Product Description

This new book, compiled and written entirely by long-term Chelsea fans, turns Jose Mourinho's The Special One moniker on its head by asserting that the real special ones are the supporters; those people who have followed the club through the bad times as well as the good. Many of these fans have now been pushed out of the club by high ticket prices, and the book is their answer to the gentrification that has killed the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.The Special Ones focuses on the memories of thousands of fans, moving from the 1930s through to the present day ¬ from watching a British pilot shoot down a German plane over Stamford Bridge to seeing Chelsea clinch the Premiership, via relegation, promotion and the essential goals of Clive Walker. These memories belong to the REAL fans, and come from the heart, so a long midweek journey North in the late Seventies to see Chelsea lose in the pouring rain feature, while prawn sandwiches and a heated VIP box do not.Penetrating interviews with the all-time greatest team, as chosen by the fans, follow. Gianluca Vialli, Peter Bonetti, Ron Harris, John Terry, Eddie McCreadie, Charlie Cooke, Frank Lampard, Alan Hudson, Dennis Wise, Gianfranco Zola and, most poignantly, Peter Osgood, are all included, and make for entertaining and revelatory reading.A section entitled Blue Is The Colour records the songs that have been sung at Stamford Bridge over the years, and as there is no censorship in The Special Ones, no rewriting of history, decades of Shed lyrics are included in all their blue-and-white glory. The culture of the Chelsea fanzines is considered in Having A Say, Having A Laugh, and is another outspoken section that provides a twenty-year overview of the club/supporter relationship.The book is already enjoying cult status among the Chelsea faithful, who appreciate the honesty and humour of the book. Many feel that the club's 100th anniversary celebrations have neglected the ordinary fans, and that this book fills the gap.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #97273 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-03
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Chelsea Magazine, December 2006
Top Ten Chelsea books ever - a book where the voice of the authentic Chelsea fan speaks loudest.

Synopsis
Presents a football book, based on the votes and memories of supporters.

Customer Reviews

The Special Ones is a SPECIAL Book
The Special Ones - Chelsea by the Fans is a football book with a difference and one of the best I've ever read. Its based on feedback by those who really matter, the supporters of Chelsea Football Club. The fans were polled in the run up to the Club's Centenary season and Martin Knight and John King have done a fantastic job in putting into print. Pub and terrace talk and opinion plus interviews with those selected for the All-time Chelsea Dream XI, most memorable, game, goal, etc make interesting reading. The Special Ones is pure 100% Chelsea. An excellent read and highly recommended.

The best Chelsea book ever - BRILLIANT!
Everyone has had their say about Chelsea over the last year or so, but this book is the one that matters. This is where the Chelsea supporters have their say at last and The Special Ones is a very special book that stands out from the competition. This sort of book can’t be faked - it really does belong to the fans and is well written and a joy to read.

There is lots of humour in The Special Ones as well as many interviews with Chelsea legends such as Peter Osgood, Dennis Wise and John Terry. There is a great chapter on all the songs we sang over the years, plus a huge chunk of memories going back to the 30s and 40s and moving right up to the modern day.

I couldn’t stop reading The Special Ones once I opened it on the recent trip to Barcelona and would recommend it to every Chelsea supporter, young or old. A BRILLIANT book!