The Premier League's wild rovers? So who's sniggering at Chelsea now?

Shamrock Rovers meet Chelsea tonight in the first ever competitive appearance by an Irish team at Stamford Bridge. Allan Prosser examines another twist in a surreal season in west London

MARC MADE: Marc Cucurella, centre, celebrates with team-mates Enzo Fernandez, left, and Nicolas Jackson after opening the scoring for Chelsea in Sunday’s Premier League win over
Brentford at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s unexpected turnaround has put their rivals on notice. Picture: PA

THERE was a time when the distances travelled by footballers were Hollywood glamorous. 

Nearly 50 years ago, when two Argentinian World Cup-winning stars completed an unlikely transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, supporters marvelled that they had travelled 11,000 kilometres from one continent to another to ply their trade More than 10,000 turned up to see Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa limber up at the Spurs training ground in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.