Chelsea: Champions of England 1954-55

For years Chelsea FC were English football's music hall joke. Then, in 1955, they shocked the sporting world by winning the Football League championship. The event was so unexpected that there was no champagne to swig, no lap of honour by the players. The chairman, manager and skipper said a few polite words from the directors' box, and that was about it. Tens of thousands of long-suffering supporters were left with a feeling of anti-climax. Typical Chelsea! After 50 years without winning anything, when it happened they hadn't a clue how to celebrate. Some of the players drifted over the road for a cup of tea and a chip butty at the local greasy spoon, then had an early night. Others caught their usual train home and went dog racing. The skipper took his wife to the boardroom, where they sipped a drink and nibbled a few nuts. How football has changed in the years since. The low-key celebrations certainly did not reflect the scale of the achievement. In their Golden Jubilee season of 1954-55 Chelsea had been rank outsiders for the title, with most people expecting mighty Wolves and Manchester United to contest the big prize. But manager Ted Drake, in three years at the club, had fashioned a gritty, uncompromising team who refused to surrender when things went wrong. When Wolves stuttered in the spring of 1955, Chelsea slipped past them to top the League - and stayed there. Fielding four or five genuine 'hard men', Chelsea were unpopular champions in many quarters, but the side contained plenty of skill. This book tells in detail the full story of an unlikely and memorable achievement. Poignant, funny, profound - this is a classic tale of a triumph against the odds. Chelsea were Champions of England. Note: This book has not been authorised or endorsed by Chelsea FC.