1997–98 Chelsea F.C. season

Chelsea F.C.
1997–98 season
ChairmanKen Bates
ManagerRuud Gullit (until 12 February)
Gianluca Vialli (from 12 February)
FA Premier League4th
FA CupThird round
League CupWinners
FA Charity ShieldRunners-up
UEFA Cup Winners' CupWinners
Top goalscorerLeague: Gianluca Vialli/Tore André Flo (11)
All: Gianluca Vialli (19)
Highest home attendance34,845 (vs. Bolton Wanderers, 10 May)
Lowest home attendance29,075 (vs. Blackpool, 19 Apr)
Average home league attendance32,901

The 1997–98 season was Chelsea F.C.'s 84th competitive season, their 9th consecutive season in the English top flight and 92nd year as a club.

Season summary

With conceding goals being a major issue last season, Chelsea signed Dutch international goalkeeper Ed de Goey, who proved to be a relative success. Chelsea's only other major signings were young Norwegian striker Tore Andre Flo and Uruguayan international midfielder Gustavo Poyet from Real Zaragoza, who added more goals from an otherwise very defensive midfield. Chelsea were well on course for a top-five finish and success in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the League Cup when manager Ruud Gullit was sacked on 12 February following a dispute with chairman Ken Bates. His job went to 33-year-old striker Gianluca Vialli, who took on the role of player-manager and achieved instant success - within three months of his appointment, Vialli had guided the Blues to glory on the continent and at Wembley. This success gave Chelsea fans hope that the following season could spell the end of their title wait which began in 1955.

Final league table

Main article: 1997–98 FA Premier League
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
2 Manchester United 38 23 8 7 73 26 +47 77 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3 Liverpool 38 18 11 9 68 42 +26 65 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4 Chelsea 38 20 3 15 71 43 +28 63 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a]
5 Leeds United 38 17 8 13 57 46 +11 59 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[b]
6 Blackburn Rovers 38 16 10 12 57 52 +5 58
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as defending champions. As they were also the League Cup winners, the UEFA Cup berth vacated was awarded to Blackburn Rovers.
  2. ^ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
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 20 3 15 71 43  +28 63 13 2 4 37 14  +23 7 1 11 34 29  +5
Results by round
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAAAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHHHAAAHHHHAH
ResultLWWWWLDWLWLWWLWWWDWDLWLWLLLLWLWLWWWLLW
Position1411643554544444322333323224554445443344
Source: 11v11.com: 1997-98 Chelsea results
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

FA Premier League

9 August 1997 1 Coventry City 3–2 Chelsea Coventry, West Midlands
Dublin 41', 42', 88' Sinclair 39'
Flo 71'		 Stadium: Highfield Road
24 August 1997 2 Barnsley 0–6 Chelsea Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Petrescu 25'
Poyet 38'
Vialli 44', 57', 65', 82'		 Stadium: Oakwell
27 August 1997 3 Wimbledon 0–2 Chelsea Croydon, London
Di Matteo 60'
Petrescu 64'		 Stadium: Selhurst Park
30 August 1997 4 Chelsea 4–2 Southampton Fulham, London
Petrescu 7'
Leboeuf 28'
Hughes 31'
Wise 34'		 Davies 25'
Monkou 59'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
13 September 1997 5 Crystal Palace 0–3 Chelsea Croydon, London
Hughes 20'
Leboeuf 26' (pen.)
Le Saux 90'		 Stadium: Selhurst Park
21 September 1997 6 Chelsea 2–3 Arsenal Fulham, London
Poyet 40'
Zola 60'		 Bergkamp 45', 59'
Winterburn 89'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
24 September 1997 7 Manchester United 2–2 Chelsea Trafford, Greater Manchester
Scholes 36'
Solskjær 86'		 Berg 25' (o.g.)
Hughes 68'		 Stadium: Old Trafford
27 September 1997 8 Chelsea 1–0 Newcastle United Fulham, London
Poyet 75' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
5 October 1997 9 Liverpool 4–2 Chelsea Liverpool, Merseyside
Berger 20', 35', 57'
Fowler 64'		 Zola 22'
Poyet 85' (pen.)		 Stadium: Anfield
18 October 1997 10 Chelsea 1–0 Leicester City Fulham, London
Leboeuf 88' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
26 October 1997 11 Bolton Wanderers 1–0 Chelsea Bolton, Greater Manchester
Holdsworth 72' Stadium: Reebok Stadium
1 November 1997 12 Aston Villa 0–2 Chelsea Birmingham, West Midlands
Hughes 38'
Flo 82'		 Stadium: Villa Park
9 November 1997 13 Chelsea 2–1 West Ham United Fulham, London
Ferdinand 57' (o.g.)
Zola 83'		 Hartson 85' (pen.) Stadium: Stamford Bridge
22 November 1997 14 Blackburn Rovers 1–0 Chelsea Blackburn, Lancashire
Croft 11' Stadium: Ewood Park
26 November 1997 15 Chelsea 2–0 Everton Fulham, London
Wise 80' (pen.)
Zola 90' (pen.)		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
29 November 1997 16 Chelsea 4–0 Derby County Fulham, London
Zola 12', 66', 77'
Hughes 35'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
6 December 1997 17 Tottenham Hotspur 1–6 Chelsea Haringey, London
Vega 43' Flo 40', 63', 90'
Di Matteo 48'
Petrescu 59'
Nicholls 78'		 Stadium: White Hart Lane
13 December 1997 18 Chelsea 0–0 Leeds United Fulham, London
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
20 December 1997 19 Sheffield Wednesday 1–4 Chelsea Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Pembridge 71' Petrescu 30'
Vialli 56'
Leboeuf 65' (pen.)
Flo 84'		 Stadium: Hillsborough
26 December 1997 20 Chelsea 1–1 Wimbledon Fulham, London
Vialli 8' Mi. Hughes 28' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
29 December 1997 21 Southampton 1–0 Chelsea Southampton, Hampshire
Davies 16' Stadium: The Dell
10 January 1998 22 Chelsea 3–1 Coventry City Fulham, London
Nicholls 65', 70'
Di Matteo 78'		 Telfer 30' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
18 January 1998 23 Everton 3–1 Chelsea Liverpool, Merseyside
Speed 39'
Ferguson 62'
Duberry 83' (o.g.)		 Report Flo 37' Stadium: Goodison Park
31 January 1998 24 Chelsea 2–0 Barnsley Fulham, London
Vialli 23'
Hughes 47'		 Report Stadium: Stamford Bridge
8 February 1998 25 Arsenal 2–0 Chelsea Islington, London
S. Hughes 4', 42' Stadium: Highbury
21 February 1998 26 Leicester City 2–0 Chelsea Leicester, Leicestershire
Heskey 3', 89' Stadium: Filbert Street
28 February 1998 27 Chelsea 0–1 Manchester United Fulham, London
G . Neville 31' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
8 March 1998 28 Chelsea 0–1 Aston Villa Fulham, London
Joachim 51' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
11 March 1998 29 Chelsea 6–2 Crystal Palace Fulham, London
Vialli 15', 44'
Zola 17'
Wise 84'
Flo 89', 90'		 Hreiðarsson 7'
Bent 87'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
14 March 1998 30 West Ham United 2–1 Chelsea Newham, London
T. Sinclair 69'
Unsworth 74'		 Charvet 54' Stadium: Boleyn Ground
5 April 1998 31 Derby County 0–1 Chelsea Derby, Derbyshire
Hughes 37' Stadium: Pride Park Stadium
8 April 1998 32 Leeds United 3–1 Chelsea Leeds, West Yorkshire
Hasselbaink 7', 47'
Wetherall 22'		 Charvet 11' Stadium: Elland Road
11 April 1998 33 Chelsea 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur Fulham, London
Flo 75'
Vialli 88'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
19 April 1998 34 Chelsea 1–0 Sheffield Wednesday Fulham, London
Leboeuf 23' (pen.) Stadium: Stamford Bridge
25 April 1998 35 Chelsea 4–1 Liverpool Fulham, London
Hughes 11', 78'
Clarke 67'
Flo 72'		 Riedle 45' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
29 April 1998 36 Chelsea 0–1 Blackburn Rovers Fulham, London
Gallacher 48' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
2 May 1998 37 Newcastle United 3–1 Chelsea Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyneside
Dabizas 39'
Lee 42'
Speed 59'		 Di Matteo 77' Stadium: St. James' Park
10 May 1998 38 Chelsea 2–0 Bolton Wanderers Fulham, London
Vialli 73'
Morris 90'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge

FA Cup

Date Round Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
4 January 1998 3 Manchester United H 3–5 34,792 Le Saux, Vialli (2)

League Cup

Date Round Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
15 October 1997 3 Blackburn Rovers H 1–1 18,671 Di Matteo
After extra time, Chelsea won on 4–1 on penalties
19 November 1997 4 Southampton H 2–1 20,968 Morris, Flo
7 January 1998 QF Ipswich Town A 2–2 22,088 Le Saux, Flo
After extra time, Chelsea won on 4–1 on penalties
28 January 1998 SF Arsenal A 1–2 38,144 Hughes
18 February 1998 SF Arsenal H 3–1 34,330 Petrescu, Di Matteo, Hughes
29 March 1998 F Middlesbrough N 2–0 77,698 Sinclair, Di Matteo

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Date Round Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
8 September 1997 1 Slovan Bratislava H 2–0 23,067 Danny Granville, Di Matteo
2 October 1997 1 Slovan Bratislava A 2–0 13,850 Di Matteo, Vialli
23 October 1997 2 Tromsø A 2–3 6,438 Vialli (2)
6 November 1997 2 Tromsø H 7–1 29,363 Leboeuf, Petrescu (2), Vialli (3), Zola
5 March 1998 QF Real Betis A 2–1 31,000 Flo (2)
19 March 1998 QF Real Betis H 3–1 32,300 Sinclair, Di Matteo, Zola
2 April 1998 SF Vicenza A 0–1 19,319
16 April 1998 SF Vicenza H 3–1 33,810 Poyet, Zola, Hughes
13 May 1998 F VfB Stuttgart N 1–0 30,216 Zola

First team squad

Squad at end of season[1]

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  NED Ed de Goey
2 DF  ROU Dan Petrescu
3 DF  NGA Celestine Babayaro
5 DF  FRA Frank Leboeuf
6 DF  SCO Steve Clarke
7 DF  FRA Bernard Lambourde
8 MF  URU Gus Poyet
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 DF  ENG Graeme Le Saux
15 DF  ENG David Lee
16 MF  ITA Roberto Di Matteo
17 DF  ENG Danny Granville
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF  ENG Andy Myers
19 FW  NOR Tore André Flo
20 DF  JAM Frank Sinclair[note 1]
21 MF  ENG Paul Hughes
22 FW  ENG Mark Nicholls
23 GK  RUS Dmitri Kharine
24 MF  ENG Eddie Newton
25 FW  ITA Gianfranco Zola
26 DF  FRA Laurent Charvet (on loan from Cannes)
28 MF  ENG Jody Morris
29 DF  ENG Neil Clement
31 GK  IRL Nick Colgan
32 MF  SCO Steven Hampshire
33 FW  ENG Joe Sheerin
34 MF  ENG Nick Crittenden
35 DF  ENG Jon Harley

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
30 GK  NOR Frode Grodås (to Tottenham Hotspur)
4 DF  NED Ruud Gullit (retired)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  ENG David Rocastle (on loan to Hull City)

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 Stephen Broad
— DF  ENG John Terry
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW  RSA Mark Stein

Statistics

No. Pos Nat Player Total FA Premier League FA Cup League Cup UEFA Cup Winners'
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK  NED Ed de Goey 42 0 28 0 1 0 4 0 9 0
2 DF  ROU Dan Petrescu 42 8 31 5 1 0 3 1 7 2
3 DF  NGA Celestine Babayaro 13 0 8 0 0 0 1+1 0 3 0
4 MF  NED Ruud Gullit 10 0 0+6 0 0 0 3+1 0 0 0
5 DF  FRA Frank Leboeuf 46 6 32 5 1 0 4 0 9 1
6 DF  SCO Steve Clarke 40 1 22+4 1 1 0 4+2 0 7 0
7 DF  FRA Bernard Lambourde 13 0 5+2 0 0 0 3 0 3 0
8 MF  URU Gus Poyet 18 5 11+3 4 0 0 0 0 4 1
9 FW  ITA Gianluca Vialli 33 19 14+7 11 0+1 2 2+1 0 8 6
10 FW  WAL Mark Hughes 39 12 25+4 9 1 0 3+3 2 3 1
11 MF  ENG Dennis Wise 39 3 26 3 0 0 4 0 9 0
12 DF  ENG Michael Duberry 33 0 23 0 1 0 3 0 6 0
13 GK  ENG Kevin Hitchcock 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
14 DF  ENG Graeme Le Saux 34 3 26 1 1 1 4 1 3 0
15 DF  ENG David Lee 3 0 1 0 0 0 0+2 0 0 0
16 MF  ITA Roberto Di Matteo 43 10 28+2 4 1 0 4 3 8 3
17 DF  ENG Danny Granville 20 1 9+4 0 0 0 3 0 4 1
18 DF  ENG Andy Myers 17 0 11+1 0 0+1 0 1 0 3 0
19 FW  NOR Tore André Flo 44 15 16+18 11 1 0 3+1 2 5 2
20 DF  JAM Frank Sinclair 32 2 20+2 1 0 0 4+1 1 5 0
21 MF  ENG Paul Hughes 11 0 5+4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
22 FW  ENG Mark Nicholls 24 3 8+11 3 1 0 2 0 2 0
23 GK  RUS Dmitri Kharine 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
24 MF  ENG Eddie Newton 29 0 17+1 0 0 0 3+1 0 7 0
25 FW  ITA Gianfranco Zola 40 12 23+4 8 1 0 4 0 8 4
26 DF  FRA Laurent Charvet 13 2 7+4 2 0 0 1 0 1 0
28 MF  ENG Jody Morris 14 2 9+2 1 0 0 1 1 2 0
32 FW  SCO Steven Hampshire 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
34 MF  ENG Nick Crittenden 3 0 0+2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
35 DF  ENG Jon Harley 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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

Transfers

In

Out

Notes

  1. ^ Sinclair was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally.

References

  1. ^ "FootballSquads - Chelsea - 1996/97". www.footballsquads.co.uk.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.