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Chelsea's Cult Heroes: Stamford Bridge's 20 Greatest Icons (Cult Heroes)
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Know the Score Books (2005-10-26)
ISBN: 1905449003
EAN: 9781905449002
Hardcover: 240 pages
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Customer Reviews
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Chelsea Chelsea
Rating  (5)
Date: 2005-11-29
4 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
Personally I've got a bit fed up with all these Mourinho/Abramovich loving books which have proliferated over the past couple of years. It's so refreshing to see a Chelsea book appear on the market which actually delves into what makes Chelsea fans, and the club, tick.
Leo Moynihan has grasped the essence of being a Chelsea fan by looking at the Chelsea careers of the 20 biggest fans' icons of the club's history. By its very nature the book courts controversy as his selection does NOT include Bonetti, Lampard or Vialli to name but three. In fact the choice of players is based on the star quality that they brought to the Bridge, thus the book begins by charting the tale of the club's foundation through the signing of the biggest name in early 20th Century football - gargantuan keeper Fatty Foulke.
Just like an Abramovich star signing in 2005, in 1905 Foulke was signed precisely to bring star quality to the club. His signing brought in the crowds who loved to see his antics. He often got involved in all sorts of silliness on the pitch ranging from dangling opposing forwards head down in the mud to chasing players that dare score against him back down the field!
Along the way Moynihan visits the careers of such Chelsea luminaries as Osgood, Hudson, Harris, Bentley, Gullit, Wise and of course Zola. Obvious choices they may be, but what the author brings to this account of their careers and how they changed Chelsea FC is a fresh look at how they turned into such terrace legends.
What's particularly interesting is the themes which develop throughout the book. For example, Chelsea have always bought stars. This is not a new thing. Following Foulke Chelsea broke British transfer record after British transfer record. The most obvious example being the capture of Hughie Gallacher, the brilliant Scot, from Newcastle in the 1920s. all these high profile stars didn't actually bring Chelsea any silverware however and it wasn't until Foss's 1950s youth teams flung out such stars as Greaves, Harris, Osgood and Hudson that the club truly hit the heights.
Now of course, the oil-fuelled spending spree has reaped dividends, but Moynihan closes the book with a look at the homegrown talent made in good in John Terry, making the valid point that he is the true heartbeat of the club, which is refreshing considering the squillions Roman has spent to bring trophies to the Bridge.
I loved this new look at Chelsea and found it written with humour and poignancy.
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Retail Price: £16.99
Amazon.com's Price:£5.00
That's 71% Off!
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