Chelsea Frank's transfer to Chelsea happened after what had been a turbulent few weeks in the life of West Ham United. Much has been made about Frank wanting to leave because his father and uncle were no longer part of the set up, but he would have moved on at some stage. When that would have happened, only Frank knows, but it was inevitable with the benefits of hindsight. However the news that Frank wanted to leave started a lot of speculation about who wanted him and at what price. After much speculation it was Chelsea who won his signature.
Frank signed for £11 million on 14th June 2001 - Claudio Ranieri's first English signing since becoming Chelsea's manager. Frank's Chelsea career got off to a good start but it took him a while to settle in and it was towards the latter part of the season that Chelsea fans began to see the best of him. The midfield partnership with Emmanuel Petit was stronger towards the end of the 2001/02 season. Fans started to see the very best of Frank during the FA Cup final. Even though his hard work didn't help Chelsea to a win, he certainly got the attention of the press. Despite a wonderful season and contention for an England place always on the cards, Frank was left out of the England World Cup Squad for the finals in Japan.
Frank used the disappointment of missing out on World Cup team selection by bettering himself as a player and he was determined to make more of a mark and make the England coach sit up and take notice.
Starting the 2002/2003 with a purpose, this still didn't seem to make an impact on the England management and he was omitted from the first international match of the season, against Portugal at Villa Park. Undeterred Frank continued and Chelsea saw what they had paid their £11 million for. An ever present member of the team he worked solidly through the season, contributing more goals and working harder and harder. England did take notice, but Frank still only managed to take part in friendly internationals and, at best, only make the bench for competitive matches. A fine season for the club as a whole when they claimed the 4th Champions League spot by beating Liverpool on the final day of the season. Frank wanted to play in Europe and now he had the chance to play in the Champions League for the first time in his career.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to declare that the 2003/04 season was the making of Frank, both as a Chelsea stalwart and as an integral member of the England set up. Frank made his mark early on and made sure that people sat up, took notice and stayed interested. The one time that he didn't start a match for Chelsea in the Champions League, the team were a shadow of themselves and they needed Frank's creativity and industry. Frank was involved in every one of Chelsea's matches throughout the season, dropping him would have been completely unjustified. If it can be said, he improved in every match that he played in. The pundits generally began to see what people knew he had in him all along, the qualities of a top flight, internationally recognised England International. Frank's industry and committment was rewarded with Player of The Month for September 2003 and runner up to Thierry Henry in the PFA Awards at the end of the season. Frank also gained a place in the England Squad for the Euro 2004 championships in Portugal, where he certainly showed that his place was merrited.
At the end of the season, Claudio Ranieri, the manager who can be credited for making Frank the player he is today, left Chelsea and was replaced by the charismatic and unpredicatble Jose Mourinhio. Jose Mourinhio burst onto the English Premiership and immediately stated how much he valued Frank. Frank had already shone brightly under Claudio Ranieri and had publicly thanked him for developing his game as much as he had. What could Mourinho do? Well, he injected more of a team spirit into Chelsea AND made Frank vice -captain to John Terry. And he improved Frank again. If you didn't think Frank could get any better as a player you were wrong. His all round game improved, his stamina and his contribution to the cause was more noticeable and he got better and better. He scored more goals, played in every Premiership match and was the first name on the teamsheet. His achievements were recognised by fans and football writers alike and he won numerous awards, just narrowly missing out on the Players Player of the Year Award, which went to John Terry. (for list of awards see Honours section). Frank helped Chelsea win both the League Cup and the Premiership Title in an amazing season. His club success meant more caps for England and a guaranteed start for his country. He only missed the tour of the USA due to a much needed operation on his foot.
The 2005/2006 was a huge one for Chelsea and for all those players looking to qualify for a place in the England World Cup Squad. They started the season by winning the Community Shield and they looked menacing ahead of the premiership where defence of their title was high on their agenda. They made an impressive start which continued until the end of the season even though there was a little shake and wobble during the run in to the end of the season. On a personal note Frank received the first of many awards and award nominations, starting with the PFA Fans Player of the Month for October and ending the year with the runner's up accocalde in the FIFA World Footballer of the Year 2005. Frank also recieved a special award from the sponsors of the Premiership. He was awarded the Barclays Special Merit Award for Most Consecutive Premiership Appearances this was awarded to him for beating David James previous record of 160. Frank made a total of 164 consecutive premiership appearances for Chelsea before illness forced him to miss a match. Its a record which does not look like being beaten for a very long time.
Even though Chelsea were on course to win 4 titles in the season (Premiership, League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League) finally they only managed to retain their Premiership title and retain the party atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.
We now head into the 2006/07 season on the back of a disappointing England World Cup defeat, with the press looking at Frank with increased scrutiny after his "below par" performances (that's a press opinion not the opinion of the webmaster!) for England. The next step for Chelsea is to retain the Community Shield again and then start their winning ways again next week.
