The Special Ones

Jose Mourinho has firmly earned his place in footballing folklore as The Special One. 

But many a Chelsea fan who had been following the topsy-turvy fortunes of the team in recent times would gladly correct you that quite apart from Jose, there exists a select group of battle-hardened veterans within the squad that deserve the moniker The Special Ones. 

Enter JT, Lamps, Cashley, Cech and The Drog.

Or better known as The Famous Five.

   

 

Ever since Roman Abramovich announced his arrival into English football with the intention to create a Chelsea era of domination in Europe, the above quintet have been the spine, heartbeat and spirit of the team. Many other players have come and gone with varying degrees of effectiveness for the Blue Machine, but it was this core who gave shape to the team which took 9 years in the making. 

For 9 long years since his arrival, the one elusive trophy which the Russian oligarch wanted more than anything in the world stayed just out of his reach. The list of managers who have come to much fanfare and gone amidst an unceremonious boot-up-the-arse when the big boss man's patience ran out reads like a list of who's who in the world of football gaffers. The list of players he had assembled reads like a football trading card game premier gold pack. Yet the Champions League seemed destined to evade him...

And so it would seem, at the beginning of this year, that the quest for the Holy Grail would once more turn out to be an unsuccessful outing in Europe. The supposed heir-apparent to the Special One lost the plot (and dressing room) and the team was in shambles. Their 50 million quid striker still could not find his scoring boots on most weekends. Points were being dropped at lesser opponents and they were getting their asses whooped by their contemporaries.  

As for the Famous Five, they were no spring chickens. Each had come under increasing criticisms for the creaking bones and waning influnece and one of them was once again, for the umpteenth year running, a leading contender for most vilified English player in the country. Or at least in the Ferdinand household. 

No fan (including yours truly) would have wagered a bet on this dysfunctional unit even stepping into the Allianz Arena on May 19, much less win the goddamn thing.

But not many fans (including yours truly again) would have predicted the sort of impact the caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo (or RDM, for ease of reference) would have. He would probably be classified as a special one back in his day as a cool, cultured and deadly midfield general.

  

The Special One of 1997 and now 2012

How ironic then that it would take the The Special One of the pre-Roman era to rejuvenate the Special Ones of today, and by implication lifted the game of the rest of the team, into ending this season with a bang. A big bang it was alright. 

Speed seems to be a recurrent motif in RDM's Chelsea life. He scored the fastest goal in FA Cup history to land Chelsea the biggest Cup in England back in '97. Today, his 3 months plus tenure in charge of Chelsea is arguably the fastest time any manager in history (I stand corrected) took to land the FA Cup and the Champions League. 

Some say it was down to his motivational abilities. Some say it was his quiet, yet efficient way of getting things done. Some say he got his tactics right. Yet many say it was all down to pure dumb luck. Whatever, man. We do not care. He has landed the European Cup. 

The landing of the Cup has many advantages besides the obvious financial (and reputation) related reasons. With the Cup firmly in his grasp, Roman's obsession has been satiated. He can now stop with all the constant hiring-and-firing of managers just to land the Cup and instead, concentrate on building a sustainable, well-developed team for a long-haul dominance. It is hoped that a period of stability will now permeate SW6. 

More importantly, the landing of the Cup represents an opportunity for the Famous Five to make their graceful exits at the top. Already one of them has waved his goodbye to much tears from the Stamford Bridge faithful. Didier has, in scoring the decisive leveller and then burying the last spot kick, etched his name firmly as a living Chelsea giant and legend. Whatever he does in future (which probably involves Shanghai at some point), he can go with the satisfaction of knowing that his name will forever echo in the hallowed halls of the Bridge.

It is time too, for the remaining 4 to slowly ease away. Terry seems to be destined for a role in the club at some point in future, be it coach, manager or even ambassador. With the Cup won, there is nothing more to prove and he can perhaps concentrate on being the wise, guiding presence in the dressing room and on the field (sporadically) to groom the next generation of the backline. Ashley Cole has laid to rest any doubts that he is probably the best leftback of this generation. Perhaps when his pace deserts him, he can adopt a less active role and assist Terry in being the experienced head in the squad.

As for Lamps, it is not hard to picture him going down the Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes route. Playing perhaps once a fortnight, he can be the calm, assured presence in the middle of the park when games require such a player to be picked, whilst guiding and teaching the younger crop of midfielders what it takes to don the famous Blue shirt. Cech, being a keeper, has arguably a longer shelf life at the top of the game. With probably 1 or 2 more seasons left max, he can concentrate on being the master to the upcoming protege Thibaut Courtois, whom many are predicting to be the man between the sticks for years to come. 

The landing of the Cup has provided a much needed relief for the Famous Five (now Four) to take a more backseat and advisorial role for the club.  Perhaps, the greatest thing about winning the Cup is that ironically the rebuilding can begin now under RDM, with full participation from the Special Ones playing the all-important role of mentors helping to imbue newcomers with a sense of what it means to play for the club.

There would be no better time than now to commence the careful dismantling of the current squad to make way for Chelsea Generation 2. There is much potential in the current crop of youngsters and players in their prime. Ramires, Ivanovic, Obi Mikel, Cahill, David Luiz, Torres and Mata represents a solid core which bridges the outgoing Special Ones to the future. It is time to rehabilitate the man-beast that is Lukaku (he is a player whom I have faith can one day grow to become Drogba version 2), develop Ryan Bertrand, Lucas Piazon (a player whom I tip to achieve greatness at the Bridge), Josh McEachran and Oriol Romeu and acquire a couple of exciting, dynamic and ambitious players into the fold. I'm thinking Eden Hazard, Keisuke Honda, Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik, Loic Remy or Mathieu Valbuena for starters. 

Whatever it is, the future can begin today thanks to the efforts of the Special Ones which will soon become part of a glorious past.

Thank you for the blood, sweat and tears that you have shed over the years, boys. You will all be remembered as legends. Now, go forth into the sunset. You deserve the rest. But please take a slow stroll and, along the way, guide the next generation of Chelsea players to one day become special ones ... like you once had.