Chelsea Hero Osgood Dies

Peter Osgood, one of football’s greatest characters, collapsed at a family funeral today, 1st March 2006, and died soon afterwards in hospital at the age of 59 after a massive heart attack.

There will be younger followers of the game who may ask, “Who was Peter Osgood?” True Chelsea fans can answer that – the ones who’ve been there for years, not swept in on a tide of roubles – and so can the fans of Southampton who will never forget how he helped them to a miracle F.A. Cup final triumph over the mighty Manchester United in 1976.

In the true sense of an overworked word, Osgood was a legend – especially at Chelsea, for whom he made 380 appearances and scored 150 goals. Most memorably, he was a key member of that unforgettable side of the 1970s, a team enhanced by the likes of Alan Hudson, Charlie Cook, Peter Bonetti and Ron (‘Chopper’) Harris. The football they played was full of passion and panache and they captured the F.A. Cup in 1970, after a replay against Leeds, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup the following season, beating Real Madrid in Athens. In one of the most colourful decades of the century, they stood out as the entertainers – something which the present Chelsea side can only aspire to become.

As for Peter himself, in a team full of stars he was feted as ‘The King of Stamford Bridge’ and some fans even believe they named the Kings Road in his honour. He continued to work behind the scenes for his beloved Chelsea until his sudden death, which has shocked the world of football and prompted a flood of tributes which are a measure of the respect and affection in which he was held.