A Brief History of Chelsea – Chelsea v Arsenal 1969
In preparation for the match this weekend and to coincide with the unveiling of Peter Osgood’s statue.
I have delved into the amazing archive that is YouTube to find a classic Chelsea game from the same fixture in 1969.
Over 46,000 fans packed into Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea thump Arsenal 3-0 in a season where the Blues finished third.
This day they were treated to a scintillating match in which bragging rights were secured.
To emphasise just how many legends filled this first team here is the line up from this fixture on the 27th September 1969:
Starting XI
Peter Bonetti, Charlie Cooke, Eddie McCreadie, John Hollins, John Dempsey, Marvin Hinton, Charlie Cooke, Peter Houseman, Tommy Baldwin, Alan Birchenall, Peter Osgood
Sub: Houston
Some names may not be etched into the names of fans that were born after this golden generation disbanded, players such as Cooke, Baldwin, Bonetti and in particular Osgood should be players that any fan can admire.
The strength and history of the squad this season extended beyond those in the first eleven against Arsenal, players such as club record goal scorer included Bobby Tambling, record appearance maker Ron Harris, Alan Hudson and future caretaker manager at the club David Webb.
This really was a time when Chelsea were in the ascendancy for the first time since the Championship with this generation of players bringing attractive football and a swagger to the Bridge.
A time when the King’s Road was the heart of fashion and cool in London, rock stars and movie stars were a common site at the games and the changing rooms after the games. Fans from this time have stories of nights on the King’s Road where the players were no different from you and I enjoying a drink and living in the local area.
Enough talking here are the video highlights
