The Blueprint: How Chelsea FC Changed Football

In the latest Chelsea Townhall, Ceri Levy and Garry Hayes speak with Neil Beard from the Chelsea Fan Advisory Board.

Neil explains what the FAB is doing in the interests of Chelsea fans, going into detail about the relationship with owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Egbhali.

The Sideline's panel of Chelsea experts also speaks with Rob Tanner, Leicester City Correspondent for The Athletic. Rob gives the lowdown on new Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca and explains what we can expect from the Italian in 2024/25.

This episode was recorded live on Twitter/X Spaces.

The Sideline's panel of Chelsea experts includes Louis Beneventi, Dan Childs and Cam Roda. 

We also opened the Townhall to listeners in the second half of the show, who joined in the conversation to give their views on the current situation surrounding Chelsea, from the pitch to the boardroom and terraces.

In the final installment of our sit down with Joe Cole, the Chelsea legend goes deep on his relationship with Jose Mourinho and the mentality that helped deliver the Blues an unprecedented period of dominance in English football.

"He's here, here's there..." and now Joe Cole is the latest interview being released in full on The Blueprint Tapes.

The Chelsea hero sat down with Garry Hayes and Ceri Levy to discuss his Blues career for The Blueprint, taking listeners behind the scenes to the defining moments for him and the club during a critical period in the club's history.

In Part 1 of this interview, Joe opens up on how his move to Chelsea materialised, realising a boyhood dream to wear Chelsea blue at Stamford Bridge, plus so much more.

In the second part of this exclusive and candid chat, former Chelsea captain John Terry reveals how he was given the armband by Jose Mourinho and how the Blues went on to become one of Europe's most successful clubs.

Listen to John Terry speak about his Chelsea career like never before!

The Blueprint is releasing the full interviews from our main narrative series, starting with Chelsea's captain, leader, legend who opens up on the struggles he faced at Stamford Bridge - almost being released as youngster - before going on to become the most decorated captian in the Blues' storied history.

Chelsea's modern history isn't complete without John Terry's story and this interview puts into context everything he achieved with the club, going deep on his relationship with Jose Mourinho and outlining what it takes to remain at the very top of the game.

Welcome to the Chelsea Townhall, a new series where we invite journalists, players and fans together to engage in that rarest of things in modern football - a civilised debate!

Hosted by The Blueprint's Ceri Levy, we welcome on Nizaar Kinsella from the Evening Standard to talk through recent events surrounding Chelsea. He is also joined by Mark Meehan from the Chelsea Supporters' Trust, who gives an in-depth perspective on the recent dialogue between CST, the Chelsea ownership and Fan Advisory Board.

This episode was recorded live on Twitter/X Spaces and also features The Sideline's panel of Chelsea experts, Garry Hayes, Louis Beneventi, Dan Childs and Cam Roda. 

We also opened the Townhall to listeners in the second half of the show, who joined in the conversation to give their views on the current situation surrounding Chelsea, from the pitch to the boardroom and terraces.

Following Roman Abramovich's Chelsea takeover in July 2003, Claudio Ranieri became a "dead man walking" with constant speculation surrounding his job at Stamford Bridge.

And after a spectacular collapse against 10-man Monaco in the Champions League semi-final later that season, the Italian's fate was all but sealed.

Step forward Jose Mourinho, a recently crowned Champions League winner who, after one incredible press conference, became English football's zeitgeist. The world would revolve around Mourinho in the Premier League and at Chelsea, with the media, fans and his players in awe of him.

Just as Abramovich ushered in change in the boardroom, Mourinho would do the same from the dugout. And he was all Chelsea's, ready to sculpt the club's finest generation.

This is the inside story of how Jose Mourinho inspired his Chelsea players to greatness.

In this episode you will hear from: John Terry, Steve Clarke, Claudio Ranieri, Martin Tyler (Commentator), Gerry Cox (Journalist), Mike Ingham (Commentator), Simon Johnson (Journalist), Jason Cundy (Broadcaster), Neil Barnett (Journalist), Rick Glanvill (Chelsea FC's official historian)

The Blueprint is written by Garry Hayes and narrated by Ceri Levy.

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Our theme music "Blue Day '23" is composed by Mike Connaris with bed arrangements by Jake Bradford-Sharp. It's used under license from Mcasso Music.

Archive used in this episode is courtesy of Chelsea TV.

Where were you on 1 July 2003? As it turns out, a lot of those people connected with Chelsea can't quite remember, either!

It's a day that has gone down in history – the day that modern Chelsea was truly created as Roman Abramovich took over the club from Ken Bates.

What followed was unprecedented in football. Chelsea embarked on a record-breaking transfer spree that made headlines across Europe and shook the football world.

In this episode, we take you behind the scenes to explain how it all happened. In one summer.

In this episode you will hear from: John Terry, Ken Bates, Claudio Ranieri, Jesper Gronkjaer, Mark Killick, Neil Barnett (Spy), Matthew Garrahan (The Financial Times), David Smith (The Observer), Simon Johnson (The Athletic), Martin Tyler (commentator), Mike Ingham (commentator), Rick Glanvill (Chelsea FC historian), Andy Saunders, and David Chidgey (Chelsea Fancast).

The Blueprint is written by Garry Hayes and narrated by Ceri Levy.

***
Our theme music "Blue Day '23" is composed by Mike Connaris with bed arrangements by Jake Bradford-Sharp. It's used under license from Mcasso Music.

Archive used in this episode is courtesy of Chelsea TV.

As Chelsea started to establish themselves at the top end of English football with a flurry of major honours in the late 1990s, change was awaiting them on the horizon.

The Blues had not long fielded the Premier League's first starting XI that featured overseas players only. It was symbolic of English football's transition to becoming more cosmopolitan, but the appointment of Claudio Ranieri in September 2000 saw the Italian take things back to their roots... he wanted to build his Chelsea team around a spine of homegrown talent.

Step forward from the Chelsea youth ranks John Terry, a player whose career was at a crossroads. Within one match, Ranieri identified the talent that would lead Chelsea all the way to becoming European champions. And alongside him, another youngster from across London, Frank Lampard.

Chelsea's journey on the road to Munich 2012 was just starting.

This episode takes you behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge to understand how Ranieri and Colin Hutchinson lay the foundations for Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho to build a dynasty.

It's a story played out before the threat of financial ruin and one game that changed it all against Liverpool in May 2003.

In this episode you will hear from: John Terry, Ken Bates, Claudio Ranieri, Colin Hutchinson, Ruud Gullit, Glenn Hoddle, Frank Leboeuf, David Lee, Tore Andre Flo, Jody Morris, Jesper Gronkjaer, Neil Barnett (Spy), Rick Glanvill (Chelsea FC historian) and Alex Leith (Ranieri's translator).

The Blueprint is written by Garry Hayes and narrated by Ceri Levy.

***
Our theme music "Blue Day '23" is composed by Mike Connaris with bed arrangements by Jake Bradford-Sharp. It's used under license from Mcasso Music.

Archive used in this episode is courtesy of Chelsea TV.

Glenn Hoddle spent three years rebuilding Chelsea into a club that had genuine ambition and a legitimate hope of winning silverware. He signed Ruud Gullit in 1995 to completely transform the look and appeal of the Chelsea squad.

But just as he was getting ready to take the next step with the Blues, England came calling. And Hoddle couldn't deny the call of his country, so would leave Chelsea.

It was the summer of Euro '96 and Chelsea found themselves at those fabled crossroads once more. Where was the club headed - with George Graham as manager? Or with another exciting young talent in the dugout in the form of Ruud Gullit?

Whatever decision Chelsea would make, the club's journey would fork in dramatically different directions. Fortunately, they chose right and major silverware was waiting just around the corner after a 26-year wait.

Although it would all play out to the backdrop of tragedy.

In this episode you will hear from: Roberto Di Matteo, Eddie Newton, Ruud Gullit, Jesper Gronkjaer, Colin Hutchinson, Ken Bates, Glenn Hoddle, Steve Clarke, David Lee, Scott Minto, David Cooper (Matthew Harding's lawyer), Mike Ingham (commentator), Martin Tyler (commentator), Mark Killick (Matthew Harding's best friend), Tim Rolls (author and Chelsea fan), Joel Harding, Luke Harding and former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

The Blueprint is written by Garry Hayes and narrated by Ceri Levy.

***
Our theme music "Blue Day '23" is composed by Mike Connaris with bed arrangements by Jake Bradford-Sharp. It's used under license from Mcasso Music.

Archive used in this episode is courtesy of Chelsea TV.