Chelsea All-Time team for British isles (excluding England)

Damien Duff 

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal,
Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Everton,
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, 
Leeds United, Leicester City.

Chelsea All-Time Team for Foreign Players
Chelsea All-Time Team for English Players


This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Chelsea had their first major success in 1955, when they won the league championship. They then won various cup competitions between 1965 and 1996. The club's greatest period of success has come during the last two decades; winning 17 major trophies, and 21 in total, since 1997. Chelsea have won five national league titles, seven FA Cups, five League Cups and four FA Community Shields, one UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, one UEFA Europa League and one UEFA Super Cup. Chelsea are the only London club to win the UEFA Champions League,[6] and one of four clubs, and the only British club, to have won all three main UEFA club competitions.

Eddie McCreadie 

Team
GK: Eddie Niedzwiecki (Wales)
Eddie Niedzwiecki started his playing career with Wrexham at the age of 14.  He won the Third Division title of 1978 with the side. In 1983, he signed for Chelsea by former Wrexham manager, John Neal, helping them to win the promotion in his first season.  He stayed with them until 1988.  He retired at the age of 28. He is of Polish descent, but born in Wales.  From 1985 to 1987, he was capped twice by Wales.

Eddie Niedzwiecki

GK: Bill Robertson (Scotland)

Born in 1928, Robertson played for Chelsea from 1946 to 1960.  He was a goalkeeper, playing in 26 matches in the 1954–55 season, when Chelsea won the First Division championship.   Charlie Thomson played a part of the season.  He left for Leyton Orient in 1960 before the emerge of Peter Bonetti. From 1960 to 1963, he played for Leyton Orient.  

GK: John Philips (Wales)

Phillips started out with Shrewsbury Town, before transferring to Aston Villa at the age of 18.  He joined Chelsea in 1970. He spent the majority of his career with Chelsea as the long-term understudy to Peter Bonetti.  Later, he had brief spells with Crewe Alexandra, Brighton & Hove Albion, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace and Sea Bee in Hong Kong. He also won 4 caps for Wales. 

RB: Steve Clarke (Scotland)

Clarke started his career with St Mirren.  He was transferred to Chelsea in 1987.  He stayed at Chelsea until 1998, making 421 appearances. He was a part of the Chelsea sides which won the 1997 FA Cup Final, 1998 Football League Cup Final and 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final.  In 2005 he was voted into Chelsea's centenary XI, occupying the right-back berth.  Capped 6 times.

CB/FB: George W Smith (Scotland)
Born in Parkhead, Glasgow, George Smith started out with his local side Parkhead F.C., before enjoying a long career with Chelsea from 1921 to 1932.  He made his Chelsea's debut against Blackburn Rovers in 1921 at the age of 21. He played around 370 games for them. In 1932, he joined East Fife in Scotland.

CB: John Harris (Scotland)
Harris was the son of former Scottish international Neil Harris. In the beginning of his career, he played for Swindon Town, Swansea Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton during the war years. In 1945, he signed permanently for Chelsea and became their first captain after the War.  He was a member of Chelsea's 1954–55 First Division-winning side.  He earned two wartime cap for Scotland.

John Harris 

CB: Jack Dempsey (Ireland)
Started with Fulham, he moved to Chelsea in 1969.  He won the FA Cup in 1970 and won the Cup Winners' Cup a year later in which.  he scored the opening goal.  He moved to the Philadelphia Fury of the NASL, playing alongside fellow ex-Chelsea star Peter Osgood.  In 1979, he was voted the NASL's defender of the year, beating out Franz Beckenbauer who finished second.

CB: Joe McLaughlin (Scotland)
McLaughlin started his playing career with Greenock Morton in 1977.  In 1983, he joined Chelsea, winning the Second Division championship in his first season. He would go on to play for Chelsea until 1989 winning another Second Division championship as well as the Full Members Cup. He was then transferred to Charlton Athletic for £650,000 which at that time made him Charlton's record transfer.  He also played with Watford and Falkirkl, Hibernian, Clydebank and then St Mirren.

 Joe McLaughlin 

LB: Tommy Law (Scotland)
Law signed for David Calderhead's Chelsea as a junior from local club Bridgeton Waverley and made his debut for the club in 1926. He was one of the less glamorous, members of a star-studded side which included his Scottish teammates, Hughie Gallacher, Alex Jackson, Willie Ferguson and Andy Wilson. Law won two caps for Scotland, both against England. He made his debut during Scotland's famous "Wembley Wizards" 5-1 win over England at Wembley in 1928.

LB: Eddie McCreadie (Scotland)
McCreadie joined Chelsea in 1962.  He scored a memorable winner in the League Cup final of 1965 in which he dribbled 80 yards up the pitch before slotting the ball past Leicester City goalkeeper Gordon Banks.  He also won the FA Cup with Chelsea in 1970. The side won the Cup Winners' Cup the following season, but McCreadie missed the final in Athens through injury. Earned 23 caps between 1965 and 1969.

LB/RB: Joey Jones (Wales)

Jones played with Wrexham in 1971.  He joined Bob Paisley's Liverpool in July 1975.   He became the first Welshman to receive a European Cup winners medal when Liverpool won their first European Cup in 1977.  He returned to Wrexham before joining Chelsea in 1982.  He was a part of the side that won the Second Division champions in 1983–84.  From 1975 to 1982, he played 72 times for Wales.

DM: Peter Nicholas (Wales)
Nicholas played for many clubs.  He spent five seasons with Crystal Palace, picking up the Second Division title in 1978-79.  With Arsenal, he was remembered for going in goal after Pat Jennings was injured.  He also played for Watford, Chelsea and Aberdeen.  From 1979 to 1992, he was capped 73 times for Wales.

DM: John Boyle (Scotland)

Boyd came from Chelsea's academy.  He was the hero of the 1965 League Cup Final during his professional debut season.  He scored the winning goal against Leicester Town. He stayed with Chelsea until 1973, where he also won the Cup Winners' Cup playing in both matches in the Final.  In 1973, he moved to Orient.  In 1975, he joined Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL.

CM:  Ian Britton (Scotland)
Britton started his career with Scottish amateur side Hillside Rangers. He joined Chelsea in the summer of 1971. He was a key part of manager Eddie McCreadie's young side, alongside the likes of Ray Wilkins, Steve Finnieston and Tommy Langley, which won promotion back to the top flight in 1976–77.  He also had a long career with Blackpool and Burnley.

AM: Craig Burley (Scotland)
Craig Burley played in the Premier League for Chelsea and Derby County and in the Scottish Premier League for Celtic. He also played for Dundee and finished his career in the Football League with Preston North End and Walsall. He earned 46 caps for Scotland, scoring 3 goals.  He went to the European Championship in 1996 and the World Cup Finals in 1998.

CM: Andy Townsend (Ireland)
Townsend played 70 times for Ireland.  He went to both World Cup Finals in 1990 and 1994.  He was a key player for both Finals, and was the captain of the team in 1994.  He played for many clubs in England, but most notably with Norwich, Chelsea and Aston Villa. He  won won the 1994 and 1996 League Cup with Aston Villa. He captained the 1996 side. On 22 March 2015, Townsend was inducted into the FAI Hall of Fame.

RW/LW: Charlie Cooke (Scotland)
Cooke began his professional career with Aberdeen in 1960 and moved to Dundee in December 1964, where he was voted player of the year. He signed for Chelsea in 1966 for a then club record of £72,000 as part of manager Tommy Docherty's restructuring of the Chelsea side.  He also won the FA Cup with Chelsea in 1970. The side won the Cup Winners' Cup the following season.  He earned 16 caps for Scotland.

Charlie Cooke 

RW/LW: Bobby Campbell (Scotland)

A winger, Campbell's playing career consisted of spells with Falkirk, Chelsea and Reading. He also played for Queens Park Rangers as a "guest" during the Second World War. He won five caps for the Scotland national team, between 1947 and 1950. He scored his only Scotland goal against Switzerland in April 1950.

LW: Pat Nevin (Scotland)
In a 20-year career, Pat Nevin played for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell as a winger.  He played with Kerry Dixon in the 1980's with Chelsea. He was the Chelsea Player of the Year: 1983–84, 1986–87.  He joined Everton in 1989, but never recaptured the form at Chelsea.  He was capped 28 times for Scotland between 1986 and 1996, but only managed to attend the European Championship in 1992.

Pat Nevin

LW: Damien Duff (Ireland)

Duff won two Premiership titles with Chelsea with Chelsea in  2004–05 and 2005–06.  After four seasons at Stamford Bridge, he left for Newcastle United where he won the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, and then moved on to Fulham, with whom he played in the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final. For Ireland, he was capped 100 times. He was remembered for his performance at World Cup 2002 and captained Ireland at Euro 2012.

FW/AM/IF: Johnny McNichol (Scotland)

McNichol joined Brighton in the Third Divsion from Newcastle United in 1945 before making a big move to Chelsea . He won the League championship in the 1954–55 season. In 1958 he joined Crystal Palace, whom he captained to promotion from the Fourth Division, and finished his on-field career in the Southern League as player-manager of Tunbridge Wells Rangers. 

ST: Hughie Gallacher (Scotland)

Hughie Gallacher is one of the Scotland 's most prolific goalscorers with 24 goals from his 20 internationals, a remarkable strike rate of more than a goal a game. Gallacher was one of the Wembley Wizards who beat England 5–1 at Wembley Stadium in 1928. He played for many clubs, but he was probably remembered for playing for Newcastle United, Chelsea and Derby.  He scored over 450 goals while playing in the English league during the 1920's and 1930's.  

Hughie Gallacher 

ST: David Speedie (Scotland)
Speedie played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. In 1986, he became the first senior player since Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup final to score a hat-trick at Wembley, as Chelsea defeated Manchester City 5–4 in the Full Members Cup final.  He played with Kerry Dixon and Pat Nevin on one of Chelsea's great forward line.

ST: Andrew Wilson (Scotland) 
Wilson's early career was interrupted by the First World War during which his left hand and forearm were shattered by enemy fire.  From 1923 to 1931, he played for Chelsea.  He also played for Middlesbrough, Heart of Midlothian, Dunfermline Athletic, Queens Park Rangers and Sporting Club Nîmois.  Wilson was capped 12 times by Scotland between 1920 and 1923; he averaged more than a goal per game with 13 goals. He scored another four in two unofficial wartime international.

ST: Mark Hughes (Wales)
Mark Hughes was best remembered for his spells with Manchester United.   He won two Premier League title medals, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two European Cup Winners' Cups. He was the first player to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award twice, in 1989 and 1991. Hughes also played for  Barcelona, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and Blackburn Rovers. He had 72 caps for Wales b etween 1988 and 1994.

Mark Hughes 

Honorable Mention
Neil Sullivan (Scotland), Chick Thompson (Scotland), John Jackson (Scotland), Mal Donaghy (N.Ireland), Gareth Hall (Wales), Danny Winter (Wales), Jock Cameron (Scotland), Dick Whitaker (Ireland), Vinnie Jones (Wales), Alec Jackson (Scotland),  Alec Cheyne (Scotland), Gordon Durie (Scotland), Steve Finnieston (Scotland), Willie Ferguson (Scotland),  Kevin McAllister (Scotland), George Graham (Scotland), John Spencer (Scotland), Peter Buchanan (Scotland), Tommy Walker (Scotland),  Kevin Wilson (N.Ireland), Joe Bambrick (N.Ireland).

Squad Explanation

-- The original team was created in 2019.  I did a review of this team on December, 2024 after I redid my Chelsea All-Time team.

-- Five players were on my original All-Time Chelsea team.  They are Pat Nevin, Charlie Cooke, Jack Dempsey, Steve Clarke and Eddie McCreadie.   However, after my review of the team in 2024, only two players remained on that team.  They were Pat Nevin and Charlie Cookie.

 -- I studied various lists or All-Time Best XI. In 2005, Chelsea's Centenary XI was chosen via an online poll on the club's official website, with only Charlie Cooke and Steve Clarke making the cut for their Best XI. The 90min.com's compilation of the 25 Best ever Chelsea players included Charlie Cook, who ranked 24th and was the sole player from the British Isles outside of England.  

-- While Pride of London revealed Chelsea's Best Ever XI and a list of the 10 Greatest Chelsea players of All-Time, none of the players were eligible for selection in either roster. Likewise, FourFourTwo's top 10 Chelsea players of all time and the Chelsea Chronicle's Top 10 Legends of the club did not include any eligible players.  Moreover, none of the players made it to Chelsea's Best Ever  XI and a list of their 10 Greatest Chelsea player of All-Time from the website Pride of London.

-- In the 1930s, Chelsea embarked on an ambitious signing spree, acquiring several Scottish players from the renowned "Wembley Wizards" team that had famously triumphed over England with a 5-1 victory in 1928. Among these Scots were Hughie Gallacher, Alex Jackson, Tommy Law, Willie Ferguson, and Andy Wilson. Despite the hype surrounding their signings, the team ultimately fell short of expectations, failing to secure any trophies during their time at Chelsea.

-- Only four played in the Preimership era. Craig Burley, Damian Duff, Mark Hughes and Andy Townshend.  Duff was the only player who played for Roman Aramovich.  

-- The roster of their two Champions League winning years consisted of a single player who were eligible for this team.  Billy Gilmour was a bench player on the 2021 team.

Goalkeepers

-- Almost all of Chelsea's good keepers in the Premiership's era are foreigners.  Eddie Niedzwiecki was probably one of Chelsea's best keepers before the Premiership.  He helped Chelsea for a promotion in the 1983-1984 season.  He was the only goalkeeper of note who were eligible for this team.

-- Bill Robertson started many games in the 1954–55 season, when Chelsea won the First Division championship.  Chick Thomson (Scotland) took over from him at the end of the season after Robertson was injured, but Robertson regained his starting position the following season. He took the second spot.  Apart from the two, it was different to pick a third goalkeeper.  John Phillips was mainly a backup keeper fopr Peter Bonetti.  However, he played over 120 matches for Chelsea.

John Jackson was a great keeper of his time, but he played behind Vic Woodley.  I selected Philips for the number of his appearances for the club.

-- Neil Sullivan (Scotland) only made 8 appearance for the club.

Defenders

-- CB John Dempsey scored the winning goal at the Cup Winners' Cup in 1971.  His place in Chelsea's history was sealed.  RB Steve Clarke and LB Eddie McCreadie also played on that team.   Clarke was was voted into Chelsea's centenary XI in 2005. He spent 12 seasons over here. McCreadie scored a great winning goal in the League Cup final of 1965 against Leicester City and Gordon Banks.  CB John Harris was Chelsea's first captain after the War.  He played over 300 games for the club.  They were the backbone of the defenders.  This four were the most famous defenders eligible for this team.  

John Dempsey

-- Joe McLaughlin was almost the only central defender eligible for this team with significant playing minutes who played for the club.  -- George W. Smith of Scotland was a star fullback during the 1920's.  He crossed path with George H. Smith in Chelsea.  He was a leftback from England who only spent a season in Chelsea.  However, I did not know the exact position of George W. Smith. Nevertheless, the fullback position in the 1920's and 1930's was more of a central defender.  Both the Pyramid (2–3–5) and the WM formation, which were popular during that era, required players to play centrally. So I put him as a central defender in the absense of a suitable candidates.  Meanwhile, Tommy Law who was one of Wembley Wizards also should be a central defender in the modern game.  Law played his entire career for Chelsea.  He played alongside other Scottish stars at the time Hughie Gallacher, Alex Jackson, Willie Ferguson and Andy Wilson for both club and country.  Mal Donaghy (N.Ireland) also played that position, but he was more of a fullback.  So, I did n ot consider him.

-- As mentioned, I first took Steve Clarke as my first rightback.  Paddy Mulligan made a substitute appearance in the 1971 Cup Winners’ Cup against Real Madrid, but apart for this highlight, his career did not standout here.  So, I would use Joey Jones as the backup leftback. He started his career as a right back but became famous as a left back for Liverpool. During his time at Chelsea, he initially played as a right back until John Hollins rejoined the team, leading Jones to switch to the left back position following Chris Hutchings' injury. He cpould cover both sides of the fullback position for this team.  Despite being considered an aging player past his prime when he joined Chelsea, Jones played an instrumental role in the club's promotion to the top flight and remained a beloved cult hero during his tenure.

-- Eddie McCreadie would be the starting leftback.  As mentioned above, the team would also have Joey Jones and Tommy Law.

-- I knew nothing much about Jock Cameron, but I have enough fullbacks.  So I only put him on honorable mention.

-- Initially, this team appeared unbalanced with five fullbacks and three central defenders. However, many players had the versatility to adapt to various positions. Specifically, there were two players capable of playing on either side of the fullback position and five players suited for central roles.

Midfielders

-- Scotland and Ireland have produced several renowned defensive midfielders known for their toughness and tenacity on the field, but Chelsea lacked good candidates for this position. Andy Townsend, who spent three seasons at Chelsea, gained fame for representing of Ireland during their impressive run in international football at the same time. Ian Britton who played alongside Ray Wilkins in the 1970's helped Chelsea to gain promotion in 1977.  This side was known for their homegrown talents and youthfulness.  He was more of an attack midfielder.

Andy Townshed

-- In his career, Bill Dickson played as a right-half, left-half and a centre-half.  He was plagued by injuries throughout his career.  However, in 1951, he began to represent North Ireland when he was playing for Chelsea. He also played for London XI  in 1953.

-- Peter Nicholas, a standout player at Crystal Palace during the 1980s, when the club was competing against Chelsea in the second division, faced disapproval from Chelsea fans for his signings in 1988.  However, he would captain Chelsea as they won the 1990 Full Members' Cup.  He was the second Chelsea captain to lift a trophy in Wembley.  John Boyle scored the winning goal in the 1965 League Cup Final. It was his first season, and he went onward to play over 260 times for Chelsea.  

-- Vinnie Jones played a single season in Stamsford Bridge.  He was more famous than any of the defensive midfielders or defenders on this team due to his acting career.

-- AM Craig Burley had a long career in Chelsea, but was mainly a backup.  Because of the lack of attack midfielders on the team, I seriously considered him.  He was a big question mark for this team.  

-- On the right wing, I first took Charlie Cooke who played with Peter Osgood in the 1970's.   In 2005, he was chosen for Chelsea's Centenary XI in an online poll in 200.  In 90min.com's list of the 25 Greatest Chelsea players, he claimed the 24th spot.

-- Bobby Campbell could play both side of the wing, but predominantly was known as the right winger who set up Roger Bentley's goals. However, he was sold to Reading the season before Chelsea won their first league in 1955.  To avoid confusion, he should not be mistaken for Bobby Campbell of England, who coached Chelsea from 1988 to 1991.  I do not have a spot for Alex Jackson 

-- Pat Nevin played with Kerry Dixon in the 1980's with Chelsea. He was the Chelsea Player of the Year: 1983–84, 1986–87.   While Damien Duff's career in Chelsea was affected by the presence of Arjen Robben, he remained a key player in his time here.  In fact, Jose Mourinho moved him to the right wing where he played alongside Robben. Pat Nevin and Damien Duff kept Willie Ferguson off the team.  They were left wingers.

Forwards

-- David Speedie was renowned for his partnership with Kerry Dixon and winger Pat Nevin. In 1986, he achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first senior player since Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup final to score a hat-trick at Wembley. This occurred during Chelsea's 5–4 victory over Manchester City in the Full Members Cup final.

David Speedie

-- Mark Hughes played a vital role in Chelsea's late 1990s revival, partnering effectively with Gianfranco Zola and sidelining Gianluca Vialli. He delivered decisive performances against Liverpool, Wimbledon in the FA Cup in 1997, and Vicenza in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1998, contributing significantly to Chelsea's success in both tournaments.

-- Hughie Gallacher netted 81 goals in 144 matches, consistently becoming Chelsea's top scorer throughout his four seasons. Nevertheless, he departed without securing any silverware during his tenure.

-- Johnny McNichol was an inside forward, which was probably an attack midfielder or a second striker.  He was credited as one of the best players for Chelsea as they won the league title in 1955. I took him over Joe Bambrick.

-- George Graham played at Chelsea for just two seasons, but he scored 40 goals for the club before moving to Arsenal in 1966. However,  he was more of an Arsenal legend because his success over there as both a player and a manager.  Tommy Cascarino (Ireland) only spent a short time here.  His stint here was plagued with injuries and disappointments.

Formation