the club has retained the English spelling of its city's name, instead of changing it to the Italian Milano; it should be noted that the current Italian pronounciation is actually MEE-lahn.

The team's current stadium is the 85,700 seater Giuseppe Meazza, also known as the San Siro. The stadium is shared with Internazionale (also known as "Inter"), the other major football club in Milan. AC Milan supporters use "San Siro" to refer to the stadium because Meazza was a star player for Inter.

Historically, AC Milan (usually referred to as "Mìlan" in Italy) was supported by the city's working classes and trade unionists, while Inter was mainly supported by the more prosperous. However, in recent years, the clubs have seen a significant reversal in supporter bases. Milan is now owned by conservative media magnate and current Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, while Inter is now owned by a centre-left businessman.

HONORS

League Titles:

* Italian Championship (1901, 06, 07)
* Serie A (1951, 55, 57, 59, 62, 68, 79, 88, 92, 93, 94, 96, 99, 2004)

Cup Titles:

* Coppa Italia (1967, 72, 73, 77, 2003)
* Supercoppa Italiana (1988, 92, 93, 94, 2004)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1963, 69, 89, 90)
* Champions League (1994, 2003, 07)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1968, 73)
* Intercontinental Cup (1969, 89, 90)
* World Club Cup (2007)

REAL MADRID FC

REAL MADRID FC


Full Name: Real Madrid Club de Fútbol
City: Madrid
Founded: 1902
Stadium: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (80,354)
Colors: White
Previous: Madrid Foot Ball Club (1902-20), Real Madrid Foot Ball Club (1920-31), Madrid Club de Fútbol (1931-41)
Nicknames: Los Merengues, Los Galacticos, Los Blancos
Rivals: Barcelona, Atlético Madrid
Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu
Club Address: Avenida de Concha Espina 1, 28036 - Madrid
Official Website: realmadrid.com

Description:

Founded on March 6, 1902 as Madrid Foot Ball Club. The original uniforms of white shorts, white shirts and blue socks where chosen in imitation of the London club Corinthians. In 1904, Madrid FC merged with Moderno, Amicale and Moncloa. In 1920, the club is granted royal status by the king (Alfonso XIII) and the name is changed to Real Madrid. Dropped the politically-charged Real title and adopted the name Madrid Club de Fútbol during the Spanish Civil War, before returning to Real Madrid Club de Fútbol after the War's end. The diagonal stripe in the club's emblem is a symbol of Castille, the Spanish region in which Madrid is located, while the crown is in honor of their royal status. Los Merengues have never been relegated, have won nine European Cup/Champions League trophies and were considered by FIFA the most successful team of the 20th century. The merengues nickname is a reference to their all-white uniforms and the (also all-white) merengue dessert, Galacticos is a reference to their recent habit of buying the most expensive players possible and blancos means The Whites. The stadium is named for a former player, club president and all-around driving force at the club for over seventy years. It was known as the (second) Chamartin from 1947-55 and is located in the north of the city. Previous stadiums: Campo O'Donnell (1912-23), Chamartin (1924-45), Metropolitano (1945-47).

Real Madrid History

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol of Spain is the world's most successful football club for the 20th century, as ranked by the governing body of international football FIFA, just ahead of Manchester United. Formed on March 6, 1902, it competes in the Spanish first division or Primera División, from which it has never been relegated since the formation of Spain's national league in 1928. The club was originally named Madrid Club de Fútbol, but were allowed to use the title Real after King Alfonso XIII of Spain gave the club an official blessing in June 1920.

The team play in an all-white uniform, which is the origin of their nickname Los merengues (the whites). Their home stadium is the Santiago Bernabéu in Chamartín, Madrid, which was founded on December 14, 1947. It has a capacity of 80,354 spectators and its pitch measures 106x72 meters.

Since the middle of the 20th century, Real Madrid has consistently been ranked as one of the top football clubs in Europe. It has won the European Cup more times (nine) than any other club, winning the first five European Cups. The rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is legendary, and draws as much from Spanish politics as it does from footballing matters.

In recent years, Real Madrid have become famous for signing some of the world's best footballers, giving the club a new nickname of Los galácticos (the galactics). This trend began shortly after Euro 2000 with the world record €60m acquisition of Portuguese playmaker Luis Figo from FC Barcelona, who had risen to prominence with some influential displays in the tournament. He was joined the following year by then two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane from the Italian side Juventus, again for a world record fee - this time approximately €71m. The following season, they purchased Ronaldo, top scorer in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, for around €39m from Internazionale.

In the summer of 2003, their target was David Beckham, captain of the English national side, who signed from Manchester United for approximately €36m. Cynics argued that this particular development had as much to do with finance as football, with the Beckham brand ensuring increased revenue from merchandising. However, Beckham made a good start with Madrid, despite their relative underachievement in the 2003/2004 season (winning the Spanish Super Cup and finishing fourth in the Liga). This poor display led to the sacking of coach Carlos Queiroz, who had also made the trip to Madrid from Manchester United in 2003 after leaving his position as assistant manager at the English club. The pressure to win trophies means that managers who fail to deliver are sacked, resulting in a high turnover of managers. John Toshack was twice manager of the club. Recent seasons have also seen the arrival and departure of several other managerial appointments including: Vicente Del Bosque, José Antonio Camacho and Mariano García Remón. Real Madrid have recently turned to the services of Brazillian legend Vanderlei Luxemburgo in a bid to restore stability and discipline within the locker room.

Real's main target in the 2004 offseason was Patrick Vieira; the club made an offer of €35 million (£23.1 million) to English Premiership champions Arsenal for his services. Arsenal rejected Real's overtures, and Real instead made two surprise signings, of Liverpool's Michael Owen (€12m) and Newcastle's Jonathan Woodgate (€24m), who hasn't played a single match since being signed due to a knee injury.

The other two main clubs from Madrid are Atlético de Madrid and (less famously) Getafe. A third club, Rayo Vallecano, was recently relegated to the Segunda División B (Spanish third level), after spending most of its history in the first two levels.


HONORS

League Titles:

* La Liga (1932, 33, 54, 55, 57, 58, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 72, 75, 76, 78, 79, 80, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 95, 97, 2001, 03, 07, 08)

Cup Titles:

* Copa del Rey (1905, 06, 07, 08, 17, 34, 36, 46, 47, 62, 70, 74, 75, 80, 82, 89, 93)
* Supercopa de España (1988, 89, 90, 93, 97, 2001, 03, 08)

International Titles:

* European Cup (1956, 57, 58, 59, 60, 66)
* Champions League (1998, 2000, 02)
* UEFA Cup (1985, 86)
* Intercontinental Cup (1960, 98, 2002)

LIVERPOOL FC

LIVERPOOL FC


Full Name: Liverpool Football Club
City: Liverpool
Founded: 1892
Stadium: Anfield Road (45,362)
Colors: Red, White
Nicknames: The Reds, Pool
Rivals: Everton, Manchester United
Stadium: Anfield
Official Website: liverpoolfc.tv

Description:

Liverpool Football Club were founded on March 15, 1892 by brewery owner John Houlding, at the time also the owner of the Anfield Road stadium. Anfield Road was previously used by Everton Football Club but the Blues left in protest over proposed rent increases. In response, Houlding formed a brand-new club and named it Liverpool Football Club. Liverpool FC played one season in the Lancashire League before joining the Football League for the 1893-94 season. Liverpool became a major force under the guidance of legendary manager Bill Shankly, and later Shankly's longtime assistant Bob Paisley. The Reds' period of sustained dominance in the 1970s and 1980s was unmatched until the rise of Manchester United in the 1990s.

Liverpool FC use the official city of Liverpool colors of red, and the Liverbird (a symbol of the city) in the club emblem. Liverpool's emblem also includes two eternal flames and the club's motto (You'll Never Walk Alone) in honor of the Liverpool supporters who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Liverpool have sadly been involved in two of football's greatest crowd disasters - Heysel in 1985 and Hillsborough in 1989. The Liverpool motto 'You'll Never Walk Alone' is one of the club's most famous traits, and has been adopted by other clubs around the world. It was popularized by the 1960s Liverpool group Gerry & The Pacemakers.

The rivalry with Everton is known as the Merseyside Derby for the Merseyside area encompassing Greater Liverpool. Merseyside takes its name from the river Mersey which flows through Liverpool. The Anfield Road stadium is located on Anfield Road, adjacent to Stanley Park. Arch-rival Everton's stadium is located at the opposite end of the same park. One end of the stadium is known as the Kop (named for the 1906 battle of Spion Kop in the Anglo-Boer War) and holds pride of place for providing some of the best support in the world.

Liverpool FC History

Liverpool Football Club is the most successful English football team, having won 4 European Cups and 18 league (English Premier League, formerly First Division) titles. Their home ground is the 45,362 capacity Anfield, which is about three miles from the city centre of Liverpool.

The club was founded on March 15, 1892 by John Houlding, the owner of Anfield. Houlding decided to form his own team after Everton FC were evicted from Anfield in an argument over rent. The original name was to be Everton FC but was changed to Liverpool FC after The Football Association refused to recognise the team as Everton.

On July 30, 2004, the Liverpool City Council granted the club planning permission to build a new 60,000 seat stadium, nearby at Stanley Park. For a time, it looked likely that the stadium would be shared with local rivals Everton, but talks on a groundshare failed in January 2005, and Liverpool will now have the stadium to itself despite continued pressure from Everton. It is hoped that if all goes to plan, construction of the new stadium will begin in the summer of 2005 and it will open in 2007. The old stadium will then become a public plaza surrounded by apartments, offices, bars, restaurants and a hotel. The treatment of the old stadium requires some sensitivity as a number of deceased fans have had their ashes officially scattered on the pitch over the years.

The club was especially dominant in the 1970s and 1980s. Great players from this time include Ray Clemence, Mark Lawrenson, Graeme Souness, Ian Callaghan, Phil Neal, Kevin Keegan, Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish (102 Caps) and Ian Rush (346 Goals).

The club was also present at two of the biggest tragedies in European football - at Heysel in 1985 and Hillsborough in 1989.

They completed an unprecedented treble of two domestic cups (the League Cup and the FA Cup) and the UEFA Cup in the 2000/01 season. However winning a treble was not something new to Liverpool. In 1984 they were victorious in the European Cup, the League Cup and the Championship. This was the first treble of major honours to be completed by an English club.

The Bill Shankly Era

Bill Shankly was appointed manager of Liverpool before the start of the 1959-60 season. The 35-year-old former Preston North End and Scotland player took charge of the Anfield side when they were in the Second Division and were hardly among the biggest clubs in the English league despite having won the League Championship five times in the past.

Promotion to the First Division was achieved in 1962 when Liverpool won the Second Division championship. In that season, centre forward Roger Hunt scored 41 league goals - a club record which remains unbroken to this day. Liverpool won the First Division Championship in 1964 and regained it two years later, winning their first F.A Cup in the season between their two title triumphs. Roger Hunt, Ian St John, Ron Yeats and Tommy Smith were key Liverpool players in this era. Liverpool won their first European trophy, the UEFA Cup, in 1973 - in that season they also lifted another League Championship. Shankly shocked the football world by announcing his retirement after Liverpool won the 1974 F.A Cup. A local factory even threatened to go on strike in protest against Shankly's decision. But Shankly would not be moved, he watched Liverpool play as a spectator from The Kop until his death from a heart attack in 1981 at the age of 67.

The Bob Paisley Era

Bob Paisley, Shankly's 55-year-old assistant, was promoted to the position of manager for the 1974-75 season after failing to persuade his predecessor to carry on. By the time he retired at the end of the 1982-83 season, Bob Paisley was the most successful manager in the history of Liverpool Football Club - he was even the most successful manager in English football, as far as winning trophies was concerned, for almost two decades after his retirement.

Some of the greatest names in English football turned out for Liverpool under Bob Paisley's management. They included goalkeeper Ray Clemence, captain Emlyn Hughes and striker Kenny Dalglish. Liverpool won six league championships in ten seasons while Paisley was manager, as well as lifting three European Cups, one UEFA Cup, three successive League Cups, one European Super Cup and three Charity Shields - a total of 21 trophies. Paisley's achievement remained unsurprassed in English football until Sir Alex Ferguson won the Premiership title with Manchester United in 2001.

Bob Paisley bowed out of management in May 1983 after guiding Liverpool to their second successive League Championship/League Cup double.

The Joe Fagan Era

Joe Fagan, who at the age of 63 became Liverpool manager after Bob Paisley's retirement, was the club's second manager to be promoted from the coaching staff into the manager's seat. He remained in charge for just two seasons before handing in his retirement, but his first season (1983-84) saw Liverpool set some of the most impressive records in English football. They won their fourth successive League Cup and their third successive League Championship as well as winning the European Cup for the fourth time in eight seasons, thanks to the efforts of Fagan and his high quality squad which was mostly made up of players from the Bob Paisley era. A significant breakthrough star in the Liverpool team was young striker Ian Rush, who had been signed from Chester in 1980 and after a couple of seasons in the reserves had broken into the first team and established himself as a prolific goalscorer. Captain Alan Hansen had some of the finest leadership skills in European football. Zimbabweian goalkeeper Bruce Grobelaar was capable of pulling off some of the most impressive saves from opposition players' shots.

Joe Fagan's second and final seasons as Liverpool manager had a traumatic ending. Liverpool lost out on the league title to neighbours Everton - with four matches to spare. They reached the European Cup final to face Italian champions Juventus at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. But before kick-off, violence between Liverpool and Juventus supporters resulted in the death of 39 (mostly Italian) supporters who were crushed to death by charging Liverpool supporters. The sequel to the tragedy was a 5-year ban on English clubs in European competition, with a 6-year ban on Liverpool.

Fagan retired after the Heysel Disaster and handed over the reins to Liverpool striker Kenny Dalglish, who was given the role of player-manager.


The Kenny Dalglish era

Kenny Dalglish began his management career in style with League Championship/F.A Cup double success in the 1985-86 season. The club finished top of the First Division ahead of neighbours Everton, and to round it all off Liverpool hammered Everton 3-1 in the F.A Cup final. Dalglish was still a top striker despite his advancing years, and his partnership with Ian Rush was the most prolific in the English league. Midfielders Craig Johnston and Ray Houghton were also putting on impressive performances. Liverpool's 1986 double success made history as they were only the fifth team in English football to achieve such a feat, and the first team to win the F.A Cup without fielding a single English player.

Liverpool ended the 1986-87 season trophyless as they lost the League Championship to Everton and the League Cup to Arsenal. Pundits were predicting further disappointment for the following season when star striker Ian Rush was off-loaded to Juventus. Dalglish responded by adding John Barnes and John Aldridge to Liverpool's forward line. Liverpool secured the First Division championship with a nine-point gap over runners-up Manchester United and just two league defeats all season. Barnes was voted Footballer of the Year despite having to suffer the humiliation of monkey chants in a game against Everton where the opposition's chairman, Phillip Carter, disowned his own supporters as 'scum'. The downside to Liverpool's season was a shocking 1-0 F.A Cup final defeat against Wimbledon, who had been in the Football League for just eleven seasons and had just completed only their second season of top division football.

Ian Rush returned to Liverpool for the 1988-89 season, after an unsuccessful spell at Juventus, and was crucial in getting the club to their third F.A Cup final in four years. They beat neighbours Everton 3-2 but the triumph was overshadowed by tragedy in the F.A Cup semi final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough.

Before the F.A Cup semi final could kick off, 94 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death and around 300 others injured after forcing their way onto terracing through gates which the police had unlocked in fear of their own safety. A 95th fan died a few days after the tragedy, and the death toll became 96 in March 1993 when Tony Bland died after being in a coma for nearly four years.

After the F.A Cup final victory, Liverpool played their final league game of the season - a home fixture against their nearest challengers Arsenal, who were three points behind them and had scored two less goals. Liverpool went 1-0 down but still looked set to win the league until the last minute of the game, when a goal from Arsenal midfielder Michael Thomas (who ironically joined Liverpool a few seasons later) deprived Liverpool of the chance to repeat the double for the second season running.

Kenny Dalglish guided Liverpool to their third league title in five seasons in 1989-90. Although the 5-year ban on English clubs in European competition was lifted for the following season, Liverpool had to serve an extra year and were unable to compete in the 1990-91 European Cup.

On February 22nd 1991, with Liverpool halfway through a two-horse race with Arsenal for the league title, Kenny Dalglish dropped a bombshell on the club by handing in his resignation as manager and claimed he could no longer cope with the pressure of managing the club. First-team coach Ronnie Moran took temporary charge of team affairs for several weeks before Graeme Souness was named the club's new manager. But by that stage, Liverpool were slipping behind in the title race and finished runners-up to Arsenal who completed the season with just one defeat from 38 games.


The Graeme Souness Era

Graeme Souness had a reasonable start to his career as Liverpool manager. His first season as manager saw the club win the F.A Cup with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Wembley, a success which ensured they would be competing in the European Cup Winners Cup for the 1992-93 season, which would also be the first season of the new Premier League. He spent recklessly on many new players who did not all prove to be successful, especially strikers Paul Stewart and Nigel Clough. Younger players like Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp were proving to be successful instead of these expensive acquisitions. The veteran Ian Rush, meanwhile, was still scoring goals as freely as ever despite now being in his thirties. Long serving goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was often being kept out of the team by promising young shot-stopper David James.

Liverpool finished sixth in the first-ever Premier League and had never looked like title challengers at any stage in the 1992-93 season. The 1993-94 season was no different and Souness was dismissed in January 1994 after Liverpool suffered a shock defeat against Bristol City in the F.A Cup Third Round.


The Roy Evans Era

Roy Evans, a boot room veteran who had been on the club's pay roll since the late 1950's, was promoted to the position of manager following the dismissal of Graeme Souness. He guided Liverpool to an eighth place finish in the 1993-94 Premier League campaign, and made two expensive additions to the squad for the following season - central defenders Phil Babb and John Scales. Young striker Robbie Fowler netted 29 goals in all competitions and was voted Young Player of the Year by the PFA, while veteran striker Ian Rush was still scoring vast numbers of goals in his 34th year. Liverpool made big progress during the 1994-95 season, finished fourth in the Premiership and beating Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the League Cup final.

In the summer of 1995, Liverpool paid Nottingham Forest a British record fee of £8.5million for striker Stan Collymore. The high fee initially looked to have paid off, but during his second season at the club, Collymore's form dipped (and he appeared to be wasting his talent with incidents off the pitch) and he was sold to Aston Villa for £7million in May 1997. Within four years he had quit the game after brief unsuccessful spells with Fulham, Leicester City, Bradford City and finally Real Oviedo.

Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore formed an impressive partnership for the 1995-96 season which saw the veteran Ian Rush relegated to the substitute bench for much of the season before his departure on a free transfer to Leeds United. Liverpool finished third in the Premiership and were within shouting distance of the title right up to the final weeks of the season. They reached the F.A Cup final and were defeated by Manchester United. But Liverpool still qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup because United had won the Premiership/F.A Cup double.

Liverpool finished fourth in the 1996-97 season having frequently led the table for much of the early part of the season, and were defeated by Paris St. Germain in the semi finals of the European Cup Winners Cup.

1997-98 saw the emergence of a world class young player at Liverpool: Michael Owen. The 18-year-old Chester-born centre forward was a regular player in the first team almost all season long, relegating high profile German striker Karlheinz Reidle to the bench. He became the youngest-ever full England international in February 1998 and was voted Young Player of the Year by the PFA. Liverpool had an outside chance of winning the Premiership title for much of the 1997-98 season but were unable to catch champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester United, so their place in Europe for 1998-99 was merely the UEFA Cup rather than the Champions League.

The Gerard Houllier Era

Gerard Houllier, the former French national coach, was drafted into the Liverpool management team for the 1998-99 season to work alongside Roy Evans. But Evans found that the partnership did not suit him and he quit during the 1998-99 season, at the end of which Liverpool finished a disappointing seventh - not even enough for a UEFA Cup place.

Liverpool had their best season for years in 2000-01 when they won a unique treble of the League Cup (beating Birmingham on penalties after a 1-1 draw), F.A Cup (beating Arsenal 2-1 with two last minute goals for Michael Owen) and UEFA Cup (beating CD Alaves 5-4). They became the first club in English football to achieve two 'trebles' of any kind. In 1999, Manchester United had become only the second English team to win a treble of any kind when they won the Premiership, F.A Cup and Champions League. The 2001 treble success confirmed Houllier's status as a world class manager.

By now, Liverpool's side contained a new set of players including goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, defender and captain Sami Hyppia, young midfielder Steven Gerard and Michael Owen's strike partner Emile Heskey. The new generation of players was so impressive that even Robbie Fowler had left the club, joined Leeds United in an £11million deal in November 2001.

2001-02 saw Liverpool progress even further. They ended the season without a major trophy, but finished league runners-up for the first time since 1991 - ironically ending Manchester United's 10-year run of top-two finishes which had begun when Liverpool's 10-year run had ended.

Liverpool won another League Cup in 2003 but Houllier had failed to deliver the league title which had eluded Anfield since 1990, although they did qualify for the Champions League three times during his tenure. Houllier was sacked at the end of the 2003-04 season and replaced by the Spaniard Rafael Benitez, who had just guided Valencia to the Spanish league title. Benitez's hopes of re-establishing Liverpool as a top club were dented when star striker Michael Owen moved to Real Madrid in an £8million deal.

The Rafael Benitez Era

Rafael Benitez has so far guided Liverpool to a League Cup final-losing to Chelsea in extra-time-and a Champion's League Semi-Final in his first season as manager. In the Premiership, Liverpool have fallen behind neighbours Everton during 2004-05, partly due to a crippling series of injuries to key players, but in recent weeks the gap has been closed and they remain in the running to take the last Champion's League position.

HONORS

League Titles:

* Football League First Division (1901, 06, 22, 23, 47, 64, 66, 73, 76, 77, 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90)
* Football League Second Division (1894, 96, 1905, 62)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1964*, 65*, 66, 74, 76, 77*, 79, 80, 82, 86*, 88, 89, 90*, 2001)
* Community Shield (2006)
* FA Cup (1965, 74, 86, 89, 92, 2001, 06)
* Football League Cup (1981, 82, 83, 84, 95, 2001, 03)


International Titles:

* European Cup (1977, 78, 81, 84)
UEFA Champions League (2005)
UEFA Cup (1973, 76, 2001)

ARSENAL FC

ARSENAL FC


Full Name: Arsenal Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1886
Stadium: Emirates Stadium (60,000)
Colors: Red, White
Previous Names: Dial Square (1886), Royal Arsenal (1886-91), Woolwich Arsenal (1891-1914)
Nickname: The Gunners
Rivals: Tottenham Hotspur
Official Website: arsenal.com

Description:

A works team named Dial Square were formed in 1886, Dial Square being a workshop within the Royal Arsenal armaments factory in Woolwich, a neighborhood in south London. The name changed within the year to Royal Arsenal and five years later to Woolwich Arsenal to reflect its growing popularity. Woolwich Arsenal joined the Football League in 1893 and were for several decades the only major club from London in the northern-dominated league. In 1914, they moved to the north London neighborhood of Highbury and dropped the Woolwich part of their name.

The Gunners nickname is a reference to the cannon in the club's emblem and their origins in an armaments factory. The red jerseys were adopted after a charitable donation from similarly red-clad Nottingham Forest. The white sleeves were introduced by legendary manager Herbert Chapman in the 1930s as a way to stand out from a number of other red/white kits. The club's supporters are often referred to as Gooners, a pun on the typical Gunners nickname.

Arsenal FC are the only English club to finish a top division season undefeated, that happening in 2003-04. The Gunners featured in the first English match broadcast on both radio and television. The rivalry with arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur is known as the North London Derby.

The Emirates Stadium is named for its sponsor, Emirates Airlines. Previous stadiums - Plumstead Common (1886-87), Sportsman Ground (1887-88), Manor Ground (1888-90), Invicta Ground (1890-93), Manor Ground (1893-1913), Highbury (1913-2006).

Arsenal FC History

Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) is a north London football club founded in 1886. They play at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury.

Early years

Arsenal were originally called Dial Square. The club later changed its name to Woolwich Arsenal, and then to Royal Arsenal, then back to Woolwich Arsenal again (the original founders were employed in the "Dial Square" area of the Woolwich Arsenal, an armaments factory in Woolwich, south London). In 1893 they were the first southern team admitted to the Football League, a move partly caused by the refusal of other southern teams to play them after they turned professional. From 1893 to 1904, Woolwich Arsenal played in the Second Division of the Football League. They were promoted to the First Division in 1904.

Woolwich Arsenal were relegated in 1913, the same year they moved from their south London home to Arsenal Stadium (often referred to as "Highbury") in north London. Their move away from this area precipitated the professionalism of Charlton Athletic - at this point an amateur club, amongst others who filled the void. With the move came the change of name to "The Arsenal". The club rejoined the First Division by dubious means in 1919 and have remained in the top division since that time, a unique feat in England.

This unbroken stretch of top-flight football has come much to the chagrin and longstanding enmity of Tottenham Hotspur (or "Spurs" for short) and their supporters, who lost their First Division place to The Arsenal. The First Division was due to be expanded and the decision to promote The Arsenal (who came fifth in the final league season before the war) rather than Barnsley or Wolves (third and fourth place, respectively), or to not relegate Spurs (who finished bottom of the First Division), has been linked to dubious back room deals by The Arsenal's chairman, and mastermind of the move from Woolwich to Highbury, Sir Henry Norris.

1930s to 1960s

In 1925, Huddersfield Town manager Herbert Chapman took over at The Arsenal. Under his leadership, a successful drive to rename the local tube station, Gillespie Road station, to Arsenal took place (the old name can still be seen picked out in tiles on the wall of the station). Chapman's Arsenal won the FA Cup in 1930 and the League in 1931 and 1933. They became the dominant team English football in the 1930s. It was also during Chapman's era that the club lost the definite article from its name, becoming just "Arsenal". It has been suggested by some that Chapman instigated the change so that Arsenal would be at the top of the League's alphabetical list, a position they maintain among the 92 top clubs today (however, should Accrington Stanley gain promotion from the Conference, they will lose it).

Chapman died suddenly in January 1934, but his legacy was continued by his successor, George Allison, who oversaw the club's completion of a hat-trick of league titles, and another FA Cup win in 1936. Such was Arsenal's dominance that in November 1934, Arsenal players made up seven of the eleven England players who beat World Champions Italy 3-2.

At the outbreak of war in 1939, Arsenal Stadium was requisitioned as an ARP station, with a barrage balloon operating behind the Clock End. The stadium continued to operate as a football ground for the armed forces, often with two or three games on it every day. During the Blitz, a 3,000lb bomb fell on the North Bank stand, destroying that stand's roof and setting fire to the scrap that was being stored on the terrace. Arsenal played their wartime home games at White Hart Lane, courtesy of their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. After the war, the Arsenal board presented the Spurs board with a cannon as a gesture of thanks.

The war had cut short the careers of many of the club's star players, and upon the league's resumption in 1946-47 the club finished a dissapointing 13th. Allison resigned and was replaced by Tom Whitaker. Whitaker enjoyed immediate success with the club, winning the league in 1948 and 1953 and the FA Cup in 1950. However, after these the club went through a barren period, not winning a trophy for another seventeen years. England legend Billy Wright managed the club between 1962 and 1966 with little success, but he was succeeded by club physiotherapist Bertie Mee, who would lead the club to success in the early 1970s.

1970s to mid-1980s

Mee's appointment at Arsenal heralded a brief period of glory. The youth team had won the FA Youth Cup in 1966, and players such as Charlie George, John Radford and Ray Kennedy graduated to the first team. The team's early signs of promise included reaching two successive League Cup finals in the late 1960s, although they lost both times, the second one an infamous 3-1 loss to Third Division side Swindon Town.

Arsenal finally collected some silverware in 1970, when the club won its first European trophy, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. After beating Ajax Amsterdam, one of the strongest teams in the world at the time, in the semi-finals, Arsenal won the final 4-3 on aggregate over Anderlecht, after being (at one point) 3-0 down in the first leg.

The highlight of this period was the club's first FA Cup and League "Double" win in 1970-71.The League title was won at White Hart Lane, home of their deadly rivals Tottenham Hotspur, on the last day of the season; five days later Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley after extra-time, the winning goal scored by Charlie George.

Arsenal failed to capitalise on this success, and spent most of the mid-1970s in mid-table obscurity, brightened only with the emergence of Irish superstar Liam Brady. However, towards the end of the decade, under Terry Neill they proved their mettle in the cup. Between 1978 and 1980 Arsenal had a record-equalling spell in which they reached three FA Cup finals in a row. They won just the one, beating Manchester United 3-2 in the 1979 final after United had come back from 2-0 down. Alan Sunderland scored late on to secure a famous victory.

Arsenal went on to lose the following season's FA Cup final to West Ham, and the Cup Winners Cup final on penalties to Valencia. After the departure of Liam Brady to Juventus, the team entered another barren period for the first half of the 1980s.

The George Graham years

At the end of the 1985-86 season, Millwall manager George Graham (a former Arsenal player) was appointed as the club's new manager and it was a beginning of a golden era of Highbury. He led the club to victory over Liverpool in the League Cup final during his first season in charge and at the end of his third season (1988-89) the club won its first league title since 1971 in dramatic fashion. Needing two goals to secure the league championship against Liverpool, an injury time goal by midfielder Michael Thomas (who, ironically, later became a Liverpool player) gave Arsenal a 2-0 win to secure the league title. Another league title came in 1991, with Arsenal losing just one out of 38 league fixtures, although they had 2 points deducted in October 1990 after ten of their players were involved in a brawl with Manchester United players in a match at Old Trafford.

By the early 1990s, Arsenal had probably the finest squad in the English league. Goalkeeper David Seaman, defender and captain Tony Adams, winger Paul Merson and striker Alan Smith were capable of competing with some of the best players in England, if not Europe. The £2.5million addition of Crystal Palace striker Ian Wright in October 1991 further boosted the squad. Arsenal completed a unique FA Cup/League Cup double in 1993 (beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in both finals) although they finished 10th in the inaugural Premier League and scored fewer goals (40) than any other team in the division.

1994 saw the club win its second European trophy, by beating Parma 1-0 in the Cup Winners Cup final with a goal from Alan Smith. But the following February, George Graham was sacked after nearly nine years in charge after he was discovered to have accepted an illegal £425,000 payment from Swedish agent Rune Hauge following the 1992 acquisition of Danish midfielder John Jensen. Assistant manager Stewart Houston took charge until the end of the season, and although Arsenal finished a disappointing 12th in the Premiership they did reach the Cup Winners Cup final again - only to lose 2-1 to a last minute goal from the halfway line by Real Zaragoza midfielder Nayim.

The interregnum

Bruce Rioch, who had just guided Bolton Wanderers to a League Cup final appearance and promotion to the top division after a 15-year exile, was appointed as the club's new manager for the 1995-96 season. He (briefly) broke the English transfer record by paying Internazionale £7.5million for Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp, and the new signing formed an impressive partnership with Ian Wright.

Arsenal reached the League Cup semi final and finished fifth in the Premiership at the end of 1995-96, securing a place in the following season's UEFA Cup and giving hope for an eventual title challenge. But in August 1996, just before the start of the new season, Bruce Rioch was sacked by the club's board of directors after a dispute over transfer funds.

Assistant manager Stewart Houston was once again put in temporary charge, remaining at the helm for a month, before resigning to take over at QPR. Youth team coach Pat Rice held the fort for several games, before making way for the 44-year-old Frenchman Arsène Wenger, who had guided AS Monaco to the French league title in 1988.

Wenger's Arsenal

With the advent of Arsène Wenger as manager, Arsenal rebuilt their squad with a crop of French players seemingly unknown to all but Wenger. This first batch included Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira, as well as the Dutch winger Marc Overmars. Wenger melded the team with some of the "old guard", retaining Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown and Steve Bould, and also keeping on Pat Rice as his assistant. The team immediately improved under Wenger's management, coming third and achieving a UEFA Cup place in 1996-97, with six minutes left in the last game of the season.

Wenger took the club much further, to their second ever double the following season, after closing a 11 point gap behind Manchester United. A 4-0 home win over Everton on May 3 gave Arsenal the title with two matches to spare, making Arsène Wenger the first foreign manager to win the English league. On May 16, Arsenal beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the FA Cup final to complete the double.

Despite the signing of Fredrik Ljungberg in 1998 and Thierry Henry a year later, a more barren period followed as Arsenal failed to win anything for the next few years, though they came close several times; they blew a winning position in the 1998-99 Championship, losing it on the final day, and lost the last ever FA Cup semi-final replay to Manchester United in extra time, after a Dennis Bergkamp penalty miss in normal time. They also lost the UEFA Cup Final in 2000, on penalties to Turkish side Galatasaray after a 0-0 draw, and the 2001 FA Cup Final to Liverpool, after leading 1-0 but succumbing to two late Michael Owen goals.

Arsenal bounced back in the 2001-02 season, as they won their second double under Wenger, winning all of their final 13 Premiership fixtures. They finished seven points ahead of runners-up Liverpool, the title secured in the penultimate game of the season with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. The previous weekend, Arsenal had wrapped up their eighth FA Cup success, beating Chelsea 2-0. Arsenal scored in all 38 league games and not losing any of their 19 away games. Henry was the club's leading league goalscorer with 24 goals in the Premiership.

Arsenal retained the FA Cup in 2002-03, but their joy was soured by the fact that they had surrendered the Premiership title to Manchester United when at the beginning of March they had led the table by eight points; Arsenal lost their title with a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Leeds United in the penultimate game of the season.

Arsenal had a record breaking season in 2003-04, winning the Premiership unbeaten (26 wins, 12 draws, 0 defeats), becoming only the second team to do so without losing a single game - the first being Preston North End in 1889. Their rivals for the title gained revenge in other competitions though, as Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea and the FA Cup by Manchester United in successive games.

The team has yet to register top finishes in the UEFA Champions League, where they have still not progressed beyond the quarter-finals stage. This may have contributed to Thierry Henry's failure to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2003, although he is the third player to win the PFA Player of the Year award in two different seasons (after Mark Hughes and Alan Shearer), and is the first to win the award in two consecutive seasons. So far, Henry and other key players have shown loyalty to the team and its manager by renewing their contracts rather than departing for the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid, where they would almost certainly be paid greater amounts of money than at Arsenal.

Thanks to his success at Arsenal, Arsène Wenger is now rated by some as the best Arsenal manager ever, while most football enthusiasts rate him at least as good as Herbert Chapman, Bertie Mee and George Graham.

HONORS

League Titles:

* English Premier League (1998, 2002, 04)
* Football League First Division (1931, 33, 34, 35, 38, 48, 53, 71, 89, 91)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1930, 31, 33, 34, 38, 48, 53, 91*, 98, 99)
* Community Shield (2002, 04)
* FA Cup (1930, 36, 50, 71, 79, 93, 98, 2002, 03, 05)
* Football League Cup (1987, 93)

International Titles:

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1994)
* Fairs Cup (1970)
Stadium: Arsenal Stadium (Highbury)
Noticias del Arsenal FC

CHELSEA FC

CHELSEA FC

Full Name: Chelsea Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1905
Stadium: Stamford Bridge (42,294)
Colors: Blue, White
Nicknames: The Blues
Rivals: Fulham

Official Website: chelseafc.com

Description:

Chelsea Football Club was formed on March 14, 1905 by Gus Mears, owner of the Stamford Bridge athletics ground. He attempted to persuade other clubs to move into the stadium but when he could find no takers eventually formed a club of his own to fill it. Chelsea joined the Football League that following autumn for the 1905-06 season. Chelsea is a neighborhood of London, although the club and stadium are actually based in the nearby district of Fulham. The club's emblem includes a lion from the coat of arms of the Earl Cadogan, the former Viscount of Chelsea who was an early club president. The club originally wore light blue jerseys in homage to the horse racing colors of Earl Cadogan. They changed to royal blue in 1912 and adopted blue shorts in the 1960s in a bid to become more distinctive. Stamford Bridge gets it name from a bridge over the Stanford Creek, a local waterway that has long since dried up

Chelsea FC History

Chelsea Football Club (also known as the Blues, previously known as the Pensioners), founded in 1905, is a Premier League football team that plays at Stamford Bridge football ground in South west London. Notwithstanding the club's name, it is not actually based in the borough of Chelsea, but just outside its boundaries, in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is on the Fulham Road, which runs between Fulham and the borough district of Chelsea. Chelsea currently have the seventh longest unbroken tenure in the top division, having been there since the 1989-90 season.

Chelsea's history is inextricably linked to Stamford Bridge - the club's stadium since its inception - and its history, therefore, begins with the building of the stadium although this was before the foundation of the Club.

Stamford Bridge officially opened on 28 April 1877. For the first 28 years of its existence it was used almost exclusively by the London Athletic Club as an arena for athletics meetings and not for football at all. In 1904 the ownership of the ground changed hands when H A (Gus) Mears and his brother, J T Mears, obtained the deeds, having previously acquired additional land (formerly a large market garden) with the aim of establishing a football team there on the now 12.5 acre (51,000 m²) site. The Mears family remained the owners of the ground (and subsequently the Club) until the 1970s.

Stamford Bridge was designed by Archibald Leitch and initially included a 120 yard long stand on the East side which could hold 5000 spectators. The other sides were all open in a vast bowl with thousands of tons of material excavated from the building of the underground railway providing high terracing on the West side.

The stadium was initially offered to Fulham Football Club, but the offer was turned down. As a consequence, the owners decided to form Chelsea Football Club to occupy the new grounds. Most football clubs were founded first, and then sought grounds in which to play. By contrast and a historical quirk, Chelsea was founded for Stamford Bridge - a readymade club for the ground. Although technically in Fulham, the founders decided to adopt the name of the adjacent borough of Chelsea for the new club as there was already a Fulham Football Club in existence.

Chelsea F.C. was founded on March 14, 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Greene Room) opposite today's main entrance to the ground on the Fulham Road. This was followed by the club's election into the Second Division at the Football League AGM on May 29, 1905. Chelsea's first match took place away at Stockport County on September 1, 1905. The Club began with established players recruited from other teams and promotion to the top flight was swift, but the club's early years were uneventful. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final in 1915, but no major honours were won until the 1954-55 season when Chelsea finished top of the First Division and lifted its first trophy - the league title.

The swinging 60's ushered in an era that saw football and inimitable style merge in the heart of London; with the fashionable King's Road at the heart of the swagger. A 60's Chelsea that oozed charisma and class soon built up a major following, but ultimately failed to match its swagger with on-field triumphs. No major domestic titles were won, except for the League Cup in 1965 (Chelsea's first League Cup), followed by an FA cup final loss in 1967.

The early 1970s saw a great Chelsea team which is still fondly remembered (not least because it was a couple of decades before its achievements were matched at the club): it featured the likes of Ron 'Chopper' Harris, Ian Hutchison and Peter Osgood. In 1970 Chelsea ran out F.A. Cup winners (beating 'dirty' Leeds 2-1 in a pulsating final). A UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph was added to the haul the following year - Chelsea's first non-domestic honour.

But there was no further success in that decade as the discipline of the team degenerated and an over-ambitious redevelopment of the stadium (which only got as far as the pioneering East Stand, which retains its place even in the modern stadium) threatened the financial stability of the club as well. Further problems were caused by a fearsome reputation for violence amongst a section of the supporters (the boundary between passion and hooliganism being dangerously narrow in those days) and the club started to fall apart both on and off the field.

The financial problems exacerbated the club's other difficulties and a spiral of decline began. Star players were sold off, the team was relegated, and the freehold of the stadium site was sold off to property developers, which was to create serious problems in the years to come.

As always, however, Chelsea retained its high profile; and its widespread base of supporters, many of them very hard core, saw it through what proved to be the very difficult years of the 1970's and 1980's. However, although relegated to the Second Division twice, it never fell further (although it came dangerously close).

Chelsea was, at the nadir of its fortunes, acquired from the Mears family interests by new Ken Bates for the princely sum of £1, and Bates proved to be a real fighter as the new Chairman, although his opponents included supporters (who did not take kindly to his suggestion of electrified fences to keep them off the pitch) as well as the property developers who now owned the freehold. In 1992, Bates finally outmanoevred the latter and reunited the freehold with the Club, by seeing the property developers go bust and doing a deal with their banks.

In the meantime, Chelsea had achieved promotion to the First Division again as Second Division champions in 1989 and, this time, it managed to stay in the top flight: indeed, it has remained there ever since.

In 1989-90, Chelsea finished fourth in the First Division under Bobby Campbell but were denied a place in the UEFA Cup because only the runners-up (Aston Villa) qualified for the competition. Campbell quit as manager the following season to be replaced by Reading manager Ian Porterfield, a former Chelsea player. In the inaugural 1992-1993 season of the Premier League Chelsea finished 11th, but not before seeing Porterfield resign and replaced (in a stop-gap capacity till the end of the season) by another former Chelsea player - David Webb, who had been part of the legendary 1970 FA Cup winning side. He made way for 35-year-old player-manager Glenn Hoddle at the end of the season.

Although Hoddle himself had no Chelsea pedigree at all - having spent his best playing years at rival London club Tottenham Hotspur - his appointment proved to be a turning point. Hoddle recruited world class players, albeit at the end of their careers, such as Ruud Gullit, and a vision of continental flair (Hoddle himself had played for AS Monaco) was introduced to the club. Upgrading of the stadium facilities also began again, now that the ownership question had been resolved, and a large contribution from millionnaire supporter Matthew Harding (later killed in a helicopter accident whilst travelling to an away game) made it possible to construct the present Matthew Harding Stand (the North Stand).

Hoddle's first season saw the club's league position drop 3 places to 14th - but this was made up for by the club reaching in 1994 its first FA Cup final since 1970. The final was lost 4-0 to Manchester United in a game marred by the award of two penalties against Chelsea.

But since Manchester United had won the Premiership, the runners up spot nevertheless qualified Chelsea for the 1994-95 Cup Winners' Cup competition. This was its first participation in non-domestic competition since its former glory days in the early 1970's and marked another step forward for the club. Chelsea reached the semi-finals in the 1994-1995 Cup Winners' Cup competition (losing by a single goal). The same season saw a respectable if unexciting mid-table Premiership finish at 11th place.

The 1995-96 season saw Chelsea finishing 11th in the Premiership - its third 11th place finish in four seasons. Hoddle left at the end of the season to manage the England national team. He was replaced as player-manager by the 33-year-old Ruud Gullit, the celebrated Dutch exponent of 'total football' who had joined the club a year earlier on a free transfer from Sampdoria.

Under Gullit, Chelsea started winning major honours again. He made history in 1996-97 by being the first foreign manager to win the FA Cup when his Chelsea side beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in the Final. That game set the record for the fastest goal scored in an F.A. Cup ever - with Chelsea's Roberto di Matteo scoring 43 seconds into the game. This was Chelsea's first major trophy for 25 years. Chelsea also achieved its best-yet finish in the Premiership, in sixth place.

In February 1998, Gullit was suddenly sacked as manager following a dispute with the board of directors. Another of Chelsea's star foreign players, the veteran Italian striker Gianluca Vialli took over as player-manager and quickly established himself by winning two major competitions - the domestic League Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup, both in 1998. By now, Chelsea had one of the largest contingents of foreign players in the Premiership, and had the dubious distinction of being the first team to field a non-English starting 11. Out went the likes of Gareth Hall, Mark Stein, Paul Furlong, David Rocastle and John Spencer. In came Dutch goalkeeper Ed de Goey, Nigerian defender Celestine Babayaro, Italian striker Gianfranco Zola (in 2003, voted as the best player in club history by the fans) and French midfielder Bernard Lambourde. But important English players remaining in the side included defender Graeme Le Saux and midfielder and Captain Dennis Wise.

Under Vialli, Chelsea continued to win trophies faster than at any time in its previous history. Chelsea lifted the European Super Cup at the start of 1998-99 season when it beat the reigning European Cup champions Real Madrid. Vialli subsequently led Chelsea to victory in the FA Cup in 2000 (the last showpiece final to be held at Wembley before its redevelopment). Chelsea also won the Charity Shield in August 2000. But despite these trophies, Vialli was sacked in September 2000. He had, it was reported, lost the confidence of his players.

Another Italian, Claudio Ranieri, replaced him as manager and set about rebuilding what was now an ageing side. Ranieri was Chelsea manager for four years, and bought players wisely without having unlimited funds at his disposal. His team, whilst it disappointingly won no honours, routinely pushed for a top 3 finish in the league and qualified, through its league positions, for UEFA Cup competition in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. In 2002 Chelsea reached the final of the FA Cup, but were beaten finalists at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Ranieri qualified for the 2003-04 Champions League competition in his penultimate season - a competition that saw the high of an emotional Chelsea victory over their London rivals Arsenal, followed by the low of ignominious defeat in the semi-final by 10-man Monaco. In the Premiership, Chelsea finished an extraordinary 2003-4 season as Premier League runners up - their highest league placing for half a century - once again qualifying them for the Champions League.

By now, the Club's extravagant spending on players and on buildings had caused it to accumulate huge debts of some £80 million which had brought it to the brink of insolvency. But in July 2003, Chelsea was suddenly acquired from Ken Bates by Roman Abramovich, a previously unknown Russian billionaire who was far and away the richest person ever to acquire a British football club. British tabloids immediately dubbed the club Chelski.

At a stroke, Abramovich used his fortune to wipe out the club's substantial debt, and then proceeded to fund the acquisition of new players on an unprecedented scale. New signings for the start of the 2003/04 season included the Irish left winger Damien Duff, Cameroon international right-sided midfielder Njitap Geremi, French midfielder Claude Makelele who joined from Real Madrid, Argentinian striker Hernán Crespo, English youngsters Wayne Bridge, Glen Johnson and Joe Cole and the Argentinian midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón. During the Christmas transfer period English midfielder Scott Parker joined after having impressed with his performances for Charlton Athletic.

Despite his side finishing runners-up in Premier League during the 2003-2004 season, and reaching the semi finals of the Champions League, manager Claudio Ranieri was sacked at the end of his fourth season at the Club, and first season under Abramovich's ownership, on 31 May 2004. It was clear that Abramovich wanted more than runners up status for his new club - and it seemed that he had the money to get what he wanted. Ranieri was well-liked inside and outside the Club, but he had won nothing, worked only with the first team, and did not share the holistic vision the board had for a manager in his capacity.

Ranieri's replacement is one of the most successful young managers of recent times - José Mourinho. Having won successive Portuguese league titles, the UEFA Cup, and the Champions League on the trot with an unfancied FC Porto, he was appointed Chelsea manager on 2 June 2004.

Mourinho's signings of Didier Drogba, Mateja Kezman, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, and Tiago, coupled with the already-agreed deals for Arjen Robben and Petr Cech, pushed Abramovich's total spending on players above £200 million.

In the 2004-05 season, Chelsea went on to win the 2005 League (Carling) Cup, beating Liverpool 3-2 in the final. They are also top of the Premiership, and have advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

League Titles:

* English Premier League (2005, 06)
* Football League First Division (1955)
* Football League Second Division (1984, 89)

Cup Titles

* Charity Shield (1955, 2000)
* Community Shield (2005, 09)
* FA Cup (1970, 97, 2000, 07)
* Football League Cup (1965, 98, 2005, 07)

International Titles

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1971, 98)