Source: Telegraph
Chelsea crisis: Ray Wilkins takes reins at Stamford Bridge
A Chelsea man through and through, Wilkins is in temporary control at Stamford Bridge and the chances are that this survivor will remain at the club he loves. [LNB]Wilkins, now 52, gained vast experience as a player, extending his playing career to almost a quarter of a century and sampling the game not just in this country, but in Italy, France and Scotland.[LNB]The son of an Army footballer, Wilkins was joined at Stamford Bridge by brothers Graham and Stephen, and he made his debut in 1973 under Dave Sexton. Wilkins became Chelsea's youngest ever captain at the age of 18, and went on to make 179 appearances before moving to Manchester United under Ron Atkinson in 1979.[LNB]Spells with AC Milan, Paris St-Germain and Rangers turned Wilkins into a footballing nomad, but he settled back in London with Queens Park Rangers – with one game at Crystal Palace between two spells at Loftus Road – before finishing his career at Wycombe, Hibs, Millwall and Leyton Orient.[LNB]In 1983, Wilkins scored in the FA Cup final for Manchester United to put them 2-1 up against Brighton and Hove Albion. It was a goal of great quality and also some rarity – it had taken Wilkins three years to get his first United goal.[LNB]In addition to his 695 club appearances, Wilkins also won 84 caps for England, captaining them on 10 occasions. Known affectionately as 'Butch' from his school days, he was also given less flattering monikers, such as 'Squareball Wilkins' and 'The Crab' because of his style of play and reputation for passing the ball sideways rather than forwards.[LNB]After retiring in 1997 at the age of 40, Wilkins became manager of Fulham, alongside former England team-mate Kevin Keegan as 'Chief Operating Officer'.[LNB]Wilkins managed to take Fulham to the Second Division play-offs, but was surprisingly sacked by Chairman Mohamed Al Fayed before the first game took place. After leaving Fulham, Wilkins worked as a coach at Chelsea and also Watford, alongside Gianluca Vialli, but on both occasions he was sacked along with the Italian.[LNB]He spent the next year working mainly as a television pundit before joining Millwall as assistant manager to Dennis Wise, in October 2003. Wilkins left the club along with Wise in May 2005, but returned in a consultancy role from March to October 2006. [LNB]Wilkins was also assistant to Peter Taylor with the England Under-21s until Taylor's departure in early 2007.[LNB]He returned to his spiritual home in September 2008 when he was appointed as assistant first-team coach to Scolari, following Steve Clarke's departure to West Ham.[LNB]Several times this season he has addressed the media in place of Scolari, and on Saturday he came to the defence of the Brazilian in the face of criticism from some fans following the goalless draw against Hull, claiming the call for his sacking was a "tad out of order". [LNB]Whoever comes in, Wilkins is likely to remain to keep some stability at a club who are desperate for some permanence. [LNB]
