1996–97 Chelsea F.C. season

Chelsea F.C.
1996–97 season
ChairmanKen Bates
ManagerRuud Gullit
FA Premier League6th
FA CupWinners
League CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague: Gianluca Vialli (9)
All: Mark Hughes (14)
Highest home attendance28,418 vs Everton
(7 December 1996, FA Premier League)
Lowest home attendance11,732 vs Blackpool
(25 September 1996, League Cup)
Average home league attendance27,001

During the 1996–97 English football season, Chelsea competed in the FA Premier League.

Season summary

With Glenn Hoddle leaving to become England manager, Chelsea gave the managerial role to midfielder Ruud Gullit, who used his continental connections to bring in world-class international players such as France center-back Frank Leboeuf, and Italian superstars such as midfielder Roberto Di Matteo, Parma's playmaker Gianfranco Zola and the Champions League winning striker and Juventus captain Gianluca Vialli. Gullit had a dream start to his managerial career as Chelsea won the FA Cup with a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough, ending Chelsea's 26-year trophy drought and making him the first foreign manager to win a major trophy with an English club. Zola was voted FWA Footballer of the Year after a brilliant first season at Stamford Bridge in which he scored 12 goals and contributed many assists, while fellow countryman and record £4.5 million signing Roberto Di Matteo scored one of Chelsea's goals in the triumphant Wembley final.

The club suffered a tragedy in late October when director Matthew Harding was killed in a helicopter crash in Cheshire when returning home from the club's League Cup exit at Bolton.[1]

Final league table

Main article: 1996–97 FA Premier League
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
4 Liverpool 38 19 11 8 62 37 +25 68 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
5 Aston Villa 38 17 10 11 47 34 +13 61
6 Chelsea 38 16 11 11 58 55 +3 59 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[b]
7 Sheffield Wednesday 38 14 15 9 50 51 −1 57
8 Wimbledon 38 15 11 12 49 46 +3 56
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
  2. ^ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup winners.
Results summary
Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 16 11 11 58 55  +3 59 9 8 2 33 22  +11 7 3 9 25 33  −8

Source: Statto

Results by round
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHA
ResultDWWDWDLDWLWWDDLDLWWDWLWWDLDLWWLLLLWWDW
Position118232376666555777877776567887566787766
Source: Statto.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

FA Premier League

18 August 1996 1 Southampton 0–0 Chelsea The Dell
Attendance: 15,186
21 August 1996 2 Chelsea 1–0 Middlesbrough
Di Matteo 86' Attendance: 28,272
24 August 1996 3 Chelsea 2–0 Coventry City
Leboeuf 29'
Vialli 74'		 Attendance: 25,024
3 September 1996 4 Arsenal 3–3 Chelsea
Merson 44'
Keown 64'
Wright 77'		 Leboeuf 6' (pen.)
Vialli 30'
Wise 90'		 Attendance: 38,132
7 September 1996 5 Sheffield Wednesday 0–2 Chelsea
Burley 28'
Myers 83'		 Attendance: 30,983
15 September 1996 6 Chelsea 1–1 Aston Villa
Leboeuf 45' Townsend 18' Attendance: 27,729
21 September 1996 7 Liverpool 5–1 Chelsea
Fowler 15'
Berger 42', 49'
Myers 45' (o.g.)
Barnes 57'		 Leboeuf 85' (pen.) Attendance: 40,739
28 September 1996 8 Chelsea 1–1 Nottingham Forest
Vialli 51' Lee 90' Attendance: 27,673
12 October 1996 9 Leicester City 1–3 Chelsea
Watts 44' Vialli 48'
Di Matteo 64'
M. Hughes 80'		 Attendance: 20,766
19 October 1996 10 Chelsea 2–4 Wimbledon
Minto 9'
Vialli 84' (pen.)		 Earle 3'
Ardley 16'
Gayle 64'
Ekoku 78'		 Attendance: 28,020
26 October 1996 11 Chelsea 3–1 Tottenham Hotspur
Gullit 27'
D. Lee 52' (pen.)
Di Matteo 80'		 Armstrong 42' Attendance: 28,373
2 November 1996 12 Manchester United 1–2 Chelsea
Poborský 81' Duberry 31'
Vialli 61'		 Attendance: 55,198
16 November 1996 13 Blackburn Rovers 1–1 Chelsea
Gallacher 56' Petrescu 82' Attendance: 27,229
23 November 1996 14 Chelsea 1–1 Newcastle United
Vialli 24' Shearer 41' Attendance: 28,401
1 December 1996 15 Leeds United 2–0 Chelsea
Deane 8'
Rush 10'		 Attendance: 32,671
7 December 1996 16 Chelsea 2–2 Everton
Zola 12'
Vialli 55'		 Branch 17'
Kanchelskis 28'		 Attendance: 28,418
15 December 1996 17 Sunderland 3–0 Chelsea
Duberry 30' (o.g.)
Ball 47'
Russell 67'		 Attendance: 19,683
21 December 1996 18 Chelsea 3–1 West Ham United
M. Hughes 6', 35'
Zola 10'		 Porfirio 11' Attendance: 28,315
26 December 1996 19 Aston Villa 0–2 Chelsea
Zola 66', 70' Attendance: 39,339
28 December 1996 20 Chelsea 2–2 Sheffield Wednesday
Zola 9'
M. Hughes 23'		 Pembridge 23'
Stefanović 90'		 Attendance: 27,467
1 January 1997 21 Chelsea 1–0 Liverpool
Di Matteo 43' Attendance: 28,329
11 January 1997 22 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Chelsea
Pearce 40'
Bart-Williams 53'		 Attendance: 28,358
18 January 1997 23 Chelsea 3–1 Derby County
Wise 36'
Leboeuf 44' (pen.)
P. Hughes 85'		 Asanović 25' Attendance: 28,293
1 February 1997 24 Tottenham Hotspur 1–2 Chelsea
Howells 82' Campbell 1' (o.g.)
Di Matteo 81'		 Attendance: 33,027
22 February 1997 25 Chelsea 1–1 Manchester United
Zola 2' Beckham 68' Attendance: 28,336
1 March 1997 26 Derby County 3–2 Chelsea
Minto 51' (o.g.)
Asanović 62' (pen.)
Ward 90'		 Minto 16'
Leboeuf 54'		 Attendance: 18,039
5 March 1997 27 Chelsea 1–1 Blackburn Rovers
Minto 63' Pedersen 62' Attendance: 25,784
12 March 1997 28 West Ham United 3–2 Chelsea
Dicks 55' (pen.)
Kitson 68', 90'		 Vialli 26'
M. Hughes 87'		 Attendance: 24,502
16 March 1997 29 Chelsea 6–2 Sunderland
Zola 38'
Sinclair 43'
Petrescu 51'
M. Hughes 78', 90'
Di Matteo 90'		 Stewart 58'
Rae 60'		 Attendance: 24,027
19 March 1997 30 Chelsea 1–0 Southampton
Zola 22' Attendance: 28,079
22 March 1997 31 Middlesbrough 1–0 Chelsea
Juninho 53' Attendance: 29,811
5 April 1997 32 Chelsea 0–3 Arsenal
Wright 22'
Platt 53'
Bergkamp 80'		 Attendance: 28,182
9 April 1997 33 Coventry City 3–1 Chelsea
Dublin 49'
Williams 51'
Whelan 58'		 P. Hughes 43' Attendance: 19,917
16 April 1997 34 Newcastle United 3–1 Chelsea
Shearer 12', 35'
Asprilla 30'		 Burley 62' Attendance: 36,320
19 April 1997 35 Chelsea 2–1 Leicester City
Minto 13'
M. Hughes 73'		 F. Sinclair 47' (o.g.) Attendance: 27,723
22 April 1997 36 Wimbledon 0–1 Chelsea
Petrescu 14' Attendance: 14,601
3 May 1997 37 Chelsea 0–0 Leeds United
Attendance: 26,277
11 May 1997 38 Everton 1–2 Chelsea
Barmby 77' Wise 14'
Di Matteo 36'		 Attendance: 38,321

League Cup

Date Round Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
18 September 1996 R2 Blackpool A 4–1 9,666 Petrescu, Morris, Spencer, M. Hughes
25 September 1996 R2 Blackpool H 1–3 11,732 Spencer
22 October 1996 R3 Bolton Wanderers A 1–2 16,867 Minto

FA Cup

Date Round Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
4 January 1997 R3 West Bromwich Albion H 3–0 27,446 Wise, Zola, Burley
26 January 1997 R4 Liverpool H 4–2 27,950 M. Hughes, Zola, Vialli (2)
16 February 1997 R5 Leicester City A 2–2 19,125 Di Matteo, M. Hughes
26 February 1997 R5 (R) Leicester City H 1–0
(a.e.t.)		 26,053 Leboeuf (pen.)
9 March 1997 QF Portsmouth A 4–1 15,701 Wise (2), Zola, M. Hughes
13 April 1997 SF Wimbledon N 3–0 32,674 M. Hughes (2), Zola
17 May 1997 F Middlesbrough N 2–0 79,160 Di Matteo, Newton

First team squad

Squad at end of season[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  RUS Dmitri Kharine
2 DF  ROU Dan Petrescu
4 DF  NED Ruud Gullit
5 DF  FRA Frank Leboeuf
6 DF  SCO Steve Clarke
8 DF  ENG Andy Myers
9 FW  ITA Gianluca Vialli
10 FW  WAL Mark Hughes
11 MF  ENG Dennis Wise (captain)
12 DF  ENG Michael Duberry
13 GK  ENG Kevin Hitchcock
14 MF  SCO Craig Burley
15 DF  ENG David Lee
16 MF  ITA Roberto Di Matteo
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF  ENG Scott Minto
18 DF  NOR Erland Johnsen
19 DF  ENG Paul Parker
20 DF  JAM Frank Sinclair
21 MF  ENG Jody Morris
22 FW  ENG Mark Nicholls
23 GK  IRL Nick Colgan
24 MF  ENG Eddie Newton
25 FW  ITA Gianfranco Zola
26 DF  ENG Neil Clement
27 MF  ENG Paul Hughes
28 DF  ENG Danny Granville
29 FW  ENG Joe Sheerin
30 GK  NOR Frode Grodås

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF  IRL Terry Phelan (to Everton)
7 FW  SCO John Spencer (to Queen's Park Rangers)
— MF  ENG David Rocastle (on loan to Norwich City)
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF  ENG Gavin Peacock (to Queen's Park Rangers)
31 GK  CAN Craig Forrest (on loan from Ipswich Town)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  ENG Jon Harley
— DF  NZL Chris Zoricich
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  ENG Nick Crittenden
— MF  ENG David Rocastle

Statistics

No. Pos Nat Player Total FA Premier League FA Cup Football League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
30 GK  NOR Frode Grodås 26 0 20+1 0 4 0 1 0
2 DF  ROU Dan Petrescu 41 4 34 3 5 0 2 1
5 DF  FRA Frank Leboeuf 34 7 26 6 6 1 2 0
6 DF  SCO Steve Clarke 40 0 31 0 6 0 3 0
17 DF  ENG Scott Minto 32 5 24+1 4 5 0 2 1
16 MF  ITA Roberto Di Matteo 44 9 33+1 7 7 2 3 0
11 MF  ENG Dennis Wise 40 6 27+4 3 7 3 2 0
14 MF  SCO Craig Burley 37 3 26+5 2 1+2 1 3 0
9 FW  ITA Gianluca Vialli 34 11 23+5 9 1+4 2 1 0
10 FW  WAL Mark Hughes 44 14 32+3 8 6+1 5 2 1
25 FW  ITA Gianfranco Zola 30 12 22+1 8 7 4 0 0
13 GK  ENG Kevin Hitchcock 16 0 10+2 0 2 0 2 0
20 DF  ENG Frank Sinclair[3] 25 1 17+2 1 6 0 0 0
8 DF  ENG Andy Myers 18 1 15+3 1 0 0 0 0
18 DF  NOR Erland Johnsen 22 0 14+4 0 1+2 0 1 0
12 DF  ENG Michael Duberry 17 1 13+2 1 0 0 2 0
24 MF  ENG Eddie Newton 20 1 13+2 0 5 1 0 0
27 MF  ENG Paul Hughes 13 2 8+4 2 1 0 0 0
4 MF  NED Ruud Gullit 14 1 6+6 1 0+1 0 1 0
21 MF  ENG Jody Morris 14 1 6+6 0 0 0 2 1
1 GK  RUS Dmitri Kharine 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 0
22 FW  ENG Mark Nicholls 10 0 3+5 0 0 0 0+2 0
28 DF  ENG Danny Granville 5 0 3+2 0 0 0 0 0
3 DF  IRL Terry Phelan[4] 4 0 1+2 0 0 0 0+1 0
19 DF  ENG Paul Parker 4 0 1+3 0 0 0 0 0
15 DF  ENG David Lee 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 0
26 DF  ENG Neil Clement 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
29 GK  IRL Nick Colgan 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
7 FW  SCO John Spencer 7 2 0+4 0 0 0 3 2

Statistics taken from [1] Archived 20 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Squad details and shirt numbers from [2] and [3].

Transfers

In

# Pos Player From Fee Date
9 FW Gianluca Vialli Juventus Free 24 May 1996
16 MF Roberto Di Matteo Lazio £4,900,000 1 July 1996
5 DF Frank Leboeuf Strasbourg £2,500,000 1 July 1996
30 GK Frode Grodås LSK Free 1 November 1996
25 FW Gianfranco Zola Parma £4,500,000 8 November 1996
28 DF Danny Granville Cambridge United £300,000 20 March 1997
DF Celestine Babayaro Anderlecht £2,250,000 21 April 1997

Out

# Pos Player To Fee Date
FW Zeke Rowe Peterborough United Free 4 July 1996
MF Muzzy Izzet Leicester City £650,000 8 July 1996
MF Ritchie Hanlon Southend United Free 10 July 1996
FW Paul Furlong Birmingham City £1,500,000 17 July 1996
DF Anthony Barness Charlton Athletic £165,000 1 August 1996
MF Russell Kelly Darlington Free 16 August 1996
FW John Spencer QPR £2,500,000 21 November 1996
MF Gavin Peacock QPR £800,000 23 December 1996
DF Terry Phelan Everton £850,000 30 December 1996
Transfers in: £14,450,000
Transfers out: £4,965,000
Total spending: £9,485,000

References

  1. ^ Shaw, Phil (24 October 1996). "Football mourns a true fan". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Chelsea - 1996/97". FootballSquads. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  3. ^ Sinclair was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally.
  4. ^ Phelan was born in Manchester, England.
  • Hockings, Ron. 100 Years of the Blues: A Statistical History of Chelsea Football Club. (2007)
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