With it being so quiet, due to international commitments, we here at Chelsea Vital thought we’d delve into the archives and recall events of years gone by.
For the first in our occasional series, we decided that we’d pick on an individual player, a player that probably didn’t get the plaudits he deserved whilst he was at Chelsea, or a player that may well have been something of an unsung hero.
However, rather than get bogged down in along winded article about everything that player achieved, or did, whilst at Chelsea, we thought we’d concentrate on possibly only two or three incidents that helped to forge a players reputation and set the scene for where he’ll be forever ranked in our illustrious history.
The first player we’ve chosen is someone you’d definitely not pick a fight with in a dark alley – Doug Rougvie!
Doug was signed from Aberdeen and was a giant of a man. In fact he could have been chiselled out of the granite that the Scottish city is famous for. He could play as a central defender or as a full back, either way his fearsome tackling often bought a rousing cheer from the Stamford Bridge support as yet another bone-jarring tackle left an opponent in a heap on the turf.
He used to participate in his own warm-up ritual. Running up and down the touchline, arms swaying up and down and legs skipping along as he loosened up. Often it brought a raucous cheer from those that frequented the benches in the West Stand, but Doug had an immense physical presence about him so I doubt if anyone was ever going to tell him to tow the party line.
I can recall a game whereby Doug appeared to play as if he were a man possessed. Quite what by remains a mystery to this day. Wimbledon were the visitors. These were the days before they had betrayed themselves and decamped to Milton Keynes under another guise. These were the days when Wimbledon were the most physical team in top-flight football, propelled by an urgency to harass, intimidate and imprint their crazy-gang culture on whoever they played.
Stamford Bridge, at the time, was rarely full but those assembled inside will probably never forget what occurred that day. Doug rose to the physical challenge like a heavyweight boxer meeting his opponent. Forget about allowing time to suss them out, Doug just, basically, laid them out. Two fearsome, totally illegal, challenges, a sending off and all inside, if I recall right, the first fifteen minutes.
To this day I’m not sure if John Fashanu, architect of most things physical from the Wimbledon forward line, can believe what occurred. William Wallace couldn’t have done a better job on the English himself.
Journeying up the motorway, we find ourselves in the industrial heartland of Yorkshire, Sheffield. It was a dark midweek night when Chelsea arrived to play Sheffield Wednesday in a League Cup tie. If I recall rightly, the tie was a replay after the sides had drawn at Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately, Chelsea were swept side by a buoyant Sheffield Wednesday side at a vociferous Hillsborough.
At half time, Chelsea trailed 3-0 and looked to be down and out. However, inspired by the likes of Paul Cannoville, Mickey Thomas and Kerry Dixon, Chelsea, resplendent in a yellow kit with horizontal red and blue stripes, staged a remarkable comeback.
With minutes to go, Chelsea had staged the comeback of all comebacks and remarkably led 4-3. The away support were convinced they’d seen a miracle but fate, and Doug in particular, had still to play one last hand. As Sheffield Wednesday looked to be running out of time, a ball fizzed into the box. It looked as if it was going out for a goal kick but a desperate attempt to keep it in, by a blue and white shirted player, resulted in Doug sliding in and up-ending him. It was a definite penalty.
Hillsborough was remarkably quiet. The home fans were praying for an equaliser whilst the travelling contingent sat in stunned silence. Mel Sterland tucked the spot kick away and Sheffield Wednesday had their 4-4 draw, it was back to Stamford Bridge for another replay that Chelsea were to finally win. Despite what had happened at Hillsborough, the mood home was remarkably good. The fact that we’d come back from the dead was a fact to debate at great length.
As for Doug, I’m quite sure nobody harboured any malice for that late challenge. He was just the kind of guy these things happened to but he was also the kind of guy you wouldn’t mind next to you in the trenches.
Doug Rougvie – Chelsea Career – 100 Appearances – 3 Goals
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