chelsea

Chelsea were founded on 14 March 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook), opposite the present-day main entrance to the ground on Fulham Road, and were elected to the Football League shortly afterwards. The club's early years saw little success; the closest they came to winning a major trophy was reaching the FA Cup final in 1915, where they lost to Sheffield United. Chelsea gained a reputation for signing big-name players and for being entertainers, but made little impact on the English game in the inter-war years. In June 2003, Bates sold Chelsea to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for £140 million, completing what was then the biggest-ever sale of an English football club. Owing to Abramovich's Russian heritage, the club were soon popularly dubbed "Chelski" in the British media. Over £100 million was spent on new players, but Ranieri was unable to deliver any trophies, so he was replaced by successful Portuguese coach José Mourinho, who had just guided FC Porto to victory in the UEFA Champions League. In 2005, Chelsea's centenary year, the club became Premiership champions in a record-breaking season (most clean sheets, fewest goals conceded, most victories, most points earned), League Cup winners with a 3–2 win over Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium and reached the Champions League semi-finals. The following year, they were again League Champions, equalling their own Premiership record of 29 wins set the previous season. They also became the fifth team to win back-to-back championships since the Second World War and the first London club to do so since Arsenal in 1933–34. In 2007, Chelsea won the FA Cup and League Cup, but finished runners-up to Manchester United in the Premier League. On 20 September 2007, manager José Mourinho parted company with Chelsea by mutual consent and was replaced by Israeli Director of Football Avram Grant. Chelsea went on to finish runners-up to Manchester United in the 2007/08 Premier League season, finishing just two points behind the champions. Chelsea lost to Manchester United in the Champions League final in Moscow on 21 May 2008 after penalties resulting in 6-5..

Chelsea FC is a professional football club located in London, England. They are currently in the Barclaycard Premiership League. I have been following Chelsea since I was a young boy growing-up in London in the mid-1950s. Back then, I used to stand on the terrace in rain or shine to see my favorites play. Players like Roy Bentley, Ken Armstrong, Eric Parsons, Peter Sillet, Reg Matthews, and Ron Tindall to mention a few. Chelsea is one of those teams that so often came close to winning the trophies but more often than not fell just short. All that seems to be in the past now.
Chelsea's Triumphs
Premiership

Winners, 2005 and 2006
League Division One
Winners, 1955
Football Association Cup
Winners, 1970, 1997, 2000 and 2007
Finalist, 1915, 1967, 1994, and 2002
Semi-Final Appearances. Chelsea also reached the semi-finals in the following years, only to be beaten; 1911, 1920, 1932, 1950, 1952, 1965, 1966, and 1996.
European Super Cup
Winners, 1998
European Cup Winners Cup
Winners, 1971 and 1998
Semi-Final Appearances. Chelsea also reached the semi final in 1995.
League Cup
Winners, 1965, 1998, 2005, and 2007
Finalist, 1972, 2008
Community (Charity) Shield
Winners, 1956, 2000 and 2005
Runners-Up, 1970, 1997, 2006 and 2007
League Division Two
Winners, 1984 and 1989
Runners-Up, 1907, 1912, 1930, 1963, and 1977
Full Members/ZDS Cup
Winners, 1986 and 1990
Makita/Umbro Trophy Winners
Winners, 1994 and 1997
Football Association Youth Cup
Winners, 1960 and 1961
Finalist, 1958