Season: 1990–91
Football League First Division
League
Bobby Campbell’s last season as Chelsea manager ended eleventh of twenty in the First Division — 13 wins, 10 draws, 15 defeats, 58–69, 49 points (13×3+10).
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- Bobby Campbell
- Top scorer (league)
- Gordon Durie (12)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Kerry Dixon / Gordon Durie (15)
- Avg. league attendance
- 21,002
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Third round
- League Cup
- Semi-finals
- Europe
- —
- Other
- Full Members' Cup: Third round
Notes
Bobby Campbell’s last season as Chelsea manager ended eleventh of twenty in the First Division — 13 wins, 10 draws, 15 defeats, 58–69, 49 points (13×3+10). Home form was solid at 10–6–3 (33–25); away was the drag, 3–4–12 (25–44). Goal difference −11 left them level on points with Tottenham Hotspur but below on GD. Arsenal were champions with 83; Liverpool 76; Crystal Palace 69; Leeds United 64; Manchester City 62. Sunderland and Derby County went down. English clubs had been readmitted to UEFA competitions after the Heysel ban, but eleventh place meant no European football for Chelsea. Gordon Durie led the league scoring with 12; Kerry Dixon and Durie shared the all-competitions lead on 15. Dennis Wise contributed 10 league goals (13 in all), Kevin Wilson 7 and 9. The Bridge saw a 3–2 of Tottenham, a 2–1 of Arsenal and a 4–2 of Liverpool on the penultimate Saturday; away, Chelsea beat Manchester United 3–2 at Old Trafford and ran up a wild 6–4 at Derby. The low came at the City Ground on 20 April — Nottingham Forest 7–0. The FA Cup ended at the first hurdle: Oxford United won 3–1 at Stamford Bridge in the third round — revenge, in a way, after Chelsea had beaten the same side in the League Cup fourth round. The Rumbelows Cup was the season’s long run. Walsall were swept aside 5–0 and 4–1 (9–1 on aggregate); Portsmouth went in a Fratton Park replay (0–0, then 3–2); Oxford were beaten 2–1 away; Tottenham were held 0–0 at the Bridge and beaten 3–0 at White Hart Lane in the quarter-final replay. The semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday ended 0–2 at home and 1–3 away — 1–5 on aggregate. The Full Members’ Cup — the Zenith Data Systems Cup — reached the third round. Swindon Town were beaten 1–0 at the Bridge; Luton Town then forced penalties after a 1–1 and won 4–1 from the spot. Crowds averaged 21,002 for home league games — high 33,478 against Tottenham on 1 December, low 12,603 versus Luton on 6 April. Campbell’s tenure finished the day after the last league match, on 12 May 1991; Ian Porterfield was appointed on 11 June. Umbro’s royal blue home, white-with-red-diamonds away and red third, with Commodore across the chest, dressed a mid-table campaign that never quite matched the promise of the previous May’s fifth place.
Kits
The red-and-white diamonds away kit arrived.
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_F.C.
Illustration from hex colours (not official kit photography).
On this day (related years)
History
Eras, trophies, and great matches in the History section.
Explore history →Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chelsea_F.C._seasons
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990%E2%80%9391_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990%E2%80%9391_Football_League
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990%E2%80%9391_Football_League_First_Division
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990%E2%80%9391_FA_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990%E2%80%9391_Football_League_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990%E2%80%9391_Full_Members%27_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Campbell_(English_footballer)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Durie
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Dixon
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chelsea_F.C._managers
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_clubs_in_international_competitions
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.fchd.info/lghist/fl1991.htm
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1990.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1990.htm
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Managers.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html