I went into maybe more detail than I’d have liked but as I got to researching, it’s easy to forget what a stellar career Steve Clarke had. He transcended eras at Chelsea. But there were two other defenders that day. One was a lovely, refined Frenchman who took excellent penalties and hit raking long passes, the other was not.
Franck Leboeuf
Upon joining Chelsea in 96, little was known about Leboeuf, such was the insular nature of the Premier League at the time. Now, there would be endless twitter videos of his passing, penalties and panache but then there was nothing. A few million exchanged and an upgrade purchased. He settled in almost instantly, quickly displacing lesser players and becoming the lynchpin of what was mainly a back three that season.
His passing was almost effortless. The ability to pick the ball up and rake it wide and long to Zola, Flo, Poyet or Di Matteo was uncanny. I described him as the best passer in the league when I was a kid. I never valued the five-yard pass. To me, the ability to consistently find your man from any distance was more impressive.
Two years after he joined a compatriot arrived in the shape of Marcel Desailly and a partnership was born. The two had played together intermittently for France, even starting the final in 98 together, where our Franck helped to make Ronaldo’s day even worse with an imperious performance. The two formed a rock at the back and helped us to third in 99. Vialli’s team never quite hit those heights again and Leboeuf started a gradual decline as a player. The Premier League got quicker just as Franck got slower and it showed as we became less secure defensively. The drastic summer of 2001 was a watermark moment. In came Gallas, out went Leboeuf.
To France he went, joining up with Marseille and straight into the Champions League, staying there for a couple of years before finishing his career in Qatar. This would normally be the end but not for Franck. Not content with being a top footballer, he wanted to become a top actor too and made forays into Hollywood. He has since starred in a number of films, most notably “Allies” and “A Theory Of Everything”. Impressive work if you can get it. He’ll always be fondly remembered for the five years he spent at Chelsea, being the best passer in the league.
Frank Sinclair
So to a less glamorous Frank, without the c even. Before smashing in own goals the country wide, he started as an apprentice at the club, making his bow in the first team in the early 90’s. Frank would be fortunate enough to start the 94 Cup Final but unfortunate enough to give away a penalty as we lost 4-0. This was my first game as a Chelsea fan, which somewhat clouds my memories of Sinclair.
He managed to stay on during the mid 90’s as more and more foreign stars invaded the league and his place became less secure. To be fair to him, he worked hard, kept himself in good physical condition, even getting on the scoresheet on the opening day of the 97/98 season against Coventry, then inexplicably dropping his shorts as he celebrated. One can only assume this wasn’t a good thing as by the end of the season he was gone, off to Leicester for 2 million, free to take his own goal prowess to the Midlands.
He was an important part of a very good Leicester side in the late 90’s, despite his hilarious knack for scoring own goals. However, this was slightly blighted that he, along with some former Chelsea team mates decided to get drunk in an airport and strip off in front of tourists whilst loudly shouting and swearing. People shouldn’t be surprised, he had already stripped off in front of 20,000 people at Highfield Road. Alas, this was just after September 11th and people’s sensitivities around travelling were at an all time high. Not a smart move.
In 2004 he dropped down a league to join Burnley and quickly became captain and a vital part of their challenges to become a premier league team. He never quite managed it but he was an important part of bringing a more professional approach to a lower league club. From there, he bounced around the lower leagues, taking in stays at Wrexham, Huddersfield, and Lincoln before retiring in 2013, managing an impressive 20 plus year career. Whilst somewhat of a joke figure because of his own goals, he was a proper professional who kept himself in great physical shape and was always ready to fight for the team.
Next week, we’ll take a look at the wingbacks. A well travelled pundit and a Romanian with a knack for scoring goals.
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