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1987-1990
DATE OF BIRTH Monday, 13th November 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH Manchester, England
DEBUT Saturday, 15th August 1987 in a 2-1 win at home to Sheffield Wednesday (Aged: 25)
CLUB CAREER 68 League apps (+13 as sub), 5 goals
More than two years had elapsed since the second of two hugely impressive performances
against Chelsea before manager John Hollins brought a smile to all who had witnessed those
games when he paid Manchester City £250, 000 for the services of versatile left-footer Clive
Wilson. Wilson joined the Londoners on transfer deadline day in March 1987 but was immediately
loaned back to City to assist in their futile bid to avoid relegation. Forming a brand new left-side
partnership with another new signing, Tony Dorigo, Clive made his Chelsea debut on the left of
midfield as the Blues beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on the opening day of the 1987/88 season,
and three days later scored his first goal for the club with a rasping shot in a 3-0 win at
Portsmouth. He scored again soon after as Chelsea fought back from 3-1 behind to beat
Nottingham Forest 4-3 but a dramatic slump in form saw the Blues drop from second place in
October to eventually suffer relegation to Division Two via the play-offs. Having started every
match for the first five months of the season, Wilson's silky skills were suddenly discarded in
January as Hollins sought to end a winless run of more than two months by adopting a more
pragmatic approach. Clive was little more than a spectator throughout the remainder of the
campaign but returned to the starting line-up when the new season began, first as a stand-in for
regular left-back Dorigo, and then reverting back to his left-midfield role prior to an embarrassing
4-1 defeat at Scunthorpe in the League Cup after which he was again sacrificed. Although never
certain of his place, Wilson made 32 appearances throughout the campaign as Chelsea recovered
from a shaky start to eventually win the Division Two title with ease, a full 17 points clear of
second-placed Manchester City. He found the net twice, in wins over Stoke City and Portsmouth.
Clive's final season at Stamford Bridge was one of total frustration. Out of the team when the
season began, he made a brief return in place of the injured Dorigo in the autumn but was again
discarded once the England man returned. A lively performance as a substitute in a
pre-Christmas defeat at QPR led to another short-lived return to the starting line-up before being
replaced by 21-year-old Graeme Le Saux after a 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa on New Year's Day.
The last of Wilson's 18 appearances that season came in a 2-1 victory over Everton in April and
was to prove to be his last in Chelsea's colours. He was offered a new contract that summer but,
understandably, refused it in favour of a £450, 000 move to QPR.
DATE OF BIRTH Monday, 13th November 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH Manchester, England
DEBUT Saturday, 15th August 1987 in a 2-1 win at home to Sheffield Wednesday (Aged: 25)
CLUB CAREER 68 League apps (+13 as sub), 5 goals
More than two years had elapsed since the second of two hugely impressive performances
against Chelsea before manager John Hollins brought a smile to all who had witnessed those
games when he paid Manchester City £250, 000 for the services of versatile left-footer Clive
Wilson. Wilson joined the Londoners on transfer deadline day in March 1987 but was immediately
loaned back to City to assist in their futile bid to avoid relegation. Forming a brand new left-side
partnership with another new signing, Tony Dorigo, Clive made his Chelsea debut on the left of
midfield as the Blues beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on the opening day of the 1987/88 season,
and three days later scored his first goal for the club with a rasping shot in a 3-0 win at
Portsmouth. He scored again soon after as Chelsea fought back from 3-1 behind to beat
Nottingham Forest 4-3 but a dramatic slump in form saw the Blues drop from second place in
October to eventually suffer relegation to Division Two via the play-offs. Having started every
match for the first five months of the season, Wilson's silky skills were suddenly discarded in
January as Hollins sought to end a winless run of more than two months by adopting a more
pragmatic approach. Clive was little more than a spectator throughout the remainder of the
campaign but returned to the starting line-up when the new season began, first as a stand-in for
regular left-back Dorigo, and then reverting back to his left-midfield role prior to an embarrassing
4-1 defeat at Scunthorpe in the League Cup after which he was again sacrificed. Although never
certain of his place, Wilson made 32 appearances throughout the campaign as Chelsea recovered
from a shaky start to eventually win the Division Two title with ease, a full 17 points clear of
second-placed Manchester City. He found the net twice, in wins over Stoke City and Portsmouth.
Clive's final season at Stamford Bridge was one of total frustration. Out of the team when the
season began, he made a brief return in place of the injured Dorigo in the autumn but was again
discarded once the England man returned. A lively performance as a substitute in a
pre-Christmas defeat at QPR led to another short-lived return to the starting line-up before being
replaced by 21-year-old Graeme Le Saux after a 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa on New Year's Day.
The last of Wilson's 18 appearances that season came in a 2-1 victory over Everton in April and
was to prove to be his last in Chelsea's colours. He was offered a new contract that summer but,
understandably, refused it in favour of a £450, 000 move to QPR.
| Other Chelsea Left Backs |
| CLIVE WILSON |