When you discuss former Chelsea players, especially those that became club captain during their tenure, it isn’t all that surprising to learn that they also played internationally for England as a player. It is even less surprising when that is the case with the older generations of players, which is perhaps what helps Ken Armstrong to stand out. Not only did he earn a cap for the Three Lions, he also played a number of games for New Zealand. That is thanks to the fact that he moved there after leaving Chelsea, spending the latter part of his life as a Kiwi. When he died in 1984, his ashes were scattered at Stamford Bridge.
Ken Armstrong’s Honours as a Chelsea Player
| Season | League Titles | Domestic Cups | European/International Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-1955 | First Division | – | – |
Who was Ken Armstrong?
Born Kenneth Armstrong in Bradford on the third of June 1924, the person that would go on to be better known as Ken joined Bradford Rovers as a youth player. This isn’t all that surprising, owing to the fact that he was from the area, joining up with his local side as a 16-year-old. Sadly for Armstrong and the rest of Europe, it wasn’t long after he joined the team did Second World War break out. Armstrong joined the Royal Air Force and served with them until the war was over in 1945. At that point he went back to Bradford Rovers, playing with the team for a year before his performances caught the attention of a London club.
Joining Chelsea
In 1946, Chelsea Football Club made the decision to pay Bradford Rovers 100 guineas in order to sign Ken Armstrong. His first appearance for the Blues came in a 3-0 loss on the road to Blackpool, coming on the 23rd August 1947. Thankfully things improved from there, with Armstrong actually getting the only goal as Chelsea defeated Blackburn Rovers four days later. Another 1-0 win came against Derby County as he started to settle into his new role, whilst two 1-1 draws followed a 3-1 loss to Huddersfield Town. In the end, Armstrong’s opening campaign with Chelsea saw him scoring eight times, with only two goals coming in defeats.
Chelsea were ever-improving during Armstrong’s time at the club, with the 1949-1950 season starting with a 1-0 win over Birmingham City. There were a number of draws during the season, seeing the Blues draw 17 times between the beginning of the campaign and the end. Armstrong failed to get on the scoresheet, which might well have contributed to that. A big part of the reason for the goals in his first season was that the Chelsea management at the time were trying to figure out his best position, so he played a number of games as a centre-forward, allowing him to score six goals in five matches.
However, it was soon realised that his best performances came when he was at the heart of the action, thanks in no small part to his energy and his ability to orchestrate what was taking place around him. Off the pitch, Armstrong settled well into life as a Chelsea player. The man himself once claimed that he had been able to buy himself a new car with the winnings from the Chelsea Card School that took place after matches and training, so quite whether his teammates would agree with the assertion is another matter. He also got back in the goals for the 1950-1951 season, including in a 3-1 loss to Newcastle United.
Winning the Title
In spite of the fact that Chelsea started the 1950-1951 campaign with a win, smashing four past Sheffield Wednesday at Stamford Bridge, things went down hill from there. Armstrong featured in a run of five straight defeats, which were only broken up by a draw and then another defeat. In the end, it would be the third season season in which the Blues won just 12 games across the campaign. Having finished 13th, 13th and then 20th, it was felt that something needed to change in order to give supporters something to get excited about. In spite of that, a 19th place was followed up by another 19th, leaving the crowd somewhat desperate.
Things finally started looking up for Chelsea in the 1953-1954 season, in spite of the fact that it began with a 1-1 draw with Manchester United and a 2-1 loss to Blackpool. Armstrong got another goal in a 3-2 defeat to Portsmouth, with another long losing streak following a 2-1 win over London rivals Arsenal. Armstrong also scored in a 5-2 win over Liverpool, which kick-started a run of six wins in 11 games featuring the player. The season ended in mixed terms, thanks to one win, one draw and three defeats in which Armstrong appeared, but it was enough to see the Blues finish the season in eighth place.
The 1954-1955 campaign saw Chelsea rack up more wins in a single season than they had since 1929-1930 when they were in the Second Division. Interestingly, they won promotion that season by finishing second, but would go one step further this time around. Armstrong only scored one goal, which came in an incredible 6-5 defeat to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, but his 39 appearances were enough to help Chelsea win the First Division title for the first time in the club’s history. That included a run of nine games without defeat, before a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday secured the title.
Becoming Captain Then Leaving Chelsea for Pastures New
Having been one of the first names on the team sheet, at the start of the 1956-1957 season it seemed the most obvious decision to give Armstrong the captain’s armband. His first game in the role came in a 1-0 win over Preston North End, but it proved to be something of a mixed time as the leader of the players. That included scoring a penalty in the first minute of a home game against Tottenham Hotspur, which Chelsea went on to win 4-2. Two more goals came for him during the course of the season, but neither of them led to victories for the Blues. He played his 352nd appearance for the club, a record at the time, in the December of 1956.
Having arrived at the club thanks to a £10 signing on fee, it is fair to say that Chelsea felt as though they got excellent value for money for Armstrong. By the time he departed Stamford Bridge, he’d played 402 league games and scored 30 goals. In the end, though, the pull of emigrating to New Zealand proved to be too much for him. He signed for Eastern Union upon arrival, then played for North Shore United, Eastern Suburbs, back to North Shore United and then played once for Mount Wellington before deciding to hang up his football boots. Having also played internationally for New Zealand, he stopped playing in order to manage.
His management career actually began with New Zealand whilst he was still a player, doing it alongside being a player-manager for North Shore United. The game he played at Mount Wellington was when he selected himself as manager, officially retiring in 1971 but continuing to manage them until 1977. He returned to Eastern Suburbs, this time as manager, and in 1980 even took over as the manager of the New Zealand women’s team. After his death on the 13th of June 1984, his ashes were repatriated in order for them to be spread at Stamford Bridge, where he has enjoyed a testimonial 27 years before.