Nothing to see here

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Jose'll be gone soon anyway

 

The beauty of having a billionaire benefactor is not so much the money available to spend, but the money available to lose. Look beyond this summer's acquisition of Andriy Schevchenko and the relentless pursuit of Ashley Cole and consider instead what happened within the space of two unheralded days in July. Damien Duff and Asier Del Horno were ushered out of Stamford Bridge for a combined fee of more than £15m less than Chelsea originally paid. Time for a change? Didn't work out? Whatever.

 

Chelsea's unlimited stash of 'whatever' money symbolises how they live on a different planet from everybody else. What if the departure of Hernan Crespo on a long-term loan suggests they will never see much of his £17m outlay? Whatever. How about paying £12m to Manchester United for a teenager who has never played at Old Trafford for a single second to disentangle John Obi Mikel from his contractual obligations? Whatever.

Since Roman Abramovich began underwriting Chelsea's accounts, more than £100m of whatever money has been discarded, if you include the Mikel deal. A considerable number of players have come and gone with their values tumbling between entrance and exit. In addition to Duff, Del Horno and Crespo, there was Adrian Mutu, Juan Sebastian Veron, Scott Parker, Alexei Smertin, Jiri Jarosik, Tiago. Obviously Chelsea can afford to deal with zero consequences. But it is this ability to trade so casually that illustrates the different worlds inhabited by Chelsea Football Club and the rest.

 

For 19 Premiership clubs, £100m equates to almost six years of TV money - a lifeline in the modern game on an annual basis. Any other club who haemorrhaged a similar sum would be, at best, looking to sack their entire board, or at worst, liquidated. To fritter away £100 million really is something else. If it wasn't so grotesque it would be admirable in its audacity.

 

Of course, when it comes to business, Chelsea specialise in the audacious. Locking horns with Arsenal over two players this summer, they will take extra pleasure from winning the battle twice over. They will get to sign Cole and to keep William Gallas should they so wish. The episode with their unsettled France defender is an interesting Chelsea case study. Relations between Gallas and manager Jose Mourinho have been strained for some time. The player has one year left on his contract, wants out, is only too keen to join Arsenal and has made a stand. All over the football world that is a guaranteed recipe for a transfer. But not at Chelsea. They can keep him as an exhibition of muscle flexing. If he leaves next summer for nothing on a Bosman, so be it.

 

'Hell-bent on ruining football' may be a comment Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to distance himself from when it leaked out during the summer, but it sums up the worry that persists outside of London SW6 about Chelsea's quest for global domination. It is frightening that the exposure and punishment of a tapping-up scandal neither stopped them from going back for Cole, nor approaching three young players from Leeds United, which provoked their old friend Ken Bates to cry foul.

 

It is not just in England that Chelsea's practices cause alarm. Bayern Munich's president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge disapproves of what he calls 'unacceptable' lack of budgetary controls, considering the two clubs have a comparable turnover. 'We make a ?35m profit; this is required for our investment. Chelsea can lose ?204m. Mr Abramovich obviously stumped up for it,' lamented Rummenigge. 'This makes for unequal competition, but we play against each other in the Champions League. This is not acceptable.'

 

In Spain, Barcelona's Lionel Messi confessed to hating Chelsea more than Real Madrid. In France, last week a teenage prospect the Blues had on trial chose not to swap Marseille for the King's Road. Defender Mehdi Benatia turned down their overtures, pointing to the failure of Shaun Wright-Phillips to make an impact as one of his reasons. 'Chelsea don't trust young players,' he said. 'I could earn a lot of money there, but I would stay on the bench and living that situation abroad is not what I want. Chelsea are impressive, but I am young and I need to play and compete.'

 

Fifa president Sepp Blatter, in one of his regular criticisms of the English champions, opined that 'Chelsea is an example of what should not happen'. For the club's players and manager, whose work ethic is first class, the negativity Chelsea continues to attract must be frustrating. Thierry Henry, who last week countered his disappointment in the prospect of Cole's defection across London by emphasising how much he admired Chelsea's team mentality, sings a rare song of praise from Premiership rivals who struggle to resist the blue juggernaut. 'I don't see money on the pitch,' he said. 'I see a team that fight.'

 

But Henry cannot honestly think the way they fight for supremacy from the boardroom is endearing. When will it stop? Will winning the Champions League be enough to make Chelsea relax sufficiently to loosen up on the megalomaniacal tendencies? The Champions League is the biggest profile-builder in football. A sparkling run, as Arsenal discovered last season and Liverpool the season before, takes a club, in terms of popularity and marketing, to parts of the world other club competitions cannot reach.

 

On the domestic front it does English football no benefit to accept that Chelsea's third consecutive title is inevitable. Desperadoes searching for reasoning that Chelsea can be toppled clutch at the hope that managing a squad of superstars will be problematic. It is hard to see how Michael Ballack and Shevchenko cannot provide even more options of the highest quality. But it is also easy to imagine a few noses being put out of joint.

 

When Italian football was at its wealthiest, the most consistent problem was monstrously paid players bitching and sniping about who was and wasn't on the teamsheet. Maintaining that Chelsea idea of 'the family' is a challenge. Just looking at the midfielders in Mourinho's squad, it is hard to believe Ballack, Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, Michael Essien, Arjen Robben, Joe Cole, Mikel, Wright-Phillips and the seldom seen Lassana Diarra can all be happily accommodated.

 

Sooner or later, there may be some more 'whatever' money to add to the pile.

 

seen it before with Real. Went horribly wrong. Jose's longest in a managerial job to date is 2.5 years. he's gone next summer.

 

2 semis to us, 0 EC's to them.

 

f*** them, even the Mancs have more class

[R A Softlad]

That's saying something.

[Guest Jack Bauer]

We can no texpcept that celsea will f***in win ta fthird title in a orw.

 

f*** THEM

AND f*** LAMPARD THAT FAT f***IN c*** LIVERPOOL FC IS THE GETSTET CLUB IN THE WRODL WITH HE GREATEST FAGNS AND WE WILL WIN AND WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS OVER CHELSEA, TOMMOROW AND FOREVER/

[meepins]

Since Roman Abramovich began underwriting Chelsea's accounts, more than £100m of whatever money has been discarded

 

Throwing away money like that tells me this guy knows something a lot of people don't.

It goes against what people with wealth and power pursue.. more wealth and power.

[Guest Jack Bauer]

If I had the money that he did, I would use it to further humanity and it's evoluation, not for stuff like footbal.

[Runehammer]

If I had the money that he did, I would use it to further humanity and it's evoluation, not for stuff like footbal.

 

 

The trouble is that people with that noble mindset tend not to acquire that kind of money, it's the selfish, ruthless barstewards that get most of it.

 

I'd like him more if he would see his way to chucking a few million a season at the likes of Wrexham and the plethora of other clubs going to the wall but he's not a football man.

[Des]

If I had the money that he did, I would use it to further humanity and it's evoluation, not for stuff like footbal.

 

Jack Bauer, millionaire philanthropist.

 

Into what areas would you concentrate your largesse to ensure you could further mankind's evolution to the greatest extent? Just curious. like.

Edited August 13, 2006 by Des

[Knox_Harrington]

Jack Bauer, millionaire philanthropist.

 

Into what areas would you concentrate your largesse to ensure you could further mankind's evolution to the greatest extent? Just curious. like.

Surely there's an unspoken rule that you shouldn't cross-question drunken posting?

[sutty]

Surely there's an unspoken rule that you shouldn't cross-question drunken posting?

 

It used to be unspoken

 

Now look at it

[Des]

Surely there's an unspoken rule that you shouldn't cross-question drunken posting?

 

Was a joke.

[Knox_Harrington]

Was a joke.

So was mine. Clearly we both need to try harder!

[Guest Jack Bauer]

Jack Bauer, millionaire philanthropist.

 

Into what areas would you concentrate your largesse to ensure you could further mankind's evolution to the greatest extent? Just curious. like.

 

I would build a starship.

[growler]

I said this in another thread, but you have to feel the fans (the real ones)who still have to pay 50 quid for a friendly.

you would think the club could afford to give them a 'gift' of one season free season ticket or something.

[Andy @ Allerton]

I said this in another thread, but you have to feel the fans (the real ones)who still have to pay 50 quid for a friendly.

you would think the club could afford to give them a 'gift' of one season free season ticket or something.

 

 

Nah. Chelsea fans have always been knobheads.

 

As I was sat on Cardiff Central station platform 1 waiting for the Brum N Street train - some charming couple went past (in their 50s) singing in Cocker-nee dontcha know about Michael Shields and some charming ditty about his treatment by the prisoners and also other witty songs about Scaaarsars..

 

Chelsea have always been bigger scum than even the Manc knobheads (I'm not saying all Manc fans are knobheads - but they have their share)

 

Chelsea = utter scum. Anyone that has been near their f***ing s***ty ground will be well aware.

Edited August 14, 2006 by Andy

[Scally the Wag]

I used to live very very close to their gound.

 

I would like to say that in those days, with the incredibly ugly Shed and its incredibly thick skinheads, they were certainly candidates for the worst fans award.

 

But Millwall always gave them a fair run for the money.

[Leo No.8]

The trouble is that people with that noble mindset tend not to acquire that kind of money, it's the selfish, ruthless barstewards that get most of it.

 

I'd like him more if he would see his way to chucking a few million a season at the likes of Wrexham and the plethora of other clubs going to the wall but he's not a football man.

 

Actually to be fair Abramovic has donated an enormous amount of money to the very poor part of Siberia from which he comes.

 

I don't dislike him really, seems a nice enough bloke.

[Stevie H]

Actually to be fair Abramovic has donated an enormous amount of money to the very poor part of Siberia from which he comes.

 

I don't dislike him really, seems a nice enough bloke.

he / his companies raped the f***ing region leo. he might well be a nice bloke, but that's only because he's a gimp for some very sinister and powerful people behind him.

[Leo No.8]

he / his companies raped the f***ing region leo. he might well be a nice bloke, but that's only because he's a gimp for some very sinister and powerful people behind him.

 

Don't really know the ins and outs of it Stevie, so I'm sure you're right. I'm only going on an article I read it The Times a long time back about how the people there love him and the £2bn he's put into the region.

 

Of course I know there's a lot going on behind the scenes there, and I'm sure there are some pretty sinister people involved. Just can't bring myself to dislike him particularly, as I've just never heard him say or do anything that annoyed me.

 

Apart from giving Chelsea all his f*cking money of course...

[Bootle Buck]

Abramovich could have quite easily come into the league and built Chelsea like all other teams. Instead he has bought himself two titles that will go down in history as just that. A team that went from nothing to spending 300 million on players just for the heck of it. It will be even funnier watching the b******s implode over the years as the Russian gets bored and moves on. When money is not an issue and he has had his fun the Chavs will become the run of the mill team they had been for 30 years.

[Eskimo]

According to the Guardian they have just put tickets for the Citeh game on general sale allowing people to buy upto 4 at a time..

[Gilps]

According to the Guardian they have just put tickets for the Citeh game on general sale allowing people to buy upto 4 at a time..

 

Well, they must all be skint after forking out for a trip to Cardiff.

[Cobs]

Abramovich could have quite easily come into the league and built Chelsea like all other teams.

like Blackburn in 1994 for instance....

[Gravy]

totally irrelevant to the point but thanks for playing

 

Your welcome.

[Andy @ Allerton]

I am astonished that some people seem to dislike Chelsea more than the Mancs.

 

Have a word!

 

Man U routinely spent £15M, £20M, £25M, £30M - how does this differ?

 

Football goes around in circles - at the moment - it's Chelsea - this affects us less than it does (for instance) Man U or Arsenal as Man U have fans which will eventually leave to support someone else as they have a large prawn butty brigade plus they have crippling debts they need to pay interest on. Arsenal need to finance their new ground.

 

We have a core set of fans and haven't been used to winning the league for quite a while now - so the financial state of our club is we can handle it - it doesn't mean the end of the world - we can at present continue not winning the league without it putting us out of business.

 

In the end Ambromovich will get bored/get arrested/get assassinated and football will move on - the only big thing that will likely happen in future history is that Chelsea will go bust way before any other club on Earth - once their money man moves off - their wage bill and expenses and balance sheet will be one no club will envy.

 

So take a chill pill - laugh at the Mancs not winning owt and then chuckle when Chelsea end up in the Conference.

[Cobs]

and you're completely ignoring the fact that no-one needed to buy Milan's frontline in the early 90s

 

English Clubs had been banned from Europe for 5/6 yrs, SKYs money hadn't really kicked in and there was this little club from Division 2 without a title since 1914 suddenly breaking the British transfer record.

 

They bought the title.