Roman Abramovich Will Be Missed By All Chelsea Fans
"I would like to address the speculation in media over the past few days in relation to my ownership of Chelsea FC. As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the Club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners." --- Roman Abramovich. March 3, 2022
Chelsea F.C… A History of Money, Under-performance & Inconsistency
Introduction
In January 2005 while abroad at Queen Mary University of London, I played a semester of club rugby, met a ton of friends for life, and immersed myself in Premier League Football. There were two “gentlemen” on the team I got on really well with, Teflon John and Mr. Dyson, whom both happened to be long-time Chelsea F.C. supporters. It is often said you don’t pick your team; it picks you, and in 2005, the Blues picked me.
From Gus Mears to Roman Abramovich, Chelsea F.C. Have Benefited from Two Ambitious Moneyed Patriarchs
Stamford Bridge is the Crown Jewel of Chelsea F.C. but Home Support Lacks Fervor
Chelsea F.C. Players Have Always Been a Tad Over Paid. They Just Achieve More Silverware These Days
One of the biggest things I learned from Rick Glanvill’s book is that even prior to Roman Abramovich, Chelsea have always been a team that has had the money and the large crowds. What’s different now, is the success as measured in trophies. Undoubtedly some of the best footballers of each generation have played for the club (Greaves, Tambling, Bonetti, Osgood, Bridges, Venables), but prior to Abramovich and Jose Mourinho, they have failed dismally to consistently bring home silverware. Historically, Chelsea F.C. have been seen as a club that collects talented players that don’t blend well. But all of this changed after 2003. The following is a visual representation of what Chelsea F.C. has morphed into as a result of Roman Abramovich’s and eventually Jose Mourinho’s impacts:
Where Do We Go from Here? Chelsea F.C. Will Always Be London’s Bohemian Football Club
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The club is currently underperforming with Maurizio Sarri as manager, and this underperformance may cause them move on from yet again another manager.
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The pending transfer ban coupled with some consistent misses in the transfer market have left them once again with a miss match of players that don’t all gel together.
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A real concern over whether Roman Abramovich is fatigued at this point as Chelsea F.C. owner. Their model now looks to be outdated
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Stamford Bridge is once again a problem as the club desperately need to figure out how to expand the capacity of its home ground. Looking to their North London rivals and seeing Arsenal’s home ground and Tottenham’s new home ground each with capacities of 60K+ must not feel great, especially as their original redevelopment plans have been shelved given Roman Abramovich’s “issues.”
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The club still doesn’t have a technical director. Historically, Chelsea F.C. have a history of football directors that lack knowledge of football and don’t take a back seat to those with the knowledge. With out a technical director, major decisions seem to fall on the plate of Marina Granovskaia, long-time confidant of Roman Abramovich.
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Chelsea F.C. need a new stadium as Roman Abramovich thinks long-term
Introduction
Revenue Sources for a European Football Club
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- Match day generates 19% of total revenue
- Broadcast rights generate 40% of total revenue
- Other commercial sources generate 41% of total revenue.
Current Chelsea F.C. Match Day Revenue
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- Manchester United’s average attendance at Old Trafford is 75,345 with a max capacity of 75,635. United’s home ground is 1.82 times larger than Stamford Bridge
- Arsenal’s average attendance at Emirates Stadium is 59,951 with a max capacity of 60,260. Arsenal’s home ground is 1.45 times larger than Stamford Bridge
- Manchester City’s average attendance at Etihad Stadium is 53,897 with a max capacity of 55,097. City’s home ground is 1.33 times larger than Stamford Bridge
What Is Preventing Chelsea F.C. from Building the 60,000+ Stadium of their Dreams?
Expand Stamford Bridge to 60,000+ and Move to Wembley Stadium in the short-term
[1]SPORTS BUSINESS GROUP. “Top of the table: Football Money League” Deloitte 1 Jan. 2016. Web Retrieved 1 Feb. 2016.
UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulation protects Europe’s elite football clubs and Chelsea F.C. have benefited from the timing of its implementation.
Introduction
Principles within UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulation
Compliance with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulation
Case Study: Chelsea F.C. 2003 to the Present
Chelsea F.C. Key Financial Statistics: 2003 to 2014
Why FFP falls short of the Mark
Jose Mourinho … It’s time for you to come home to West London. Chelsea F.C. needs you.
Chelsea are currently third place after 17 games and 11 points off pace. They have also been knocked out of Champions League. We need a proven manager (not named Rafa Benitez or Pep Guardiola) who has been there before. We need a manager who knows how to handle player egos. We need a manager who values defense first and protects results. That manager is Jose Mourinho.
The “Post-Didier Drogba” era has begun at Chelsea F.C.
And who knows… maybe in this “rebuilding year,” they can pull of the improbable back to back European Cup double just like the 1979 and 1980 Nottingham Forest teams……..
But almost certainly not.