Frode GRODAS

 Signed on a free-transfer from homeland club Lillestrom, for whom he had played for ten seasons, Norwegian international goalkeeper Frode Grodas joined Chelsea in November 1996 and made his debut at Blackburn in a 1-1 draw that also marked the first appearance of Gianfranco Zola for the Blues. The chunky 32-year-old stopper joined a Chelsea side in the early stages of Ruud Gullit's revolution but struggled a little initially, and after a two-month spell between the posts was replaced by Kevin Hitchcock after a 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest - the third defeat in four away matches for Gullit's men. An injury to Hitchcock during a match against Manchester United paved the way for Grodas to return to the line-up a few weeks later and this time he cemented his place as Chelsea's custodian for the remainder of the season. A string of steady, if unspectacular, performances helped the Blues rise into the Premiership's top six but it was in the FA Cup that they truly excelled that season, and Frode was a particularly impressive figure in the face of a physical onslaught from Wimbledon's burly players during the semi-final which Chelsea won 3-0.

His last league appearance for the Stamford Bridge club came on the final day of that season, and lasted just 21 minutes as he was red-carded for handling the ball outside his own box in a match at Everton. The ten-man Blues battled their way to a 2-1 victory that day, sending them into the following week's Cup Final against Middlesbrough in good heart. Virtually a spectator for much of the Wembley game, Grodas was solid and reliable when called upon - most notably when he rushed from his line to save at the feet of Boro's Steve Vickers after he had managed to breach the Chelsea defence. A 2-0 win saw the Blues lift the trophy for just the second time but it would prove to be Frode's swansong. The arrival of Ed De Goey that summer meant that the Norwegian was now surplus to requirements, and after spending the first five months of the 1997/98 season in the reserves he moved across London to join Tottenham Hotspur for £250,000. (Kelvin Barker)