Season: 1986–87
Football League First Division
League
John Hollins’s second season at the Bridge was a sharp comedown after the Full Members’ Cup glory of 1985–86: 14th of 22 in the First Division — 13 wins, 13 draws, 16 defeats, 53–64, 52 points (13×3+13).
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- John Hollins
- Top scorer (league)
- Kerry Dixon (10)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Kerry Dixon (12)
- Avg. league attendance
- 17,694
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Fourth round
- League Cup
- Third round
- Europe
- —
- Other
- Full Members' Cup: Quarter-finals
Notes
John Hollins’s second season at the Bridge was a sharp comedown after the Full Members’ Cup glory of 1985–86: 14th of 22 in the First Division — 13 wins, 13 draws, 16 defeats, 53–64, 52 points (13×3+13). Home form was 8–6–7 (30–30); away 5–7–9 (23–34). Goal difference −11 separated Chelsea from Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham, all also on 52. Everton were champions with 86; Liverpool 77; Tottenham Hotspur 71; Arsenal 70. Leicester City (42), Manchester City (39) and Aston Villa (36) went down. There was still no European football — English clubs remained banned from UEFA competitions after Heysel. The campaign lurched early. A 2–6 home thrashing by Nottingham Forest in September, a 0–4 at home to Wimbledon in December and a spell at the foot of the table before Christmas left the Bridge uneasy. A late surge — including a 1–0 at Old Trafford, a 4–0 of Oxford United, a 1–0 of Arsenal in front of 29,301 and a 2–1 at Maine Road — steadied mid-table. Kerry Dixon finished top scorer with 10 in the league and 12 in all competitions; John Bumstead added 8 and 9; Micky Hazard 6 and 7; Pat Nevin and Gordon Durie 5 league apiece. Steve Clarke arrived from St Mirren in January; Nigel Spackman left for Liverpool in February. Defending Full Members’ Cup holders went out in the quarter-finals: West Ham United were beaten 2–1 away in the third round, then Blackburn Rovers won 3–0 at Ewood Park on 3 March. The FA Cup reached the fourth round — Aston Villa 2–2 away and 2–1 at home after extra time in the replay, then 0–1 at Watford. The Littlewoods Cup ended in the third round: York City were overturned 3–1 on aggregate after a 0–1 first-leg reverse, before Cardiff City won 2–1 at Ninian Park. Crowds averaged 17,694 for home league games — high 29,301 against Arsenal on 7 March, low 9,546 versus Oxford United on 10 February. Hollins managed every match. The first Chelsea Collection own-brand kit season, with the famous all-jade away strip, was the look of the Bridge.
Kits
Own-brand kits and the famous all-jade away strip.
- 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/1986%E2%80%9387_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986%E2%80%9387_Football_League
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986%E2%80%9387_Football_League_First_Division
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986%E2%80%9387_FA_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986%E2%80%9387_Football_League_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986%E2%80%9387_Full_Members%27_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hollins
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Dixon
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chelsea_F.C._managers
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.fchd.info/lghist/fl1987.htm
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1986.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1986.htm
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Managers.htm
- https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/stats/Report/gate/a1986-87.html
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html
- https://www.stevesfootballstats.uk/full_members_cup_results_1986-87.html