Eddie Mac Eddie Mac: Life and times at Chelsea under Eddie McCreadie

by Mark Meehan, Mark Worrall, Kelvin Barker

Chelsea’s steady, multi-trophy-winning ascent to football’s summit has been well documented. In the modern Blues era, relegation is something that happens to other clubs, while a defeat to bitter London rivals Tottenham Hotspur is as rare an occurrence as a total eclipse of the sun. But life wasn’t always quite so carefree at Stamford Bridge. 19 April 1975, Spurs beat Chelsea 2-0 at White Hart Lane -- all but preserving their own top-flight status, while effectively condemning the Blues to Division Two. Managing Chelsea for the first time that day was 35-year old Eddie McCreadie who’d already achieved cult hero status at the Bridge as an integral part of the swashbuckling kings of the King’s Road Blues side that lit up the game in the mid-late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Set against a gloomy backdrop of economic recession, trouble on the terraces, and a football club on the verge of bankruptcy, Eddie Mac, Eddie Mac forensically details how McCreadie placed his faith in young players and achieved promotion to Division One in 1977. Cheered on by the burgeoning hordes that went by the name of Eddie McCreadie’s Blue and White Army, Chelsea were back and seemingly set for great things -- but suddenly Eddie left. Why? The supporters were both perplexed and saddened --- the media didn't really have a clue. There were rumours about a row over a company car, but no-one ever got to know the real reason -- until now. In his own inspiring words, McCreadie details his time as Blues boss and explains why he left. Fascinating interviews with players of the day who clearly revered him paint a picture of a maverick manager ahead of his time, while comedian Omid Djalili sets the scene from a supporters’ perspective with an insightful foreword. Eddie Mac Eddie Mac is the greatest Chelsea story never told -- the missing piece of the complex jigsaw puzzle that depicts Blues history.

452 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2017

Reviews

[Gary Steinke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

I first went to the Bridge in Sept 76 with my dad and this book brings back memories of those early days, if your old school chels you'll enjoy this trip down memory lane.Eddie Mac a true legend.

[Rich Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book & fantastic insight 👍

Loved this book from very start. Well written. Explains what you see from the managers perspective and the players who knew this great man. Highly recommended 👊

[Keith Bott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with lots of information