Alan Hudson

Alan Anthony Hudson (born 21 June 1951) is an English former footballer who played for Arsenal, Chelsea, Stoke City and the Seattle Sounders as well as the England national football team.

Club career

Chelsea Born and brought up near the King's Road, Hudson was initially rejected by the club he supported as a boy, Fulham, before signing schoolboy terms with Chelsea. Injury denied him the chance to become Chelsea's youngest-ever player, aged 16, and he eventually made his senior debut nine months later on 1 February 1969 in a 5–0 loss against Southampton. Hudson found himself in a Chelsea side noted for its flair and skill, complete with equally flamboyant footballers such as Peter Osgood and Charlie Cooke. It was during the 1969–70 season that he established himself as the team's creative playmaker, in the midfield of a 4–2–4 formation alongside the more defensive John Hollins, creating goal opportunities for Osgood and Ian Hutchinson, and enabling Chelsea to finish 3rd in the First Division.

Hudson played in every match in Chelsea's run to the FA Cup final in 1970, but then missed the final itself due to another injury when they beat Leeds United 2–1 in a replay at Old Trafford, having drawn 2–2 at Wembley. He did, however, play a major role in Chelsea's replayed European Cup Winners' Cup final win against Real Madrid in Athens a year later. Chelsea lost 2–1 to Stoke City in the 1972 League Cup final at Wembley, before which he sang with the rest of the squad on the club's 1972 record Blue Is the Colour, which peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. The club's debt burden caused by the building of a new East Stand at Chelsea resulted in the failure to replace key players, and a spiral of decline began. At the same time a falling-out with manager Dave Sexton resulted in both Hudson and Osgood being placed on the transfer list in January 1974. Within a month, Hudson had joined Stoke City for a then club record of £240,000. with a reported £200,000 deal on the table.

Later career In the autumn of 1978, Hudson signed with the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

He re-joined Stoke City for £22,500 in January 1984 after Bill Asprey had consulted Waddington on how to help Stoke avoid relegation in 1983–84. He had initially made his debut against Scotland U23 at Roker Park on 4 March 1970, but the game was abandoned due to snow after 62 minutes. He separated from his wife and moved back to live with his mother, but was eventually requested by the council to leave her council property when she died in 2003. He subsequently resided briefly in a hostel for the homeless. He unsuccessfully invested £150,000 of his injury compensation in a property in Cyprus, and lived with his son until 2012 and the following year he moved back into a hostel.

Career statistics

Club statistics

A. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Charity Shield.

Indoor statistics

Honours Chelsea European Cup Winners' Cup: 1970–71 Football League Cup runner-up: 1971–72

Arsenal FA Cup runner-up: 1977–78

Individual PFA Team of the Year: 1974–75 First Division, 1975–76 First Division