Season: 1993–94

Notes

Glenn Hoddle’s first season as player-manager opened the second Premier League campaign and closed fourteenth of twenty-two — 13 wins, 12 draws, 17 defeats, 49–53, 51 points (13×3+12). Home form was 11–5–5 (31–20); away only 2–7–12 (18–33). Goal difference −4 left Chelsea clear of Tottenham and Manchester City on 45. Manchester United were champions with 92; Blackburn Rovers 84; Newcastle United 77; Arsenal 71; Leeds United 70. Sheffield United, Oldham Athletic and Swindon Town went down. Europe stayed empty on the league finish; the FA Cup final would open the Cup Winners’ Cup door for 1994–95 because United had already taken the title and the European Cup place. Hoddle had been appointed on 4 June 1993 after David Webb’s caretaker spell. Early league form mixed a September 1–0 of Manchester United at the Bridge (Peacock) with a slide that briefly put Chelsea as low as 21st by late December. Mark Stein, signed from Stoke for £1.5m at the end of October, scored on Christmas and then ran hot — 13 league goals from 18 starts. Gavin Peacock, £1.25m from Newcastle in August, finished on 8 in the league and 14 in all competitions, level with Stein. John Spencer added 5 and 7; Dennis Wise 4 and 6; Craig Burley 3 and 6. Other league highlights included Peacock’s winner at Old Trafford on 5 March and a 4–3 thriller with Tottenham at the Bridge; the lows were 1–4 at Elland Road and a 0–2 home reverse to Arsenal. The Coca-Cola Cup ended in the third round: West Bromwich Albion were beaten 1–1 and 2–1 (Wise both second-leg goals), then Manchester City won 1–0 at Maine Road. The FA Cup carried the season. Barnet were held 0–0 at Stamford Bridge (by arrangement) and crushed 4–0 in the replay; Sheffield Wednesday forced 1–1 at the Bridge and fell 3–1 after extra time at Hillsborough; Oxford United were beaten 2–1 away; Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 at home (Peacock); Luton Town 2–0 in the Wembley semi-final on 9 April — Peacock both goals, with Kerry Dixon in the Luton side. On 14 May 1994 Chelsea met Manchester United in the final at Wembley before 79,634. Still goalless at half-time, United scored four in the second half — Cantona (two penalties), Hughes and McClair — and Chelsea finished runners-up. It was the club’s first FA Cup final since 1970, and Europe returned for the first time in more than twenty years. Crowds averaged 19,382 for home league games — high 37,064 against Manchester United on 11 September, low 8,923 versus Coventry City on 4 May. Umbro’s royal blue home with white socks, the white-with-red-pinstripes away and the wasp-striped yellow-and-black third, Amiga (Commodore) across the chest, dressed Hoddle’s first Bridge season and the Wembley final.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chelsea_F.C._seasons
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993%E2%80%9394_Chelsea_F.C._season
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993%E2%80%9394_FA_Premier_League
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993%E2%80%9394_FA_Cup
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_FA_Cup_final
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993%E2%80%9394_Football_League_Cup
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Hoddle
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Stein_(footballer)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Peacock
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chelsea_F.C._managers
• https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
• https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1993.htm
• https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1993.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