From the publisher:
“The missing link between Tim’s excellent previous books on Chelsea in the ‘60s and ‘70s and the story with all the glory. Typically granular and well researched”.
Rick Glanvill, official Chelsea historian.
Following Tommy Docherty’s abrupt departure, the Chelsea board made a brave choice in appointing Dave Sexton as manager. That decision bore glorious fruit, culminating in the 1970 FA Cup win and, a year later, European glory. How did this happen? How did Sexton steady the ship, strengthen his squad and get the best out of his players. Mercurial talents like Cooke, Hudson and Osgood. Club loyalists like Bonetti, Harris, McCreadie, Hinton, Hollins, Boyle, Houseman, Tambling and Baldwin. Signings, Birchenall, Webb, Hutchinson, Dempsey, Mulligan, Weller and Phillips.
This book looks at the games played under Sexton in that 1967-71 period and also examines his key decisions, his signings, the challenges of managing headstrong talents, the remarkable development of Hudson and Hutchinson, and the turnaround in team discipline, morale and performance that led to two major trophies in successive seasons. The 1970 FA Cup run is detailed, including the ‘Sliding Doors’ replay at Burnley, comfortable victories over London rivals Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers and the epic final and notorious replay against Leeds United. Similar focus is given to the 1970-71 European Cup Winners’ Cup run, including the remarkable home victory over Bruges, hard-fought semi-final victories against Manchester City and the replay triumph over titans Real Madrid in Athens.
The author:
As a teenager in the early 1970s Tim wanted to be either a rock journalist or a football writer. Lacking the wherewithal, drive or talent to achieve this ambition, he ended up getting a 'normal' job with a multinational. Retiring early, he resolved to do something he actually enjoyed, to keep his brain occupied.
Having watched Chelsea FC regularly since 1976 and enjoying writing, he started submitting pieces for cfcuk fanzine and a couple of supporter websites. This led to conversations with various Chelsea authors and, with their active encouragement, he decided to research and write a book. A longtime interest in 1960's Chelsea seemed an obvious starting point, so 'Diamonds, Dynamos and Devils' was born. Having produced that book in Autumn 2017, after a four year gestation period, he started researching his second book 'Stamford Bridge Is Falling Down' which came out in October 2019. His next book, targeted for late 2021, is entitled ‘Sexton For God’ and covers the period in Chelsea’s history from Dave Sexton’s appointment in 1967 to European glory in Athens four years later.
Tim was involved in the formation of the Chelsea Supporters Trust and was CST chair for four years. He has been interviewed on Chelsea supporter issues for a wide range of broadcast outlets including BBC TV News, BBC 5 Live, The Today Programme, Sky News, TalkSport and LBC as well as a range of newspapers including The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Daily Express and The Evening Standard.
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