football gifts

The though behind Blackburn Rovers Football Club came from a gentleman named John Lewis who was born 1855 in Market Drayton. The gifts he brought to football began in his days as a player and later he came to be known as one of the best referees in the country, presiding over several FA Cup finals.

 November the 5th, 1875, saw Lewis and other gentlemen, notably Author Constantine arrange a meeting at the Leger Hotel in Blackburn where they discussed and concluded that they would establish a Football Club with the title Blackburn Rovers. The city already had a strong association with the game with existing clubs such as Blackburn Park Road FC and Blackburn Olympic FC. Their games were initially played at a place called Church in Lancashire as they had no ground of their own. This changed in mid 1877 when the club leased farmland at Oozehead close to Preston New Road.  This new ground itself was simplistic with its make shift turf and wooden planks to cover the heavy water logged; almost a small pool, in the centre of the playing field but it did generate a small income for the club with the ability to be able to charge a fee for the pleasure of been a spectator. Later Rovers leased a more suitable ground from the East Lancashire Cricket Club. Their debut match at Alexandra Meadows was played against Partick Thistle which they won 2-1 partially thanks to the football gifts of Richard Birtwistle who scored both goals for Rovers.

 Blackburn Rovers first entry to the FA Cup came in November 1879 and got to off to a great start when they beat Tyne Football Club 5-1 in their opening game. Later in the 3rd round they received a humiliating defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forrest losing 6-0.

 During these times Rovers had out-grew their present ground and certainly were the largest club in the area. With this they did seek a larger venue and settled on one in Leamington Street which they altered and refurbished to make way for extra seating needed to cope with the current demand on visitors to their games.

 One that nearly made it in the history books for Blackburn Rovers FC came in 1882 when they reached the final of the FA Cup and were up against the Old Etonians. However, the football gifts of the Etonians proved just a little too strong and Rovers lost 1-0. The following year the club were in no such form and only managed the 2nd round before being knocked out by Darwen 1-0 and to rub salt in the wound local rivals Blackburn Olympic went on to win the FA Cup.

 Under new manager Thomas Mitchell they were victorious the season after when the beat Queens Park FC in the final 2-1 and again the following year beating the same club 2-0. And in fine form they once more won the FA Cup the next year this time beating West Bromwich Albion and in doing so were awarded a Silver Shield from the FA for their treble success. Blackburn’s form did see a dip from the previous years and were subsequently knocked out of the FA Cup in the 2nd round by Renton the year after but they did win it again 1890 when the gifts of William Townley scored 3 and Rovers went on to crush Sheffield Wednesday 6-1 and also 1890/91 season with a 3-1 win over Notts County FC, bringing Rovers FA Cup tally to a staggering five. During this time Blackburn purchased Ewood Park and spent, in respect of today a massive £1000 on extras and alterations.   

 After WW2 Rovers time in Division 1 came to end and for the next decade the club remained in Division 2 until making their way back to Division 1 in 1958. The silverware that they had been accustomed to in the early part of the century no longer existed, however they did regularly finish mid table. 1960, with the gifts of Scotsman Dally Duncan in charge they once again came close to another FA Cup trophy but were denied it in the final by Wolverhampton Wanderers losing 3-0.

 The 1970’s were not really a good period in the history pages for Rovers, spending the majority of the time between Division 2 and 3.

 Their turn around in fortunes came when a Mr Jack Walker took control of Rovers in 1990. Walker had made his millions in the steel industry that he inherited from his family. His biggest pay day came when British Steel paid him £360 million for his company in 1990. The manager of Blackburn at the time, Don Mackay was sacked when Walker persuaded the football gifts of Kenny Dalglish to come out of retirement and manage the club. Dalglish soon made new signings and improvements started to take shape and were becoming apparent as Rovers climbed the table. At one stage they were the only clear winners of Division 2 but it ended slightly different as they had a disastrous losing run and only just managed to grab a play off place. Meeting Leicester in the final at Wembley they booked their place in the new Premiership League, beating Leicester 1-0. It had been 25 years since Blackburn Rovers FC had played in the top flight of English football.

 Their largest pay out for a player that broke all English Football records at the time came when they brought the 22 year old gifts of Alan Shearer from Southampton in 1992. Other quality signings were made like Chelsea’s Graeme Le Saux and striker Kevin Gallacher from Coventry. The club enjoyed a fantastic Premiership season in 1993/94 when they managed to finish the table in 2nd place behind Manchester United. Their record transfer fee in 1992 would also be broken this season when they paid £5 million for striker Chris Sutton from Norwich City.

 1994/95 season saw Rovers in close rivalry with Manchester United for the Premiership title. It was neck and neck towards the end of season and having lost to Liverpool the club thought United had taken the title but they only managed a 1-1 draw with West Ham which made Rovers Premiership Champions.

 Later Dalglish would become Director of Football for the club and Alan Shearer had proved he was worth every penny that Blackburn had paid for him by scoring over 30 goals in 3 consecutive seasons, a record in itself. In 1996 the football gifts of Shearer was sold to Newcastle United for a world record transfer fee of £15 million.

 The good times for Rovers were soon becoming the bad times when they ended the 1998/99 bottom of the tables and found themselves in Division 1.

 Jack Walker sadly died in 2000 at the age of 71 and in remembrance a statue was placed at Ewood Park. Blackburn Rovers FC is still owned by the family.

 They did achieve promotion back to the Premiership in the 2000/01 season and dedicated it to the late Jack Walker.

 The 2004/05 saw Mark Hughes take the managers post at Blackburn Rovers and with it a more secure solid club. Hughes signed gifts such as Aaron Mokoena and Newcastle United’s Craig Bellamy and steered Rovers to a 6th place finish in the 2005/06. In addition the club earned a place in the UEFA Cup the following year.

 Hughes left for Manchester City in May 2008 giving Paul Ince a short spell in the job. With poor results and 11 games on the bounce without a win he was sacked on December 16th and to be replaced by Sam Allardyce on a 3 year contract. Blackburn Rovers FC still currently play in the Premiership.

The history of football memorabilia such as books is not a glorious one. This could be because the sport simply doesn’t lend itself to fiction; or perhaps because nobody who’s any good at writing fiction has ever written much about football.

Souvenirs like books with a football theme first began to appear shortly after the First World War. These were aimed mainly at young boys and were often set in glowering public schools. As far as adult literature is concerned, only Arnold Bennett and J.B. Priestly of established novelists dipped into the football world for material. In his novel The Card Bennett observed that football had superseded all other forms of recreation in the potteries region, particularly for the fanatical supporters of Knype (Stoke City) and Bursley (Port Vale). Leonard Gribble’s The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939), a crime novel in a famous footballing setting, was made into a film that is still occasionally televised on dark Tuesday afternoons. After the Second World War football stories increasingly formulaic tales of star strikers and young hopefuls – were churned out by many of the new children’s comics, with some holding grate value in football memorabilia circles. Some were instrumental in giving the creative minds behind many football programmes the artistic touch to their covers.

In his 1968 novel A Kestrel For A Knave, later filmed as Kes, Barry Hines created a brilliant and enduring cameo of a school games lesson, which sees an overly competitive games teacher taking on the role of Bobby Charlton in an under-14s kick-about. There was more football in Hines’s earlier novel The Blinder, with its central character a precocious young striker, roustabout and Angry Young Man. The authenticity of the football scenes can be partly attributed to Hines’s youthful appearance in the Burnley ‘A’ team.

In the late 1980s authors such as Julian Barnes and Martin Amis started dropping the old football passage into their work. Amis’s rendering of fans’ speech can be deemed either ‘stylized’ or ‘clumsy’, depending on your mood, but it still led away from the sex-and-soap stories that predominated in the early 1970s and 1980s – Jimmy Greaves being the co-writer of such series with the Jackie Groves novels of 1979 – 81.

Fiction based on hooliganism began to proliferate in the 1990s, with the most famous of this genre arguably John King’s trilogy The Football Factory, Headhunters and England Away. Films like these maybe not in the mainstream as far as collectables or memorabilia are concerned, however, these are popular films amongst the majority of fans up and down the country and in time I’m sure several will hold some value. The Football Factory, which became a cult novel and film, is graced with a first line that Thomas Hardy couldn’t have come up with in a hundred years: ‘Coventry are fuck all.’

Other footballing literary works include J.L. Carr’s How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the FA Cup, a parody of tabloid journalese and modern management, and Jim Crumley’s The Goalie, a novel based on the real-life figure of the author’s grandfather, Bob Crumley, keeper for Dundee United and, subsequently, foot soldier in the Great War. Alongside these is Brian Glanville’s enduring Goalkeepers are Different, the story of a young gloveman making his way in the professional game.

Of football non-fiction, Arthur Hopcraft’s The Football Man (1969) stands out, Hopcraft was among the first football writers to make statements such as ‘Football in Britain is not just a sport people take to, like cricket or tennis…it is inherent in the people.’ Simon Inglis’s comprehensive works on British football grounds are the best series of reference books ever produced about the game, and just for this they are a souvenir one must obtain if one has an interest in football.

Phil Soar and Martin Tyler’s The Story of Football (1978) brings some of the richness of Greek tragedy to every historic turn and crucial match it describes. Hunter Davies’s account of a season at Tottenham, The Glory Game (1972), stands out as a rare example of real insight, allied to real feeling, allied to football. Published in 1992, Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby was a self-deprecatingly honest portrait of a fan ruled by his obsession. It was a surprise best-seller and many imitations followed. Of the mostly anodyne football autobiographies that litter the market, Len Shackleton’s The Clown Prince of Soccer, Eamon Dunphy’s Only a Game and Tony Cascarino’s Full Time are among a select few that give a genuine flavour of the professional game and lives being led within it. These types of well documented literature give a perspective inside arena point of view to the game from people who have actually lived it and do hold considerable football memorabilia quality.

The union des Associations Européennes de Football – UEFA – was founded in the Swiss city of Basle on 15^th June 1954. The organization was the brainchild of Frenchman Henri Delaunay (who was appointed the first general secretary), and set up with the help of Ottorino Barassi, the Italian vice-president of FIFA and the Belgian José Crahay. The trio wanted to create an umbrella organization to preside over European football, working as a confederation of FIFA and promoting and developing the game within the continent. Delaunay had been keen on the idea for some years; he had been pushing for a cup competition for European clubs as far back as the late 1920s (he also had plans for a European nations tournament).

FIFA had been in existence exactly 50 years before the Europeans finally got together (the South Americans had formed the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol in 1916). Things moved quickly: within a year the first European Champion Clubs’ Cup and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the forerunners of the Champions; League and UEFA Cup, were up and running. Sadly, Delaunay wasn’t around to see his long-cherished vision take shape. The Frenchman died within a year of the opening of UEFA’s original offices. Delaunay’s son Pierre took over, retiring at the end of the decade.

Delaunay junior, combining his new role with that of general secretary of the French FA, had teamed up with Gabriel Hanot, editor of sports paper L’Équipe, to sell the idea of club competitions among the 25 national associates then under UEFA’s wing. The number has since increased to 52. Most were enthusiastic about the idea – some, however, were not.

The English FA in particular reacted to the French with haughty disdain, unhappy at the thought that their standing as founders of the modern game stood to be undermined (FIFA received similar short shrift in its formative years). The 1955 League Champions Chelsea were advised not to take part in the inaugural tournament; Matt Busby’s Manchester United, similarly expected to refuse UEFA’s invitation the following year, famously went against the FA’s wishes, becoming the first English club to enter the competition.

In 1958 qualification rounds for the first European Nations’ Cup got underway. The finals would be held in France in 1960 (and the trophy itself named after Henri Delaunay). Just 17 teams took part but the tournament grew in stature – and size – as the decade wore on. The club competitions and gifts it created caught the imagination from the off; the European Cup, as it was now known, enjoying something of a golden age in the 1960s and 1970s, with the successes of Celtic and Manchester United cementing its appeal in the once sceptical Home Nations, and making the FA’s previous reluctance to get involved look even more blinkered.

Clubs like Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Milan became household names. European nights were glamorous, exciting and different. UEFA went through the 1980s and into the 1990s with high hopes, presided over by the Arsenal-supporting Swedish president Lennart Johansson, who fought his corner in a series of disputes with FIFA president Sepp Blatter (Johansson is also vice-president of the international federation).

But UEFA now enjoys an uneasy relationship with the larger European clubs, torn as it is between the need to promote the best of the continent, and a duty to protect the wishes of other members. Things were thrown into sharp relief in the early 1990s with the formation of G14, a lobby group representing clubs keen to maximize revenue from broadcasting rights, and instrumental in the formation of the Champions’ League (having grown impatient at UEFA’s heel-dragging over the mini-league format).

At the same time, UEFA found itself caught up in a succession of court cases, as Belgian footballer Jean-Marc Bosman sought to use European Union employment legislation to become a free agent allowing him to move to a club once his contract was up without the need for a transfer fee. Bosman won, catching a complacent UEFA on the hop and adding another serious dent in the organization’s credibility.

Recent proposals, like the mandatory inclusion of four home-grown players in every squad, have rattled G14 further, and look set to incur the disapproval of EU law lords once again. If anything, UEFA has become something of victim of its own success; the wealth and power of European clubs has grown to such an extent that they now pose a very real threat to the organization’s authority. Having come so far in such a relatively short space of time , the next few years could prove crucial to the UEFA; in danger of looking increasingly toothless, it has to keep in check the more excessive tendencies of the g!$ members if it is to continue to govern the European game.

For over a hundred years the FA Cup was considered the most important club football tournament in the world. This was more than just English insularity. The Cup was the first national football tournament anywhere, and the first to impose a unifying set of rules on its participants.

The competition may have diminished in importance in recent years, ranking behind even qualification for the preliminary stages of the Champions League for many Premiership managers, but it remains the bedrock of the modern game. The origins of the Cup must be seen in context. Up until the mid 19^th century football matches tended to be played according to an ad hoc set of rules. A murky permissiveness prevailed. Captains would agree beforehand on whether to allow ‘hacking’ (i.e. vicious limb-threatening fouls) and handling of the ball.

Conforming to the FA’s rules of the game – including the owtlawing of hacking and the introduction of the hand-ball rule – was a prerequisite for participation in the Cup. Among those willing to take their place in the Cup under these constraints, a rabble of public school dissenters went out and created something very different: rugby, a sport where hacking, handball and carrying a picnic hamper in the boot of your estate car are to this day actively encouraged. Football, meanwhile, was being led along a civilizing path.

The FA Cup was first stages in 1871. It was organized by the secretary of the Football Association, C.W. Alcock, and featured just 15 clubs. The first winners were the Wanderers, who beat the Royal Engineers 1-0 in a final staged at the Kennington Oval in London, also the scene of the first ever cricket Test Match in England. In its early years the trophy was won by a succession of southern amateur sides. Blackburn Olympic, in 1883, were the first northern team to win the Cup, ushering in an 18-year period of northern dominance. Before long the Cup Final had evolved into a great season-ending showpiece occasion. Crowds mushroomed as professionalism transformed the game. The 1913 Final at the Crystal Palace Stadium attracted more than 120,000 people and ten years later the White horse Final, the first to be played at the new Empire Stadium at Wembley, drew a crowd of around 200,000.

The particular appeal of the Cup lies not just in its finals. A competition that ends in May is also an essential part of watching football in January and February, the third and fourth rounds breathing fresh life into the middle of the season. In modern times this has been the point at which clubs in the top two divisions join the competition, taking on the lower and non-League clubs who have made it through the first two rounds. Acts of giant killing are rare but tend to stay in the memory.

In recent years it has become increasingly rare for smaller teams to lift the Cup. The last genuine surprise was Wimbledon’s 2-1 Final victory over Liverpool in 1988, which also featured the first-ever missed penalty in an FA Cup Final, Dave Beasant saving John Aldridge’s kick. Before that Sunderland’s 1-0 victory over Leeds in 1973, Southampton’s victory over Man United in 1976 and West Ham’s Final victory in 1980 – the last time a club outside the top flight won the Cup – provided similar upsets. In terms of all-round competition the Cup enjoyed a golden era from the mid-1920’s to mid-1940. From 1927, when Cardiff City became the only Welsh club ever to win the FA Cup, to Wolves’ victory in 1949, there were 14 different winners in 15 years of competition. These included the sole FA Cup-winning campaigns of Portsmouth, Derby and Charlton, which came in successive tournaments. The Matthews Final of 1953 is perhaps the most famous of all FA Cup matches. Its legend resides not just in the game itself, in which Blackpool rallied from 3-1 down late on to beat Bolton 4-3. The occasion became a centrepiece to a year of national celebration as Britain emerged from the economic depression of the 1940’s. Stan Mortensen’s hat-trick remains the only such scoring feat in an FA Cup Final (although his first goal, a deflected shot, was initially thought to have been an own goal).

During the 1950’s and early 1960’s there was much talk of the Wembley hoodoo, as FA Cup Finals were marred by a series of high-profile injuries although these were more likely to be caused by nerves and end-of-season weariness. The Cup Final has traditionally been a tense, closely fought affair and often a disappointment as a game of football. Every so often, however, a classic final comes along. In 1966 Everton came from 2-0 down to beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2, with two goals from young Cornish striker Mike Trebilcock, one of many minor footballing names stitched into the history of the domestic game by their association with the Cup. In 1971 Arsenal won another classic Final, completing the League and Cup Double by beating Liverpool 2-1 after extra time with a memorable winning goal from Charlie George, who then unveiled the first-ever high-profile personalized goal celebration (a slow-motion backwards dive).

The 1970’s was a golden era with many gifts for the notion of the Magic of the Cup. During a time of general economic depression, 12 years without a World Cup Finals appearance for the England team, and the beginnings of the grimmer aspects of hooliganism and the running down of stadiums around the country, the Cup provided much compensatory excitement. Sunderland’s 1-0 underdog victory over Leeds United in 1973 was memorable, as was Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat of Newcastle United the following year. The 1980’s saw underdog triumphs for Wimbledon in 1988 and Coventry a year earlier. The most notable final of the decade was probably the all-Merseyside affair in 1989 that followed the Hillsborough disaster semi-final. Liverpool won 3-2 but the game was memorable more for the sense of grief inside Wembley.

During the 1990’s the decline in the relative importance of the FA Cup began in earnest, helped on its way by the superlative marketing success of the Sky TV-sponsored Premiership. The Champions’ League sharpened appetites within the game for European football, and for a revenue-chasing decade-long beano that seemed to leave the FA Cup lost somewhere in its wake. In 2000 Manchester United declined to defend the trophy after winning it the previous year, choosing instead to take part in an underwhelming Club World Championship competition in Brazil when the third and fourth rounds were due to be played. Such a decision would have been unthinkable even a decade earlier. However, the fact remains that any diminishing in the lustre of the world’s oldest football tournament exists only at the very top of the scale. Sadly, with Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea winning 13 of the last 14 FA Cup finals, it seems that those clubs who value the FA Cup least will nevertheless continue to monopolize it.

Formed in 1879 by members of the church on Star road, West Kensington makes Fulham the oldest club in London. It was here that schoolboys kicked a ball around to each other on ramshackle playing fields that established the English club we all know today. Their first conquest in a Cup tournament was winning the – West London Amateur Cup in 1887 and 12 months later changed their name from the long drawn out, Fulham St Andrews Church Sunday School Football Club to the shorter name of Fulham FC. In 1893, they then won the West London League on their first endeavour but the club remained in amateur competition for another 5 years. Fulham moved grounds in 1896 to the now renowned Craven Cottage and then in 1897 completed their move in to professional football and playing in the Southern League. In 1907, with two Southern League titles to their credit they were accepted to participate in the Football League.

Fulham’s first fixture in Division 2 was at home against Hull City; unfortunately, they lost 1-0. This was only a minor set back as they raised their game and position in the tables and managed to finish their opening season in a respectable 4^th place. The high hopes for the club to gain promotion to Division 1 were soon dashed and the comprehension of spending the next couple of decades in Division 2 became cemented with just run of the mill performances. Football or lack of it gave Fulham a crueler blow at the end of the 1927 season, seeing the club relegated to Division 3; officially known as the 3^rd Division South. To a degree, the skills and football gifts of Fulham were more appropriate to this lower Division and it would require a fundamental change of the club to aspire to a better state of affairs. Modifying the basic principles of the club from top to bottom did not happen over night. Spending 3 seasons in Division 3 taught Fulham a priceless lesson in complacency and self-effacing. The 1931/32 season, Fulham rose to the occasion and were once again masters of their own destiny when they topped the tables with wins like 10-2 against Torque United and an impressive 111 goals scored that season they were promoted back to Division 2.

Fulham’s football gifts and newfound form continued in the following season as they worked their way up the table and a consecutive promotion was looking likely but with some good wins from Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur they were squeezed into 3^rd place.

In 1949, entering in what is described as the modern era of football, Fulham’s dreams and ambitions were becoming a reality when they got that promotion to Division 1. With this also came the responsibility of competing alongside adept football clubs who had world-class players at their disposal. Fulham’s debut season in the top tier saw them struggle and poor performances were regular and almost became the norm for the club. End of season could not have come sooner and miraculously Fulham did stay up finishing 17^th in the table. More of the same followed the season after with the club managing once again to avoid relegation. Inevitably though, in the 1951/52 season their bottom of table finish meant that for the time been Division 1 had expired for them.

The several years that followed Fulham never really showed anything special until they found some form and gracefully reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1958. This gave them that confidence serge they desperately needed. Another boost for the club came when they made promotion back to the top tier of football. Looking more self-assured this attracted the football gifts of Graham Leggat who made 277 appearances for Fulham and competently netted 134 goals, putting him in the top five goal scorers for the club. They did finish the season in a mediocre 10^th place, which was their highest position in Division 1 at the time. During these periods Craven Cottage could attract crowds of 30,000 plus.

The 50’s brought other talent to the club, one player in particular is synonymous with Fulham Football Club and must be mentioned. John Norman Haynes, from the Kentish Town area of London was signed by the club when he was still a schoolboy and is widely regarded by many as the clubs greatest player with passing skills second to none. He was also given the nicknames of Mr Fulham and The Maestro and gained additional honours in making 52 caps for England, 22 as Captain. Haynes dedication and loyalty to Fulham was total, spending his whole professional football career with the club. He did have a short spell as a player with Durban City, a South African Club but this was after he had stepped down playing professional. In his years at Fulham the football gifts of Hayne made 658 appearances for the club and up until 1991 held the record for top goal scorer with 158 goals.

In the mid 70’s the club made some big signings with players like Bobby Moore and Alan Mullery. This had an impact on performance as the club achieved their first FA Cup final against West Ham in 1975. Regrettably for the club West Ham netted 2 goals within five minutes of each other and walked away champions with the score 2-0. In this same period the club made another final in the Anglo-Scottish Cup but lost to Middlesbrough. George Best had a spell at the club playing 47 times in the 1976/77 season.

However the 1979/80 season saw Fulham hit rock bottom again, once more relegated and manager Bobby Campbell been sacked. His successor Malcolm Macdonald restructured the squad with new signing such as the football gifts of Gerry Peyton, Tony Gale, Ray Houghton and others creating a stronger team and in doing so won promotion back to Division 2. Fulham were in fine form the season after but sadly losing away to Derby on the last game denied Fulham a consecutive promotion to Division 1. Unfortunately Fulham’s debts were crippling the club financially and the decision was made to sell off numerous quality players to keep a float a sinking ship. Now with the team in tatters and a half hearted squad left relegation on the heels of Fulham. In 1986 they conceded to the inevitable and were again back in Division 3. The club never really found a footing for the rest of the 80’s and early 90’s but did win promotion back to Division 2.

1997 gave the club some financial security when Businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed brought the club that summer and promised that Fulham would be in the top flight of football within five years. The first chapter for this was selecting Kevin Keegan as manager who had been Chief Operating Officer for the club. That season the momentum grew with Fulham winning game after game. They managed to notch up a tremendous 101 points and with it promotion to Division 1. This was helped by the signing of Paul Peschisolido; West Broms top goal scorer and the football gifts of Captain Chris Coleman. The only obstacle placed in front of Fulham was the FA offering Keegan the England FC managers post. A delighted Keegan accepted.

Paul Bracewell took charge of the club but not for long as Al-Fayed removed him in March 2000. French player Jean Amadou Tigana had 52 caps for France to his credit and was given the opportunity to manage Fulham FC, and did so with great success. All the hard work had finally come to flourish and past disappointments of relegation could now be put behind them. Blowing the opposition away with a 10 point gap between them and runners up Blackburn Rovers, top flight football was theirs for the first time since 1968. Agonizingly sad for fans and players alike and even more so for Chris Coleman himself was the serious car accident he became involved in. There was huge hope that he would make a full recovery to see him play again for Fulham but this was not to be. The fantastic team Tigana had strengthened could not maintain their super form in the Premiership. Even finishing in a respectable 13^th place in the tables, this for many was an anti climax to what they expected. Things intensified for the Frenchman the following season with more not to favorable results and his demise came abruptly when they lost at home 4-0 to Blackburn Rovers.

Chris Coleman’s football gifts did make a return to Fulham but this time not as captain but as manager towards the end of the 2002 season which enthralled many at the club and fans. Under his reigns the club finished an all time record of 9^th place the following season. Coleman watched his side have some tough matches in the 2005/06 season but with this came some awesome results at the expense of big clubs like Chelsea; beating them 1-0 and then Liverpool had a taste of the Fulham boys when the shocked scouse club finished the match with nothing but 2 goals put past them. Coleman’s talents on the pitch however were not quite up to the same level off the pitch and with a run of bad luck his services were no longer required in the 2007 season.

Three days after Christmas, 2007 Roy Hodgson was announced as Fulham’s new manager.  Hodgson made some immediate signings in the January transfer window. Some of these included the football gifts like Liverpool striker Jari Litmanen, Norwegian footballer Brede Hangeland plus some of the fans favourites such as Brian McBride and Jimmy Bullard. Fulham were still shaky at times and sometimes, by the skin of their teeth held on to the glory of playing in the Premiership.

Fulham is a club that has always had to fight hard for its place in the Premiership like a number of other clubs along side them. With players becoming more expensive and new record transfer fees always been broke; it just makes those hard decisions even harder to compete with the money clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea.

2009/10 season still acknowledges Fulham as a Premiership football club and rightly so.

The making and success of Wigan Athletic Football Club was the direct consequence of Wigan Borough’s failure as a football team in 1931. When the Great Depression struck in the 1930’s it came as no surprise that Wigan Borough had hit hard times and could no longer support the financial demands in running and operating a Football Club and like several other teams before them who attempted this similar act, closure swiftly engulfed the club. There was no financial gifts or help and when players weren’t been paid they had to seek other employment to feed their families and survive the tough times. So for Wigan Athletic FC to form but also to endure this hard period and succeed where many before had failed deserves credit.

With Springfield Park no longer in use by the now bankrupt Borough’s Club, Wigan Athletic purchased the ground. At this time they played football in the Cheshire County League but it was in the 1934 FA Cup first round when they met and beat Carlisle United 6-1 who incidentally were a Football League side that the club came to the attention of the football community.  This record score for a none league side to dish out a humiliating defeat to a league side remained until 1955.

In 1978 luck fell at their side when they won enough votes to compete in the Football League even though Boston United finished top of the Northern Premier League and were favourites to win the vote. This was partially due to Springfield Park been seen by voting members as a more suitable stadium. Automatic promotion to the Football League wasn’t incorporated until 1987.

They managed to finish just 6 points off promotion in their opening season but it wasn’t until 1981/2 season under the gifts of ex Liverpool player Larry Lloyd and accumulating 91 points that Wigan moved up to Division 3. The club found its self in deeper water and making progress wasn’t forthcoming. Lloyd’s enthusiasm and commitment did not bring the results the club craved for and he was replaced in 1983 by Harry McNally.  The club still struggled but kept their place safe in Division 3 but that’s alls they really did achieve under McNally. His intention for Wigan was to bring genuinely good things for the future but he also became an ex manager. Then the gifts of Irishman Bryan Hamilton came into play and with it more substantial results for Wigan. The clubs first silverware was added when they won The Freight Rover Trophy which gave the club a much needed confidence boost and the 1985/86 season saw their form reach a higher level when they finished impressively fourth in the league. Hamilton had worked wonders in invigorating Wigan Athletic, so much so that other clubs were showing an interest in his football gifts. One in particular came from Leicester and with been a Division 1 club the appeal for Hamilton was too great to refuse and sadly for Wigan he left.

However, the good times were gradually coming to a halt and for the latter parts of the 80’s and early 90’s Wigan’s performance on the pitch became diabolical which added to the knock on effect of poor attendances. Many of Wigan’s games could not attract more than a couple of thousand people at home which in turn created a detrimental situation on assets.

1995 saw local businessman and ex football player Dave Whelan buy the club and vowed to have Wigan playing in the Premiership. His gifts and influence were put to use almost straight away when he brought in three Spanish players who would become known as the three amigos. The current manager Graham Barrow was sacked and John Deehan was put in charge. The idea appeared to have the desired affect when the club ended the season just 2 points away from a play-off place. Another year would soon come to pass and with it Wigan were crowned champions of Division 3. The football gifts of Graeme Jones had been a much welcomed help with his 31 league goals. 1999 the club added other silverware under veteran Wigan manager Ray Mathias when they beat Millwall 1-0 at Wembley to lift Auto Windscreens Shield. Harshly, Mathias was sacked when they lost to Manchester City in the play-offs but the pressure from Whelan was colossal to succeed.

The 2002/03 season saw the club move one step closer to their Premiership dreams when they finished top of the tables in Division 2 under another manager and ex Wigan player Paul Jewell. The new manager’s gifts put the Latics in finer form in the 2004/05 season. On the verge of Premiership status they required a draw on their last game at the JJB Stadium against Reading. The 3-1 win was more than enough to see Wigan win promotion and play in the top flight of English football for the first time in their history.

The clubs nail biting opening game against Chelsea looked like a draw would be the outcome but the London club sneaked a last minute goal. They held their own in the Premiership and for a short while were 2^nd in the league. Over-all Wigan did exceptional in their debut participation and silenced their sceptics with a mid table finish.

Dave Whelan’s statement many years before and the belief and determination to see it through had been realized. Newspapers and the media thought and wrote how ridiculous this notion to be at the time.

Steve Bruce made a return to the club in the 2007/08 season after Chris Hutchings was dismissed by Whelan for the clubs poor performance and putting them in danger of relegation. Bruce’s football gifts did settle the Latics down and saw them climb out of the table’s bottom positions, plus held Liverpool to a draw at Anfield. Respectable signings were made with the likes of Lee Cattermole for £3.5 million from Middlesbrough and Amr Zaki, the Egyptian striker. When the manager’s role at Sunderland came vacant, Bruce left Wigan yet again and later, so did Cattermole.

Spaniard Robert Martinez and former Wigan player joined the Latics as manager for the start of the 2009/10 season. They did get off to a bumpy start but did manage to beat Chelsea 3-1.

In 1863 a number of employees from the North Staffordshire Railway works based in Stoke-on-Trent put together a football team going by the name of Stoke Ramblers. Their first recorded game was in October 1868 against E.W.May club at the Ramblers first ground; the Victoria Cricket Club. Stokes only goal came by the football gifts and team captain, Henry Almond who played a vital role in the clubs creation. The game ended a 1-1 draw. Stoke Ramblers first documented win was a 2-0 victory when they met close neighbours Newcastle-under-Lyme. The popularity of the Ramblers soon grew within Stoke-on-Trent with more people turning out to see their games so a larger venue was needed to cope with demand and in 1875 the club moved to a more substantial ground, the chosen place was Sweetings Field. Up until now Stoke Ramblers had only played in friendlies but this changed in 1877 when Staffordshire Football Association was created and with it the County Cup. Stoke excelled in this competition, winning it in the opening season, beating Talke Rangers 1-0. A record was produced by the club in this competition, one which still stands today; their 26-0 win over a humiliated Mow Cop. The football gifts of Stoke Ramblers had become the largest club in the area and this was enforced further by defending the County Cup successfully the following season. By now Stoke had also out grown Sweetings Field ground and a larger site was required. Stoke Victoria Athletic Club was the ideal place and future games would be held there. Later this became known as the Victoria Ground and in addition Stoke Ramblers changed their name to Stoke Football Club. During this period the famous red and white striped kit of Stoke was also adopted. To try out their skills further afield they entered the Birmingham Association Cup which formed in 1881. Unfortunately they received a thrashing at the hands of Aston Villa in the opening round with end score a depressing 8-0. However, the following year the club reached the final of the Staffordshire Senior Cup but missed out on cup victory to West Bromwich Albion 3-2. The main competition that the club felt they weren’t ready for was the FA Cup which had been running for over a decade at this time but in 1883 the club entered but were soon knocked out. 1885 saw football turn professional and in August of that year so did Stoke. The clubs luck in the FA Cup had been zero that was until 1886 when they triumphed for the first time and beat Caernarfon 10-0 at the Victoria Ground.

In 1888 saw the formation of the Football League with Stoke been one of the twelve founding members. Harry Lockett, Stokes manager during this episode had a crucial role in the setup and organization of the Football League. He felt his input and guidance was more fitting to the newly formed league that he resigned as manager of Stoke and took up the post of first secretary for the Football League in 1890. The opening couple of seasons for the club could not have got off to a worse start as they finished bottom of the tables. To add insult to injury Stoke didn’t get the support from the other members and were refused participation in the league’s third season. Their replacement came in the form of Sunderland a strong up and coming club whom the league contemplated would achieve greater results with their football gifts. However, Stokes relegation to the Football Alliance was short lived as they topped the tables and crowned champions. More so, the Football League added additional places making room for two more clubs. With this Stoke were re-elected to participate and kept their place secure for many years. In 1899 the club had their finest season to date, reaching the FA Cup semi-final under manager Horace Austerberry but the joys soon hit lows. The clubs many problems beneath the surface were showing their faces, one been money. Financially the club was in a sticky situation and became the major factor in 1908 when once again they lost their place in the Football League. They did manage to regain their status in 1915 and were approved to compete once more in the league.

In 1925 Stoke Football Club became Stoke City FC after Stoke-on-Trent was granted City status.

Stoke like every club up and down the land has their favourite players. When the football gifts of Stanley Matthews the local boy from the outskirts of Hanley town centre made his debut appearance for the club aged 17 in 1932, he had no idea how symbolic his name would come to be in Stoke and indeed football itself. Sir Stan, when knighted later is a football Prodigy in Stoke-on-Trent and his name will always be synonymous with the city. Ironically the first goal he scored for Stoke was against big local rivals Port Vale, a club he supported in his adolescent years. Sadly for the club, Stan departed for Blackpool in 1947.

Stoke had never found it difficult to attract large crowds to their games but by 1960 the attendances were dropping off. Many matches were been observed by less than 10,000 spectators. Tony Waddington a man who had served Stoke since 1952 as a coach was appointed manager. He is widely considered Stokes greatest manager and his power of persuasion was impressive as demonstrated when he lured football gifts like Stanley Matthews back to Stoke in 1961. Stan’s return caused an instant increase in the attendance numbers with over 35,000 turning out to see his first game back. Stoke seemed to be going in a new direction with fortune on their side. They escaped relegation and finished the tables in a comfortable 8^th. The season after the club went one better by finishing top of the table and subsequently won promotion to Division 1. Their first season saw them finish with mediocre results, this was enough to see them finish middle of the table and safe from relegation as some expected. In 1964 they managed to reach the Football League Cup final which was played over 2 legs against Leicester but with the undesirable result Stoke City had wished for; loosing 3-2 in the second leg. 1965 saw Stanley Matthews hang up his boots and retire from football and leave Stoke City. He was 50 years old and in the 33 years of playing professional football he had never been shown a yellow card or sent off – astonishing.

1967 Stoke City signed World Cup legend and probably the best goal keeper in the world at the time Gordon Banks from Leicester for a massive £52,000 and just five years later Stoke won their biggest trophy to date. 1972 is the year the club will always be remembered for when they beat Chelsea FC 2-1 at Wembley and lifted the League Cup trophy. Chelsea were firm favourites to take the title after already winning the FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners Cup. Football gifts like George Eastham had other ideas and scored the winning goal for Stoke. This would be Gordon Banks last trophy. October 1972 Banks lost control of his car and also the sight in his right eye in the accident and agonizingly had to take early retirement at the age of 34.

Waddington made other significant signings like Alan Hudson and Peter Shilton in the 70’s but disaster was looming when in 1976 the Butler Stand roof was blown off in heavy gales. This left the club with a huge repair bill in the region of £250,000, one that could only be met by selling off key players. Up until this calamity Stoke were in the best position they had ever seen. This misfortune had cost the club dearly and a deflated Waddington resigned after 17 years of service to the club.

Stokes decline was inevitable and they broke new records but for all the wrong reasons. In 1984/85 they only managed to win 3 games in the whole season which gave them the lowest points scored in the history of top flight football. It took 21 years for the record to be broken by Sunderland in 2005/06.

Worse was yet to come when in the 1989/90 season they finished bottom of Division 2 and were relegated to Division 3 under manager Alan Ball.

Improvement came in the football gifts and former ex Celtic player Lou Macari in May 1991. They almost gained promotion in his first season in charge but narrowly missed out when they finished 4^th.  Macari guided Stoke to their 1-0 Autoglass victory over Stockport County at Wembley. The next season Stoke finished champions in Division 3 and promotion was theirs. Celtic was always Lou’s first love and when offered the managers job in 1993 he accepted.

Stoke City had been playing their games at the Victoria Ground for 119 years, making this a record in itself. No club in Britain had played at one ground for as many years. In 1997 the clubs new ground would be the all new 28,000 seater Britannia Stadium. The following years Stoke missed out on top flight football a few times.

In 2006 Peter Coates, former chairman of the club brought Stoke City FC and reappointed ex manager Tony Pulis. May 4^th 2008 was a massive day to remember for Stoke as the club won promotion to the Premier League. It had been a long 23 year wait and many thought their time in the Premiership would be a much shorter spell but Stoke surprised the sceptics and finished their opening season mid table.

In 1878 at Newton Heath, Manchester, once farmlands that turned to the industrial revolution in keeping with the times, railway men and like many formed their own football teams. Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway FC or Newton Heath L&YR FC was the beginning of a rather special moment in English football history. Their first playing ground, which in fact was nothing more than a field on North Road and shared with local cricketers before acquiring a more stadium like venue 15 years later at Baker Street, Clayton. 1 year prior to this, the club had signed up for the Football League and had amended their name to the shorter, Newton Heath FC. What was adverse for the club in 1902 and very much could have been the end was the debt they seemed to accumulate. It is believed that bailiffs closed the Baker Street ground until the some of £2.500 was paid. There is a congenial story connected to this but how factual it is remains unclear. The club captain, Harry Stafford, apparently attending a fundraiser with his St. Bernard dog was asked by a gentleman named John Henry Davies, a wealthy brewery owner, if he cared to sell the animal. Stafford refused the offer but then took the conversation to the subject of Newton Heath and the problems it faced. Regardless of how true this is, what is true is Davies did become chairmen after making a large financial donation. Davis changed the colours of Newton Heath from green and gold to red and white and furthermore decided on a new name, Manchester United FC.

The clubs first few seasons were spent in Division 2 but they always managed to finish in the tables top half. In 1904 and for a record transfer fee at the time for United they signed the football gifts of Charlie Roberts for £750 from Grimsby Town. Roberts did have an impact on the club when in the following season they finished second and got their promotion to Division 1. Other players United signed were detrimental to Manchester City been punished for over paying players. Many players were told they could never play for City again. This is where Manchester United seized the moment, buying players like Sandy Turnbull and Billy Meredith. In 1907/08 season United finished 9 points clear of Aston Villa in the tables to win the League. The next season saw the club lift two trophies – Charity Shield and later but bigger the FA Cup. They did lift the League title again in 1910/11 season but this is where the club just lost some of its finesse. United had one last move to make during this time, to their final home – Old Trafford.

In 1945, United’s manager’s role became available and who better to fill that slot than the football gifts of Alexander Matthew Busby better known as Matt Busby, who at the time was assistant coach at Liverpool FC. Busby was a Scottish football player who incidentally also played for United’s biggest rivals Manchester City. Before Busby accepted the job, he did request some concessions from the board at Manchester to minimise interference from them and several were granted which consisted of, Busby choosing the squad, training sessions and the signing of new players. Oddly, Busby first signing was ex football player Jimmy Murphy but his role would not be on the pitch but as Busby’s assistant. This came about when Busby heard Murphy giving a speech on football to a group of soldiers and was obviously impressed enough to offer him a job. Busby brought to the club great players and local lads like Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson who helped United finish 2^nd in the tables for 3 years on the trot. In 1948 Busby, lead United to FA Cup victory beating Blackpool 4-2. One of Busby’s successful guiding principles was to get more youth players on board and even though this took time to employ, the rewards were massively beneficial in the long run. Busby’s babes as they came to be known consisted of fantastic talents such as Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton and Roger Byrne.

In 1958, a catastrophe accident shook not just football but also the world when flight 609 crashed during take off with 44 people onboard. In total 23 people lost, their life’s and 8 of these were members of the Busby babes. Duncan Edwards was one of the fatalities; he died 14 days later in hospital through his injuries. Many hold the belief that if given the chance, Edwards would have been the best footballer in the world. The other players along with him were Liam Whelan , Tommy Taylor , David Pegg , Mark Jones , Eddie Colman , Roger Byrne and Geoff Bent.

With Busby recovering from his injuries, Jimmy Murphy became acting manager. In spite of playing with lesser skilled players, the United team adapted and reached the FA Cup final but sadly lost to Bolton Wanderers 2-0.

When Busby returned to the club, he had to assemble a new squad to try and recreate the desperately missed skills of those individuals that had now gone. Having gone through this ordeal most managers would not have had the resolute to of stepped inside another dressing room but with Busby the show must gone on. His task started with signings such as Pat Crerand, Denis Law and a young Irish lad named George Best. The latter was discovered by United scout Bob Bishop when best was 15 years old. Bishop sent Busby a telegram from Northern Ireland, in it, it read,” I think I’ve found you a genius.”  Football gifts like Best do not come along to often. He had it all in terms of pace, skill in his ability to out manoeuvre the finest defenders – one way then another with the ball glue liked to his feet; a joy to watch. The results that Busby wished for were not so imminent in returning but they did finally reveal a light at the end of the tunnel in 1963 when United won the FA Cup beating Leicester City 3-1. Then in 1965 and 1967, Busby’s United won the League Title and then the European Cup in 1968, making the United the first English club to win the competition. Busby had accomplished what he had set out to do and in 1969, he stepped down as United’s manager. He did however return for a short spell but that was the last whistle for him. Currently Matt Busby is still the longest serving manager of Manchester United FC.

In the late 60’s and 70’s with many of the clubs top players leaving, saw that once bright light of United now starting to fade. United saw Several managers including Wilf McGuinness, Frank O’Farrell, Tommy Docherty axed, and Dave sexton who became another statistic before been sacked by the board. 1981 the colourful Ron Atkinson was given the chance to shine at Old Trafford and he did just that. Getting football gifts like Bryan Robson on board, one of the best midfielder’s English football has seen plus Paul McGrath and Gordon Strachan, Atkinson soon established a new stronger United that had disappeared for a long time. Within 3 years, the club was back on form, winning the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985 and were front-runners to take the League title in 1985/86 season. What happened though was the complete opposite as they ended the season unexpectedly in 4^th position. The season after could not have got much worse but it did and United found themselves in the bottom half of the tables and forever drifting closer to relegation. The board had seen enough and Atkinson was promptly replaced by Alex Ferguson from Aberdeen in 1986.

If Ferguson was looking for the best of starts out of the blocks, managing United, he certainly did not get it. For the first 3½ years, Ferguson had produced nothing that special and early on in the 1990 season, the feeling at Old Trafford was that a dismissal was looming. The sudden change in attitude came when they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley then in 1991 the squad brought back to Old Trafford the Cup Winners Cup, beating Barcelona 2-1. They had another invite to Wembley in 1992 for the League Cup final against Nottingham Forrest and walked away the winners with a 1-0 victory.

Behind the scenes, the club needed to generate cash and the board decided to float United on the stock market, which raised £47 million. This extra money paved the way for signings such as Leeds United, Frenchman Eric Cantona who had great charisma on the pitch and the awesome talented, football gifts of Danish keeper Peter Schmeichel. Later came the ear-splitting Roy Keane from Nottingham Forrest.

In 1995, saw a British record transfer fee of £6 million for Newcastle United’s Andy Cole. United wrote one in the history books by becoming the first English club to have won the Double twice. More youth players were entering the squad like David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers with other players such as Paul Ince and Mark Hughes been sold on to various clubs.

No English club had ever won the treble but United changed that and rewrote the history pages yet again in the 1998/99 season. This period is probably noted as the clubs pinnacle point in terms of success. First, they wrapped up the Premier League title then with goals from Scholes and Sheringham they added the FA Cup beating Newcastle United 2-0. To complete the treble they were up against FC Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final. The match was played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. Referee for the game was, Pierluigi Collina, he later revealed, it to be of his most unforgettable matches he had refereed. Throughout the game, United trailed 1-0 and it appeared that the ending was going to be doom and gloom for the English club. Subsequently injury time was added and to the amazement of all watching, United miraculously scored two goals to beat Munich and lift the trophy. This game is considered to be of the best comebacks in the game of football. The Munich players could do nothing but, and understandably sob on the pitch. Not many clubs in the world could have pulled that out of the bag at exactly the right time. Later and deservingly so, Ferguson was knighted for his services to the game of football.

After that triumph, United were always going to struggle to go one better than the treble. Even with the club topping the Premier League in 2000 and 2001 the silverware just wasn’t flowing. In 2004 they did knockout League Champions Arsenal from the FA Cup and went on to take the trophy beating Millwall 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff with two goals from Ruud Van Nistelrooy and one from Cristiano Ronaldo. The club paid £12.24 million for the Portuguese Ronaldo in 2003 after Ferguson became aware of his football gifts. Ronaldo, arrogant and cocky at times was an instant sensation at United with his ability and skill. During this time, American businessman Malcolm Glazer at the despair of fans, brought out shareholders of the club and by 2005 took full control over United, appointing his sons as directors.

2005/06 season, United had their share of problems with Alan Smith and Ryan Giggs taking on injuries plus Van Nistelrooy and Keane leaving for different clubs. They were still a club to be reckoned with and proved it by winning the League Cup in 2006.

The following 2007 season, United were much stronger playing a more attacking game one that they were accustomed to. There were I hopes that the club were on their way to winning another treble, however, United lost to Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The FA Cup was still alive for United and they were favourites to win it but Chelsea denied them that trophy at the new Wembley Stadium beating them 1-0 in extra time.

2008 United had no such rejections when a win over Wigan Athletic crowned them League Champions then defeating Chelsea on penalties gave them their third European Cup. Ryan Giggs was also honoured by breaking Bobby Charlton’s record in making 759 appearances for the club. In addition, they also won the FA Community Shield then in December 2008; the FIFA Club World Cup trophy was added thanks to Wayne Rooney scoring the only goal. A couple of months later in 2009 United were League Cup champions and then in May won their 11^th Premier League title.

In 2009, Ferguson signed Michael Owen, Gabriel Obertan and Antonio Valencia but in the process had to let go of the football gifts and best footballer in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo for a record transfer fee of £80 million to Real Madrid.

On the 14^th March 1905 at the public house The Rising Sun – today called The Butchers Hook – on Fulham Road, London, businessman Henry Mears along with others formed a football club and named it, Chelsea. Fulham would have been the ideal title; unfortunately this had already been taken. Prior to this in 1904, Mears had purchased Stamford Bridge Athletics Ground with the intentions of having Football Clubs play their games there, in particularly Fulham, whom declined. With this, Mears decided to create his own football club.

Like countless other clubs, Chelsea attempted to play in the Southern League but with – and no surprise – Fulham and other Clubs objecting they were refused. Friend and colleague of Mears, Fred Parker then applied for Chelsea to play in the Football League. With some good talking and persuasion by Parker to the appropriate individuals Chelsea were acknowledged to the Football League on May 5^th 1905.

Scottish football player and manager John Tait Robertson, was employed as Chelsea Manager and wasted no time in searching for talent for the Club, one of these been the huge 6ft 4”, 22 stone, William “Fatty” Foulke who had already tasted success with Sheffield United, winning the FA Cup.

Chelsea did not get off to the best of starts, loosing their first game away against Stockport County 1-0 on the 2^nd September 1905. Their first home game though had a sweeter result when they beat Liverpool 4-0. For their first season in the Second Division, they did make a decent challenge and managed to finish third.

In January 1907, Robertson departed for Glossop, a Football Club based in Derbyshire. Behind closed doors, Chelsea’s Board of Directors typically over ruled the Manager on squad setup and players to play; for Robertson and appropriately so that was the role of Manger and his position became untenable. A Mr William Lewis stepped into Robertson’s shoes for a time been. He was Chelsea’s first Club Secretary and started out as a Football Referee. Unexpectedly, Lewis guided Chelsea to promotion at the end of the season, helped by the football gifts and the first player to score 100 goals for the club, George Hilsdon. Lewis was replaced by Chelsea’s longest serving manager, David Calderhead. He served the club for an astonishing 26 years and with such a lengthy spell at Chelsea, there should have been more achievement to his credit. Even his son, David junior spent time at Chelsea as a player while his Father managed. In total Calderhead oversaw Chelsea play in 966 games.

It wasn’t until 1952 that Chelsea started to have an impact on the game under new manager Ted Drake. Drake was an ex footballer himself, starting his career with Southampton but his time at Arsenal is where he acquired his recognition. Unlike his predecessors, Drake felt more at ease kitted out like a player and not as a manger so it was exceptional to see him in a suit. With the old days gone of the Boards interference, Drake set out to improve the club. Ball work was established in training and instead of looking to the big transfer signings more scouts were sent out to find young hungry talent that would bring quality football gifts to Chelsea. And no longer was the Chelsea Pensioner for this was to be replaced by the lion rampant crest. Fans were urged to get behind the club and team in unison. Patience would be required; for it took until the 1954/55 season for things to start to fall into place and Chelsea were beginning to look and feel like a Football Club with ambition. And they were, winning the League title with a close Wolverhampton Wanderers in second place just 4 points behind. What’s more intriguing is that the majority of the Chelsea squad were considered amateurs with the exception of Roy Bentley. It was difficult for Drake to repeat this accomplishment the following season and Chelsea finished in the bottom half of the table. One Football gift to shine through for the club was top goal scorer and club record holder, scoring 41 goals in a season, Jimmy Greaves but he left for AC Milan in 1961. Without his presence and the balls he once netted, Chelsea drifted down the table meaning it was time for a change and Drake was sacked by the Board.

There was little new manager Tom Docherty could do to prevent relegation to Division 2. He tried and tested various techniques and in doing so sold many of the now aging players. Luckily, Chelsea had many up and coming talented youth players who were eager to prove themselves along with other football gifts. These included Ron “Chopper” Harris, Bobby Tambling, Peter Bonetti and Terry Venables all at Docherty’s disposal. With now a rebuilt squad of such talent, Chelsea finished in second place in Division 2 and on their last game embarrassed Portsmouth with a 7-0 win. On their first season back to Division 1 they finished fifth in the table and the season that followed won the League Cup. There trophy cabinet had space for more but Chelsea missed out on the FA Cup to Manchester United.

Docherty blew hot and cold and this did cause tension with certain players, especially Terry Venables, one for speaking his mind. Venables later signed to Tottenham Hotspur where by this time his old teammate Jimmy Greaves was. Ironically for Docherty and the club it was Tottenham they played against in the first all London FA Cup final and Chelsea’s first appearance at a Wembley final. Chelsea lost 2-1 and not long after Docherty was sacked.

Chelsea really turned the corner in the mid 90’s. 1996 saw the football gifts of Holland legend, Ruud Gullit takes over as manager from Glenn Hoddle who decided to try his hand managing England, as it happens with not much success. Gullit had instant triumph in his opening season, winning the FA Cup, their first significant trophy for 26 years and finishing sixth in the League, Chelsea’s best position since 1990. Regrettably, in 1998 Gullit was sacked over a contract disagreement with the board. His replacement was 33-year-old Gianluca Vialli and within a short space of time had won the Club 2 trophies, the League Cup and the Cup Winners Cup. In 2000 Vialli, with a quality squad that consisted of Zola, Ed de Goey, Frank Leboeuf and Poyet, lifted the FA Cup with a win against Aston Villa. Then they beat Manchester United 2-0 to add the Charity Shield. Vialli by now became Chelsea’s most successful manager. Bizarrely, Vialli was also sacked by the club in the same season for what must be due to a bad start, loosing 5 games on the bounce.

By 2003 Chelsea were financially in trouble with £80 million worth of debt hanging over their head. Unexpectedly, Ken Bates who brought the Club in 1981 for just a pound sold it to Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich for £60 million, which netted Bates a nice profit. Abramovich, made his masses of wealth through the Russian oil industry, buying it exceptionally cheap then selling it on to international companies.

Now the club had no debts and massive funds to buy players like Joe Cole, Geremi, Glen Johnston to name a few.

In 2004/05 season, Abramovich employed the outspoken Jose Mourinho to succeed Ranieri’s as manager of Chelsea. Up until his replacement, Ranieri’s had created a number of good results for Chelsea and helped them finish as runners up in the League. It appears somewhat unforgiving the reason he was sacked but changes made to the formation of the squad by Ranieri’s during a semi-final with AC Monaco which Chelsea ultimately lost was enough for Abramovich to have him replaced.

The 2004/05 season was slow off the marks for Mourinho but gradually gained momentum. In the company of football gifts like Lampard, Cole, Arjen Robben, Ricardo Carvalho and Captain John Terry, Chelsea were beginning to win more and more games. In November, they beat Everton placing them top of the table and never really looked back. The outstanding goalkeeping skills of Petr Cech gave him his own Premiership record of 1025 minutes without a goal scored against him. With two goals from Lampard, the match with Bolton Wanderers was over and so was the title race. It had been a long fifty years since their last League Title. In addition, this gave Chelsea the double with their 2-0 win over Liverpool FC earlier in the year. The Club was heading for the treble in the Champions League. In the semi-final, they met old rivals Liverpool again. This time the scouse club had different ideas and Chelsea couldn’t manage the same result they had previously, loosing 1-0 to a Liverpool squad who defensibly were flawless. The season after saw, Chelsea keep hold of their League title and during a visit to Anfield, they unleashed something special on their hosts, in annihilating them 4-1. Manchester United were close on the heels towards the end of season but Chelsea put that to bed at Stamford Bridge, beating United 3-0. Also becoming the only London Club to win two League Titles in consecutive years. Mourinho’s Chelsea certainly became the team to beat around this time.

The following 2006/07 season saw Chelsea just have a slight dip in form but not enough to stop them from winning the League Cup, beating Arsenal 2-1. Manchester United were back on top in the League tables but Chelsea, still in super form went on to win the FA Cup again, beating United 1-0 at the new Wembley Stadium.

By this time, it was common knowledge that Mourinho and Abramovich did not see eye to eye on numerous matters and with Mourinho not one to back down he decided to leave Stamford Bridge in September 2007. This was indeed a sad day for Chelsea Football Club and the millions of fans worldwide. It is widely agreed that Jose Mourinho, whether you love or hate him brought many football gifts to Chelsea and one that will be very difficult to substitute.

Israeli Avram Grant, replaced Jose Mourinho but the club lacked the success they were accustomed too. He did manage to lead them to the Champions League final but lost out to Manchester United on penalties, subsequently Grant was sacked shortly after.

It was then, Luiz Felipe Scolari turn, a well-known and respected manger worldwide, who had brought glory to the Brazil national team in the 2002 World Cup. Again, sacked after another short spell on 9^th February 2009.

 On the 1^st June 2009, Carlo Ancelotti took over from temporary manager Guus Hiddink.  It is still early days but Chelsea’s first match with Ancelotti in charge was for the Community Shield against Manchester United, which ended 2-2. Chelsea went on to win through penalties 4-1. With that, it was Chelsea’s first win taking penalties in over 10 years.

Like numerous Football Clubs up and down the country, Tottenham Hotspur’s foundations originate in the School and Cricket paternity. The “Hotspur” is believed to be linked to a gentleman named Sir Henry Percy alias Harry Hotspur who existed in the 1500’s and whose descendants were quite wealthy landowners.

“Hotspur Football Club”, as it was known became “Tottenham Hotspur Football and Athletic Club”, in 1884 to stop the confusion and also to have a more unique name than that of a similar local club that went by the title of “London Hotspur”

Their first ground so to speak was the Tottenham Marshes in Greater London, a natural wetland. They then shifted to Northumberland Park in 1888, a location more suitable for spectators and where they could charge gate fees. A set back for Tottenham was when they received no votes which would of allowed them to join the Southern League. This was reversed when in 1895, the Club turned professional and Spurs started to attract bigger crowds at games and with this, a bigger venue was required, so in 1899 the Club moved to their new ground at High Road which is now the famous White Hart Lane which as brought many football gifts to fans.

A great achievement for Tottenham Hotspur was in 1901 when they won the FA Cup and in doing so were and still are the only non-League club to have lifted that trophy, which was presented to Spurs Captain Jack Jones. It was at this presentation that ribbons were tied to the Cup by a Spurs Directors wife and that is where the tradition of ribbons on the FA Cup originates.

In the 1908/09 season, Tottenham was elected to participate in Division 2 of the Football League and in the same season won promotion as runners up to Division 1. The Clubs high hopes were soon watered down as they found themselves overwhelmed with stronger Clubs and in 1914/15 when football was suspended due to WWI Spurs found themselves at the bottom of the League.

After the War in 1919 and with more Clubs turning professional and wanting to join the Football League additional places were allocated and in doing so, the League added two extra Clubs making the total number of Clubs in the League 1 now 22 from 20. There was already a degree of hostility with Arsenal after they moved ground to Tottenham’s vicinity but what happened after the War added insult to injury. The Two extra places in League 1 went to Chelsea who finished 19th and the other should naturally of been Tottenham who had finished in 20th place, but Arsenal who had finished in 6th position in League 2 were somehow promoted to Division 1. Even more amazingly, this decision was not over ruled and Arsenal FC stayed in Division 1 and Tottenham in Division 2. This opened up a wound for Spurs that even to this day has not been closed.

Tottenham dug deep and at the end of 1919/20 season were crowned champions of Division 2 and went even one better the following year by winning the FA Cup for the second time beating Wolverhampton 1-0.

After WW2, footballs popularity was ceaselessly increasing bringing masses to the weekend matches. In 1949 a born and bread Tottenham man and an ex player, Arthur Sydney Rowe became Manager of Spurs. Football gifts like Rowe remain timeless and his input and the strategy,”push and run”, he formed while at the Club are still seen in all Football Squads today. General like in his tactics he brought some thing special to Spurs and now they were going places. They Finishes in top position that same season Rowe took charge but there was more to come in the ensuing season, Division 1. Only losing seven games, they were comfortable leaders for the majority of the time and crowned champions with Manchester United runners up.

Like all new methods of play, especially those that work and are successful, meant other Clubs were adopting and adapting Rowe’s, “push and run”, style. With this Tottenham ended the 1951/52 season a close second to a younger Man United squad. The 1952/53 season saw the Club in a mess finishing only 10th. Another mess which did contribute to this middle of the table result was the poor condition of the home pitch. Even for the low standards back then it was still considered disgraceful.

The Rowe years were coming to an end as he handed his resignation in 1955. Much to do with Rowe’s departure was his health and of course Spurs not doing as well in the tables as they once were.

If there was a man, who knew everything about Tottenham Hotspur FC it was Bill Nicholas. He had served the Club in every aspect upon leaving school and was given the opportunity to manage in 1958. In terms of football gifts Nicholas was another and stamped his authority on his opening game against Everton, thrashing them 10-4, making this a Spurs record at the time. There was optimism in the air once again and rightly so. Tottenham’s first 3 seasons with Nicholas’s guidance were a blast with them winning the Double in 1961 then reaching the FA Cup/European Cup semi finals in 1962. 1963 saw Spurs lift the Cup Winners Cup, and then they did have a quiet spell while Nicholas basically rebuilt the whole squad but then bounced back in 1967, beating Chelsea FC 2-1 in the FA Cup final at Wembley with Robertson and Saul the goal scorers. Spurs later added the League Cup in 1971 and the UEFA Cup in 1972 then the League Cup again in 1973. Before Nicholas resigned in 1974/75 season, he had accumulated 8 major trophies and Spurs had never tasted success to that degree.

Tottenham Hotspur couldn’t have wished for a better start to the 80’s. Now with, Keith Burkinshaw in charge they beat Manchester City 3-2 to add another FA Cup to their collection and then did it again the following season against QPR. In 1984 with players like Gareth Brookes and Glenn Hoddle enthused Spurs to grab another major trophy, the UEFA Cup.  The mid and late 80’s did see Spurs have numerous chances but it always just seemed to elude them.

In 1991 and under manager Terry Venables the club did have some success. With players like Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker the FA Cup was once more theirs. Largely though, Tottenham was really much the same as they were in the late 80’s but had an extra problem of financial security. Certain individuals like Sir Alan Sugar stepped in to curb the Clubs £20 million debt. In addition, that meant other individuals had to be sold off, one of these included England star Paul Gascoigne. The club was in better hands but still not producing the goods and after another poor season Sir Alan Sugar sold his hold on the Club to ENIC Sports PLC.

Former Spurs player Glenn Hoddle took managers post in 2001 with big ideas to turn the Club around. In fairness he didn’t have a particularly bad opening season plus steered the squad to the League Cup final, but cracks started to appear in the relationships with certain players and these individuals began complaining about Hoddle methods or lack of them. Again with no good results taking shape he was sacked by the board in 2003/04.

The most recent manager to date, Harry Redknapp, former manager of Portsmouth joined Tottenham 2008/09 season. With the Club in a serious position of relegation, Redknapp needed only wins for survival and got them. He had only been in charge for a couple of weeks but this saw Spurs move up the table and out of the danger zone and when the final whistle blew for end of season Spurs were mid table.

For this season, lets hope we can get some more football gifts at white Hart Lane with that old Tottenham magic.