1996–97 Chelsea F.C. season

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

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

Season summary

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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

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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

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Premier League

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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'
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
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'
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.)
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'
Hughes   87'
Attendance: 24,502
16 March 1997 29 Chelsea 6–2 Sunderland
Zola   38'
Sinclair   43'
Petrescu   51'
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'
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

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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

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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

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Squad at end of season[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. 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

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. 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

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. 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

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No. Pos Nat Player Total 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

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# 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
# 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

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  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)