The man who led Chelsea back from their last exile from the top flight has today passed away, aged 78.
Bobby Campbell was unable to prevent the Blues from slipping out of the then First Division when he was appointed as John Hollins' successor towards the end of the 1987-88 season.
Relegated via the first ever play-offs, when the format saw top teams from the division below play off against bottom teams from the one above, Chelsea found themselves in the Second Division after just four years back in the top flight.
However, Campbell's Chelsea romped to the Second Division title the following season, bagging 99 points following 29 wins and just five defeats from 46 games, and finishing 17 points clear of second-placed Manchester City.
Campbell's success did not stop there, however, leading Chelsea to fifth place in the old First Division the following year, their highest league finish in two decades, since the likes of Osgood and Hudson were strutting down the King's Road.
This was followed by an 11th place finish in the last year of the old Division One before the advent of the Premier League, after which Campbell resigned his position to become club chairman Ken Bates' personal assistant, opening the door for the disastrous reign of Ian Porterfield.
Campbell, who prior to his arrival at Stamford Bridge had done some coaching in Kuwait, returned for another short spell in the Middle East, and then went to live in Florida, where his son was a pro tennis player, for a while.
But after returning to the UK and making his home near the King's Road, Campbell was never far from Stamford Bridge in his later years - becoming part of owner Roman Abramovich's inner circle, and also being seen often at the club's Cobham training ground.
Following a playing career with Liverpool, Portsmouth and Aldershot which was cut short by injury, Campbell coached at Portsmouth, Arsenal, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday and also managed both Fulham and Portsmouth.
