Chris Garland, an athletic blonde striker, joined Chelsea from Bristol City for £100,000 in September 1971, having gained the European Cup Winners’ Cup 4 months previous . Garland made his debut in a 3-3 draw with Coventry City at Stamford Bridge on 4 September 1971, however the Blues didn’t ranking his first objective till after Christmas, albeit simplest in his Goal within the fourth league sport. 2-0 house win over Ipswich Town. Chris first made headlines for the Blues within the 1971/72 League Cup semi-final towards Tottenham Hotspur; he got here on as a past due replace for Steve Kemper within the first leg at Stamford Bridge objective, and repeated the feat a fortnight later with a 20-yard rocket to seal Chelsea’s position within the last.
Garland used to be featured within the beginning XI towards Stoke at Wembley. He began smartly and labored smartly with John Hollins at the rainy turf. He didn’t equalize, alternatively, as then-England primary Gordon Banks lifted the trophy in a 2-1 win over Stoke City. This decided and robust efficiency would possibly grow to be the spotlight of Garland’s Chelsea occupation. Despite scoring in each and every of the primary 4 video games firstly of the 72/73 season (pictured above is a type of video games, a 1-1 draw with Leicester City on 16 August), Chriss used to be by no means in a position to objective. Or securing a spot within the first crew for the following 3 seasons. Part of this is because of Garland’s personal flaws in entrance of objective; whilst he’s by no means missing in power, he merely doesn’t have the talents to be a constant most sensible scorer. However, there could also be a way that Dave Sexton is the usage of his herbal pace and paintings pace to restrict Garland by way of enjoying left or proper.
Frustrated by way of being requested to play huge as an alternative of his most well-liked centre-forward, Chris noticed his personal targets after which his first-team appearances dried up. Garland, plagued by way of a hamstring damage, scored simply 11 targets in his last two seasons at Chelsea and used to be continuously not able to coach. Uncomfortable together with his position underneath Dave Sexton and existence within the capital, Garland signed for £95,000 in February 1975 after scoring 31 targets in 114 Chelsea appearances. Leicester City.
