Former Chelsea player and manager John Hollins has passed away at the age of 76, the club announced on Wednesday, June 14.
John Hollins scored 64 goals in nearly 600 games for Chelsea throughout his two spells at Stamford Bridge between 1963 and 1984.
In 1985, the West London-based club appointed Hollins the club’s manager and remain in that position for three seasons.
At the age of 17, Hollins, a two-time Player of the Year winner who advanced through Chelsea’s youth academy, made his first-team debut.
He captured the FA Cup, League Cup, and Cup Winners’ Cup in his first season with the club. Eight years after he had left the club in 1975, he came back to assist in the club’s promotion from the second-tier of English football.
Hollins’ 592 games place him fifth on Chelsea’s all-time appearances list behind John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ron Harris, and Peter Bonetti.
“He was a hero to the fans of this club, and very much that to me,” Chelsea board member Daniel Finkelstein said.
“He was at the heart of one of Chelsea’s greatest teams and, as well as contributing to its trophy success, he expressed its spirit.
“He lifted the team with his play and lit up the Bridge with his smile. He gave a life of service to this club, as a player, as a manager, and as a matchday ambassador. He was greatly loved and will be much missed.”
John Hollins’ playing career also featured time at fellow London clubs Queens Park Rangers and Arsenal.
He also went on to manage Swansea City, with whom he won the fourth-tier title in 2000, Rochdale, Raith, Stockport, Crawley, and Weymouth.
