Why the 80s?

Ask any long-term Chelsea supporter upwards of 30 years old about his or her experiences of following the Blues throughout the 1980s and you will almost certainly be met with a misty-eyed response. Sure, these were turbulent times both on and off the pitch – Chelsea spent just four full seasons in the top-flight during the decade of mullets, shell-suits and Bros, and there were certainly some matches where the terrace skirmishes appeared to take on more significance than the battle for three points – but the camaraderie amongst the club’s followers, particularly their mighty away support, left it’s mark on all concerned.

 A decade that began with the Blues battling for a return to the top-flight at the first time of asking, ended, rather ironically, with them having recently achieved just that. What happened in the meantime could only have occurred at Stamford Bridge. A depressing period where Chelsea became an established Second Division side saw one season, 1980/81, in which they failed to find the net in 19 of their final 22 league matches, followed two seasons later by a dreadful campaign which almost led to an unthinkable plunge into Division Three, which would have almost certainly proved fatal to a club which was facing financial ruin at the time. In the middle of all this, Chelsea, true to their unpredictable roots, managed to knock European champions Liverpool out of the FA Cup on a memorable day in February 1982.

 Having surveyed the scene for more than a year, new chairman Ken Bates made money available to John Neal, who was beginning his third season as manager, and for less than £500,000, the canny Wearsider recruited Kerry Dixon, Eddie Niedzwiecki, Pat Nevin, Joe McLaughlin and Nigel Spackman. David Speedie had been brought in a year earlier and Mickey Thomas followed in January 1984. A new Chelsea was born, one which had the character and ability to challenge the Seventies mavericks for a place in the supporters’ hearts.

 Promoted twelve months after narrowly avoiding the ignominy of relegation, Chelsea embarked on a two-year spell where they challenged the Football League’s recognised hierarchy of Liverpool, Everton and Manchester United. Two sixth-placed finishes, the second of which could so easily have been translated into a championship win but for an injury to goalkeeper Niedzwiecki at a time when he was approaching the peak of his powers, appeared to confirm that the future was bright – the future was blue. But Neal’s replacement, John Hollins, promoted from coach in the summer of 1985, apparently as a result of Neal’s ill-health – although the players of the time cast doubt over this claim – failed to build on the successes of his first season and, in tandem with his right-hand man, Ernie ‘the’ Walley, set about dismantling the current squad and replacing them with players of inferior ability. Where once stood Joey Jones, Nigel Spackman, Mickey Thomas and David Speedie, now stood Keith Dublin, John McNaught, Jerry Murphy and Kevin Wilson. The inevitable upshot was a depressing drop back into Division Two at the end of the 1987/88 season when Chelsea, typically, became the only club ever to be relegated from the top-flight via the play-offs.

 Through all of this, the club’s magnificent fans continued to travel far and wide to support their team, and they were rewarded with an immediate promotion followed by a fifth-placed finish at the end of their first season back in Division One.

 What has happened at Chelsea since has been well-documented, and is just reward for those supporters who followed the Blues in those dark, dismal days. It’s an entirely different experience these days, of course, but despite the wet and windy open terraces, the dark threat of violence, and the frequent occasions when Alan Mayes missed a sitter, there are still many who hanker for the way things were. In the words of Messrs Michael and Ridgeley: ‘If you were there, you’d know’…