INTERVIEW

MY CHELSEA SIDE WERE BETTER THAN WISE'S BOYS

By BRIAN WOOLNOUGH
18 September , 1999


DENNIS WISE has copped some fierce flak from 'Chopper' Harris after tagging the current Chelsea team the best he has seen.

Harris rapped: "How old was Dennis when we were winning big trophies? Was he even born?

"Sorry. Much as I appreciate today's team, Dennis is talking out of his backside."

Ron Harris, nicknamed Chopper, captained the Chelsea outfit that boasted Peter Osgood, Alan Hudson and Charlie Cooke and brought so much success in the 70s - including the 1970-71 Cup-Winners' Cup.

Wise is today's skipper and claimed after Wednesday's Champions League draw with AC Milan that the present Blues line-up is the finest he has played in or seen.

Harris added: "People have short memories. We beat AC Milan 2-1 at the Bridge and went through on the toss of a coin. We also beat another team with a bit of a reputation. Damn, I can't remember their name now. Oh yes, Real Madrid.

"And we did it with a lot of home-grown talent. The only outsiders we had were Eddie McCreadie and Charlie Cooke, two Scots.

"If you compare both sides, how many of this current lot would have got in our line-up? And how many of the team I skippered would have walked into this one.

"You are not going to tell me that Peter Bonetti was not a better goalkeeper than this bloke Ed De Goey.

"Cooke, Ossie and Hudson would have been first-choices today and McCreadie was a far better left-back than Graeme Le Saux will ever be.

"What today's side needs is an Ossie or Ian Hutchinson up front. How many goals has Chris Sutton scored this season? One. Ossie and Hutch would have had 20 between them by now. And they did not cost ?0million."

Ah yes, Ron, but what about Marcel Desailly? You have to agree he is quality.

Chopper added: "Not quite good enough to get in, I'm afraid. Anyway, that was my position. And I was better than him.

"I am still a huge Chelsea fan and delighted with the success the club is having. They are a good team. But the best? No. Not yet."

Harris is another worried about the lack of home-grown Premiership talent.

He declared: "There are too many foreigners. It makes me laugh to see them rolling around on the floor after a simple tackle and then going off on a stretcher before quickly jumping to their feet.

"Ask the true Chelsea diehards who have seen it all. I bet they still say that the best Chelsea side there has been was Ossie's lot."