Chelsea could use another Ray Wilkins during difficult times like these
Ray Wilkins, born September 14, 1956. Chelsea reigning First Division champions.
To many this will come as a great surprise. Ray Wilkins actually played football. For Chelsea, in fact, among others. You could be forgiven for thinking differently. Since his untimely death, tales from those grateful for his help as a human being have found their way into the plethora of media outlets the modern world has to offer. Of course, that’s all well and good, and the stories offered touch at the heartstrings of anyone hearing or reading about them.
However, Wilkins would want to be remembered for his prowess on a football field and in the dressing room. It was what he loved doing, and it’s what football fans around the world should remember him for. An individual good deed is special to that one person and, as we’ve found out, those individuals added up to a good many. Ray Wilkins was a lovely man. He was an even better football man.
Wilkins came through the ranks of Senrab FC, a club from the east end of London that produced a multitude of Premier League talent. Wilkins lived the dream. His rapid rise through Chelsea’s structure, from captain at the age of eighteen to manager – albeit for one game at 53 – was meteoric. Throughout his Chelsea career, he was a linchpin at the club he worshipped. He was the glue that joined all the component parts of what is a highly complex organisation. Frank Lampard called him a buffer between the manager and players, and integral to the club’s success though the mid-00’s.
Football clubs need players, coaches and managers like Wilkins. Chelsea FC certainly do. His sudden departure back in 2010 whilst Carlo Ancelotti was in charge saw an immediate dip in form. Footballers are finely tuned, highly strung individuals. They need the comfort of an arm around the shoulder and the warmth of a boot up the backside. We’ve seen this season how the departure of Steve Holland and John Terry have affected the dressing room in Antonio Conte’s annus horribilis.
Must Read: Chelsea's managerial shortlist shrinks as Conte staying becomes more likely
Wilkins’ one game in charge was an FA Cup tie on February 14, 2009. The away tie at Watford followed Luiz Felipe Scolari’s departure. Roman Abramovich had already decided to replace the Brazilian with Guus Hiddink, who watched from the stands as Wilkins fulfilled what must have been a lifetime’s ambition. The 3-1 victory fittingly provided him a 100% win ratio, the highest of any Chelsea manager.
Had Abramovich installed Wilkins as full-time manager, who knows where his wealth of Chelsea knowledge could have taken the club. The blue blood that flowed around his veins pumped love, soul and energy into Chelsea FC. Sadly, the proletariat like Wilkins are never considered officer material at Chelsea. Promotion is something that happens to teams in the lower leagues – not to people employed at Stamford Bridge.
The nearest Wilkins-esque figure the club have amongst their number right now is Jody Morris. His success with the Under-18 squad is unprecedented in youth football. Wilkins would be so proud of those young men. The chances of the ex-midfielder Morris ever making the step up to the senior side, though, are remote whilst the Russian is in charge. Morris took to Instagram after Ray’s passing to express his condolences and to share a Wilkins anecdote.
The most-used noun by those eulogising Wilkins is “gentleman,” and he most certainly was. But even so, he would not have tolerated some of the recent apathetic performances from Antonio Conte’s side. Eden Hazard and Co. may well have been on the end of a harsh word or two.
Likewise, he was not one to suffer fools easily and was certainly not afraid to speak his mind. He once told The Sun’s Neil Custis, in the course of defending his statement that Celta Vigo goalkeeper “should have saved [a Marcus Rashford shot] with his teeth:
"Don’t talk to me about being ridiculous when it comes to footballing knowledge because you don’t have any, you write for a newspaper and you give your opinion. I perfectly understand that. – TalkSport via The Independent"
That he is now lost to football and a participant in the debate it encourages is perhaps the greatest sadness of all.
Ray Wilkins may well have had his demons. Most people do. It would be a utopian world where people were flawless. But whatever they were, he was a special one before Jose Mourinho coined the phrase. And he was a captain, leader, and legend before John Terry was born.
Next: Blues twice over: Chelsea's best players-turned-managers
There are not many footballers who have played, captained, coached, and managed at one club. Wilkins did, and will be a major part of Chelsea’s history, quite an achievement for someone at a club that has no history. May he rest in peace.