Results are everything in football and expectations in modern times mean even a few bad games can see a Chelsea manager given the boot. However modern-day managers would never get the time afforded to the club’s least successful manager of all time.
Arguably the worst Chelsea manager in terms of results was Danny Blanchflower who managed the club between December 1978 and September 1979.
Who Was Danny Blanchflower
Danny Blanchflower was one of the greatest footballers of his generation.
Playing in the 50’s and 60’s, he had a glittering playing career with bitter rivals Spurs and went on to be a hugely popular football writer.
He won the double in 1960/1961 and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1963 and was named as one of the 1958 World Cup All-Stars.
“The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It is nothing of the kind. The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.” – Danny Blanchflower
Despite his status as a Spurs legend, his time at Chelsea was his only job as a manager. Having been passed over for the Spurs job whilst working there as a coach.
Danny Blanchflower Worst Chelsea Manager
The case for Blanchflower being the club’s worst manager are pretty compelling
- Won just 5 of his 32 games in charge (16%)
- Got relegated and finished bottom of the league
- Saw club legends Ray Wilkins and Peter Bonetti leave during his reign
When compared to what gets you sacked in the modern era at Stamford Bridge it really puts into perspective how the game and the club have changed.
So whilst Blanchflower should be remembered as one of the greats of the game as a player, he also is arguably the worst Chelsea manager in terms of results. Which to Spurs fans may actually be a badge of honour for a club legend.
