You are quite right that I'd still support Spurs if someone like Abramovich brought us, but I wouldn't like it. I want us to win properly. I'd not defend the indefensible though. And i am neither jealous nor a moron. I don't think I am a troll either but I do admit to a little wumming occasionally
It's not really a case of defending the indefensible mate, I personally couldn't give a **** what anyone else thinks about how our club is ran. You will not find one Chelsea fan complaining about the shedloads of silverware won in the last 10 years or so. That's not a personal dig at you, by the way, just what I say to anyone who brings up what Roman has done for us. We are winning properly, it's some sort of bullshit morality from other fans that makes us look bad, there are no rules (yet) to say we are not allowed to invest in players fee's and wages in order to win trophies. I would love us to be a club that makes profit and still wins things, any of us would but football has changed dramatically and people may not like that but will certainly have to accept it. Football IS money.
It's more to do with running the club like a business. Joe Lewis didn't buy Tottenham because he loves the club or because he thought it would be fun to waste a load of money on. He has put the money in when needed but ultimately his aim is to improve the club to raise it's value and he's been very successful at this so far. As it stands he could walk away now a couple of hundred million richer than when he bought the club. Abramovich will never see most of the money he's put in again, let alone get out of Chelsea with a profit. Nothing to do with ambition. I'm not having a dig, whilst I do have my grievances with what you and City have done, it's definitely made the league more interesting.
Now I've joined you on the fascist police and gone through the same training/reprogramming as you, I think you're going to find we agree a lot more, comrade Drogs please log in to view this image
Your an idiot. You are bankrolled by ENIC and were in fact the first British club to float its shares on the Stock Exchange. The fact is we support Chelsea FC. The club itself, we have a connection to this club that will never be broken and will stick by it through thick and thin. I support the club, not the team. People like you support the team, not the club The money Chelsea and City spend in comparison is nowhere near as disproportionate as the money Fleetwood spend to someone like Darlington (Non-League). Fleetwood were turning down bids for players that could buy 1/3 (at least) of other non- league clubs and nobody is saying a peep. Crawley did the same thing last year. It would be the equivalent of us turning down a £350m bid for a player. Wigan and Fulham would not be where they are without their owners, Villa even moreso. If Lerner pulled out tomorrow, Villa would be in the Championship next season. Fulham are a London club and can attract investment. Wigan would not be able to afford their wages without Whelan subsidising them. Stoke were bankrolled by those Icelandic guys and now the Coates family. Wake up and look around you. The teams that are doing the best are the ones with the highest wage bills and transfer budgets (Swansea and Norwich being the only anomolies)
The only way to compete these days is huge investment. The Champions League has created an environment which further enriches those that qualify for it which opens up an even bigger divide between the top 4 English clubs and everybody else. Up until 3 years ago you could predict the top 4 without fail. Chelsea, United, Arsenal and Liverpool were streets ahead of the rest and allowed to be so because they were getting more money each year for being in the CL, television deals and being in the higher places. To my mind that isn't fair. City realised that if you can't beat em join em, the same with Chelsea when RA first come in. Why should we sit back and let United dominate the league and take all the money from UEFA and the FA to form an even bigger divide than there already was? Sky effectively took away the level playing field and created a more commercial environment which benefited the likes of Man Utd and was detrimental to the likes of Wimbledon, Oldham, Barsnley and Ipswich etc all of whom were relegated swiftly after the PL's inception. Chelsea and City are only doing what United have done but over a shorter period of time.
I admire your honesty. now, please tell me where I've defended the indefensible? I merely said - "I couldn't give a flying ****" 26 years without a trophy, two trophies before that when I started supporting our glorious club so I repeat - "I couldn't give a flying ****". Abramovich has brought the glory days to Stamford bridge and do you know what's really amusing? Wummers like you who since DAY ONE, have continually uttered bile like "wait 'til the bent Russian gets bored & pisses off" - Nearly NINE years & counting matey!
I agree with all that - Chelsea have done nothing wrong up to now. I disagree with DL - I support the club not the team but being a supporter doesn't mean I have to agree with everything the club does. But I do think it is indefensible to do nothing to abide by the FFP rules on the basis that UEFA won't be able to enforce them. If you enter a competition you should stick to the rules, period. Deliberately not doing so is cheating, whether sanctioned or not. Your fans' assumption that you can sign lots of expensive players this summer even if you take a massive financial hit from not qualifying for the CL is, in effect, calling on your club to cheat. How is that defensible or even the act of a rational supporter.
Win properly? whats that supposed to mean? Chelsea were every bit your equals before Roman ever came to town. There's no more kudos in winning an F.A.Cup whether your Bradford Park Avenue or Liverpool, winning is winning. Football ceased being a business when Sky got involved in it, Man Utd are 3/4 of a billion dollars in the **** even with their massive gates and world wide appeal. Liverpool are the same, Man City like Chelsea have benefitted from having a rich owner, of course that much is true but unlike Spurs Chelsea have been one of Europe's top 10 clubs for the best side of a decade because of that investment. If Spurs have any ambition to emulate what Chelsea have achieved their owners will have to but their hands in their pockets and stop running the club like a corner shop. You have witnessed just how much cash it takes to inject into a club to make it a force to be reckoned with as Man City have proved. Spurs are relative gate crashers in reality and have taken advantage of Liverpool, Arsenal & Chelsea's indifferent form who have stunk the place out this year. Liverpool have self imploded by spending stupid money on championship class players like Adam, Henderson & Carroll while Arsenal have been indifferent and have recently found some luck & form to overtake you. Chelsea have been committed to a rebuilding programme and got it wrong with AVB which caused massive divides within the club. Chelsea only remain 5 points behind with 24 to play for and the boys are confident despite not taking their chance at the Bridge they will like Arsenal overhaul you. When Adebayor returns to City because you can't match his wages and when Harry succumbs to a bigger pile of ready's that Levy will offer this summer. Spurs will be hard pressed to keep Bale & Modric who want away to win things. Chelsea will rebuild this summer and Arsenal will spend some of its cash also then you will see just where Spurs are with running the club like a family store and a cup side at best. Like Liverpool you have one good season and then think you've cracked it? But in reality your slip back in to doing what Spurs do best.............
Most of this is spot on. I think Chelsea should be applauded for their initial approach under Abramovich, which was to use the windfall to build a good brand and cement this into long term revenues. The trouble is I think this has led to you being over-dependent on being in the CL and if the FFP rules were strictly enforced you'd probably suffer very badly. I don't think you will actually 'do a Leeds' as Abramovich seems to be a genuine football guy and I don't think he will leave you in the lurch, but your business model is fundamentally much more risky than either Arsenal's or Spurs'. This has worked very well so far in terms of trophies so perhaps it is the right approach.
very fair post Power. Under FFP monitoring period 1 and MP2, you can write off wages pre MP1 if you are busting the 45m euro loss watershed if you are showing a downward trend. Chelsea got ballack deco ricky etc off the books for MP1 but could sign torres luis etc We'll make MP1 and MP2; by MP3 Uefa will probably have changed the rules. If City/Chelsea have a transfer embargo sanctioned or are banned from CL they will simply appeal the sentence until they get it overturned a la Kakuta.
FFP has not one chance of working as UEFA's golden boys Barca & Real will never be able to comply and the rules will be written around them.
I agree with you on this But I am just saying from the point of view of other clubs. What way would you suggest City have broken into the top 4 or gone from midtable to top 4? There simply is no other way. In the 10 years prior to the formation of the PL, the top 4 was never once the same for two seasons running because there was no Sky, Commercialisation etc meaning that no team could pull further away from another at such a quick rate. People slate Chelsea and City but United have had almost 20 years of being able to pull away from the rest simply by finishing 1st in the PL in it's first season and obviously a massive share issue (Edwards) where individual shares at the club were being sold far beyond their real values United had a great squad and there is no denying Fergie has done a great job but would they be where they are if it weren't for the above? No. Sky created an environment where it is possible for one or two teams to completely dominate. The last 10 years has been totally dominated by United and Chelsea. The only way clubs will compete is by spending as much if not more which is what City have had to do and Liverpool are trying to do and Arsenal sooner or later will do as well
