Happy 110th birthday, Chelsea!

[BlueLion. 21,491]

March 10 represents an important date in the history of Chelsea Football Club - for on this day 110 years ago, over a quiet pint at The Rising Sun pub, the Club was founded.

Chelsea represents something of an anomaly amongst football clubs. Rather than being founded and a stadium being specifically built for that club's purposes, after Gus Mears acquired the rights to Stamford Bridge athletics ground in 1904, all he now had to do was find a football club to play there.

Chelsea's existence today is entirely dependent on Mears being rejected in his attempted takeover bid at Fulham Football Club. Instead, in March 1905 at The Rising Sun pub - now known as the Butcher's Hook and located opposite the present-day Britannia Gate entrance.

Little did Mears know that the Club, which in its second season won promotion to the old First Division before yo-yoing between the top tiers through the inter-war years, would later go on to reach the heights of today.

In 1920, a third-placed finish in the First Division represented the Club's best league performance, whilst five years earlier Chelsea had been defeated by Sheffield United in the 1915 FA Cup final at Old Trafford, in what was to be the last domestic football game in England prior to its suspension, due to Britain's involvement in the Great War.

The arrival of Ted Drake, the former Arsenal striker, in 1952 brought about an instant change in success as the Club exchanged its Pensioners tag, and penchant for playing attractive football and bringing in large crowds despite not really challenging for major honours, for a partisan support and instant silverware - in the shape of the First Division title in 1954/55.

Fast forward another sixty years and the Blues look set to add their fifth league title, barring an absolute catastrophe. 2015 has already been a trophy-winning year for Chelsea Football Club - but what a 110th birthday it would be if José Mourinho could inspire us to further honours!

Despite what the critics may say, Chelsea has an illustrious history. The Club is the only English side, and one of just four teams in Europe, to have won all four of the UEFA competitions - the Champions League, the Europa League, the Cup Winners Cup and the UEFA Super Cup - but it is only when you compare these successes to the dark days of the 1980s that the transformation can be truly appreciated.

After Tommy Docherty built a new young team and came within a whisker of landing a domestic treble in 1965 (Docherty secured the League Cup after an aggregate win over Leicester City, but after winning just one of their last six matches they surrendered the First Division title to Liverpool, who also had knocked the Blues out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage), Dave Sexton ushered in an age of success and glorious football in the 1970s - but what followed almost led to the liquidation of the Club entirely.

An ambitious redevelopment of Stamford Bridge threatened the financial stability of the Club were saved from bankruptcy by Ken Bates, who would later help to secure the future of the Bridge and oversaw extensive redevelopment of the ground, and the tutelage of John Neal, which empowered the Blues to escape relegation to the Third Division in 1983.

Two decades later and the arrival of Roman Abramovich has made those dark days seem little more than bad memories - but Chelsea fans have never forgotten where we have come from.

Happy birthday, Chelsea!

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[KevinAshburner 1,270]

HAPPY 110 YEARS TO CHELSEA FC AND TO ALL TALKCHELSEA MEMBERS. WE ARE CHELSEA FC. WE ARE THE MOST HATED CLUB AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE THEY ARE JEALOUS. CAUSE THEY AIN'T US.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Happy 110 years Chelsea. Fantastic club, fans and players.

[We Hate Scouse 10,286]

[LAB 1,030]

Fantastic club. Happy birthday Chelsea!

[lluubbeenn 155]

Happy birthday to the whole Chelsea family! There is only one club in London! <3

[CHOULO19 24,332]

"It's probably the greatest name in history: Chelsea. You think about it. It conjures up the best part of the biggest city in the world! Chelsea...it's magical."

-Jimmy Greaves

[CHOULO19 24,332]

PS: @, I can't believe you got the title wrong!

[BlueLion. 21,491]

PS: @, I can't believe you got the title wrong!

I do what I want

[Fulham Broadway 16,953]

Highlights I recall ( not the dog bite)

FA Cup 1970, defining the Kings of the Kings Road era

Clive Walkers goal at Bolton

Bates buying the club

Save the Bridge campaigns and the formation of The CPO

Winning Division 2 in 89 and ensuring we were a founder member of the Premier League

Hoddle arriving and signing Gullit et al

FA Cup 1997

Gronkjaer's winner vs Liverpool and Roman buying the club

Joses arrival

Munich

Oh and the dog bite the most important thing !

[BlueSunshine 672]

Carefree, wherever we may be

We are the famous CFC

Happy birthday Chelsea!

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I do what I want

"Alex Hinsley, he fucks up when he wants....and even when he doesn't!"

[Milan 17,865]

[BlueLion. 21,491]

That's classy from United.

[zolayes 14,489]

more trophies in our last 10 years than out first 100 ... thats just a guess do the math yourself

[Liquidator 5,176]

Ah Chelsea. Where would we all be without you?

[Liquidator 5,176]

"Alex Hinsley, he fucks up when he wants....and even when he doesn't!"

at least he didn't steal my sig you gypsy

[CHOULO19 24,332]

at least he didn't steal my sig you gypsy

Go ahead, prove that you had it first, rentboy!

You know, you have an excellent, popular account on here, it would be a real shame if it was accidentally deactivated...