Roman Abramovich Thread

[King Kante 1,507]

23 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

We never compete at the top end of the market, we only spend at the top end. Whichever group comes in better grasp that very quickly or preferably already be aware of it.

True. I meant more that the Saudi group will funnel enough cash to spend big (which isn't always a good thing as I can do without Kepa and Lukaku.) 

[King Kante 1,507]

Be interesting to see the short list. If it goes down to three, be best if it is a mixture rather than all Americans as I suspect only one is capable and the others will pull a Hicks/Gillett or Glazer playbook and see us as a 'franchise'.

[Superblue 6,372]

4 hours ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

I see thanks. It's just curiosity on part because I wouldn't expect non-Brits to phrase a sentence the way you did.

As for the the owners my take is that the following are entry level requirements. It's not that any bidder wins by offering these things; it's that no bid will even be considered unless it includes all of:

• Deep pockets.
• High calibre, competent, experienced people.
• Commitment to building a new stadium.
• Commitment to doing what is necessary to keep CFCM & CFCW competitive domestically and in Europe.
• Commitment to maintaining Cobham's standards.
• Commitment to retaining Thomas Tuchel.
• Commitment to retaining Neil Bath.
• Commitment to attempting to retain Maria Granaskaia.
• Commitment to continue the 'good citizen' behaviour the club has stood for under Roman.
• Commitment to non-executive fan involvement at board level.
• Commitment to working with the CPO.
• Commitment to retaining Peter Osgood's statue as a feature of any rebuild whether at Stamford Bridge or elsewhere.

Once the bidders have been whittled down to only those consortia matching these criteria, then we set about deciding which one is the best.

Cracking list.

I'd add the attempt to secure Rudiger to a new contract to that too. Probably Azpilicueta as well. We need all the stability we can get at the moment and whilst he's no longer in his prime in a big game situation I'd still rather have Azpi in the back 3 currently over Trev.

I'd also add to the working with the CPO to extend to the foregoing of the outstanding loan too.

[MoroccanBlue 5,320]

10 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

Cracking list.

I'd add the attempt to secure Rudiger to a new contract to that too. Probably Azpilicueta as well. We need all the stability we can get at the moment and whilst he's no longer in his prime in a big game situation I'd still rather have Azpi in the back 3 currently over Trev.

I'd also add to the working with the CPO to extend to the foregoing of the outstanding loan too.

I do believe we have an option to extend Dave's contact an additional year. Which we should. Think he held his own during these past few months at RWB. 

I'd tie down Christensen too if he isn't already convinced to leave. 

[Pizy 18,460]

We keep seeing conflicting reports on whether Roman has a say on the next owner. If he does have a say I would hope he wouldn’t sell to the cheap Ricketts family whose Chicago fan base hates them for not spending any money. If he doesn’t have a say then it’ll likely come down to who can kiss this conservative governments ass the hardest. Which will probably be Ricketts…. 😒

Help us Boehly-Wan Kenobi. You’re our only hope.

[Vesper 29,099]

5 minutes ago, Pizy said:

We keep seeing conflicting reports on whether Roman has a say on the next owner. If he does have a say I would hope he wouldn’t sell to the cheap Ricketts family whose Chicago fan base hates them for not spending any money. If he doesn’t have a say then it’ll likely come down to who can kiss this conservative governments ass the hardest. Which will probably be Ricketts…. 😒

Help us Boehly-Wan Kenobi. You’re our only hope.

 

[Superblue 6,372]

1 hour ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

We never compete at the top end of the market, we only spend at the top end. Whichever group comes in better grasp that very quickly or preferably already be aware of it.

It's not a coincidence that some of Chelsea's best players throughout the Roman era have also carried low transfer values.

That's not to say we should just look for budget signings. I believe Havertz will be an absolute top player in time and will repay that investment in him. 

But we have to start buying smarter. The biggest opportunity Roman has given us is the ability to absorb bad buys, with Lukaku unfortunately looking like the next in a long line of them. We may not have this anymore which makes it even more integral that signings will work out over time.

Perhaps with new ownership comes a bit more longer term planning in the transfer market. The right player isn't available? Ok let's keep our powder dry and work with what we have instead of buying an alternative (e.g Lukaku) because they're available.

[Pizy 18,460]

With those racist comments from one of the Rickett’s family member in the last I wonder if we’d instantly see fan protests if he wins the bidding. That would be hugely embarrassing to them…

[Superblue 6,372]

1 hour ago, Pizy said:

With those racist comments from one of the Rickett’s family member in the last I wonder if we’d instantly see fan protests if he wins the bidding. That would be hugely embarrassing to them…

Looks like they're planning to come to London to visit the CST and CPO which makes me assume (1) they are either extremely confident or have been given strong indications they'll be one of the shortlisted bidders, and (2) at least they are hopefully not living underneath a rock or have no care for being disliked. Getting the support of the CST and CPO will certainly be a starting point if they think this is going to work amid the swell of negative perception to them across social media, especially from across the pond.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,898]

1 hour ago, Superblue_1986 said:

I'd add the attempt to secure Rudiger to a new contract to that too. Probably Azpilicueta as well. We need all the stability we can get at the moment and whilst he's no longer in his prime in a big game situation I'd still rather have Azpi in the back 3 currently over Trev.

Rudi has also become a big personality in the squad.

1 hour ago, Superblue_1986 said:

I'd also add to the working with the CPO to extend to the foregoing of the outstanding loan too.

Good point. As I said, earlier in this thread probably, I wish Roman had forgiven the debt while he could. To be fair though I'm not really sure that he ever wanted to.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,898]

1 hour ago, MoroccanBlue said:

I'd tie down Christensen too if he isn't already convinced to leave. 

The links between Chris and Barca seem too strong, and too consistent, to be wrong. Looks like he may well have put pen to paper already.

[Superblue 6,372]

12 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

Rudi has also become a big personality in the squad.

Good point. As I said, earlier in this thread probably, I wish Roman had forgiven the debt while he could. To be fair though I'm not really sure that he ever wanted to.

Yeah I think you're right that relationship was always strained.

If there are positive's to take from it though 

(1) The CPO showed its strength and power to resist someone as rich and powerful as Roman. It should serve as a warning to any new owner to work with the CPO and not against.

(2) The hard work has been done by Roman. Dealing with the CPO and seeing their stance, and the work done on planning for how a stadium could possibly be redeveloped or rebuilt on the Stamford Bridge site. You'd like to think despite relations being strained during that time, it will hopefully lay a groundwork for a new owner to have a more positive relationship working alongside the CPO.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,898]

2 hours ago, Pizy said:

Help us Boehly-Wan Kenobi. You’re our only hope.

😂

Long, long ago, when Star Wars had just been released I refused to go and see it for the simple reason that everyone else was. This was despite the fact that my girlfriend had been trying to persuade me to see it with her. At the end of a night out in central London she spotted a late night screening so we went. Once I heard Ben Kenobi's name I just kept whisper-singing into her ear: -

Wan Ben Kenobi

There's Obi Wan Ben Kenobi

Wan Ben Keno-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-bi

There's Obi Wan Ben Keno-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-bi

 

She later turned out to be the mother of our children. Girl clearly had a high tolerance for football mad idiots. 🙂

 

Edited March 21, 2022 by OhForAGreavsie

[OhForAGreavsie 5,898]

1 hour ago, Superblue_1986 said:

Perhaps with new ownership comes a bit more longer term planning in the transfer market. The right player isn't available? Ok let's keep our powder dry and work with what we have instead of buying an alternative

Amen to this.

[Vesper 29,099]

5 hours ago, Pizy said:

With those racist comments from one of the Rickett’s family member in the last I wonder if we’d instantly see fan protests if he wins the bidding. That would be hugely embarrassing to them…

Chelsea supporters group slam ‘universally disdained’ bid from the Ricketts family

https://metro.co.uk/2022/03/21/Chelsea-supporters-group-slam-universally-disdained-prospective-owners-16317185/

The Ricketts family donated $1million to help Donald Trump get elected (Pictures: Getty)

The Ricketts family’s bid to buy Chelsea is gathering pace but faces significant backlash from a supporters group who claim their ownership would betray the values of the club.

Prospective bidders had until Friday evening to submit their offers to US merchant bank Raine, who are overseeing the sale of the west London club on behalf of Roman Abramovich.

Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family, along with another US bid from a consortium led by Todd Boehly, have become the frontrunners to win ownership of Chelsea, with over a dozen viable offers set to be whittled down to a shortlist of around three.

The Ricketts family aren’t exactly popular owners of the Cubs (Picture: Getty)

According to the Evening Standard, the Ricketts family are increasingly confident of being on that shortlist and Tom Ricketts has already held talks with the MP for Chelsea and Fulham, Greg Hands.

They are due to head to the UK in the coming days for face-to-face talks with fan groups and Chelsea Pitch Owners PLC to outline their vision, while their redevelopment of Wrigley Field is seen as a big positive – particularly as they plan to rebuild Stamford Bridge.

But Brian Wolff, head of the Chelsea Chicago Supporters Club, has warned against letting the Ricketts family take over, citing the troubles and controversies that came with the redevelopment of Wrigley Field as well as the political leanings of the family.

‘As the Head of Chelsea Chicago Supporters Club, and the Chelsea Fans’ Forum Overseas Representative, I’ve had a unique position hearing what supporters in Chicago and worldwide have said regarding the Ricketts family’s bid for Chelsea,’ he wrote.

‘I can report the vast majority of opinion has been of universal disdain.

‘The Ricketts’ political donations, fundraising and support for candidates who do not share the inclusive views of Chelsea Football Club and its supporters are wholly inconsistent with 19 years of fantastic work done by the club and the Chelsea Foundation, most notably as a leader in committing to a living wage and efforts to protect and promote equality for BAME and LGBTQ+ communities.

‘Their ownership of Chicago Cubs baseball and redevelopment of Wrigley Field raises serious doubts whether they will build upon the club’s success on the pitch, and also the continued existence of the Chelsea Pitch Owners and the goal to keep Chelsea Football Club playing at Stamford Bridge at our forever home.

‘On behalf of countless supporters worldwide, I urge you to reject their bid for ownership of Chelsea Football Club in favour of others who will commit to not only building upon the last two decades of investment in players and infrastructure, but equally important, the investment in supporters and the values we hold dear.’

Back in 2020, Tom Ricketts was openly booed by disgruntled Cubs fans at an annual convention, while prior to the redevelopment of Wrigley Park the owners threatened to move away from the iconic stadium if their plans for a larger scoreboard and additional signage were not approved.

Meanwhile, the heads of the Ricketts family, Joe and Marlene, donated $1million to a pro-Donald Trump Super PAC to help him get elected in 2016, while son Todd was the chief fundraiser for Trump’s re-election campaign – though all three had initially been never-Trumper Republicans.

Emails from Joe Ricketts also resurfaced last week in which he described Muslims as ‘the enemy’, with the Daily Mail reporting that a number of players are uncomfortable with the prospect of the family taking over.

MORE : Nick Candy ‘significantly increases’ bid to buy Chelsea after initial offer of over £2bn

MORE : Football Association plan to sell tickets to Chelsea fans for FA Cup semi-final

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[bigbluewillie 1,866]

I want Centricus😜

[DDA 9,689]

So The Ricketts are on of the favourites but yet couldn't run a bath when it comes to American Football? 

Fantastic.