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In an era when Chelsea think nothing of spending £24m on a striker, it
is a chastening thought that just a decade earlier they were breaking
their transfer record to take Paul Furlong from Watford to Stamford
Bridge. A disappointment during his time at Coventry after joining the
Sky Blues from non-league Enfield, Furlong had enjoyed a more prolific
spell at Vicarage Road, albeit playing in Division One, which persuaded
Glenn Hoddle to part with £2.3m to capture his signature.
A successful
start to his Chelsea career included a debut goal against Norwich and an
early strike against Czech side Viktoria Zizkov, as the Blues returned
to European football after a 23-year sabbatical. Tall, strong and quick,
Paul had the attributes to become a striker of some class, and his
first season showing included some stylish finishes past the likes of
Nigel Martyn and David Seaman, but his ability to at times appear
stylish and graceful were matched by a number of lapses which
highlighted a fragile confidence. However, he was one of the stars of
Chelsea's run to the semi-final of the European Cup Winners Cup, and his
performance in a memorable victory over Bruges at Stamford Bridge was
truly outstanding.
The arrivals of Mark Hughes and Ruud Gullit in the
summer of 1995 might have been the making of Paul Furlong, but his
second season proved to be a big disappointment. Omitted from the team
as the campaign began, Paul helped Chelsea to a win over Arsenal on his
recall to the starting line-up, but failed to find the net himself until
the New Year, when he twice scored the winning goal in 2-1 victories at
Loftus Road, a last-minute header in a league match followed by a
composed finish as the Blues sent QPR scuttling out of the FA Cup.
Further goals followed in a 5-0 demolition of Middlesbrough and a 1-1
draw at Wimbledon, but they were scant compensation for Hoddle's outlay,
and he was back on the sidelines as the season closed.
One incident
which perhaps summed up Paul's season came when relegation-doomed QPR
travelled to Chelsea late in the season. With the match level, Gullit
darted through the Hoops' defence to set up an open goal for Furlong,
who contrived to miss from a yard out. Gullit's publicly vented spleen
only served to heap further embarrassment on the unfortunate striker,
and when the Dutch legend took over the managerial reins that summer it
came as a surprise to nobody that Paul was swiftly moved on, joining
Birmingham City for a fee of £1.5m. (Kelvin Barker)
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