Dennis WISE

It was a somewhat convoluted journey which led Dennis Wise back to his west London roots when he joined Chelsea for a club record £1.6 million in the summer of 1990. A product of the Christopher Wren School in Shepherds Bush, an establishment which had long-standing links with Southampton FC, Dennis began his career as a junior with the Saints. Rejection followed and it was a member of Chelsea's management staff, Gwyn Williams, who recommended him to Wimbledon, with whom he won an FA Cup winnerís medal in 1988. A reputation for pinpoint crossing gave the Chelsea supporters to believe that the club had signed a winger in the traditional style but in truth Wisey possessed neither the pace nor the trickery to fulfil that role. An impressive debut in a 2-1 defeat of Derby on the opening day of the 1990/91 season made him an instant hero but a sending-off three days later after a scuffle with Andy Gray of Crystal Palace brought a public rebuke from England manager Graham Taylor, and in his efforts to curb his temperament, Dennis struggled to rediscover his best form. Despite proving himself to be Chelsea's most reliable penalty-taker for many a year - he converted from the spot eight times that season, including the late winner in a 3-2 victory at Manchester United - Wisey soon became a target for the terrace critics and was briefly dropped from the team.

It was a surprise call-up to the England squad for a European Championship qualifier in Turkey which seemed to revitalise him, and armed with the winning goal from that clash, Dennis returned to enjoy an impressive last month of the season. Better news followed for Wisey early in the following campaign when his old Wimbledon 'minder', Vinnie Jones, joined the Blues and helped Dennis find the form that would eventually lead him into the Stamford Bridge hall of legends. Of his ten goals during the 1991/92 season, a last minute overhead kick which salvaged a point at QPR was probably the most memorable. However, it was his outstanding performance at Liverpool, where he played in a free role in midfield, which earned him the biggest plaudits, Wisey becoming the first player from a visiting side to be awarded the sponsors' man-of-the-match award at Anfield as the Blues won there in the league for the first time in over 60 years. However, there was heartache in the FA Cup as Chelsea slipped up at Roker Park in the quarter-finals, allowing Sunderland to score a last-minute winner just moments after Wisey's goal had apparently taken the game into extra-time. (Kelvin Barker)

 A fine start to the 1992-93 campaign had the supporters speaking confidently of a top-six finish and finally some silverware to parade amongst the cobwebs in the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet. However, Dennis was forced out of the side for two months at the start of 1993 and in his absence the Blues plunged down the table and out of both cups. He did, however, return to fitness in time to play in a 1-1 draw with French side Le Havre as Chelsea claimed a share of the not-at-all-embarrassing Cross Channel Trophy. Chelsea benefited from the arrival of Glenn Hoddle and the departure of Andy Townsend in the summer of 1993. Hoddle joined as player/manager and installed Dennis as his captain after Townsend opted to seek League Cup glory with Aston Villa. League form was poor throughout 1993/94 - as it was generally throughout Hoddle's time in charge - but there can be no doubt that the new manager's arrival sparked a major upturn in the fortunes of Wisey, who he successfully converted into one of the country's premier central midfielders. There were frustrations along the way - Hoddle was openly critical of his skipper for a sending-off at West Ham - but it was a generally more mature, inspirational Wisey who helped drag the club away from the relegation zone before leading them to their first major cup final in 22 years. Another skilful goal at Loftus Road, this time a cheeky back-heel, helped secure another draw at the home of his boyhood heroes, QPR, but surprisingly Dennis only found the net six times in total that campaign. Nevertheless, his season ended back at Wembley, where he had tasted success six years earlier. This time, however, it all ended in tears as the Blues showed their inexperience by collapsing to a 4-0 defeat to Manchester United. (Kelvin Barker)