Date: 7th March 2014 at 4:28pm
Written by:

dan-petrescuI think I’ll start this by giving you all a quick briefing on my Chelsea background so you understand my choices a little more. Although I’m 25 I didn’t get into football until I was 7 and even though my Dad was Chelsea he wasn’t a massive football fan so he never really pushed me in to the sport. Inevitably I found my own way through school friends and luckily my Dad sprung into action and took me to Stamford Bridge. The two main people I give credit to for getting me into football were Tottenham and Man Utd fans so it was lucky my Dad acted so swiftly in getting me to the Bridge! So in actual fact my first proper season supporting Chelsea was the 1996/1997 season but I really did catch the bug very quickly but I also felt it was crucial that I learnt the history of the club too.

Since I started supporting we have seen the most successful era of this club and the club has produced more legends in this 17 year period than the 92 years prior to that. But for me this article is not about the legends, players such as Zola, Terry, Lampard, Drogba and Di Matteo but other players whose contribution was maybe not as significant as the legends named but left an impression on me personally. These are my Chelsea cult heroes.

Dan Petrescu 1995-2000.

Appearances: 208. Goals: 23.

For me Dan Petrescu was a unique full back because even in today’s game I think he would fit in perfectly, an Attacking full-back would be the only way to describe him. For me he will be remembered for 3 things. 1) His goals against Wimbledon 2) His celebrations (which I copied in school) and 3) That goal against England where he raced past Graeme Le Saux.

Gustavo Poyet 2007-2001.

Appearances: 145. Goals: 49.
Now I know I will get some stick for this one because of the whole “moving to Spurs thing” but let’s brush that aside for a minute shall we. I think there is no doubting how important he was for us; I’d liken him to an early Frank Lampard in terms of goal scoring from midfield. The moments I’ll remember most will be the winner against Real Madrid in the Super Cup, the 1st in the 5-0 home rout of Man Utd and of course that thunderous volley against Sunderland.

Tore Andre Flo 1997-2000

Appearances: 163. Goals: 50
Very much an unknown when we signed him but the thing I remember most when we did was that there were three Flo’s knocking around the footballing world all obviously related. Looking back on him now if someone asked me to describe him I’d say he was an early version of Peter Crouch. Very good touch for a big man and very deadly in front of goal. I think I’ll remember him most for his Champions League goals in 1999/2000 and his 2 goals in 4 minutes at Ewood Park to win us the game 4-3 in one of the best games I remember watching as a kid.Tore Andre Flo clebrates with Gianfranco Zola of Chelsea after scoring

Carlo Cudicini 1999-2009

Appearances: 216

Signed from little known Italian club Castel de Sangro for a mere 160k I think its arguable to say he has been the best signing the club has ever made value for money wise. Took him a season to break in but when he did he was a fixture. There was one save which stands out for me and that was from a free-kick which was flicked up and struck by Jamie Redknapp but for me he will mainly be remembered for his ability to save penalties.

Eidur Gudjohnsen 2000-2006

Appearances: 263. Goals: 78.
17soccer_wideweb__430x255A fantastic player who was one part of the last strike partnerships we had of any effect. A very well educated footballer on the pitch, for me he knew the game very well. Another one who ended up playing deeper as he got older and towards the end of his time with us ended up in midfield. I have two lasting memories of Eidur the first was him scoring the first goal of the Jose era in the 1-0 win against Man Utd. The second memory was a hat-trick he scored that season at home against Blackburn mainly because I was in attendance.

Damien Duff 2003-2006

Appearances: 125. Goals: 19.

When we initially signed him from Blackburn for 17million I felt we over paid for him hugely but he quickly proved me and any other doubters wrong. The Duff-Robben switching wingers worked so well and I personally think Duff was as important as Robben was. His most memorable moment has to be the one against Barcelona after 19 minutes which made the game 3-0! I also remember his goal against Lazio in the 4-0 win.

Paulo Ferreira 2004-2013

Appearances: 217. Goals: 2.

Mr Reliable himself! Joined Chelsea with Mourinho after playing every minute of Porto’s successful Champions League campaign in 2003/2004 and fitted in very quickly. As the years went by he played less and less but never once kicked up any sort of fuss and even translated for some new players! As he was so consistent you cannot really pick out much Paulo_Ferreira_2179499bbut there is one thing which stands out for me. Back in 2010 Gareth Bale was just blossoming into the player he is today and with Chelsea v Spurs coming up and Ferreira our only right back available the media wrote their jokes early. But Paulo left them red faced, not once but twice! Keeping Bale quiet on two separate occasions’ just shows how good this man was.

Alex 2004-2012

Appearances: 134. Goals: 10.

Although he signed for the club in 2004 he was sent straight on loan to PSV for 3 seasons to obtain a work permit. After helping PSV to 3 straight Erdivisie titles he was finally granted a work permit in 2007 and quickly broke into the first team playing 39 games in his first season. The thing with Alex is that although he was a steady defender it’s his goals which I will remember him for. Thunderous free-kicks against both Liverpool and Arsenal at the Matthew Harding End are strikes which I will never forget.

Michael Ballack 2006-2010

Appearances: 167. Goals: 26.

It was a strange one for me because I don’t think Ballack’s presence was felt until he left. When he joined he was a massive name and at Bayern the main man and he had to try and fit into a club where he would just be another massive name and not the main man. The game I’ll remember Ballack for was the 2-1 win at home to Man Utd, with Frank Lampard sitting the game out due to the death of his Mother, someone needed to rise to the occasion and Ballack scored both goals.

Juliano Belletti 2007-2010

Appearances: 94. Goals: 5

When he joined from Barcelona I never believed he would play much or make much of an impact but 94 games in 3 seasons says differently. He ended up becoming a bit of a versatility player but I loved his work rate on the pitch. Obviously his main stand out points were his goal of the season strike at Wigan along with great goals against Spurs and Middleborough.

Nicolas Anelka 2008-2011

Appearances: 185. Goals: 59

Known by the football world as “Le Sulk” but during his time with us all I saw was “Le Heureux” (happy). Struggled a little bit in his first 6 months scoring only 2 goals but managed to win the Premier League golden boot in his first full season with us. As time went on he started playing deeper but still remained a threat in front of goal. The moment which sticks out for me was in Ray Wilkins’s only game in charge and that was his hat-trick against Watford in the FA Cup.

Thanks for reading

Carl Jackson

You can find me on Twitter: @jacko_cfc

 

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