CHELSEA SIGN A NEW REPLACEMENT FOR......

It’s Chelsea Football Club’s birthday today — happy 119th, all! — and there’s a wonderful article on the official website from club historian Rick Glanvill, which details how that first ever team in 1905-06 was put together. You should read it.

Not only might you learn something about our history, you’ll also find out that only that very first season of our existence saw more players make their debuts for the club than the current one: 27 players would play for the club that first season, each a debutant by definition. We’re on 20 this season, and could conceivably add a few more in the months remaining.

The 20 are a solid mix of first-team regulars, first-team fringe players (or injury-victims), and a rotating cast of Academy youngsters.

GOALKEEPERS (2): Robert Sánchez, Đorđe Petrović
DEFENDERS (4): Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto, Alfie Gilchrist
MIDFIELDERS (7): Moisés Caicedo, Lesley Ugochukwu, Roméo Lavia, Cesare Casadei, Michael Golding, Leo Castledine, Alex Matos
FORWARDS (7): Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer, Deivid Washington, Diego Moreira, Jimi Tauriainen, Mason Burstow

Of course, this is just one factor that’s contributing to our current midtable plight … though that newly formed bunch in 1905 almost won promotion out of the second division in our very first season!

But it certainly underscores the feeling that we need to develop and build this squad from the ground up. It’s not the best way to build a successful team, certainly not one to immediately be successful, that much is clear by now. But it’s what we have to work with…

“I really believe we can succeed. […] Football is all about belief because the circumstances can change, only we need to be there to take the possibility. If you stop to believe and give up, then sure you are going to go down. I think we accept the circumstance and keep pushing, for sure.”

“[Still] I really believe in the club, I really believe in the fans, I really believe in the players, I really believe in the project. Only the circumstances delay all of the things because you can manage things but when you suffer too many negative things like injuries… [That’s] affecting the expectation of Chelsea winning titles, [and that’s] why we are not winning or why we are not in the position people expect.”