Chelsea Football Club

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Artinho made the best point about they couldnt do any of it without the fan base. So when they treat fans, not just at this club, for granted, or even worse with arrogance and disdain, then they deserve a bit of flak

Absolutely. Unfortunately, materialist gain is more important than a fanbase nowadays, because there are always plastics who will happily and blindly pump hundreds of pounds in tickets and merchandise into the club at every available opportunity. We are a brand now, and like all brands, caring about those already acquired in terms of support matters very little. Now all that the corporate megalomaniacs in charge of this club care about is getting more fans in Asia and America, as opposed to our British/European core of fans that have been largely loyal through thick and thin. Although at this minute, if I was a Chinese football fan, Chelsea would be the last time I'd want to follow.

[Idiot 71]

'Supporting' on an internet chat forum from a foreign country since gogo blues !!became financially awash is I should imagine a rather flexible and easy to walk away at any time hobby.

Don't know what your problem is but it's childish to blame me because I'm from germany.... You don't know how much of my money or time I spent on the club and you don't know if I'm a fan of the abramovich era or of the time before success came to the bridge... No reason to make me a 2nd class fan only because of an opinion you don't like Mr. Moderator

[Melanicus 5,208]

They do with hard earned cash, time, travelling, and an emotional investment that is devoid of the board and owners. if every fan walked away tomorrow (say Rafa arrived), the board and owners would clear off, but the fans have nothing to sell. If the board and owners want out another buyer is always available for the 'investment vehicle'

Good points Fulham Broadway! Fully agree with you!

[Melanicus 5,208]

Example of plastic fan. I read this page daily and I'm just embarassed. Why did they chose Chelsea? They think that by liking this page, they automaticly become Chelsea fans? They think that they are same fans as guy who goes to every Chelsea match for 40 years now? No, they are not. Our true fans will show, when Chelsea won't be succesful again. I saw few posts on this forum, when we lost matches and few users said that they don't want to support Chelsea anymore. I mean, fuck off then, you glory hunters.

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

Don't know what your problem is but it's childish to blame me because I'm from germany.... You don't know how much of my money or time I spent on the club and you don't know if I'm a fan of the abramovich era or of the time before success came to the bridge... No reason to make me a 2nd class fan only because of an opinion you don't like Mr. Moderator

Unbeliveable. Its not all about you.

''Is it because ise German?' Youre not a new Sacha Baron Cohen character by any chance. it was a general point about ease of casuality and the fickle nature of being a cyber fan..

[Idiot 71]

In a conversation between us it's no sideblow towards me if you criticise foreign fans? whatever you are the real fans because you are old and you have the oppurtunity to go to every match.... :tophat:

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

In a conversation between us it's no sideblow towards me if you criticise foreign fans? whatever you are the real fans because you are old and you have the oppurtunity to go to every match.... :tophat:

Brilliant. Is it because i'm old ?

Its harder for most fans to watch the team with any longevity. The club relies upon a large section of the fans at SW6 on matchdays to have a 'matchday experience' , a revolving door -(pretty much how it is for the managers). people who will come once , by a load of megastore stuff, peruse the museum, and whose experience is part of the London Eye, Madame Tussauds trip.

There is probably 2-2500 regular Chelsea fans who go to away games -diabolical when you think of the status of the club, and symptomatic of how fragile the state of Premiership football is, with an over reliance as BLion said on the 'brand', along with TV money. Atrocious also when you think we had 6-8000 regular away fans when in the 2nd division....

[Idiot 71]

It's great that they travel to away games and I aprecciate it very much but that doesn't mean that they are better fans than foreign people who visit the bridge once in a year packed full of merchandise and makin stadium tours and visitiing the museum... For those fans it's a adventure and a dream to be there.... To blame them for this is condescending....

And it's not because you are old... i don't care about age or where people come from... But you do...

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

Nice personal message there Idiot...

''Just fuck off and be proud of your age and youre British''

Now if I'd said something similar to you....

[Idiot 71]

useless

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

Well thats it then you've won the argument with that rapier sharp incisive comment

I really thought your user name was ironic at one point

[Idiot 71]

Why don't you just stop it? I'm already laughing about us.... this has gone way too far and there's still no end in sight.. let's hug

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

Oh I was enjoying that.

If I hug, youre not going to stab me in the back with your other hand ?

[Idiot 71]

Thats a risk you would have to take.... remember... im german

[capriccioso 2,545]

As a foreign fan, I want to go to an away match just as much as I want to see Stamford Bridge. The notion of being surrounded by fanatical Mancs/Scousers etc. while wearing a Chelsea shirt defiantly appeals to me.

Having said that, should I ever move to England (unlikely as the weather is shocking and I'll never be able to leave Australia without getting homesick in a few weeks), I'll make it a point to try and attend as many away games as possible.

[Kojo 4,676]

Bruce Buck is a Chelsea legend, FACT!, Bruce Buck invests great ideas into the club and also is right about everything he says

Remember what he said at the begining of the season?

''AVB will be manager for longer than 15 years''

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Some say the emotional investment Abramovich has is to stop court cases like the recent Berezovsky one being held abroad where 'justice' may not be so favourable. He may be a Chelsea fan ,and I beleive he does love his football, and is a much better owner than say the Glazers. But when you have 10bn the amount spent on CFC is peanuts -hes spent four times as much on boats, and to call it hard earned money is laughable

Indeed. I think he's grown to care for the club, when he started off it was perhaps a 'toy' for him, but I think he genuinely wants to see success for the club and fans. He may make rash decisions but that's down to him being surrounded by a board that don't care about the football, they simply care about their bonuses at the end of the year etc. People like Buck and Gourlay, they should've gone after the CPO fiasco.

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

Indeed. I think he's grown to care for the club, when he started off it was perhaps a 'toy' for him, but I think he genuinely wants to see success for the club and fans. He may make rash decisions but that's down to him being surrounded by a board that don't care about the football, they simply care about their bonuses at the end of the year etc. People like Buck and Gourlay, they should've gone after the CPO fiasco.

Too right comrade. Have you seen the Times today ?

Incredible. Two page spread, very interesting reading.

'If the clubs transfer policy seems chaotic thats because it is. The clubs main targets are determined by a variety of individuals who compete for influence over Abramovich.'

'The main power bases at the moment are built around Ron Gourlay, Michael Emelano, Piet de Visser, RA personal scout, and Marina Granovskaia, his PA, who is believed to have advised the owner to dump the old guard.

So we have his PA, the former Notts County defender Emelano and a scout deciding key policies at the club. Fantastic.