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Chelsea's Century
This book looks at the greatest moments from 100 years of Chelsea FC's history, from winning the Carling Cup to the Premiership.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2005
About the author
Harry Harris
41 books4 followersHas written one of the most influential football columns in the country for more than three decades, where his work on Fleet Street has seen him awarded the British Sports Journalist of the Year award on two occasions
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 4, 2025
2.5⭐️
“The trophy at the end is less important than the process itself”
I'm pretty mixed on how I view this book. On one hand , I can appreciate Harry Harris’s attempt to make the reader feel as immersed into the narratives that are both presented (2012 and 2021) , with him trying to make them as intriguing as possible. However , I feel like it falls flat , instead giving us a very unbalanced view on the two Chelsea teams.
A big problem I had reading this was how unbalanced the two narratives were. The 2021 edition ( at least in my edition of the book ) took up about 39% of the book , meanwhile the 2012 edition took well over half the pages. I don't think that allows readers to give a fair assessment on the experiences the two teams faced. People will gravitate more towards 2012 , as that section has more substance than 2021 , which causes an unequal balance of storytelling. I think it would have been best if Harris had tried to make the 2021 section longer , or even have more substance to it. It would've made the storytelling a lot more balanced and more enjoyable.
Furthermore , I take issue specifically with the storytelling of how the 2021 champions league was won. For perspective , Harris was able to retell the story of the exact journey the 2012 Chelsea players had to win the champions league , From the key games that had Villas Boas heavily criticised and his eventual sacking , to Di Matteo’s success in finally winning Chelsea the champions league. The key difference was that it was written in chronological order , allowing for a great narrative to form. That's the complete opposite to 2021. Because of the limited pages Harris wrote about 2021 , i didn’t really think the narrative could be written to its full potential. Instead of getting to see how Lampard was fired and how Tuchel was able to revive Chelsea to eventually win the Champions league , we instead only really get a small glimpse of Lampard's sacking , and even then , its not in chronological order , which leaves a sour taste in my mouth and makes the reading experience distasteful.
Additionally ( and this may sound like a stretch ) , but I kept finding errors while reading. From subheadings not being clear on some pages , to key dates and years not corresponding to the events ( Harris states that Drogba slapped Vidic in the 2009 Champions League final , despite it taking place in 2008 ) and phrases being repeated without it having any real importance. I feel like this book would've benefited with a few editing checks to make sure that everything was accurate. I also would have appreciated that any interviews would have references ( either at the bottom or at the back ) , so that I could read them for myself later.
However , despite my negatives , I did find the book rather intriguing. I can at least appreciate the effort that Harris put into going into detail about how certain players struggled and later succeeded , and the little details that I wasn't fully aware of. I can respect Harris for trying to passionately retell the great events that bestowed Chelsea in 2012 and 2021 respectively.
“The trophy at the end is less important than the process itself”
I'm pretty mixed on how I view this book. On one hand , I can appreciate Harry Harris’s attempt to make the reader feel as immersed into the narratives that are both presented (2012 and 2021) , with him trying to make them as intriguing as possible. However , I feel like it falls flat , instead giving us a very unbalanced view on the two Chelsea teams.
A big problem I had reading this was how unbalanced the two narratives were. The 2021 edition ( at least in my edition of the book ) took up about 39% of the book , meanwhile the 2012 edition took well over half the pages. I don't think that allows readers to give a fair assessment on the experiences the two teams faced. People will gravitate more towards 2012 , as that section has more substance than 2021 , which causes an unequal balance of storytelling. I think it would have been best if Harris had tried to make the 2021 section longer , or even have more substance to it. It would've made the storytelling a lot more balanced and more enjoyable.
Furthermore , I take issue specifically with the storytelling of how the 2021 champions league was won. For perspective , Harris was able to retell the story of the exact journey the 2012 Chelsea players had to win the champions league , From the key games that had Villas Boas heavily criticised and his eventual sacking , to Di Matteo’s success in finally winning Chelsea the champions league. The key difference was that it was written in chronological order , allowing for a great narrative to form. That's the complete opposite to 2021. Because of the limited pages Harris wrote about 2021 , i didn’t really think the narrative could be written to its full potential. Instead of getting to see how Lampard was fired and how Tuchel was able to revive Chelsea to eventually win the Champions league , we instead only really get a small glimpse of Lampard's sacking , and even then , its not in chronological order , which leaves a sour taste in my mouth and makes the reading experience distasteful.
Additionally ( and this may sound like a stretch ) , but I kept finding errors while reading. From subheadings not being clear on some pages , to key dates and years not corresponding to the events ( Harris states that Drogba slapped Vidic in the 2009 Champions League final , despite it taking place in 2008 ) and phrases being repeated without it having any real importance. I feel like this book would've benefited with a few editing checks to make sure that everything was accurate. I also would have appreciated that any interviews would have references ( either at the bottom or at the back ) , so that I could read them for myself later.
However , despite my negatives , I did find the book rather intriguing. I can at least appreciate the effort that Harris put into going into detail about how certain players struggled and later succeeded , and the little details that I wasn't fully aware of. I can respect Harris for trying to passionately retell the great events that bestowed Chelsea in 2012 and 2021 respectively.
January 3, 2017
My favorite Club. I was given this book the Christmas after Chelsea had won their first Championship since 1955. It not only tells the story of the year they won it, but the first Championship and the history of Chelsea Football. It's a look inside the current club at a time when Jose Mourinho, the Special One could do no wrong. It is a deeply fascinating book about one of the greatest Football clubs in the game.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews