Former Chelsea player and manager Eddie McCreadie has passed away, aged 85.
The Glaswegian full-back first joined Chelsea in 1962, signing from East Stirlingshire for just £5,000, and went on to spend 11 years at Stamford Bridge.
The then 22-year-old was the first signing of Tommy Docherty’s managerial tenure, and won promotion to the First Division in his debut campaign.
He played a crucial role in delivering Chelsea’s first major cup title, too, scoring what ultimately proved the winner as the Blues beat Leicester in a two-legged League Cup final in 1965, joining Bobby Tambling and Terry Venables on the scoresheet.
He later played every minute of Chelsea’s legendary 1970 FA Cup final defeat of Leeds, settled by a replay at Old Trafford as the Blues clinched the title for the first time.
An athletic, hard-working full-back, McCreadie caught the eye with his tenacious, no-nonsense approach and became a fast fan favourite.
He was forced to retire from football in 1973 after an Achilles injury, and did so with some 410 Chelsea appearances to his name - on top of 23 international caps.
A move into the club's coaching staff followed, and McCreadie helped steer them through a period of financial crisis. He turned the club’s fortunes around, though, calling up some talented academy prospects and delivering them back to the top flight.
He left the club after falling out with the board over a pay dispute and briefly revived his playing days in the United States, making a single appearance for the Memphis Rogues of the North American Soccer League. He later managed them, too.
Reconciliation eventually came some 40 years later, though, as McCreadie made his long-awaited return to Stamford Bridge.
McCreadie is a member of a rather exclusive group of people to have both played for and managed Chelsea, joining the likes of Frank Lampard, Glenn Hoddle and Ruud Gullit.
Fan tributes to McCreadie are coming thick and fast as the Chelsea faithful pay their respects to a club legend.
