Blue Days

Chelsea Football Club•soundcloud.com

An official Chelsea Football Club documentary retelling the story of the dramatic 1996/97 campaign 20 years on. We hear from many of the squad who played such an important part in propelling the Blues to FA Cup glory, as well as Ruud Gullit, who took over from Glenn Hoddle ahead of the season. The first episode of the five-part documentary series recalls the exciting summer of 1996 when Gullit was appointed our player-manager and the club signed a trio of international stars: Gianluca Vialli, Frank Leboeuf and Roberto Di Matteo. It was also the year England hosted the European Championships with great success on and off the pitch. We hear from all the main protagonists as well as those working behind the scenes and watching in the stands, with further episodes to follow in the coming weeks on the tragic death of Matthew Harding, the signing of Gianfranco Zola, the 4-2 win over Liverpool and the ’97 Cup final.

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Episodes

The 1997 FA Cup final

The fifth and final episode of our podcast documentary series, recounting the story of the dramatic 1996/97 season from the very people who were there, focus on the FA Cup final triumph. It brought to an end many years of frustration and heartache for Chelsea supporters and the whole day, as well as the build-up to it and the fall-out from it, is covered in detail. There are fresh and contemporary words from Ruud Gullit, who recalls 'one of the happiest days of his life', goalscorers Roberto Di ...

May 04, 2017•1 hr 5 min

Chelsea 4 Liverpool 2

The fourth episode of Blue Days, our documentary podcast series remembering the 1996/97 season 20 years on, recalls in detail the extraordinary FA Cup fourth round tie against Liverpool. With Ruud Gullit’s side struggling for the consistency required to challenge at the very top of the table, it was apparent the only realistic chance of silverware would be the FA Cup. The club’s only previous success in the competition had come 27 long years earlier. At half-time in the glamour fourth round fixt...

Apr 20, 2017•30 min

Gianfranco Zola signs

In the latest episode of our podcast documentary series retelling the story of Chelsea’s famous 1996/97 season, the focus turns to the signing of Gianfranco Zola. The 96/97 campaign was three months old when the Blues captured Zola from Parma in his native Italy. His impact was instant and we look back on his memorable first year in west London with words from the great man himself, his boss Ruud Gullit, and plenty of those who had the privilege of playing alongside him, such as Mark Hughes, Dan...

Apr 11, 2017•35 min

Matthew Harding remembered

Episode two of an official Chelsea Football Club documentary series, remembering the 1996/97 season 20 years on, recounts the life, death and legacy of vice-chairman Matthew Harding. A supporter from a very young age, Harding got involved with the club he loved more directly in the early 1990s. His financial investment helped Chelsea acquire the likes of Ruud Gullit, Mark Hughes and Roberto Di Matteo, but before he could see his beloved Blues win major silverware he was tragically killed in a he...

Apr 03, 2017•32 min

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