DRAKE AND DOCHERTY

Some of you may recognise the christian names of two of the English Football League's greatest managers. I wonder if any of the present day goings on were actually being employed in their time, but without all the publicity....pre-IT etc you know! Chelsea FC was a bit of a music hall joke before Ted Drake arrived as club manager in 1952. Drake had been a successful forward in his younger years, a famous forward in the 1930s.

On this day in 1961, Chelsea, in history, had won very little, and quite frankly the club was a bit of a joke, but Drake had been a famous forward playing with Arsenal and England in the 1930s. His club and he won two League titles and an FA Cup and Drake was a top scorer for his team, one season scoring 42 goals, including the winner in the 1936 FA Cup Final and memorably seven goals in one match against Aston Villa in 1935, still a bit of a record!! As a manager he could be regarded as a bit special. 

Chelsea had done little to make its supporters cheery and the first thing Drake did was to change the clu's "homely" image. The club crest at the time of his arrival featured a cartoon of its homely image. The club crest featured a smily Chelsea Pensioner!! This was jettisoned for a "Rangers-style" CFC Logo, soon to become a rampant lion, still used today. The club was no longer to be known as the "Pensioners", becoming The Blues; minor changes of course but ones that instill a winning mentality....as I write this, the Manchester City "goings on" is on the radio and goodness knows where that will end up!!

In 1954/55, the title was expected to be contested between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Chelsea no where to be included in "the race", especially since they lost their first 4 matches. (as I write the "present Premier League controversy" occupies my radio on Talksport!!)

Drake's side, built around players, Peter Sillett and Ron Greenwood (you should know these two...if not certainly "Ron"). Roy Bentle and was a strong foward...they were all battlers. Chelsea was strengthened and lost only three of their next 25 matches to take the League title from Wolves. 

Despite this success, the Club was criticised much for its "style of play" (rather like the criticism thrown as Mourinho's team when they all had so much success, recently!). Jealousy?

After several mid-table finishes and a slow start in 1961-62, Drake was sacked. He was replaced by an eager player-coach, Tommy Docherty, who couldn't turn things around quickly and soon after an inauspicious start against Blackpool (not a bad side in those days!!), the trend was set and the club was relegated!! But, just as Drake had modernised the club in the 1950s, so Docherty would do so in the new decade. The "new" Chelsea was promoted from Division Two, featuring Ron Harris, Terry Venables and Bobby Tambling and a few others!! They came to epitomise the club's 1960s and maybe set a trend for present day success?