Bobby Tambling finally gets his place on Chelsea’s Shed Wall of honor

Chelsea’s wall of honor on the Shed Wall — once actually the wall of the Shed End and part of the stadium, but now just running along the southern edge of the building site — is a fairly recent addition to the Stamford Bridge experience (2016?), but one that is certainly a must see (and hard to miss) for all visitors. As you walk along the stadium, parallel to the main road, you can gaze upon the pictures of such legends as John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Peter Osgood, and many others — names that you would expect to see among any selection of Chelsea greats.

But if there is one criticism of the wall, it’s that it skews heavily towards modern times — understandable in a way, as those are the name most visitors will be familiar with, but still something that should be remedied, especially with the space limited by the size of the wall itself. One of the most glaring omissions had been Bobby Tambling, the man who was Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer for 43 years, with 202 goals across ten seasons, until he was passed by Frank Lampard in 2013.

On Thursday, ahead of Chelsea match against Slavia Prague, Tambling was inducted into the Wall of Fame. The 77-year-old, who can be seen at or around the Bridge on many a matchday still, was on hand to unveil his plaque, looking healthy and strong, taking pictures and signing autographs. What a lovely man he is!

Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Tambling won a recent fan vote to get his place, although all others up for the honors would fully deserve it — there is little doubt about the Chelsea credentials of Roy Bentley, Jimmy Greaves, John Hollins and Charlie Cooke. Hopefully next time it’s one of their turns.

Chelsea’s Shed Wall now features 17 legends. They are, in alphabetical order:

Peter Bonetti
Petr Čech
Ashley Cole
Marcel Desailly
Kerry Dixon
Didier Drogba
Ron Harris
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Branislav Ivanović
Frank Lampard
Peter Osgood
Bobby Tambling
John Terry
Gianluca Vialli
Ray Wilkins
Dennis Wise
Gianfranco Zola