For a time in the 1970s into the 1980s, Chelsea fell out of the First Division and became something of a laughing stock of English football. That reputation was repaired thanks to the astute management of John Neal, who you can read more about elsewhere on this site. He won the Second Division title with Chelsea, seeing the first bit of silverware return to the club for years. John Hollins was made into a player-coach during Neal’s time in charge, so he was seen as the natural successor to Neal when ill health forced him into an early retirement. For Hollins, the job was to ensure the ship remained steady and to add silverware if he could. He could.
John Hollins’s Honours as Chelsea Manager
| Season | League Titles | Domestic Cups | European/International Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985/86 | – | Full Members Cup | – |
John Hollins: Chelsea Player
John William Hollins was born on the 16th of July 1946 in Guildford. His father, grandfather and three of his brothers were all professional footballers, so it seemed obvious that Hollins would also effectively go into the family business. He joined Chelsea as a youth player, making his debut against Swindon Town as a 17-year-old in 1963. He often wore the number 4 shirt and was a hard-working midfielder, quickly becoming loved by the Chelsea fans for his dedicated attitude, being a regular starter and eventually given the captain’s armband. He was part of the club’s success in the 1960s and 1970s, rarely missing a game.
In fact, Hollins was Mr Reliable, appearing in 400 of a possible 420 league games for the Blues, including a club record 167 consecutive appearances. When Chelsea played Leicester City in the League Cup final in 1965, Hollins was part of the team that won 3-2 on aggregate, as well as the side that lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup final. He played a crucial role in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Leeds United in the FA Cup final replay, crossing the ball for Ian Hutchinson’s late headed equaliser in the original match at Wembley. Named Chelsea’s Player of the Year two years running, he scored 17 times in the 1971-1972 season.
In the June of 1975, Chelsea sold Hollins to Queens Park Rangers for £80,000. He remained there until Arsenal came in for him in 1979, with the then-33-year-old being a cover player before becoming a regular starter. Having moved back to play in the defence, he scored 13 goals in 172 matches, including a penalty when the Gunners lost the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1980. In 1983 he returned to Chelsea, helping the club get back into the First Division whilst playing an additional 30 times and also being invited onto the playing staff. By the time he retired, he’d played 939 first-class games, all told.
John Hollins’s Honours as Chelsea Player
| Season | League Titles | Domestic Cups | European/International Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963/64 | – | – | – |
| 1964/65 | – | League Cup | – |
| 1965/66 | – | – | – |
| 1966/67 | – | – | – |
| 1967/68 | – | – | – |
| 1968/69 | – | – | – |
| 1969/70 | – | FA Cup | – |
| 1970/71 | – | – | Cup Winners’ Cup |
| 1971/72 | – | – | – |
| 1972/73 | – | – | – |
| 1973/74 | – | – | – |
| 1974/75 | – | – | – |
| 1983/84 | Second Division | – | – |
Becoming Chelsea Manager
When Hollins joined the coaching staff of John Neal, he did so not realising that Neal’s health was deteriorating. When Neal decided to retire, Hollins was the obvious choice to replace him, not only being a club legend but also having gained some experience on the management staff. He took them to a decent title challenge in the 1985-1986 season, going top in February before falling away and ending up finishing sixth. That came after claiming just nine points from the 33 available in their last 11 games. That might well be because Hollins has his eye on something else, helping the Blues to win the Full Members Cup.
Known as the Simod Cup and the Zenith Data Systems Cup depending on which company was sponsoring it, the competition was created in the wake of the Heysel Stadium Disaster, owing to the fact that English teams were not allowed to participate in European competitions. The name is a reference to the fact that participating clubs had to be full members of the Football League. In its inaugural season, Chelsea made to the final to play against Manchester City, hanging on to win 5-4 after a later flurry of goals for City in the 85th, 88th and 89th minute, ensuring Hollins won some silverware like his predecessor.
Leaving Chelsea & What Came Next
The club struggled to maintain any sort of consistency in the league in the years that followed. By the February of 1988, the Blues were enduring a four-month run without a single league win. It meant that the club was heading towards a relegation battle, so a decision was taken to sack Hollins in the March. It didn’t make any difference to the club’s end of season run, however. They took part in the first ever two-leg relegation-promotion play-off against Middlesbrough, which they lost. Many blamed Hollins for the state that he’d left the club in, giving his successor little chance of getting them out of the mire.
He came out retirement in order to play one game for Cobh Ramblers in 1989, but he then returned to England from Ireland and set up his own sports promotion and agency. In 1993, his old club Queens Park Rangers persuaded him to join their coaching staff as caretaker manager. He also enjoyed a spell managing the likes of Swansea City, Rochdale and as the caretaker of Stockport County. He also managed Stockport County Tigers, the Chinese affiliates of the club, and worked as a pundit at BBC Radio Five Live. In 2005 he briefly managed Crawley Town, then his managerial career came to an end at Weymouth in 2008.
In the 1982 Birthday Honours list, Hollins was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, appearing in a government anti-smoking commercial in the same year. His son, Chris, was the BBC Breakfast main sports presenter between 2005 and 2012. He died from a heart condition on the 14th of June 2023 at the age of 76.