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CHAMPIONS! The title, the celebrations and a final farewell PRINCIPAL CLUB PARTNER

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HAZARD WINS FANS’ VOTE FOR THE THIRD TIME AT BLUES’ AWARDS NIGHT

CONTENTS ISSUE 155 // JULY 2017

Words | Dominic Bliss

TERRY AND HIS TROPHIES Last month we said farewell to the most successful player in Chelsea’s history. After joining the club 22 years ago, at the age of 14, John Terry went on to win 15 major trophies: five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League. All but one of those honours was achieved as captain of the club and he departs Stamford Bridge with 717 Chelsea appearances and 67 goals to his name. Before he left, we asked him to take us through his Blues career, trophy by trophy...

That was really early in my career and when I look back now, I went on loan to Nottingham Forest in March 2000 and I thought that was it for me with the FA Cup that season. Even so, we had every Wednesday off at Forest, so every Tuesday night after training I would drive all the way back from Nottingham and go in to train with Chelsea on Wednesdays. I remember the first time I did that, Gianluca Vialli was like, “What are you doing here?” and I said, “Well, we’ve got a day off.” I just kept myself in the loop with the first team, trained with them, and I think it set a great example of what I was all about, but it also kept me in his mind. It’s one of those “out of sight, out of mind” situations, so I made sure I stayed in his thoughts and when I came back at the end of Forest’s season, he put me on the bench for the FA Cup final. It was a nice thing he did putting all the young players on the bench that day – me, Jody Morris and Jon Harley. It was a nice touch. It was a major trophy to win, in the last FA Cup final at the old Wembley, which was an unbelievable stadium. To even have that on my CV, that I was there, is great. To then go on and become a player who was in the last squad to win it at the old Wembley and

DOMESTIC HONOURS Football League/ Premier League champions 1955, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017

FA Cup winners 1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 Football League Cup winners 1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015 FA Charity/ Community Shield winners 1955, 2000, 2005, 2009

TIME TO

PARTY!

The men who made it happen reflect on a job well done as the Premier League trophy came back to Stamford Bridge 23

EUROPEAN HONOURS

Division Two champions 1984, 1989

Full Members Cup winners 1986, 1990

in the first to win it at the new Wembley, in 2007, was amazing really. It was five years between my first trophy celebration and my second and it did feel like a long time. Of course, you want trophies every season but, realistically, I think we all understood we were in a transitional period as a football club in that time. Year after year you could see things improving as big players came in and made a big difference. The way we were eating, the way we were training, looking after ourselves before and after training. That old mentality within the dressing room – that drinking mentality, if you like – completely went out of the game, and it became more professional. That was all down to the players we were bringing in. So it was a massive change for the club, a big transition, but well worth it in the end.

UEFA Champions League winners 2012

07 Blues News 12 John Terry 22 Champions’ celebrations 32 Eden Hazard 38 Player Of The Year Awards 2017 44 The Month That Was 46 Eddie Newton 48 Match Action 52 Pic of the Month 54 Month In Numbers 57 Academy 62 Ladies 69 Chelsea Foundation 72 Paul Oakenfold 77 We Were There 80 Message Board 81 Trophy Trivia 82 King’s Road Boutique Gary Cahill and John Terry bring out the Premier League trophy at the awards evening at Battersea Evolution

UEFA Europa League winners 2013

Words | James Sugrue

On an unforgettable night of celebrations, tributes and farewells, our outstanding performers were recognised and some familiar faces from the past made a welcome appearance on stage Players, staff and supporters all gathered to celebrate the end of a successful season at the Chelsea FC Awards as the winners of our individual prizes were revealed and we said goodbye to two Blues stalwarts. The event, at Battersea Evolution in southwest London, was hosted by television and radio presenter Jeremy Vine and comedian Omid Djalili, but the star of the show was Eden Hazard, as our Belgian winger received both the Yokohama Chelsea Player of the Year and Goal of the Season awards. Hazard became only the second person – after club legend Frank Lampard – to be voted our Player of the Year by supporters

European Cup Winners’ Cup winners 1971, 1998

on three occasions, having previously won back-to-back awards in 2014 and 2015. Given that 2016/17 was the Belgian’s most prolific season in front of goal in the Premier League, hitting the back of the net 16 times as we marched towards the title, it was also fitting he received the first award presented on the night, for the best goal. He again had strong competition for that prize, though, and the reaction of the players suggested even they were divided on whether Hazard or Nemanja Matic deserved the accolade. However, it was our No10’s weaving run at Stamford Bridge in the derby against

Eden Hazard, on stage alongside Antonio Conte and host Jeremy Vine, with his Player of the Year trophy

UEFA Super Cup winners 1998

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Chelsea Magazine produced by Editorial 020 7958 2168 Subscriptions 0845 241 6210 Email cfc.magazine@trinitymirror.com MAGAZINE EDITOR David Antill FEATURES EDITOR Dominic Bliss DEPUTY EDITOR Richard Godden STAFF WRITER James Sugrue SUB-EDITORS Harri Aston and Simon Monk DESIGNERS Glen Hind and Ben Renshaw STATISTICIAN Paul Dutton PHOTOGRAPHY Darren Walsh, Getty Images, Hugh Hastings, Chelsea FC Archive, Mirrorpix, PA Images, Mark Sandom and Bradley Collyer PRINTED BY William Gibbons DISTRIBUTED BY Comag THANKS TO Emma Wilkinson, John Barrett, Andy Jones, Ryan Brown and Daniel Wittenberg © Trinity Mirror Sport Media. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the Copyright owners. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions. In the interest of independence and impartiality, many features in this publication have been written by third-party experts. It should be noted that any opinions expressed therein are the views of the writers themselves and not necessarily those of Chelsea FC. Terms and conditions for all competitions appearing in this magazine are available on request.

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"I want to say thanks to our fans because they pushed a lot in every game, home and away. They deserve this. When you put a lot of passion, enthusiasm and hours into your work, when you arrive in the moment, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only right to celebrate with the fans, staff and the club" Read all the reaction from Antonio Conte and his players on page 22

BLUES NEWS

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Awards keep coming after season of success Individual honours continue to arrive at Stamford Bridge with N’Golo Kanté receiving another three and Antonio Conte winning two. Having already been named the PFA Player of the Year, our midfielder added the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year (pictured right) and EA SPORTS Premier League Player of the Year in England as well as being voted the best French player based abroad by the country’s UNFP players’ union. Kanté was one of three Chelsea players in the running for the Premier League award, alongside Cesar Azpilicueta and Eden Hazard, and was chosen ahead of fellow nominees Karim Benzema, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann by the UNFP members. Hazard came in second place in the FWA poll, with the Blues duo collecting more than 65 per cent of the journalists’ votes

between them. Conte was named as both the LMA Manager of the Year and Barclays Premier League Manager of the Season at the 25th annual LMA Awards dinner. He was handed the trophy for the LMA award by Sir Alex Ferguson and Gareth Southgate, becoming the first Chelsea manager to receive the accolade, after winning an unprecedented three successive Manager of the Month awards from October to December in 2016/17.

LADIES SKIPPER CHAPMAN HELPS OUT AT BRIDGE EQUALITY EVENT Chelsea Ladies captain Katie Chapman was the guest of honour when 180 girls visited Stamford Bridge for our global charity partner Plan International’s inaugural Goals for Girls event. Chapman took part in a question and answer session, signed autographs and posed for photos at the event designed to challenge assumptions about football being more suited to men than women.

Plan International staff and Chelsea Foundation coaches also led an interactive workshop for the 10 to 13-year-olds, looking at the barriers to girls taking part in sport. On the same day, Stamford Bridge was also the venue for Plan’s annual Champions of Change Cup, which sees teams competing in a tournament raising funds for a joint project harnessing the popularity of football and Chelsea to help keep children safe in Colombia.

JOE EDWARDS TAKES ON DEVELOPMENT SQUAD ROLE Joe Edwards will take over as the head coach of our development squad next season after Adi Viveash left the club. Edwards has spent the past 22 years associated with the Chelsea Academy, initially as a schoolboy player signed as an Under-8, before working with numerous age groups as a highly rated coach since 2004 and securing back-to-back FA Youth Cup triumphs as Under-18s manager. Chelsea Football Club would like to thank Adi enormously for the major contribution he has made to the Academy’s unprecedented success, working with all ages from Under-12s upwards since joining in the 2008/09 season.

Katie Chapman with other guests at Plan International’s Goals for Girls event

NEWS IN

BRIEF

Pedro won the Premier League’s Goal of the Month award for the second time in 2016/17 for his magnificent strike in April’s 3-0 win at Everton. The Spaniard also won the November award for his equaliser in our 2-1 home victory over Tottenham.

Chelsea FC Memberships for the 2017/18 season are now on sale, offering fantastic choice and a variety of benefits, with tiers of membership suitable for every supporter. For more information, go to www.chelseafc.com/membership.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM ONE WINNING TEAM TO ANOTHER. Dedication, passion and the best supporters in the world have brought our two high-flying teams success this year. Congratulations Chelsea FC on a winning season from your official airline partner Delta, UK Business Airline of the Year 2017. DELTA.COM

BLUES NEWS

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Clockwise from top left: Ladies honours, Academy champions, the Ladies development squad and the Premier League winners

Honours across the board for brilliant Blues The trophy cabinet at Stamford Bridge has no less than six new additions after a hugely successful 2016/17 season, which saw our men’s and women’s teams winning silverware at senior and youth level. John Terry and Gary Cahill lifted the Premier League trophy at the Bridge on the last day of the season after we had sealed the title with two games to spare by beating at West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns, thanks to substitute Michy Batshuayi’s 82nd-minute goal. By winning our last two Premier League matches, against Watford and Sunderland at the Bridge, we also set a new record of 30 wins in the competition to go with our sixth topflight title. Our Under-18s completed a remarkable Treble by being crowned Under-18 Premier

League winners. That followed the FA Youth Cup and the Under-18 Premier League southern section Jody Morris’ side had already won in 2016/17. It is the first time we have won the league and cup at this level since 1961 and the first time we have won the national title in 33 years. The latter came thanks to a 3-0 victory over Reading 3-0 in our last game, courtesy of second-half goals from Conor Gallagher, Harvey St Clair and Mason Mount, maintaining our youth team’s two-year unbeaten run at Cobham. Chelsea Ladies also won their trophy on the final day of the season, beating Birmingham City 2-0 away to take the FA Women’s Super League 1 Spring Series

title, with England internationals Karen Carney and Fran Kirby getting the goals. Despite the title being decided on goal difference, it was a dominant campaign for the Blues, keeping six clean sheets in our eight matches of the shortened season and scoring an impressive 32 goals, 10 more than any other team. There was also success for the Ladies at youth level, winning the FA Women’s Super League Development League Southern Division with a game remaining by beating Watford 4-1 at Cobham. Molly Pike, Bethany Lumsden, Maddison Phillips and Lauren Pickett all scored. • You can read more about all our triumphs elsewhere in this magazine 09

BLUES NEWS

Supporters respond to satisfaction survey More than 4,000 supporters took part in our 2017 Fans and Hospitality Customers Satisfaction Survey, which was conducted independently on behalf of the club to provide feedback on the matchday experience at Stamford Bridge. The overall satisfaction index showed that 72.5 per cent of non-hospitality fans were satisfied with their matchday experience, the second-highest score since the survey began in 2004. Safety at the stadium, the standard of stewarding, the price of tickets for cup games and the matchday programme were the biggest reasons for satisfaction, while the availability of Premier League match tickets, price of food and drink and the club’s approach to booking fees were identified as areas of dissatisfaction. The results for hospitality customers showed a record-high overall satisfaction

BUILDING BRIDGES SHIRTS AUCTIONED FOR CHARITY The exclusive Building Bridges match shirts the team wore during our Premier League home game against Watford are now being auctioned to raise funds for the Chelsea Foundation. Following our fourth Game for Equality, 22 match-worn or match-issued shirts are available, including those of goalscorers John Terry, Cesar Azpilicueta, Michy Batshuayi and Cesc Fàbregas in the 4-3 win. You can place your bid at www.chelseafc. com/auctions until midday on 16 June, with all proceeds from the auction funding the Chelsea Foundation’s equality and diversity workshops.

NEWS IN

BRIEF 10

index of 81.9 per cent, with the level of respect from staff, safety and the availability of matchday programmes scoring particularly highly. The speed of service at half-time, seating guests before kick-off and access to non-hospitality tickets were highlighted as areas of dissatisfaction. For the second year, disabled supporters had their own survey, giving the highest

overall satisfaction index of all, 82.7 per cent. The helpfulness of stewards and staff, and ease of entering the stadium and reaching seats, were areas of high satisfaction. The areas of dissatisfaction were the location of match seats, vehicle access, access to kiosks and matchday food and drink. A more detailed summary of the survey can be viewed at www.chelseafc.com.

More than 4,000 fans took part in the survey

CLUB OFFERS SUPPORTERS CHANCE TO JOIN FORUM As part of the club’s commitment to maintaining and developing its relationship with supporters, several seats are now available on the Chelsea FC Fans’ Forum and the Chelsea Disabled Supporters Association (CDSA). The Forum has been running for 13 years and the CDSA for nine years, with both aiming to establish a dialogue between the club and fans, develop a better understanding of issues that affect supporters and provide an opportunity for the club to discuss new ideas with our followers.

Chelsea loanees Lewis Baker, Matt Miazga and Nathan were all in the starting line-up as Vitesse Arnhem claimed their first-ever major trophy by beating AZ Alkmaar 2-0 in the Dutch Cup final, with fellow Blue Mukhtar Ali also in the matchday squad.

The Forum meets three times per season and the CDSA twice, at Stamford Bridge on non-matchday evenings. To reflect the diverse nature of Chelsea’s fan base, members of the Forum and CDSA are selected from a range of categories, each with their own qualifying criteria. For more information or to apply for one of the 10 available seats before the deadline of 2pm on Friday 30 June, go to www.ersvotes.com/chelseafcforum17. If you are unable to apply online, please call 0208 365 8909 to request a postal form.

Our Cobham training ground hosted over 300 Premier League and Football youth development coaches at the annual Premier League Coaches Conference, with speakers at the event including Chelsea assistant first-team coach Steve Holland and head of youth development Neil Bath.

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Asian Star scheme makes Bridge debut The ninth instalment of Chelsea’s Asian Star initiative proved a huge success as more than 350 young Asian players took part at Stamford Bridge. Having been staged at our Cobham training ground for the past eight years, the pioneering initiative made its Stamford Bridge debut with hundreds of parents watching from the stands as the youngsters took part in a day of activities designed to increase Asian participation in all levels of the game.

Participants competing in age groups ranging from Under-9s to Under-12s were led by Chelsea Foundation coaches and judged on a series of matches and tests used by the Chelsea Academy. Lewis Dang, Jai Shiv Sharma, Nathan Devshi and Ubaidah Rahman were crowned champions in the four age groups, each winning an invite to join the Chelsea Foundation’s Football Development Centres. There were further awards handed

out to Jai Samra, Tariq Al Sadi, Shaan Virk and Ruban Khan after all four impressed the coaches during the testing phase of the day. The prizes were presented by former Blues striker Tore Andre Flo, who now coaches in our Academy, Zesh Rehman, the first British Asian to play in the Premier League, and former Asian Star winners Sam Khan and Adam Ahmed, who play youth football at Nottingham Forest and Coventry City respectively. However the day wasn’t all about the children, as Stamford Bridge worked closely with the Football Association and London FA, with workshops and information for parents. The Premier League trophy also made an appearance with players and parents posing for photographs.

NEW CONTRACT FOR EDUARDO AS TRIO EXIT Left to right (back): Sam Khan, Tore Andre Flo, Zesh Rehman. Front: Ubaidah Rahman, Ruban Khan, Nathan Devshi, Shaan Virk

LADIES SET FOR NEW HOME AT KINGSMEADOW NEXT SEASON Chelsea Ladies will have a new home for the 2017/18 season, relocating to AFC Wimbledon’s Kingsmeadow stadium. The move will provide enhanced facilities for the Ladies as they switch to a winter season, which starts in September. Chelsea will also expand our outstanding community work, with Kingston and the surrounding area already a stronghold of Blues support.

The Ladies will groundshare with AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow following a successful five years at Staines Town. As part of the move, the club will be offering existing Ladies season ticket holders a discount on renewal for 2017/18 at Kingsmeadow and will be undertaking a number of initiatives with supporters in and around Kingston ahead of the new campaign.

Eduardo has signed a new one-year contract keeping him at Stamford Bridge for another season and fellow goalkeeper Asmir Begovic will join Bournemouth in a permanent transfer on 1 July. Portugal international Eduardo (pictured with technical director Michael Emenalo) joined from Dinamo Zagreb last summer and the 34-year-old has been an important part of the goalkeeping set-up at Cobham. Begovic departs following two seasons with Chelsea, keeping 10 clean sheets in 33 appearances for the Blues. Juan Cuadrado and Christian Atsu have also completed permanent moves, to Juventus and Newcastle United respectively, where they spent 2016/17 on loan. We wish Asmir, Juan and Christian well in their future careers.

Ji So-Yun, Emma Hayes and Ramona Bachmann pay the Kingsmeadow stadium a visit

Gary Cahill and Fran Kirby have been given PFA Community Champion Trophies in recognition of their support for the Chelsea Foundation, receiving the awards from young fans during the club’s latest Community Day at Cobham.

The Megastore at Stamford Bridge is closed for a major refurbishment programme and will re-open on Saturday 1 July. During this time merchandise will continue to be sold at the Bridge through the Stamford Gate store, Stadium Tour and Museum store and additional pop-up units on site.

Words | Dominic Bliss

JOHN TERRY

Our League Cup win in 2005 felt really significant, and José Mourinho made that his thing all the way through the competition – that halfway through the season we had an opportunity to win a cup. It would set a tone that Chelsea are here to win trophies, year after year. And we did it. After conceding 45 seconds into the game to John Arne Riise it didn’t look too good, and they were a strong side as well. Even though, in the league, we were way clear of them, it was always a big game between the two sides and on those occasions you never know. But fighting back to win that game 3-2 after extra time was a big turning point for us. Once we got that first taste of success, there was no way back for the players in our dressing room.

It felt like we were on a different level that season, like we were looking to win things. Being at the forefront of that, leading the side in my first season as club captain, was a big thing for me. I remember pre-season in the summer of 2004, when we were about to play Celtic in LA, Mourinho said to me, “You’ve got to get all the players together and give a speech before the game”. It was sprung on me two or three minutes before we went out to play, but it was something I loved – giving a big, powerful speech before the game. We went on to win the game and it set me up, I felt like I was leading, but that came from Mourinho. He didn’t have to do that, he gave me the responsibility and I thrived on it. He was a big part in me believing I was up there with the very best, with the things he was saying publicly and personally, texting me, pushing me, motivating me. He pressed every single button of mine and got the very best out of me. 14

Terry leads the celebrations after winning the League Cup in 2005 – the first silverware of the Abramovich era (above left); two months later the Blues were champions of England (middle); and again in 2006 as the squad enjoy a victory parade in London (top right)

Winning back-to-back league titles having not won it as a club for 50 years prior to 2005 was a massive deal. I had obviously seen the highs and lows as a fan and a young player at the club in the 1990s, when I attended an awful lot of games at the Bridge, so winning those titles was a relief more than anything. As a young player, you want to come through, break into the first team and make an impact, but more importantly you want to win trophies and give something back to the supporters. You work so hard, year after year, and there comes a point where you need to have silverware to show for that. The belief around the whole place at that time was excellent. The big personalities we had within the dressing room pushed and motivated everyone and it was just a brilliant time. For those two years we absolutely dominated the Premier League and no one could get anywhere near us.

I was knocked out in the goalmouth during this final and I don’t remember too much at all about that game, actually. I remember the build-up because we played Porto away in the week and I had a bad ankle, so I was 50-50 for the game anyway. I probably shouldn’t have played, to be honest. I just remember the corner coming in and thinking I was going to score, so I threw myself to get on the end of it, like you do, and the next thing I knew I had woken up in the ambulance on the way to hospital. As soon as I realised where I was, I asked them to turn on the radio and check the score. I got to hospital and asked what the procedure was and they told me they needed to check my head and do a scan. Then, as soon as they had done that, I wanted to get back as soon as possible. I knew we had gone on to win the game and I just wanted to celebrate with my team-mates. It’s only now that I think, “I should probably have looked after myself a bit more and stayed there to be checked over thoroughly.” It wouldn’t happen now, but I kind of checked myself out, basically, and they drove me back with a police escort to get me to the stadium as quickly as possible. We celebrated it and had a good night. The skipper lies stricken in the goalmouth after being knocked out against Arsenal in the 2007 League Cup final (above); and winning the FA Cup after a late winner against Manchester United (below)

Man United came back at us in the league that season and, after we had dominated for two years, it was a major statement from them. They had big characters in their dressing room at that time as well, but I just looked at that final and felt we had too many good players not to go on and win it. Look at the combination for Didier’s winning goal late on in extra time, the flick round the corner from Lamps and Dids’ finish – what a time to do it as well. I just remember it being really hot and really tense, both sides giving nothing away and then Dids popped up with another important goal to win it. It was a big statement from the group and really fitting we should become the first team to win the FA Cup at the beautiful new Wembley, having won the last one at the original. 15

JOHN TERRY

It was two years since we had last lifted a major trophy and it was brilliant to win the FA Cup again in 2009, especially after the type of season we’d had. Guus Hiddink came in February and we picked things up in the league, which was good because it gave us a bit of momentum going into that FA Cup final as well. We had been a little bit deflated at points during the season, but the final gave us something to aim for right at the end. Louis Saha scored really early in that game to give Everton the lead, but that was a wake-up call, which probably served us well. It’s obviously not something you want to happen but if it does it can have a positive effect and we ended up coming back, first through Dids, with another goal in another final, and then Lamps, who scored the winner and did the celebration running around the corner flag, like his dad did all those years ago. It is always really, really nice to finish on a high at the end of the season.

Lampard does his dance as the Blues win the FA Cup in 2009 (top two pictures); Terry gets his hands on the Premier League trophy in 2010 for the first time in four years (above) and then the FA Cup in the same year (right) 16

Firstly, to get the Premier League title back that year was a massive thing for us, because Man United had come on a lot in the seasons since we had dominated it in those back-to-back title years, and Arsenal were still pushing as well. In general, Premier League squads were a lot bigger and better than they had been previously and, to be honest, we didn’t get too close for a couple of years, so to get it back was great. Carlo Ancelotti was great that year, and his man management with individuals was excellent. He was a great guy and the way we did it that year – scoring 103 goals to break the Premier League record – was brilliant. Going into the final game of the season we needed to beat Wigan at home and we went and won 8-0! Everyone felt really relaxed and free to go and play their football. The manager trusted us, but again we had the hunger within the group to keep winning trophies and keep pushing, keep fighting. Even in those years where we didn’t get to lift a trophy at the end of it, we knew we were pushing towards something, whether it was a year or two years away. Then, once you get your hands on those trophies, it makes it all so worthwhile. We followed it up with the FA Cup to make it a Double and we were dominating the Cup at that time. That was a really hot day, again, when we played Portsmouth. They had a penalty at 0-0 in the second half, which Pete Cech saved, but the game could have gone a completely different way otherwise. I hit the post with a header as well, and it didn’t seem to be our day at all. League-wise they were nowhere near us, they were way off, and we had battered them 5-0 away two months earlier. But anything can happen in the Cup final and it was a strange feeling, because as a group we probably all half-thought things weren’t going our way, but with the characters in the team we kept pushing and pushing and finally we broke the deadlock with Didier’s free-kick.

Didier Drogba scores the historic penalty in Munich (above); Terry finally gets his hands on the Champions League trophy (right); and victory in the FA Cup again in the same season (below)

That was another season when the manager had changed mid-season – with Robbie Di Matteo stepping up – and things hadn’t been going so well for us, but the FA Cup was still there and in years like that it gives you something to hold on for. Even when you’re completely out of the league, which we were, it can be there for you to finish the season on a high. People say it’s not what it used to be, or whatever, but if you speak to the players, that’s absolute rubbish. It’s what I was brought up on and players from abroad also know the history of the Cup, how important it is and love the opportunity to play in a big stadium like Wembley in the last game of the season. It’s massive and it means everything to the lads, and the supporters as well.

With all the ups and downs we’d had as a group in the Champions League – losing to Barca, losing in Moscow – and when I think about the games we had lost and shouldn’t have over the years, I think we probably shouldn’t have won that game in Munich… but we did! Of all the years, it was that one. When I look back to the loss in the semi-final in 2009, we completely outplayed Barca at Stamford Bridge and deserved to go through. Then they got the goal late on and it was heartbreaking, as it was in the final in Moscow a year earlier as well. You get all that way and then you realise those big

opportunities in the big competitions do not come about every year. We are lucky we had a second bite of the cherry in Munich, but as a player, or a group of players, that doesn’t happen too often. You don’t often get a second chance. When we did, again you look at the performances of the big players, like Lamps, Didier and Big Pete. Didier stepped up once again, getting the equaliser, although then giving away a penalty in extra time. Pete saved that and then Didier scored the winning penalty with what we thought was his last kick for the football club. What a way to go out, and then he ended up coming back afterwards as well! 17

JOHN TERRY

I didn’t play too much that year and I missed out on the final with injury. Rafa Benitez came in and he preferred other defenders. I was injured at times, but I was still available for a lot of the games and I just didn’t play. The Europa League was strange because it’s not a competition you want to be in, and that isn’t me being flashy or thinking we’re too good for it as a club, it was just that we had played Champions League football for all those years and that’s where we wanted to be. But, as a group, we made the most of it and when you get to a certain point in any competition you think, “We’ve come all this way – let’s go and win it.” It is difficult to sustain your league form when you’re playing in the Europa League because we had a lot of Thursday night games, when we would come back late on Friday mornings and then play on Sunday, sometimes away. The travel was ridiculous. I wasn’t even playing too much, and physically I was drained, so the boys were probably feeling it more so than me. But to go and win the competition was a big statement and to add that trophy to our honours list was really important for us. It completed the set of European trophies for Chelsea.

Terry gets his hands on the Europa League trophy after the 2013 final (above); the skipper with the complete set of trophies (below); winning the League Cup and title in 2015 (right-hand page)

That season was a little bit like 10 years earlier, when we had won the League Cup while going well in the league, but beating Spurs and scoring in the final made it even sweeter. Once again, it was important to get that psychological boost. Those runs can take their toll in the league, if you get drawn away, for example, but there were a couple of games where we could rest some players, give other people an opportunity to keep everyone sharp and fit. So it was a good year for us in the League Cup and to go and win it by getting a win over our London rivals in the final set us on our way and pushed us on really. Three days after winning the League Cup we played West Ham away in the league and won 1-0 there. I remember the message. When the manager walked into the dressing room after the final, we were all celebrating and he was like, “No celebrating. No one go out, no one do anything. We’ve got to play West Ham in three days and we’ve got to push on.” That was it. Everyone listened, no one went out, and we saved our celebrations for later on in the season. I played every minute of every game in the Premier League that season. That mattered to me because when I wasn’t playing, under Rafa, people were kind of writing me off and saying, “That’s the end of his Chelsea career.” It was something that really got to me actually, because I knew I wasn’t finished, by a long way. I was just completely out of favour with the manager. So it was a massive statement for me to play every single minute of every single game two years later and at the time I was only the second person to do that for a title-winning team, after Gary Pallister. Throughout the year, with the medical staff, you manage to get through games, but I look back at that achievement now and feel it was huge. So I’m really proud of that fact, personally, but more importantly to win the league that year as well was really important for us as a club. 19

JOHN TERRY

At the start of my career, I could never know how many trophies I would go on and win, but one thing I did know for sure was that I had the hunger. From the age of 17, when I first broke through into the first team, my aim was to keep going and keep pushing myself, season after season, and I’ve managed to do that and stay at the top my whole career, which is something I’m extremely proud of. Chelsea have evolved over the years, and been able to go out and buy the best players in the world. Some of the best centre-backs in the game have come and gone in my

time and I remained, and I’m very proud of that. I kept winning trophies, kept that hunger and set records and stats that will hopefully live for many years. Those are the things that, when you’re in the thick of it, you don’t pay so much attention to because you just concentrate on the job in hand, but when you’re winning, the accolades come along with it. This season I became the first person to win five Premier League titles as captain. I’m very proud of those things, but I think it’s when I stop playing that I will really look back on the achievements.

Terry celebrates his final trophy as a Chelsea player with owner Roman Abramovich

The skipper gives a rousing speech in the dressing room before the Sunderland game

FAREWELL TO THE FANS JT addressed the supporters at Stamford Bridge after lifting the Premier League trophy for a fifth time following our 5-1 win over Sunderland. Here’s what he had to say in an emotional speech... Today is without doubt one of the most difficult days of my life. I have been very fortunate to work with some unbelievable managers and players throughout my career. I am so thankful to every single one of you. I think we all have to thank Mr Abramovich. I personally want to thank him – for me the best owner in world football without a doubt – and the Board. He cares

and loves this club and looks to improve year and year out. Roman, on behalf of myself, the club and the supporters, thank you very much. I want to thank my wife and my kids for supporting me on this amazing journey I have had. Thank you, I love you. Lastly, you guys the fans – the best supporters in the world without a doubt. You have given me everything. From the age of 14 when I signed, you picked me up when I was down, you sung my name when I had bad games and disappointed you. Thank you will never ever be enough. I am going to come back here one day, supporting this team. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I love you all. 21

TIME TO

PARTY!

The men who made it happen reflect on a job well done as the Premier League trophy came back to Stamford Bridge 23

CHAMPIONS’ REACTION ANTONIO CONTE “We have worked so hard this season to be at the top of the league and now we can enjoy it. This group has given me so much. We have only been working together for nine months and yet we are champions. There is room to improve and to grow and we are looking forward to doing that because we all share the same ambitions. It is great to have these moments, to see what it means to our supporters and to enjoy our success.”

GARY CAHILL “You have to cherish these moments, you work so hard all season to be where we are. Consistently we have been the best team in the league. There is no better feeling in football. People have written us off as a team and individually, and this has shut them up. We are champions. It’s another one in the cabinet.” 25

CHAMPIONS’ REACTION

N’GOLO KANTE “Next season will be a new challenge because we are going to try to keep the title, to win the two cups [FA Cup and EFL Cup] and also we’ll have the Champions League. For a club like Chelsea, we want to win everything, we’re going to try and win everything. It’s a new challenge for everyone.”

CESAR AZPILICUETA “We have been first since game 12, so obviously we have shown consistency. Even when defeat arrived, we didn’t panic. Tottenham were doing well but we had it in our hands and we didn’t let it go.”

DAVID LUIZ “I’m very happy. This is my first Premier League title. When I decided to come back here it was because of this – I dreamed of one day winning the Premier League so I’m very happy because my dream came true. We worked hard every day to have these kinds of moments.”

THIBAUT COURTOIS “It’s nice for the players that all the work we’ve done this season counts for something and means we get to have this amazing feeling again. I live for these moments of joy and excitement. Next year there is a new goal with the Champions League coming for us. It’s been a few years since Chelsea have won it and I missed out on one in the last minute, so a lot of players are hungry to win that as well.” 27

CHAMPIONS’ REACTION

EDEN HAZARD “It’s amazing to celebrate with the fans. We are very happy. We talked a lot about the manager already, he is fantastic and we work a lot in training. Full credit to him and the players. We lost to Arsenal and then we went on an unbelievable run. That’s when we said that we can win the league.” 29

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CHAMPIONS’ REACTION

CESC FABREGAS “I’ve been very lucky to win things, probably the biggest things in football, but winning the Premier League gives you a special feeling. This is the best league in the world. To be able to win it twice in three years with Chelsea is something to really be proud of. When I was in Spain there were many games where you would have to do really badly to drop points, but here every game is tough. It’s very competitive.”

MARCOS ALONSO “It’s my first big trophy, very special. Also, to get 30 wins is a new record as well. We’ve been working hard all year, the manager has done a great job and he’s had every player focused on our objective, which was the title. I’m very happy.” 31

GOALS REACHING HIS Words | James Sugrue Pictures | Darren Walsh

The 2017 Yokohama Chelsea Player of the Year EDEN HAZARD reveals his pride at winning the award for a third time and helping the Blues claim the Premier League title

Eden Hazard

Firing home the Blues’ second goal against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge

ready every year at the same level to stay at the top.

Congratulations Eden, you’ve been voted Player of the Year by the Chelsea supporters and made sure N’Golo Kanté hasn’t quite won every award going this year... [Laughs] It’s always good to be voted by the fans for an award, even if I think N’Golo deserves all the credit he has received this season. I’m happy, but I know all the lads would have been deserving winners of this trophy this year, because we have been fantastic, all of us. As well as equalling Frank Lampard’s record by being named our Player of the Year on three occasions, you’ve also received the award in our last two title-winning campaigns... Hopefully next year it is the same, we win the league and then I win Player of the Year! Obviously winning the league is what we want most, and this award is just a bonus. We started this season well and we won the league, but next year we have to work as hard as we have this season. We have to be 34

I’VE BEEN HERE FOR FIVE YEARS NOW AND I’M SO HAPPY. I’M AT ONE OF THE BEST CLUBS IN THE WORLD. IT’S LIKE A FAMILY

You also won our Goal of the Season award for the second year running, for your long solo run and finish against Arsenal. Did you have an idea in your head of how that would turn out when you received the ball on the halfway line? Yes, I practice it every day in my garden with my kids [laughs]! No, I just play with instinct and when I see an opportunity on the pitch I try to do what I can do. When you score a great goal like that, do you find yourself watching it over and over again? Yes, after the game. Normally I don’t, but when it is a goal like that, yeah, for one week I watch it every day and then I try to do it again in the next match, but it doesn’t work!

Scoring our Goal of the Season against Arsenal

It was a great year for you in front of goal, scoring more times in the Premier League than any other season. Was that just a result of your all-round form? To be honest, it’s not my objective to score a specific amount of goals. I just want to win games. For me, it’s better to win every match in the season and not score, that’s not a problem. I know if I score I can help the team win games and in the new system I’ve been closer to Diego, and closer to the goal, so it’s been easier to penetrate, make assists and score goals. We said goodbye to John Terry at the Chelsea FC Awards. His departure makes you our second longest-serving player, with only Gary Cahill having been here since before you joined the club in 2012... I’ve been here for five years now and I’m so happy. I’m at one of the best clubs in the world, so I’m very happy to play for such a big club like this. After five years I know everything about the club. Even if I’m still

only 26, I have a lot of experience now. I started playing at 16 in France so I’ve been professional for 10 years. In terms of games and experience, I’m one of the oldest ones. I like this club because it’s like a family. I have a lot of friends and we all talk to each other. Looking back on a hugely successful 2016/17 season, what is your assessment, both personally and as a team? Very good. After a bad campaign it’s obviously very important to bounce back and become champions again. I stayed at the top level this season in almost every game so I’m happy with my own form, but our success was down to all of the players. Everybody’s form was fantastic, which was great for us.

Celebrating our title-clinching win at West Brom with John Terry, and getting his hands on the Premier League trophy for the second time in three seasons 35

Eden Hazard Hazard’s current Chelsea manager and two teammates, one past and one present, explain why the Belgian is a deserving winner of his awards...

FRANK LAMPARD Eden Hazard has been incredible. I was lucky enough to play with him myself and I saw the potential in him as a young player. When he plays he has that magic. I have seen him do things I couldn’t even attempt in training, let alone games. That’s how confident he is.

ANTONIO CONTE He’s a great player, he has great talent. This season he improved a lot, not only on the pitch but also, I think, he’s becoming mentally stronger. At this level it’s very important to try to have this step because it brings you up to the same level as the best players in the world, and Eden is starting to take this step. I see a player with good maturity, a player who wants to be decisive during the game.

DAVID LUIZ His goal against Arsenal was fantastic, it reminded me a bit of Ronaldinho – it was amazing. I love Eden’s talent and I love him as a person, so I enjoy having this kind of person in my team.

Gary Cahill and John Terry bring out the Premier League trophy at the awards evening at Battersea Evolution

Words | James Sugrue

Eden Hazard, on stage alongside Antonio Conte and host Jeremy Vine, with his Player of the Year trophy

N’Golo Kanté speaks to Omid Djalili after being named the Chelsea Players’ Player of the Year

Arsenal which came out on top ahead of the Serbian’s Wembley pile-driver in the FA Cup semi-final. It is another award Hazard is becoming familiar with, having received it last year for another effort against a capital rival at Stamford Bridge, Tottenham. N’Golo Kanté, meanwhile, must be running out of room on his mantelpiece after winning his fourth major individual honour of the season – the Chelsea Players’ Player of the Year award. The French midfielder had already been presented with the prize at Cobham by David Luiz and Kurt Zouma, having previously been named Player of the Year by the Premier League, Football Writers’ Association and Professional Footballers’ Association. “It’s special to be chosen by the other players because we spent the whole season together – we won together, we lost together,” he said. “We had a good spirit, a good work ethic and I had an amazing first season here, so I want to thank every one of the them. ” The Chelsea Ladies squad was also in attendance in Battersea and had plenty of cause for celebration, having beaten

Liverpool 7-0 earlier in the day, before going on to be crowned FA WSL Spring Series Champions. Manager Emma Hayes was welcomed onto the stage to announce the winner of the Chelsea Ladies Player of the Year. The prize went to an England international for the third year running, Karen Carney following Eniola Aluko and Katie Chapman to take the 2017 award. The playmaker had scored her third goal of the year against Liverpool and, after accepting the trophy, spoke of her desire to bring success to the Blues and the country in the coming months. “The team is doing really well,” she said. “We have had a lot of new additions and we are trying to gel and it takes time. A lot of us are going away to play for our respective countries in the European Championship, we are going to give it our best shot and represent Chelsea at that tournament.” The younger members of the club’s playing staff were also in a celebratory mood, with our Under-18s’ remarkable 2016/17 season bringing a fourth successive

Emma Hayes with Karen Carney, as the other members of the Chelsea Ladies squad look on

Assistant first-team coach Steve Holland was presented with a framed collection of photos as a goodbye gift from the club

FA Youth Cup triumph as well as the southern and national league titles. Under-18s manager Jody Morris, himself Blues’ youth system graduate, was on hand to congratulate his players on a great campaign and reveal Mason Mount as the adidas Chelsea Academy Player of the Year. The midfielder scored a combined 10 goals in 39 appearances for our development squad and Under-18s last term, and named the Youth Cup Final as his personal highlight. “To win it four times in a row is such a big thing for the Academy and it shows how dominant we’ve been this season,” explained Mount. “We’ve had Jody Morris to thank for that, he’s been our coach, our manager and a big role model for us. I’ve been at this club since I was six, this is my home.”

Mason Mount with his Chelsea Academy Player of the Year award

The evening – which also raised money for the Chelsea Foundation and Plan International – was also an occasion to look back at previous successes, as the club bid a fond farewell to John Terry and Steve Holland. Assistant first-team coach Holland was presented with a framed collection of photos marking his eight years at Stamford Bridge before he departed with the best wishes of everybody at the club to take up a new full-time role as part of the England national team’s coaching staff. “It is nice to get this kind of send-off but I am one of a team at Cobham with some really fantastic people in all sorts of departments that support the team,” he said. “I am proud to have been

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involved with them and hopefully I have helped in the success the club has had.” Departing captain Terry, our most successful player of all time, brought proceedings to an emotional close with a speech thanking all the fans, team-mates and staff who have contributed to his incredible 22-year Chelsea career. Some of those were in attendance to pay tribute to Terry in person, including fellow defender Frank Leboeuf, who was also reminiscing on stage with former team-mates Eddie Newton, Scott Minto and Steve Clarke to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1997 FA Cup final victory over Middlesbrough which brought our first major silverware in 26 years. “JT, I remember when you were very young, working outside every day in your short-sleeved T-shirt when everyone was freezing,” said Leboeuf. “You amazed us. I remember leaving the club in 2001 and I came to tell you to do the job now, I am sure you can do it. Well, you did great!” Another familiar face from earlier in Terry’s career, Claudio Ranieri – the first manager to hand him the skipper’s armband – made a special presentation on behalf of the club as a standing ovation for our captain, leader and legend brought the curtain down on the 2016/17 season.

ROLL OF HONOUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Peter Bonetti Charlie Cooke David Webb John Hollins John Hollins David Webb Peter Osgood Gary Locke Charlie Cooke Ray Wilkins Ray Wilkins Micky Droy Tommy Langley Clive Walker Petar Borota Mike Fillery Joey Jones Pat Nevin David Speedie Eddie Niedzwiecki Pat Nevin Tony Dorigo Graham Roberts Ken Monkou Andy Townsend Paul Elliott Frank Sinclair Steve Clarke Erland Johnsen Ruud Gullit Mark Hughes Dennis Wise Gianfranco Zola Dennis Wise John Terry

2002 Carlo Cudicini 2003 Gianfranco Zola 2004 Frank Lampard 2005 Frank Lampard 2006 John Terry 2007 Michael Essien 2008 Joe Cole 2009 Frank Lampard 2010 Didier Drogba 2011 Petr Cech 2012 Juan Mata 2013 Juan Mata 2014 Eden Hazard 2015 Eden Hazard 2016 Willian 2017 Eden Hazard

PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR

2006 Claude Makelele 2007 Didier Drogba 2008 Ricardo Carvalho 2009 Ashley Cole 2010 Florent Malouda 2011 Ashley Cole 2012 Ramires 2013 Juan Mata 2014 Cesar Azpilicueta 2015 Eden Hazard 2016 Willian 2017 N’Golo Kanté ACADEMY PLAYER OF THE YEAR

2015 Dominic Solanke 2016 Fikayo Tomori 2017 Mason Mount CHELSEA LADIES OF THE YEAR

2015 Eniola Aluko 2016 Katie Chapman 2017 Karen Carney GOAL OF THE SEASON

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Essien v Arsenal (h) Belletti v Tottenham (h) Essien v Barcelona (h) A Cole v Sunderland (h) Ramires v Man City (h) Ramires v Barcelona (a) Oscar v Juventus (h) Baker v Arsenal U21s (a) Oscar v QPR (h) Hazard v Tottenham (h) Hazard v Arsenal (h)

John Terry receives a silver trophy commemorating the number of appearances he made for the Blues from former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri

J U LY

5 JULY 1 JULY

What a year 2012 was for Juan Mata and Fernando Torres, who followed up Chelsea’s Champions League success by becoming champions of Europe with Spain. It marked an unprecedented three tournament successes in a row for La Furia Roja, with the latter involved in each of them, and he finished as top scorer after netting his third of the tournament in the win over Italy and becoming the first man to score in the final of two European Championships. Mata was also on target, rounding off the scoring in a resounding 4-0 win.

Bobby Campbell revamped Chelsea’s midfield and broke the club’s transfer record twice in the space of a few days in 1990 as he signed first Dennis Wise and then Andy Townsend. The latter quickly became a fans’ favourite and took on the captain’s armband, but it was Wisey who enjoyed the lengthier and ultimately more successful stay, skippering us to numerous honours and enjoying a unique rapport with the club’s supporters.

20 JULY

1 JULY

Chelsea Football Club would never be the same again after Roman Abramovich purchased the Blues from Ken Bates, ushering in an era of unprecedented success in west London. The Russian cleared the club’s debts and we soon made a number of high-profile signings, including... Premier League-based talents such as Joe Cole and Damien Duff, alongside proven stars who were perhaps under-appreciated elsewhere, such as Claude Makelele and Hernan Crespo.

Manager Claudio Ranieri with new signings Wayne Bridge, Glen Johnson, Damien Duff, Marco Ambrosio and Geremi 44

Didier Drogba was signed for a club-record fee from Marseille to spearhead the Blues’ quest for a first Premier League title. The Ivorian did indeed help us become champions of England for just the second time and subsequently won a whole host of honours at the Bridge, most memorably the 2012 Champions League. He is also the only African player to score a century of Premier League goals.

26 JULY

With the Olympic Games headed for London, the torch relay made its way through Fulham and took in a stop at Stamford Bridge. It was a proud moment for former England rugby union captain and lifelong Blues fan Lawrence Dallaglio, who was born in Queen Charlotte’s Hospital and had the privilege of holding the torch (pictured). “Forgive me for getting a little excited but as a proud Londoner and Chelsea fan this is amazing,” he said.

27 JULY

Chelsea won the first-ever Premier League Asia Cup by defeating Newcastle United in the final of the four-team tournament. Having beaten Malaysia in the semi-finals, the Blues overcame our top-flight rivals in a penalty shoot-out, having dominated a goalless draw during the regulation 90 minutes. Fourteen spot-kicks were needed to separate the sides, with the decisive miss coming from the boot of Jermaine Jenas, whose attempted Panenka flew over the bar.

30 JULY

Peter Bonetti became the first Blues player to win the World Cup, although he could only watch on from the sidelines as England defeated West Germany in a nail-biting final at Wembley Stadium. However, only the 11 starters received a winner’s medal and it wasn’t until 2009 that the rest of the squad were honoured in the same way, as Prime Minister Gordon Brown handed out accolades at a Downing Street reception.

Eidur Gudjohnsen, Frank Lampard and John Terry with the Premier League Asia Cup

CLUB AMBASSADOR EDDIE NEWTON

Blues can be proud of a great season as return to Wembley brings back fantastic memories Our players celebrate winning the 2016/17 Premier League title

Eddie Newton parades the FA Cup around the pitch at Wembley with Sol Campbell, 20 years after being part of the Blues side which triumphed in the competition. He is pictured below in 1997 with team-mates Roberto Di Matteo and Dennis Wise

I was honoured to parade the FA Cup around the Wembley pitch alongside Sol Campbell ahead of last month’s final against Arsenal. It was just after the 20th anniversary of my happiest moment as a footballer – scoring the second goal in our 2-0 FA Cup final win over Middlesbrough to banish the demons from 1994, when I had conceded a penalty against Man United in the decider. It also ended the club’s 27-year wait to lift the trophy again. Unfortunately, there wasn’t such a happy ending this time around, but the boys put up a real fight after going behind to an early goal and everyone at the club can rightly be delighted with a season in which we were crowned Premier League champions. The Double would have been a magnificent achievement, but I remember 46

the days when simply reaching an FA Cup final was seen as cause for celebration, and winning the league was unthinkable! A day after the final, the club held its Player of the Year dinner and they put on a lovely tribute to those of us who were part of the Cup-winning side in 1997. My old teammates Steve Clarke, Frank Leboeuf and Scott Minto made it along for the evening and it was great to meet up with them again. It was the usual conversation between former team-mates – the old training ground at Harlington may have come up once or twice over the course of the dinner – and it was lovely reminiscing about such a wonderful time at the club and all those different personalities that came together to form an incredible dressing room. And, of course, we all agreed that things have changed so much since that incredible

day at Wembley, both on and off the pitch. It’s been great to look back on it all over the past few months, which has included being featured in a new book called Blue Day. Every player from the 1997 team was interviewed for it and it’s a great snapshot of the club from that time. That was Chelsea’s second FA Cup win in our first 92 years of existence; in the 20 years that have followed we’ve won another five. It’s been an incredible success story and by the time of the 30th anniversary I’m sure there will have been even more added to the trophy cabinet.

IN THE HIGH PRESSURE MOMENTS SURE WONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T LET YOU DOWN

MATCH ACTION CHELSEA Willian 8, Hazard 61, Pedro 77, Batshuayi 90, 90+2

5-1

SUNDERLAND Manquillo 3

STAMFORD BRIDGE

21.05.17, 3PM

FIRST-TEAM HEAD COACH

MANAGER

Antonio Conte

David Moyes

CHELSEA

SUNDERLAND

13 Thibaut Courtois

13 Jordan Pickford

28 Cesar Azpilicueta

2 Billy Jones

30 David Luiz

16 John O'Shea (c)

26 John Terry (c)

15 Joleon Lescott

15 Victor Moses

21 Javi Manquillo

4 Cesc Fàbregas

6 Lee Cattermole

7 N'Golo Kanté

8 Jack Rodwell

3 Marcos Alonso

3 Bryan Oviedo

22 Willian

7 Sebastian Larsson

10 Eden Hazard

9 Fabio Borini

19 Diego Costa

44 Adnan Januzaj

24 Gary Cahill

46 Lynden Gooch

23 Michy Batshuayi

24 Darron Gibson

11 Pedro

UNUSED SUBS

UNUSED SUBS Asmir Begovic, Kurt Zouma, Nathaniel Chalobah, Nemanja Matic

(3-4-2-1)

13 30

28 4

26 7

3 10

2971C 29

The Blues concluded an unforgettable league campaign with an English top-flight record 30th victory on a day when we lifted the Premier League trophy for a fifth time and John Terry bid farewell to Stamford Bridge. Just as against Watford earlier in the week, the supporters were treated to goals galore. After Javier Manquillo struck early, Willian pounced when Marcos Alonso’s free-kick hit the bar and fired a crisp shot past Jordan Pickford. JT left the field shortly after the 26th minute, a number which will forever remain symbolic to Chelsea Football Club, and it was a moment no one present will ever forget. Our dominant performance was finally rewarded with a glut of goals after the hour mark, Eden Hazard getting the ball rolling with a trademark strike, before Pedro benefited from poor defending for the simplest of goals. The Spaniard teed up substitute Michy Batshuayi for his third in as many games, and that figure soon became four with a brilliant goal to put the icing on the cake. Referee: Neil Swarbrick

Attendance: 41,618

8 12

POSSESSION %

SHOTS ON TARGET SHOTS OFF TARGET OFFSIDES

11 8

CORNERS FOULS

3 2 1 1 15

Vito Mannone, Donald Love, Joel Asoro, Josh Vito Mannone, JoelMaja, Asoro, ElliotGeorge Embleton Josh Maja, Honeyman

(3-4-2-1)

13 16

2 6

15 8

3 9

1288C 3

CHANCES CREATED

chelseafc.com

CHELSEA Terry 22, Azpilicueta 36, Batshuayi 49, Fàbregas 88

4-3

@chelseafc

WATFORD Capoue 24, Janmaat 51, Okaka 74

STAMFORD BRIDGE

15.05.17, 8PM

FIRST-TEAM HEAD COACH

HEAD COACH

CHELSEA

WATFORD

Antonio Conte

Walter Mazzarri

1 Asmir Begovic

1 Heurelho Gomes (c)

5 Kurt Zouma

6 Adrian Mariappa

26 John Terry (c)

5 Sebastian Prodl

6 Nathan Ake

25 Jose Holebas

28 Cesar Azpilicueta

7 Nordin Amrabat

7 N'Golo Kanté

11 Valon Behrami

29 Nathaniel Chalobah

16 Abdoulaye Doucoure

16 Kenedy

22 Daryl Janmaat

22 Willian

29 Etienne Capoue

10 Eden Hazard

8 Tom Cleverley

23 Michy Batshuayi

21 M'Baye Niang

34 Ola Aina

33 Stefano Okaka

4 Cesc Fàbregas

9 Troy Deeney

11 Pedro

UNUSED SUBS

UNUSED SUBS Eduardo, Marcos Alonso, Gary Cahill, Diego Costa

(3-4-2-1)

1 26

5 7

6 29

16 10

5347C 47

Goal

POSSESSION %

Own goal

Booked

Chelsea’s first game at Stamford Bridge since clinching the Premier League title was a seven-goal thriller settled by substitute Cesc Fàbregas’ late winner. John Terry got the ball rolling with a typically instinctive finish, scoring for the 17th season in a row in the English top flight and bringing up our century for the campaign in all competitions. Although Etienne Capoue brought Watford level soon after, our lead was restored before the break by Cesar Azpilicueta. He became our 14th different scorer of the season in the league with a drilled finish from the edge of the box after a corner was cleared to him. Fresh from his title-clinching goal, Michy Batshuayi netted just after half-time with the simplest of finishes after brilliantly being teed up by Nathan Ake, but our two-goal lead was wiped out by Daryl Janmaat and Stefano Okaka. However, a 16th Premier League home win of the season was secured by Fàbregas, whose finish from the edge of the box just evaded the dive of Heurelho Gomes. Referee: Lee Mason

9 7 4 8 7

Straight red card

Attendance: 41,473

Sent-off for two bookings

First sub

SHOTS ON TARGET SHOTS OFF TARGET OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS

Second sub

Third sub

3 5 2 3 12

Costel Pantilimon, Juan Camilo Zuniga, Andrew Eleftheriou, Brandon Mason, Dion Pereira

(3-4-2-1)

1 5

6 11

25 16

22 8

1486C 3

CHANCES CREATED

MATCH ACTION WEST BROMWICH ALBION

0-1

CHELSEA Batshuayi 82

THE HAWTHORNS

12.05.17, 8PM

MANAGER

FIRST-TEAM HEAD COACH

WEST BROMWICH ALBION

CHELSEA

Tony Pulis

Antonio Conte

1 Ben Foster

13 Thibaut Courtois

25 Craig Dawson

28 Cesar Azpilicueta

23 Gareth McAuley

30 David Luiz

6 Jonny Evans

24 Gary Cahill (c)

2 Allan Nyom

15 Victor Moses

11 Chris Brunt

4 Cesc Fàbregas

8 Jake Livermore

21 Nemanja Matic

24 Darren Fletcher (c)

3 Marcos Alonso

47 Sam Field

11 Pedro

14 James McClean

10 Eden Hazard

9 Salomon Rondon

19 Diego Costa

5 Claudio Yacob

22 Willian

22 Nacer Chadli

23 Michy Batshuayi

12 Marc Wilson

5 Kurt Zouma

UNUSED SUBS Boaz Myhill, James Morrison, Jonathan Leko, Hal Robson-Kanu

(4-5-1)

1 23

6 24

2 47

6832C 32

POSSESSION %

The Blues sealed our second Premier League triumph in three seasons thanks to a hard-fought victory over West Brom, as Michy Batshuayi’s late goal at the Hawthorns clinched the title for us with two games to spare. After beating Middlesbrough, Antonio Conte’s side knew three points in the Black Country would secure our fifth Premier League crown, but it looked like our chase would go into the final week of the campaign as we were met by a resilient Throstles rearguard. West Brom keeper Ben Foster was regularly called into action, but it appeared as if the home side would stand firm and keep the Blues waiting to celebrate glory. However, there was no doubting the hero of the evening. Batshuayi was pitched into the action late on and he was perfectly placed to turn home Cesar Azpilicueta’s early cross from six yards out. Fans, players and, typically, Conte and his coaching staff celebrated long into the night at the Hawthorns. It had truly been a collective effort to restore Chelsea to the top of the English football tree. Referee: Michael Oliver

Attendance: 25,367

2 2 3 5 13

SHOTS ON TARGET SHOTS OFF TARGET OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS

5 10 1 8 8

UNUSED SUBS Asmir Begovic, Nathan Ake, John Terry, N'Golo Kanté

(3-4-2-1)

13 30

28 4

24 21

3 10

7327C 89

ATTACKING THIRD PASSES

245

chelseafc.com

ARSENAL Sanchez 4, Ramsey 79

2-1

@chelseafc

CHELSEA Diego Costa 76

FINAL

WEMBLEY, 27.05.17, 5.30PM

MANAGER

Arsene Wenger

ARSENAL 13 David Ospina 16 Rob Holding 4 Per Mertesacker (c) 18 Nacho Monreal 24 Hector Bellerin 8 Aaron Ramsey 29 Granit Xhaka 15 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 11 Mesut Ozil 7 Alexis Sanchez 23 Danny Welbeck 12 Olivier Giroud

34 Francis Coquelin

35 Mohamed Elneny

90+3

UNUSED SUBS Petr Cech, Theo Walcott, Alex Iwobi, Lucas Perez

A campaign packed full of victories ultimately ended in a narrow defeat – but there was much to be proud of for the 10 men of Chelsea after we came up just short at Wembley. The Blues were unfortunate to go behind early on to a controversial Alexis Sanchez goal which could have been disallowed for either a clear handball or the offside confusion which followed, but it took two goal-line clearances from Gary Cahill to keep the deficit at one. The woodwork also came to our rescue on two occasions during the first half. Even the dismissal of Victor Moses couldn’t halt our momentum in a much-improved performance after the break, which was finally rewarded when substitute Willian picked out Diego Costa inside the box to fire past David Ospina. However, Arsenal were back in front moments after the restart when Aaron Ramsey headed home and our best chance of another equaliser came and went as Diego Costa’s fierce strike was brilliantly repelled by Ospina. Referee: Anthony Taylor

FIRST-TEAM HEAD COACH Antonio Conte

CHELSEA 13 Thibaut Courtois 28 Cesar Azpilicueta 30 David Luiz 24 Gary Cahill (c) 15 Victor Moses 7 N'Golo Kanté 21 Nemanja Matic 3 Marcos Alonso 11 Pedro 10 Eden Hazard 19 Diego Costa

CHELSEA

3-0

4 Cesc Fàbregas

22 Willian

23 Michy Batshuayi

UNUSED SUBS Attendance: 89,472

Diego Costa 23, Alonso 34, Matic 65

Asmir Begovic, Kurt Zouma, Nathan Ake, John Terry

MIDDLESBROUGH

STAMFORD BRIDGE

08.05.17, 8PM

FIRST-TEAM HEAD COACH Antonio Conte

CHELSEA 13 Thibaut Courtois 28 Cesar Azpilicueta 30 David Luiz 24 Gary Cahill (c) 15 Victor Moses 4 Cesc Fàbregas 21 Nemanja Matic 3 Marcos Alonso 11 Pedro 10 Eden Hazard 19 Diego Costa 22 Willian

29 Nathaniel Chalobah

26 John Terry

UNUSED SUBS Asmir Begovic, Kurt Zouma, Nathan Ake, Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Goal

Own goal

Booked

There only looked likely to be one winner of this match right from the start, with Marcos Alonso rattling the woodwork inside the first 90 seconds of a dominant display against Middlesbrough. It was therefore something of a surprise it took as long as 23 minutes for Chelsea to open the scoring, Diego Costa providing the breakthrough by casually rolling the ball between Brad Guzan’s legs from close range. Ten minutes later the lead was doubled when Cesar Azpilicueta played the ball behind the Boro defence for Alonso to finish off. The Blues piled on more pressure in the second half, Pedro hitting the crossbar within a minute of the restart, but it was Nemanja Matic who put the result beyond doubt, calmly completing a slick passing move involving Eden Hazard, David Luiz and Cesc Fàbregas. The victory, our 300th at home in the Premier League, confirmed Middlesbrough’s relegation from the top flight and extended our lead at the top of the table to seven points. Referee: Craig Pawson

Straight red card

Sent-off for two bookings

HEAD COACH Steve Agnew

MIDDLESBROUGH 12 Brad Guzan 2 Fabio Da Silva 25 Calum Chambers 6 Ben Gibson (c) 3 George Friend 8 Adam Clayton 37 Adama Traore 34 Adam Forshaw 14 Marten De Roon 19 Stewart Downing 10 Alvaro Negredo

Second sub

Third sub

20 Patrick Bamford

29 Rudy Gestede

UNUSED SUBS Attendance: 41,500

First sub

7 Grant Leadbitter

Dimi Konstantopoulos, Bernardo, Antonio Barragan, Adlene Guedioura

12 May

TITLE CLINCHER Chelsea travelled to The Hawthorns knowing a win over West Brom would seal our sixth top-flight title. A gutsy display from the home side kept us at bay for much of the game and it looked as if we would have to wait to claim the Premier League crown. That was until the decisive moment in a thrilling 2016/17 campaign came via the left boot of Michy Batshuayi. The Belgian had only been on the pitch for seven minutes when he showed great instinct to get on the end of Cesar Azpilicuetaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centre and steer the ball past Ben Foster, meaning the Blues were champions with two matches to spare.

PIC OF THE MONTH

MONTH NUMB3RS IN

PRESENTED BY

Looking through the stats at play

Our victory over Sunderland on the final day saw the Blues set a new Premier League record for wins in a single season, eclipsing the previous best of 29, which we had previously achieved in 2004/05 and 2005/06.

John Terry’s goal against Watford was Chelsea’s 1,000th in the Premier League since Roman Abramovich took over in 2003. It was also our 100th goal in all competitions last season.

Cesar Azpilicueta made his 150th start in the English top flight in our victory over Middlesbrough.

A Belgian Blue has scored the title-clinching goal in each of the past three seasons: Eden Hazard in 2014/15 and 2015/16 – the latter against Tottenham to ensure Leicester sealed first place – and now Michy Batshuayi after his decisive strike at West Brom.

N’Golo Kanté became the third Chelsea player to win the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award, and the fourth Blue to claim the Football Writers’ Association honour. Chelsea players to have won the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award

Cesc Fàbregas made his 100th Premier League appearance for Chelsea in our 5-1 win over Sunderland.

Year Winner 2005

John Terry

2015

Eden Hazard

2017

N’Golo Kanté

Chelsea players to have won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award Year Winner

The Blues recorded our 300th home Premier League win by beating Boro 3-0. Manchester United and Arsenal are the other clubs to have reached that landmark so far.

Diego Costa’s strike in the 3-0 win over Middlesbrough saw him reach 20 Premier League goals for the second time. Three other Chelsea players have reached that tally. 29

Frank Lampard

2015

Eden Hazard

2017

N’Golo Kanté

The win over Middlesbrough was our eighth successive victory against them in all competitions. We have scored 19 goals without reply in those fixtures.

We became the first club to win the English topflight title on a Friday since Arsenal at Anfield in 1989.

Pedro made his 50th Premier League appearance as we clinched the title with a 1-0 win over West Brom.

DIEGO COSTA (2016/17)

FRANK LAMPARD (2009/10)

DIDIER DROGBA (2009/10)

DIDIER DROGBA (2006/07)

JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK (2001/02)

JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK (2000/01)

Gianfranco Zola

2005

DIEGO COSTA (2014/15)

1997

After victory in their final game against Reading, this year was the first time Chelsea’s youth team had ended the campaign as league champions since 1984, when the Blues won the old South-East Counties League. However, this was our first title success since the Under-18s league became a national competition.

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Words | Dominic Bliss

TREBLE HEROES

Having followed up our FA Youth Cup triumph with the national league title, the manager and players reflect on what has been a remarkable campaign for Chelsea’s history-making youngsters

hree days after winning the FA Youth Cup for a fourth successive season, Chelsea’s Under-18s travelled to play a crucial away league game against Liverpool and emerged with a 1-0 victory. Five changes were made to the starting XI, signifying the depth of talent in the Academy, but also demonstrating that more than half of the team who had defeated

Manchester City so convincingly in the Youth Cup final were prepared to win a crunch league match on the road three days later. That was the story of the season for Jody Morris’ youth team – fighting on two fronts and proving to be equally effective in league and cup. The young Blues followed up the victory at Liverpool by beating closest rivals Arsenal and then Reading in the final two matches

of the season. In doing so, we secured the Under-18 Premier League and, with it, a Treble, having already won the southern league title in February. It was the first time Chelsea’s youth team had ended the season as league champions since 1984, when we won the old SouthEast Counties League. However, this was our first title success since the Under-18s competition became a national one and, 57

ACADEMY

Our victorious FA Youth Cup-winning squad

having won the southern section of the Under-18 Premier League in each of the past three seasons, this group were determined to make sure they finished the job by winning the elite merit league – played out between March and May between the best performing sides in each region. Chelsea won six of the seven games in that final stage and did so while also focusing on retaining their FA Youth Cup title. Our relentless pursuit of success delighted Morris, who has been pushing his players to display our ruthless best throughout his first campaign as head coach of the Under-18s. “It’s been an amazing season for us,” he said at the end of it all. “We’ve broken records and won every competition we’ve entered, so I couldn’t be prouder of the lads. “We’ve been tough to play against whether we’re pressing from the front, matching teams physically or dominating with our technical ability. We’ve shown so many different styles to our play throughout the season. I think they’ve all improved individually but also, as a team, we’ve shown some real improvements, especially off the ball. “We had to dig deep in the last few games of the merit league, going down to 10 men against Blackburn and coming from behind, getting big wins away from home against top teams, like at Liverpool 58

WE’VE BROKEN RECORDS AND WON EVERY COMPETITION WE’VE ENTERED, SO I COULDN’T BE PROUDER OF THE LADS. WE’VE BEEN TOUGH TO PLAY AGAINST WHETHER WE’RE PRESSING FROM THE FRONT, MATCHING TEAMS PHYSICALLY OR DOMINATING WITH OUR TECHNICAL ABILITY

Jody Morris

Harvey St Clair in action against Blackburn

Luke McCormick scores from the spot against Brighton

chelseafc.com

just a few days after winning the Youth Cup. That mentality has been our biggest attribute throughout the year and it’s carried us through certain situations. “I’m privileged to be working with this group of players. We’ve had some unbelievable teams and players in our Academy over the years but these boys will go down in history because this season is the best any Chelsea youth team has ever produced.” One of the toughest tests the coach faced ahead of each match was deciding which players to leave out, such were the motivation levels of every member of the squad. Yet, whoever took to the pitch, the team was always dangerous going forward and secure at the back. When looking over the season’s results, your eyes may be drawn to the 13-0 win over Brighton, the 7-1 second leg demolition of Tottenham in the Youth Cup semi-final, or the three 5-0 wins in the space of four games at the turn of the year, not to mention the fact that centre-forward Martell Taylor-Crossdale’s 20 goals made him comfortably the league’s top scorer. However, the team also kept 17 clean sheets in the league alone, a remarkable

IT’S BEEN A MASSIVE TEAM EFFORT. WE HAVE A GREAT GROUP OF LADS WHO’VE BEEN PLAYING TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME NOW AND THERE’S DEFINITELY NOBODY ELSE I’D RATHER SHARE THESE MOMENTS WITH

Josh Grant

@chelseafc

achievement. It may not have gained the same number of column inches but this team’s defensive organisation has been just as impressive as its prolific scoring at the other end. “It’s been a massive team effort because we’ve worked really hard in training,” said defender Josh Grant, one of the more experienced heads in the Under-18s group. “We’ve made history again because nobody has ever achieved this before. We have a great group of lads who’ve been playing together for a long time now and there’s definitely nobody else I’d rather share these moments with. “This is my eighth major trophy with the Under-18s and I’ll certainly be sad to leave it behind but when I look back on these years in the future, I’m sure I’ll be more than happy with what we achieved.” It was the idea of lasting memories and pride which Morris tapped into as his team approached the last game of the season. After beating Liverpool and Arsenal to reach the point where a win in their final match with Reading would secure the title, he wanted to be sure his team understood the significance of The players congratulate Reece James after his goal against Tottenham in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup semi-final

ACADEMY

Mason Mount after scoring the final goal in our 3-0 win over Reading

DEVELOPMENT SQUAD Date Opposition Res AUGUST Sun 14 Sunderland A 1-1 Mon 22 Liverpool H2 4-1 Sun 28 Manchester United A 1-1 SEPTEMBER Fri 9 Tottenham Hotspur H3 3-1 Tue 13 Swindon Town (EFLT Group C South) A 1-2 Mon 19 Reading A 1-2 Fri 23 Arsenal H3 1-2 OCTOBER Fri 14 Leicester City H2 0-0 Tue 18 Exeter City (EFLT Group C South) A 2-3 Mon 24 Derby County H2 2-2 Mon 31 Everton A 1-1 NOVEMBER Tue 8 Oxford United (EFLT Group C South) H3 1-1# Mon 21 Southampton H1 3-2 Sat 26 Manchester City A 2-2 Tue 29 Feyenoord (PLIC Group D) H2 2-1 DECEMBER Fri 9 Manchester United H2 3-1 Fri 16 Dinamo Zagreb (PLIC Group D) H2 0-1 Thu 22 Swansea City (PLIC Group D) H2 1-2 JANUARY Fri 6 Tottenham Hotspur A 2-2 Fri 13 Leicester City A 4-0 FEBRUARY Sun 5 Reading H2 2-0 Sat 18 Manchester City H2 3-4 Fri 24 Arsenal A 1-4 MARCH Mon 6 Southampton A 0-0 Mon 13 Liverpool A 0-2 APRIL Fri 7 Sunderland H3 3-0 Fri 21 Everton H2 2-2 MAY Fri 5 Derby County A 1-2 H1 - Cobham Training Ground. H2 - Aldershot Town FC. H3 - Stamford Bridge. EFLT - English Football League Trophy. PLIC - Premier League International Cup. #Won 13-12 on penalties after 90 minutes.

APPEARANCES 2016/17 T Chalobah 25, Mount 23+4, Ugbo 23+4, Collins 21, Sterling 20+4, Scott 18+1, J Dasilva 16, Quintero 15+5, Sammut 15+2, Tomori 15, Colley 12+4, Dabo 12, Christie-Davies 9+5, Wakefield 8+5, Ali 8+3, Maddox 6+10, Nartey 6, Solanke 6, Van Ginkel 6, Aina 4, Zouma 4, Muheim 3+4, Beeney 3, Clarke-Salter 3, C Dasilva 3, Kane 3, C Musonda 3, Panzo 3, St Clair 2+5, Colkett 2+1, Baxter 2, Taylor-Crossdale 1+3, Grant 1+2, Gallagher 1+1, Batshuayi 1, Eduardo 1, Fàbregas 1, James 1, Terry 1, Thompson 1, C Brown 0+1, Jameson 0+1, McCormick 0+1, Uwakwe 0+1

GOALS 2016/17 Ugbo 13, Quintero 5, Mount 4, Sterling 4, Ali 3 (1 pen), own goals 3, Batshuayi 2, J Dasilva 2 (2 pens), Solanke 2, Tomori 2, Christie-Davies 1, Maddox 1, C Musonda 1, Nartey 1, Scott 1, Van Ginkel 1, Wakefield 1

Ike Ugbo PREMIER LEAGUE 2 - DIVISION 1 Team 1 Everton 2 Man City 3 Liverpool 4 Arsenal 5 Chelsea 6 Man Utd 7 Sunderland 8 Derby 9 Leicester 10 Tottenham 11 Reading 12 Southampton

Pld W D L GD Pts 22 15 3 4 +27 48 22 13 6 3 +21 45 22 13 4 5 +20 43 22 10 3 9 +8 33 22 7 9 6 +8 30 22 6 8 8 -9 26 22 6 7 9 -10 25 22 6 6 10 -11 24 22 5 8 9 -11 23 22 6 4 12 -11 22 22 6 4 12 -20 22 22 5 6 11 -12 21

finishing the job. The score at the interval was 0-0, but Morris chose that moment to motivate the team again. “At half-time I said to them I knew they had achieved so much already this season but they would go away with a lot of regrets if they couldn’t get over the line by beating Reading at home on the last day of the season,” he revealed after the game. “No matter what you go on to do in your careers, you always remember monumental achievements at youth level, and achieving a Treble would be one of those.” Shortly after the restart, Conor Gallagher – fresh from being named Scholar of the Year – broke the deadlock, before goals from Harvey St Clair and Mason Mount made the points, and the league title, safe. Speaking afterwards, Gallagher explained that the intensity of the decisive games had spurred the team on. “It makes the season more exciting when every game matters,” he said. “There are points on the line you need to get and trophies you need to win. All the

WE LIKE THE PRESSURE ON US AND THAT’S WHEN WE PERFORM AT OUR BEST, AS WE HAVE DONE IN YOUTH CUP FINALS AND SEMI-FINALS ALREADY THIS YEAR. IT SHOWS WE’RE ALWAYS READY FOR THE BIG GAMES

Conor Gallagher

chelseafc.com

first-years have adapted to it well and I think we’ve done great as a group. We like the pressure on us and that’s when we perform at our best, as we have done in Youth Cup finals and semi-finals already this year. It shows we’re always ready for the big games.” When a team is as talented, wellprepared and committed as this season’s Under-18s have shown themselves to be, it is difficult to stand in their way. When they have the kind of bond that comes from growing up together, and the support of the staff who have worked to focus

their talent and guide their development, then all the ingredients for success are there. “It’s a huge team effort, not just the players and staff involved in the Under18s group this season but for everyone who works in our Academy,” Morris summarised. “The majority of this team have come through our programme since the age of seven so this is a really proud moment for everyone. There are pictures on the wall of them as Under-8s and now they’re completing a Treble-winning season for the Under-18s. It’s an amazing achievement.” Jody Morris with the Under-18 Premier League trophy

@chelseafc

UNDER-18s Date Opposition Res AUGUST Sat 13 Fulham H1 3-2 Sat 20 Southampton A 2-3 Fri 26 Swansea City H1 5-0 SEPTEMBER Sat 10 Norwich City A 4-5 Sat 17 Arsenal H1 4-2 Sat 24 Aston Villa A 1-1 OCTOBER Sat 1 West Ham United H1 1-0 Sat 15 Reading H1 2-0 Sat 22 Tottenham Hotspur A 1-1 Sat 29 Leicester City H1 2-0 NOVEMBER Fri 4 Brighton & Hove Albion A 3-1 Sat 19 Southampton H1 4-1 Sat 26 Fulham A 2-0 DECEMBER Sat 3 Arsenal A 2-2 Sat 10 Norwich City H1 3-1 Tue 13 Cardiff City (FA Youth Cup 3) H2 5-0 JANUARY Thu 5 Swansea City A 5-0 Sat 14 Aston Villa H1 0-0 Wed 18 Birmingham City (FA Youth Cup 4) A 5-0 Sat 28 Tottenham Hotspur H1 3-2 FEBRUARY Wed 1 Sheffield Wednesday (FA Youth Cup 5) H2 4-0 Sat 4 Reading A 2-0 Sat 11 Leicester City A 3-0 Wed 15 Leicester City (FA Youth Cup QF) A 1-0 Sat 18 Brighton & Hove Albion H1 13-0 Sat 25 West Ham United A 3-0 MARCH Fri 10 West Ham United (Merit Group A) A 4-0 Tue 14 Tottenham Hotspur (FA Youth Cup SF 1) A 2-1 Sat 18 Tottenham Hotspur (FA Youth Cup SF 2) H3 7-1# APRIL Sat 1 Manchester United (Merit Group A) H1 4-3 Sat 8 Manchester City (Merit Group A) A 0-2 Tue 18 Manchester City (FA Youth Cup F 1) A 1-1 Sat 22 Blackburn Rovers (Merit Group A) H1 2-1 Wed 26 Manchester City (FA Youth Cup F 2) H3 5-1* Sat 29 Liverpool (Merit Group A) A 1-0 MAY Tue 9 Arsenal (Merit Group A) H1 3-1 Fri 12 Reading (Merit Group A) H1 3-0 H1 - Cobham Training Ground. H2 - Aldershot Town FC. H3 – Stamford Bridge. #Won 9-2 on aggregate. *Won 6-2 on aggregate.

APPEARANCES 2016/17 James 28+7, McCormick 25+5, C Dasilva 25+3, Guehi 24+2, Taylor-Crossdale 23+10, Maddox 23, Grant 22+2, Hudson-Odoi 21+4, Uwakwe 20+7, Gallagher 19+10, G McEachran 19+7, Castillo 18+9, Cumming 18, St Clair 17+11, Colley 14+1, Nartey 14+1, Sterling 13, Thompson 13, Ugbo 13, Mount 12, T Chalobah 11, C Brown 5+15, Bulka 5, Panzo 2+4, Lamptey 1+2 , Medley 1+1, Baxter 1, Jameson 0+4

GOALS 2016/17 Taylor-Crossdale 21 (3 pens), Ugbo 12 (2 pens), C Brown 10, Hudson-Odoi 8, McCormick 8 (5 pens), St Clair 8, Uwakwe 8, G McEachran 6, C Dasilva 6, Mount 6, Gallagher 5 (2 pens), T Chalobah 4, James 3, own goals 3, Castillo 2, Sterling 2, Guehi 1, Maddox 1, Nartey 1

U18 PREMIER LEAGUE – SOUTH Team 1 Chelsea 2 Arsenal 3 Reading 4 West Ham 5 Fulham 6 Aston Villa 7 Tottenham 8 Norwich 9 Southampton 10 Brighton 11 Swansea 12 Leicester

Pld W D L GD Pts 22 16 4 2 +47 52 22 12 5 5 +20 41 22 12 3 7 +11 39 22 10 4 8 +6 34 22 9 6 7 +7 33 22 9 6 7 -8 33 22 9 4 9 +12 31 22 9 4 9 +8 31 22 7 5 10 -13 26 22 5 8 9 -23 23 22 2 6 14 -37 12 22 2 5 15 -30 11

U18 PREMIER LEAGUE – MERIT GROUP A Team 1 Chelsea 2 Arsenal 3 Man City 4 Man Utd 5 Reading 6 West Ham 7 Blackburn 8 Liverpool

Pld W D L GD Pts 7 6 0 1 +10 18 7 4 2 1 +9 14 7 4 2 1 +5 14 7 2 2 3 -2 8 7 2 1 4 -7 7 7 1 3 3 -5 6 7 2 0 5 -7 6 7 1 2 4 -3 5

LADIES

SILVER SERVICE After winning the Spring Series title, we caught up with manager Emma Hayes and the two goalscorers in the final-day win over Birmingham City to find out just how much it meant to add more silverware to the trophy cabinet

Emma Hayes’ side celebrate a job well done

EMMA HAYES Since her appointment as manager in 2012, Emma Hayes has transformed Chelsea Ladies into a side which regularly competes for the top honours in the English game. The Spring Series was the third trophy in the past two years and completes a silverware-laden month at all levels for the Blues. The trophy cabinet at Stamford Bridge is looking pretty packed right now... Well, considering everybody else at the club had won something this season I thought it was about time we joined the party! I made no secret of the fact we wanted to win the Spring Series and it’s been a huge effort from everyone because we’ve used the entire squad throughout. We’ve rotated well, developed a new system, scored the most goals, conceded the fewest, and

I think there’s a real confidence in the dressing room. So, I need to say a huge congratulations to my players, because they’ve put in an amazing amount of work, a lot of dedication. It’s been time consuming, we demanded a lot, and they delivered. After our fifth game of the season ended with defeat it made the remaining three matches must-win affairs. Did you feel any pressure during that final week? No, not at all. I believe in what we’ve been doing on the training pitch. I thought the win over Birmingham was a professional performance. It was quite warm and we’ve had five out of the eight fixtures in the Spring Series away from home, so it felt like we were on the road every three days. But we dominated and took our chances at the right time, and it shows what a tremendous squad we’ve got at the club.

Are you happy with the way the team is progressing ahead of the longer season in September? Absolutely I am. I want to be in the top position and for us to be going into that season as champions is important, not least in terms of getting the players to continue to live with the expectations at this club. They’re doing that and I think we’ve evolved well this spring. We certainly recovered as a club and right now we are the top team in the country. Was seeing the men’s teams with their trophies at the Player of the Year ceremony inspiration going into the climax of the Spring Series? Yeah, I love the football club and the way we have been welcomed and integrated into the club. We just feel like a member of the family, so for us to bring some silverware back makes us feel like we’re playing our part too.

chelseafc.com/ladies

@chelseaLFC LADIES

FRAN KIRBY You must dream of moments like the one which presented itself against Birmingham – 1-0 up, the ball at your feet one yard from goal... As a striker you pray for those moments! Obviously it’s a mistake from the goalkeeper but I was in the right place at the right time. I was going to try to hit it first time but then I thought it was maybe a bit too tight so I took a little touch first. It was a bit of luck, yes, but a good No9 makes sure they are in the right place. How does it feel to bring silverware back to the club?

Since Chelsea’s visit to Sunderland on 25 May 2016, Fran Kirby appeared for only 30 minutes of competitive action before we returned to the North-East almost a year later. Within the space of a fortnight she had secured the Spring Series Golden Boot and, with it, fired the Blues to title glory once again, including scoring the second goal in our 2-0 win on the final day.

Obviously we’re delighted, we worked really hard in the off-season and during the campaign itself the girls have all put in a really big shift so this is just the prize at the end of it. We really wanted to win this Spring Series. We’ve got a team full of players who just want to win. A few of us were part of the squad which lifted the WSL trophy a couple of years ago and we want to really push on now. With Man

City winning it last year we wanted people to know we’re still here and it’s our trophy. We’re going to take the momentum that we’ve built this season into the new campaign and go from there. Did you think it had slipped away after the defeat at Man City in our fifth match? We just had to take it one game at a time and it was a case of shaking it off and moving on to the next one. We did that really well as a team. You’re going to have setbacks with the quality that’s in this league, and you never know what’s going to happen, so we’re happy to get our hands on the trophy and only lose one game. The goals for and against columns speak for themselves: 32 times the back of the net was rippled and only three conceded... I think the main thing was how many

Fran Kirby takes the plaudits after her goal against Liverpool

LADIES clean sheets we kept, because we managed to shut-out six of the eight teams, which was really good for us. And we know within our squad we’ve got goals, whether it’s from the strikers or midfielders. We know we’re a possession-based team and we can keep hold of the ball, but when we really need to hurt someone we can go forward and put the ball in the back of the net. We’ve proved that all season.

mean that off the pitch as well as on it. They’re really supportive. Sometimes I’d be in the gym in the morning and a few of the girls would make sure they came in at that time just to be in the gym with me and to push me on. I don’t mean just stopping off on their way out to training, we’re talking coming in at eight o’clock in the morning. I’m surrounded by some of the best people and the best medical staff.

On a personal level, you must be absolutely delighted to be back after a long-term injury and scoring goals right away.

Now you’ve got the European Championship coming up. Are you looking forward to that?

For me, it’s been a long road, a long journey, and a lot of hard work. I’ve really pushed myself to the limit to make sure I’ve been ready to go on the pitch whenever called upon. Getting over the injury was tough, especially having a setback, but I’ve always tried to remain positive and I’m surrounded by some of the best players in the world – and I

Yeah, I feel good and I feel fit. It’s hard to get yourself up to 100 per cent in such a short space of time, but for me anything is a bonus. As long as I’m stepping on the pitch, I don’t care if I’m scoring, not scoring, I just want to be on the pitch. For me, being out there at all in the Spring Series was just a real blessing.

Another Kirby goal... this time against Bristol City

KAREN CARNEY You said before the season started that your time at Chelsea would be considered a failure if you didn’t win any silverware, so how does it feel to get the first one in the cabinet? It’s a big relief, if I’m honest. I never doubted I’d made the best decision to come here, because I’m playing with top-quality players and it’s like international training every day. It’s the first trophy and we’re starting to build; this squad is getting there and we’ve improved so much. It just feels right. Hopefully we keep moving in the right direction. This is our trophy and we’ve earned it. We want to keep winning more and more of these. After signing a new contract on the eve of the 2017 season, Chelsea Ladies Player of the Year Karen Carney MBE declared she would trade any personal accolades for team honours. Now she can enjoy both after setting the Blues on their way to the Spring Series title with a first-half penalty against her old side on the final day of the campaign.

Were you nervous when you stepped up to take the penalty? No, I was pretty confident to be fair. I was designated penalty taker on the morning of the game and I just picked my spot and stuck with it. About three or four years ago I missed a penalty which cost Birmingham the league and I was adamant I wasn’t going to

make the same mistake again. It was at the same end, too, and I thought, “Here we go again,” but when you make mistakes you take it on the chin and you bounce back. I was confident even though she’s a top quality keeper and I’m just thankful it went in as we started a bit slowly and it gave us a bit of momentum. When you look at the way the goals have been spread around, combined with all the clean sheets we’ve kept, it has been a real team effort, hasn’t it? Yeah, we know we can score goals all over the shop and we’ve shown that this season. We watched all our goals on the morning of the game and they’ve come from defenders, midfielders, strikers; headers, fantastic build-up play goals, they’re all different. But the thing we’ve really worked over from the last five months is our clean sheets. I think goals win you games but clean sheets win you championships and that’s what we’ve

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looked to work on. We really tightened up at the back and we’ve made some fantastic additions who have really been instrumental for us and we just want to keep building. Does it feel like the season has been and gone before you knew it? Yeah, but it’s been tiring as we’ve had a lot of travel. There was a day to celebrate and then the majority of us met up with our national teams on the Monday ahead of the European Championship. In terms of Chelsea, we couldn’t have done any more, especially after the disappointment of the FA Cup. We picked ourselves up and showed any doubters that we are a good squad and we can win things.

It’s not every day you can bring Ramona Bachmann on and Drew Spence, who’s scored so many goals this season, and those changes make a massive difference. Was that depth the key with the games coming so frequently? Absolutely. We had six games in twoand-a-half weeks or something like that. To do that you need this freshness and

you need to be mentally switched on. With the calibre of player here, to make changes is not a weakness, it’s improving it all the time and that’s fantastic – but that is Chelsea. We’ve how many of our teams have won things this season, from the youth up to the first team, and we said we’ve got to do it as well. So it’s a club thing. We want to keep winning and it’s a club mentality, which is fantastic.

One thing that has been noticeable this season has been the fitness of the side. The longer the game goes on, the better you seem to get. It’s something that we’ve worked really, really hard on over the last five months, getting fitter, fitter, fitter and that’s why we score goals so late on. With the quality of our squad we can also bring players on.

Karen Carney scores the crucial penalty against Birmingham

Carney is presented with her MBE earlier this year

LADIES

BLUES SPRING FORWARD

Chelsea Ladies were crowned Spring Series champions after dazzling the WSL across the course of the shortened eight-game campaign. Emma Hayes’ side sprinted out of the blocks and, after a slight wobble in the middle, held their nerve to seal a deserved title. We scored 10 more goals than any other side, conceded the fewest as Carly Telford’s net was breached only three times, and ended with a goal difference that was 15 higher than the next best. There could be no doubt it was a deserved triumph as we celebrated a third trophy in the past two years. Here’s how the Blues did it. CHELSEA 6 YEOVIL TOWN 0

READING 0 CHELSEA 4

Ji So-Yun scored our first goal of the Spring Series, curling home a delightful free-kick to get the ball Bachmann with rolling against Ramona Crystal Dunn and Ji So-Yun Yeovil Town on the stroke of half-time. She added another moments later at the end of an opening half the Blues dominated. Drew Spence had earlier struck woodwork and it was she who made it 3-0 early in the second half before Erin Cuthbert scored the fourth. The hugely impressive Crystal Dunn and substitute Ramona Bachmann were the other scorers against the WSL1 newcomers from the West Country.

It was another high-scoring second half for Hayes’ side after Karen Carney headed in from six yards out to put us in front. For the second match running it was Spence who found the net first after the interval before Ji, only seconds after coming on, made it 3-0 with a fine strike, with Hannah Blundell completing the scoring inside the final 10 minutes. Karen Carney opens the scoring with a fine header

CHELSEA 2 ARSENAL 2 Drew Spence scores the second in stoppage time

A torrential downpour in the hours leading up to kick-off wasn’t enough to keep the supporters away from Wheatsheaf Park for this London derby, and they were rewarded with a hugely entertaining game of football. Although Chelsea trailed at the half-time break to a Jodie Taylor goal, Millie Bright’s header drew us level and when Spence netted in stoppage time it looked like we would take home the three points our performance merited. However, Jordan Nobbs equalised with the final kick of the game to earn the Gunners a point.

SUNDERLAND 0 CHELSEA 7

MANCHESTER CITY 1 CHELSEA 0

A five-goal showing in the first half secured a healthy victory for Chelsea on the same day as the men’s team were putting five past Sunderland before lifting the Premier League trophy. Despite missing an early penalty, the visitors utterly dominated Erin Cuthbert slots home the Black Cats and five was the least a brilliant first-half performance deserved. Cuthbert struck a couple of splendid goals and there were also clinical finishes from Carney, Maren Mjelde and Bachmann. The second half was lit up by the returning Fran Kirby, who netted twice after coming off the bench.

The Blues showed our support for victims of the Manchester Arena bombing by donning “We heart Manchester” t-shirts in the warm-up and although we ultimately lost to a brilliant Toni Duggan goal, it was a match which showcased the quality at the top of the Women’s Super League. Duggan’s first-half strike Blues show solidarity after proved to be decisive despite The the Manchester terror attack a fine second-half showing from the visitors which perhaps merited a point, as Beth England and Spence both came close to netting an equaliser.

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CHELSEA 7 LIVERPOOL 0

It was a fitting farewell to Wheatsheaf Park, as the Blues’ final game at Staines Town saw us share the goals around in a thumping victory over the side who were top of the WSL table. Gilly Flaherty gave us the perfect start with a glancing header after only two minutes, and a pair of quick-fire strikes on the stroke of half-time from Kirby and Ji secured the lead our dominance deserved. After the interval it was one-way traffic, as Mjelde, Carney, Cuthbert and Spence all found the back of the net to ensure the perfect ending to our five-year stay at Wheatsheaf Park ahead of our move to Kingsmeadow next season. BRISTOL CITY 0 CHELSEA 4 Millie Bright climbs highest to head home

BIRMINGHAM CITY 0 CHELSEA 2

The Spring Series title was wrapped up at Solihull Moors FC with another professional performance. After a cagey opening, the game came to life when Kirby was unceremoniously taken out by the keeper, resulting in a penalty. Carney stepped up to the spot and made

LADIES Date Opposition Res MARCH Sun 19 Doncaster Rovers Belles (Women’s FA Cup 5) H 7-0 Sun 26 Sunderland Ladies (Women’s FA Cup QF) H 5-1 APRIL Mon 17 Birmingham City Ladies (Women’s FA Cup SF) A 1-1# Sun 30 Yeovil Town Ladies H 6-0 MAY Wed 3 Reading Women A 4-0 Wed 17 Arsenal Ladies H 2-2 Sun 21 Sunderland Ladies A 7-0 Thu 25 Manchester City Women A 0-1 Sun 28 Liverpool Ladies H 7-0 Wed 31 Bristol City Women A 4-0 JUNE Sat 3 Birmingham City Ladies A 2-0 FA Women’s Super League 1 Spring Series fixtures unless stated. Home games are played at Staines Town FC unless stated. N – Wembley Stadium. #Lost 2-4 on penalties after extra-time.

Gilly Flaherty jumps for joy in the 7-0 victory

A pair of second-half goals by Kirby helped Chelsea to another resounding victory which moved us within three points of the Spring Series trophy. The Blues led at halftime through Bright’s well-directed header from a Mjelde free-kick and then it was a finishing masterclass by Fran Kirby after the break. The England international expertly netted our second from Bachmann’s assist and then benefited from a loose back pass to slide home our third. A fine performance by Bachmann was rewarded late on with another superb goal after good work by Bright in the build-up.

no mistake from 12 yards, calmly slotting the ball down the middle as Berger dived to her right. The Birmingham keeper was culpable for our nerve-settling second, too, as she spilled a Davison cross to Kirby. A yard from an unguarded goal is gimme territory for the England international and she tapped in with ease. A sixth clean sheet of the season was secured comfortably and with it another trophy for the cabinet. Maren Mjelde APPEARANCES 2017 Mjelde 11, Bright 10, Carney 9+1, Chapman 9, Dunn 8+3, Ji 8+2, Cooper 8, Bachmann 7+4, Blundell 7+1, Telford 7, England 6+3, Flaherty 6+1, Spence 4+6, Davison 4+3, Cuthbert 3+4, Rafferty 3, Kirby 2+3, Aluko 2+1, Bailey 2, Kitching 2, Lindahl 2, Fahey 1+1

GOALS 2017 Spence 7, Bachmann 6, Ji 6, Kirby 6, Carney 4 (1 pen), Cuthbert 4, Blundell 3, Bright 2, Dunn 2, Mjelde 2, Chapman 1, Flaherty 1, own goal 1

THE FA WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE 1 SPRING SERIES Team Pld W D L GD Pts 1 Chelsea Ladies 8 6 1 1 +29 19 2 Manchester City Women 8 6 1 1 +11 19 3 Arsenal Ladies 8 5 3 0 +13 18 4 Liverpool Ladies 8 4 2 2 +2 14 5 Sunderland Ladies 8 2 3 3 -10 9 6 Reading Women 8 2 2 4 -5 8 7 Birmingham City Ladies 8 1 4 3 -4 7 8 Bristol City Women 8 1 1 6 -16 4 9 Yeovil Town Ladies 8 0 1 7 -20 1

Fran Kirby settles matters with a close-range finish 67

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Aluko on hand as youngsters get Bridge day out Chelsea Ladies striker Eniola Aluko and Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore were in attendance to hand out the trophies as Stamford Bridge hosted the prestigious Premier League Schools Tournament. The annual event, which was established in 2006, provides a platform to promote the Premier League Primary Stars initiative, which is supported by each of the 20 topflight clubs throughout the year. Every Premier League club holds a tournament for schools in their area for the Under-11s’ mixed and Under-13s’ girls categories, with winners progressing to the national finals. Professional referees were on hand to officiate the matches, which were also watched by Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck, with Chelsea Foundation coaches and volunteers ensuring the 320 youngsters from 40 schools enjoyed a day never to forget. “It was a pleasure to come down and see the great work being done by the Premier League Primary Stars programme,” said Aluko. “When I was young I didn’t have opportunities like this and it would have been a dream to play in a competition like this at Stamford Bridge. “For the girls in particular it is amazing. Premier League clubs are doing a lot for women’s football and a lot of these girls are affiliated with a club and receiving good coaching, as I’ve seen first-hand with the Chelsea Foundation.

Eniola Aluko hands out a medal at the Premier League Schools Tournament

“That quality was on show in all the games I watched and the standard and technique on show from the kids was brilliant. It was a pleasure to be invited and to hand out the medals. Well done to everyone involved.” Chelsea’s Under-11s representatives John Keble Church of England Primary School did superbly to reach the semifinals, before losing to Crystal Palace on

penalties. Meanwhile, in the Under-13s’ girls category, Blenheim High School did the Blues proud but narrowly missed out on reaching the knockout stages. The overall winners on the day were St Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Primary School, who were representing Manchester City, and Chesterfield High School in the girls’ competition, who were wearing the red of Liverpool.

Kids visit Cobham to raise awareness for clubfoot More than 90 children from across the country visited our Cobham training ground as the Chelsea Foundation marked World Clubfoot Day. The Foundation collaborated with several charities to raise awareness about clubfoot – a condition affecting 1 in 800 babies – including the Chelsea Children’s Hospital Charity, which raises funds for a specialist service providing treatment of clubfoot through a clinic at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, treating over 100 new babies from around the UK every year. Children aged between one and 11, who have been treated for clubfoot, were invited to Cobham with their families to celebrate, have fun, make new friends and take part in football training under the supervision of Foundation coaching staff.

Children take part in training drills at our Cobham training ground as Chelsea Foundation staff look on

Chelsea Foundation disability inclusion officer Rob Seale said: “It’s really important for the Foundation to back the Global Clubfoot Initiative because without it, children born with clubfoot wouldn’t receive the specialist treatments they need. The charities we’re supporting work tirelessly in this field to help families and ensure that children achieve their full potential. “To celebrate World Clubfoot Day we’ve put on a special and memorable event for the participants and their families. The Foundation coaches made sure all the kids had a fantastic experience and all funds raised from the day will be donated to the charities. We hope everyone will come back next year to enjoy an even bigger and better day.” 69

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ONCE A BLUE, ALWAYS A BLUE

ONE OF US PAUL OAKENFOLD

WE WERE THERE! WE WERE THERE!

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PAUL OAKENFOLD DJ Paul Oakenfold tells us about flying the Blue flag at the Highest Party In The World by playing a gig in his Chelsea top at Everest Base Camp The first question has to be, why do a gig on Mount Everest? The idea behind it was to do a party at the top of the world to raise money for charity. I wanted to support two charities in London, where I was born and bred, which are Youth Music and the Mayor’s Music Fund, as well as raising money for two local charities helping Nepalese children and the recovery from the 2015 earthquake in the Himalayas. We spent five to seven hours a day hiking to get to Mount Everest and then five days sleeping on rocks in a tent, which was a nightmare because it was around -15°C at night. But we got there, we pulled off the show and I DJ’d for four hours – we had about 300 people there at the busiest time. We also invited a local DJ to perform with me and gave him all the equipment afterwards so he could start a DJ school for kids. We’re just trying to raise

money and awareness for causes that mean something to me. It makes the gigs extra special when there’s a good cause behind it and I’ve done similar shows at The Great Wall of China and one in South America called The Party At The End of The World, because it was at the last town before the South Pole. Paul Oakenfold performing his DJ set on Mount Everest

And you even showed your colours by wearing a Chelsea top for the gig. Did that get much of a reaction? The reaction was really good, actually. Another friend of mine who is a big Chelsea fan was with me and a couple of the Sherpas who carried all our stuff followed

ONE OF US Pictured with the locals during his trek to Everest Base Camp

Chelsea and were wearing shirts. I played in my tracksuit top at Mount Everest Base Camp and it’s the first time a DJ’s ever played there. I’m going to auction off the Chelsea top with its Base Camp patch for charity. I actually first put on my Chelsea shirt on Mount Everest when we were en route to Base Camp. Seven of us who were travelling and a few other people we met stopped and had a football game against the locals, Nepal against the rest of the world, as we were in blue. We filmed it all and there is going to be a documentary coming out in January. It was funny, because they were Under-14s and they still beat us 2-1!

win over Manchester City because I was really in the wilderness sleeping in the tent with no internet or anything, but on the way up I asked the Sherpas if there was anywhere we could watch the Crystal Palace game. Believe it or not, we ended up in an Irish bar in this little village with a few Chelsea supporters travelling up the mountain. It was an amazing situation where you’re halfway up Mount Everest in this little village watching a game from London via a feed from India.

Doing this in early April, as the title race came to a head, it must have been difficult keeping up with events at Stamford Bridge...

It was difficult. I was angry about the game against West Brom, when we won the league, being moved to a Friday night. It caught me out and I had to be on an 8am flight to Toronto that day, with the game starting at 11am our time – it was finished by the time I arrived so

I was in shock how a couple of the locals knew what was going on. I missed the

How about the run-in, were you watching the games at home in Los Angeles?

Cesc Fàbregas celebrates his goal against Crystal Palace

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ONE OF US was really lucky, everything fell into place in terms of coming to England for my work and trying to time it around a home game so I could get to see the Blues.

I missed it all! I had to check the score when I got off the plane. I definitely would have come back to London for the FA Cup final, but I was headlining a show for 5,000 people in San Francisco that day. After missing the West Brom game, I made the hotel I was booked into in San Francisco guarantee I could watch the FA Cup final on the TV!

It’s been a great campaign. What have you made of it from across the Atlantic?

Have you managed to attend any games at Stamford Bridge this season? Only once, but I’ve been lucky in that the one game I’ve managed to come to was arguably the best, when we beat Manchester United in the league 4-0. I

N’Golo Kanté is congratulated after scoring our fourth goal in the victory against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge

It’s a remarkable turnaround from finishing 10th last year to winning the league. The players as a group have all come together and delivered. The shape, the set-up, the system works really well. We’ve got a great team of players, a great spirit, a fantastic manager and we need to carry that through into the Champions League.

CHELSEA FIVE-A-SIDE TEAM

MANAGER

PAUL OAKENFOLD I’ve tried to look at it as how I want to play five-a-side, which is a different game, as we’ve had too many great players and it’s incredibly difficult not to put them all in the line-up. I’ve gone for an attacking side, because it’s all about scoring. I’ve gone with arguably our greatest goalkeeper, with respect to Petr Cech and Thibaut Courtois. They’re both great but I’ve had to go for that alltime classic Peter Bonetti. I’ve only got one defender. In front of him, I initially put down John Terry and Marcel Desailly, but I wanted three

Peter Bonetti; John Terry; Gianfranco Zola, Eden Hazard; Didier Drogba

forwards and realised I had six players in the team! In the end, there can only be one really, and it’s got to be John Terry. For the three up front I’ve just gone for flamboyant entertainment and skill. I had to go for Gianfranco Zola on one side and Eden Hazard on the other. On their day, playing together, can you imagine it? It is very hard to leave out Frank Lampard but it’s just got to be those two playing either side of a centre-forward, the same way it was so exciting when we had Arjen Robben and Damien Duff at Chelsea.

There’s a huge amount of choice for centre-forward and I’m a massive fan of Diego Costa, especially the way he puts on the shirt and battles for us, and at the end of the game he’ll go and shake the hand of the defender he’s rattled and pushed around for 90 minutes, but I’ve picked Didier Drogba. I love how cool and calm Drogba was to score the winner in the Champions League final in Munich and how he always stepped up and scored in cup finals. Plus he’s just a good person who does a lot of charity work.

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C H E L S E A H E A LT H C L U B . C O M

WE WERE THERE! WE WERE THERE!

Each month we look at Chelsea’s history from a fan perspective. In this issue, we relive the day the Blues were crowned kings of Europe...

OUR GREATEST NIGHT The big one: Munich, 2012, the Champions League final. After finishing as runners-up and reaching four further semi-finals in the previous decade, we finally won the toughest competition in club football at the home of our opponents, Bayern Munich. After all those ‘nearly’ years, we finally made it over the line at the end of what had been a turbulent season. We finished sixth in the Premier League in 2011/12 and manager Roberto Di Matteo had initially been promoted to his post on a temporary basis following the departure of Andre Villas-Boas in March. When Di Matteo stepped into the role, we were at the midway point of our round-of-16 tie with Napoli and trailing 3-1. Yet the man who had scored in three cup finals for Chelsea during his playing days oversaw an incredible

comeback in the second leg at the Bridge, with the Blues emerging as 4-1 winners after extra time. Suddenly, it felt like anything was possible. Benfica fell at the next stage, and then a remarkable victory against one of the strongest Barcelona teams of all time had everyone believing it could be our year. The backs-tothe-wall 2-2 draw in the second leg at Camp Nou – where we fought with 10 men for much of the game – will go down as one of the great moments in Chelsea history. But the greatest was still to come. After lifting the FA Cup at Wembley, we had the chance to turn a seemingly disappointing campaign into a legendary one when we faced German giants Bayern in their own backyard. Let’s hear from some of the supporters who were there that night...

WE WERE THERE! WE WERE THERE!

MICHAEL FREAN (LEFT)

So the Blues had got to the 2012 Champions League final. How that had been achieved was nothing short of miraculous. We had come back from 3-1 down against Napoli and from 2-0 down at the Nou Camp, with 10 men, against the Barcelona of Messi et al. I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the final with my 12-year-old son Joe. We were up against Bayern Munich at their stadium, the Allianz Arena, and we had several players missing through suspension and injury. We were the underdogs, to put it mildly. Joe and I got an early flight and arrived in Munich at about 10am. It was a very hot day and we spent most of it in the Olympic Park. We watched a veterans’ game between the two sides, which Chelsea won. Would this be a good omen for the main event? When we arrived at the stadium that evening, we were sat in our seats a good hour before kick-off and the locals seemed to think the game was already as good as won, unfurling a banner that read, “Unsere Stadt, Unser Stadion, Unser Pokal”, or “Our City, Our Stadium, Our Cup”. I said to Joe that, whatever happened, I didn’t want another penalty shootout, given what had happened in Moscow, adding, if it came to that, I’d look away or wait outside for the result. The game itself proved to be rather one-sided with Bayern dominating the

Robben’s penalty Petr Cech saves Arjen play and creating most of the chances. However, this Chelsea side was nothing if not determined and resilient and it was also great to see Ryan Bertrand, a home-grown player, starting in a major European final. A combination of great goalkeeping, last-ditch defending and poor finishing kept them out until about 10 minutes to go, when Petr Cech was finally beaten by a Thomas Müller header that went in off the bar. “Oh well that’s it”, was the consensus among the Chelsea contingent. We had done so well to get here and hang on for so long, but it now looked like we were going home without the trophy. Then, with two minutes of normal time left, we had a corner. Didier Drogba pops up with a fantastic header and it’s 1-1. Unbelievable! So onto extra time and there’s a foul in the Chelsea penalty area by Drogba. The referee points to the spot for a Bayern penalty. Unbelievable again! Arjen Robben’s penalty is brilliantly saved by Cech. Maybe it would be our year after all! No more goals in extra time and so to the dreaded penalty shootout. “We can win this,” says Joe. “Watch it with me”. We all know what happened next, but don’t forget Manuel Neuer saved Juan Mata’s first kick and it wasn’t until the fourth round of penalties, when Ivica Olic’s shot was saved and Ashley Cole then scored, that we levelled things at 3-3. Cech then brilliantly diverted Bastian

Schweinsteiger’s shot onto the post and we only needed one penalty to win it. Who else but Drogba to take it? Of course, he delivered. We had defied all the odds to finally win the Champions League after all those years of hurt. The greatest moment in our history. I think Joe and I, as well as many of the other Chelsea fans, were actually in a state of shock after what we had just witnessed. After seeing JT lift the trophy, we made our way to the coach waiting to take us back to the airport. The flight home was delayed but no-one cared about that and we finally got home around 7am – in good time to head to the King’s Road to celebrate with the thousands of other Chelsea fans as the players returned to a heroes’ welcome and a bus parade.

The open-top bus parade 78

ALLIANZ ARENA, MUNICH, GERMANY

STEVE HALLS (SECOND LEFT) Our travel plans to Munich were largely dictated by the fact I ‘agreed’ (or was cajoled) into taking my family of Chelsea fans – my 20-year-old daughter Beth and her boyfriend Billy, my lad Will, who was 18, and my stepson Joel, also 18. Our priority was doing the trip as cheaply as possible, so Joel and I left Cannock early on Friday and collected the others in Aylesbury, then drove down to Dover. There were two small wins as we got there early: we got five Burger King meals for £17 (we had a staff card) and managed to get on an earlier ferry to Dunkirk. There we found a quaint little bar, and had some cold beers – win number three. Unfortunately, we all had to share a hotel room, which was cosy! We were up and away at 7am for the drive down to our next hotel, just north of Munich, and with plenty of stops we bombed down the autobahns. We only had two tickets, so after booking into the hotel we went straight to the ground and parked on the top of the multi-storey car park there – another result. Beth and I had the golden tickets so we went to the fan zone and chilled for a few hours, while the boys got on a train full of Bayern fans to go into Munich. They had a great time in the city. The pre-match stuff was a little parochial, with lots of Bayern-aligned things going on, but the 17,000 Chelsea fans didn’t care – we were there and ready to win. We had brilliant seats in row six of the bottom tier, right behind the goal, and a perfect view for Drogs’ brilliant header.

NEXT MONTH

At no point did we think we would lose the game as we all believed our name was on it. When they scored, the first thing we thought was, ‘Get the ball up this end and win a corner, a freekick, or anything.’ So Fernando Torres scrapped for the corner, Lamps jockeyed and acted like he might head it but that actually gave Drogs the run he needed – bang! To say that goal was up there with the best ever actually doesn’t do it justice – that was the moment for me, and I’ve been a fan since 1964. Arjen Robben’s penalty was right in front of us, and after John Obi had whispered sweet nothings in his ear, his penalty was saved! The penalty shootout was up the other end of the pitch, and when Juan missed the first one, we thought we could still win – we had Petr Cech. David Luiz and Frank took brilliant penalties and then another big win – Olic’s penalty was saved! Ash’s fantastic penalty hit the inside netting, then Bastian stepped up, stuttered, but Petr stood firm, and his feathered touch turned it onto the post. Then the moment we all knew was coming – Drogs’ turn, and we absolutely knew he would score. We stayed until the very end, leaving the site at about 2am when the boys returned from Munich. I think I had about four hours’ sleep before we headed home – the most satisfying 800

Didier Drogba with the trophy miles of driving you could wish for. If you were there, then you’ll have the same glow inside that we all have – and some lasting memories to lean on in those bad football moments: David Luiz sitting on the cross-bar, Schweinsteiger’s walk back to the halfway line with his head covered, the two fans who ran onto the pitch after the winning penalty, Drogs giving Roman the cup. Oh, and our picture after the game taken from the top of the car park! So, onto next year, when the final is in Kiev. I’m sure we can win it again. Come on you blues!

Next month we’re casting our minds back to spring 2005, when we secured our first league title for 50 years. If you were there for the 2-0 win at Bolton that sealed it, the trophy presentation at Stamford Bridge or the open-top bus parade, email dominic.bliss@trinitymirror.com and let us know!

MESSAGE BOARD

Where fans show the Chelsea colours, wherever they may be

SHAHREZ & SHARJEEL KARIM Season ticket holders and brothers Shahrez and Sharjeel, as well as the rest of the Karim family, want to send a special message of thanks to John Terry after the Chelsea skipper played his last game for the club. “We cannot express our gratitude to JT for everything he has done for the club and fans. We will always cherish these memories forever and hope to see him back at Stamford Bridge soon. Much love from Fariha, Khalid, Shahrez, Sharjeel and Shahzer.”

DUNCAN KINNEN Congratulations to Duncan on his retirement. He is leaving Police Scotland for a well-earned rest after 30 years’ service. Duncan grew up as a young boy in Kennington obsessed with Chelsea and kept up that passion after moving north to Scotland. For decades he would spend his weekends on night buses from South Lanarkshire to London to see the Blues at Stamford Bridge, before making use of the first and last flights on a matchday in recent years to make sure he could see the team in action.

OSCAR & ARTHUR HIGNELL Oscar and Arthur are both big Chelsea supporters who love nothing more than watching every game with their daddy. This photo shows them at eight weeks and three years old, enjoying our 2-2 London derby draw with Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the 2015/16 season with the rest of their family of huge Chelsea supporters.

VICTORIA & HENRY DESBAILLETS

SHAYNE JONES CHARLIE SPEIRS Sending special 30th birthday wishes to Charlie, a true Blue! With lots of love from Mom, Frankie, Nan, Maggie and all the family.

WANT TO APPEAR ON THE MESSAGE BOARD? 80

Wishing Shayne a very happy birthday, with love from Warwick, Rosel, Margaret and all your family and friends. Shayne is a big fan of Chelsea and always reads the magazine every month.

These photos show two young Canadian fans’ first introduction to the Blues. There was never any question which team they would support, thanks to their father Paul, who took the opportunity to cover both children with the flag he picked up on a visit to Stamford Bridge as soon as they were born. Victoria is the eldest of the two, having arrived in 2015, before being joined by little brother Henry in April this year.

Send your details and a picture to: Message Board, Chelsea Football Club, Matchday Programme, Third Floor, Stamford Bridge, London, SW6 1HS

Or email them to: cfc.programme@trinitymirror.com

After the Blues secured our fifth Premier League title by beating West Brom at The Hawthorns, we test your knowledge on our latest batch of champions

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TEST YOUR CHELSEA KNOWLEDGE... 1 From which club did Chelsea sign Asmir Begovic in the summer of 2015? 2 Thibaut Courtois became the seventh goalkeeper to win multiple Premier League titles as first-choice keeper with the same club. Can you name the others?

6 David Luiz scored his first goal since returning to Chelsea with a stunning free-kick against which side?

11 How many times has Nemanja Matic been named Serbian Player of the Year while at Chelsea?

7 How many Premier League points did Diego Costa’s goals directly earn for the Blues this season?

12 Cesc Fàbregas has recorded 10 or more Premier League assists in a single season on how many occasions, which is a record for the English top flight?

3 Against which club has Cesar Azpilicueta scored two of his three Premier League goals?

8 Eduardo played alongside a young Diego Costa at which Portuguese club?

4 This is Gary Cahill’s most prolific season in the Premier League, with six goals. What is his overall tally in the English top flight?

9 Prior to returning to Chelsea this season, against which club did Victor Moses score his only previous Premier League goal for the Blues?

5 Willian was named Player of the Year by both players and supporters in 2016. Can you name the other two Blues to achieve this?

0-5 EXTRA TRAINING SESSION REQUIRED!

10 Pedro won two Premier League

Goal of the Month awards this season for strikes against which clubs?

6-10 STILL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

13 Marcos Alonso netted a brace in a 3-0 win over Leicester City. Can you name the other two Blues defenders to score twice in a single Premier League game? 14 Who are the only two players who have appeared for Chelsea and played in more Premier League games than John Terry?

11-14 EXCELLENT CHELSEA KNOWLEDGE

1. Stoke City 2. Peter Schmeichel, David Seaman, Fabien Barthez, Petr Cech, Edwin van der Sar, Joe Hart 3. West Bromwich Albion 4. 27 5. Juan Mata and Eden Hazard 6. Liverpool 7. 15 8. Braga 9. Swansea City 10. Tottenham Hotspur and Everton 11. Twice (2014 and ’15) 12. Six 13. Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry 14. Frank Lampard and Mark Schwarzer 81

’S KING D

ROAique Bout

Football’s – n finest fashio ux pas d fa and the od

Before the days of club tracksuits, the players’ pre-match attire certainly had a more eclectic feel to it, as shown by this photo of the 1933/34 Chelsea squad preparing to board the train at London Euston station to travel for an away game. The pocket watches, waistcoats and overcoats ensured they looked the part when representing the club, along with a few distinctive items of headwear, led by Hughie Gallacher and his bowler hat in the front and centre. Perhaps the Scottish Blues star was trying to add a bit of height to his 5ft 5in frame.

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