Chelsea Football Newsletter
Former Chelsea forward Bobby Tambling has died at the age of 84, his former club Crosshaven have announced.
Tambling’s haul of 202 goals in 370 appearances for the Blues made him the Stamford Bridge club’s all-time top scorer until 2013, when Frank Lampard broke his record.
Tambling made his Chelsea debut as a 17-year-old in 1959 and was part of the side which won the League Cup in 1965, scoring against Leicester in the final.
His five goals in a single match against Aston Villa in 1966 remains a Chelsea record, while he also netted a consolation in the 1967 FA Cup final defeat to Tottenham.
He won three caps for England and had a spell at Crystal Palace before finishing his career in the Republic of Ireland.
Having settled in Cork, he managed local sides Cork Celtic, Cork City and Crosshaven.
In recent years Tambling had been diagnosed with dementia.
A Crosshaven statement posted on X said: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that Crosshaven AFC announce the passing of our dear friend and former manager, Bobby Tambling — a true Chelsea legend and an even more wonderful human being.
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“His passion for football was absolutely infectious. Whether he was talking tactics, working on set pieces, or telling stories from his playing days (sometimes for the tenth time), you couldn’t help but hang on every word.
“Bobby leaves an enormous hole in all our lives. We are all better, kinder, and richer for having known him.
“His warmth, his wisdom, his humour and his love will stay with us forever. To his loving family, his close friends, and his adoring Chelsea family — we send our deepest, most heartfelt condolences.
“We have all lost a true legend, and a very special man.”