9: Chapter Nine – The Special Ones… with Joe Cole

The Premier League Storybook with Jake Humphrey

Our last two chapters detailed how Manchester United and Arsenal dominated the Premier League in one of the fiercest rivalries the game had ever seen. It needed something truly ‘special’ to break them up.
Chelsea underwent a huge transformation during the Premier League’s early years – from mid-table finishes and an old-fashioned Shed terrace to the likes of Ruud Gullit, Gianfranco Zola and Roberto Di Matteo strutting their stuff in blue.
Nothing could prepare the league, however, for a certain Russian owner firing his millions into the club as they hoovered up players and crucially securing the services of young manager Jose Mourinho – the self-styled ‘special one’.
Joe Cole was one of Mourinho’s key players and we’ll hear from him on one of the most dominant teams the league has ever seen, while rivals like Rio Ferdinand and Ray Parlour remember their battles with the Premier League’s new kings.
Chapter Nine changed the face of English football forever…