PETER KENYON

By dixon9
January 20 2009

Being the world’s potentially richest top flight club brings pressure and hypocrosiy from the media and opposition fans alike. It can lead other powerful clubs in European football, insecure in their future ability to slice away their usual piece of the financial pie, to exert maximum influence over authorities to indirectly gain an advantage on the pitch. Kenyon, for one is glad to be out of it.

. 

Of course, we won’t be “out of it” just yet. 

Manchester City and QPR are both potentially richer than us but they are not yet competing in Europe’s premier competition (QPR aren’t even in England’s top flight) but there is a certain air of relief in at least not being top dog as far as the green stuff is concerned.  

"We are delighted not to be the richest club any more and other clubs may spend more without having as much success on the pitch.”

“This would dispel the idea that we have just bought our titles. We have taken sound financial decisions recently regarding trimming costs.

"We are not generally in the market for players at present as the best players are not usually available mid-season and it takes new players time to adapt.

Respect - Do we need it?

Respect in world football can also be enhanced by that old cliché “running the club as a business” - at least as far as Platini´s UEFA and the British media are concerned.

That said, if you stop an Italian or Spanish football fan in the street and ask his/her opinion about the morality of huge injections of cash from wealthy owners into football clubs you are invariably met with a blank expression!  Not surprising really I suppose when they are used to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Juventus etc who have throughout history received massive, not earned in football, financial power from the most dubious sources (and we’ll probably find that Platini isn’t so eager to do anything about that).

Financial Model

Nevertheless, Kenyon was quick to trumpet the fact that we had a financial plan from the beginning and that that plan is working.  He also, not surprisingly, took the opportunity to rub it in to the doom merchants with regard to Abramovich:

"We have a long-term plan with him and will build on what we have achieved so far.

"We are in great shape and the best thing we can do is win trophies and be self-sufficient.

"We have had investment of £600m in the last five and a half years with excellent facilities and football during that time. Next year we expect our operating profit to break even. Our financial accounts for 2007-08 are published in February and any notions about the owner losing interest are dispelled in that. The owner does not have to sell Chelsea and he doesn't want to."

Stamford Bridge, Chelsea v Arsenal 1947 

Historeeeeee!

Manchester City (and who knows, maybe even QPR) will soon find it’s not all roses having wads of cash – especially if you have little contemporary reputation in European football.  

Chelsea can at least point to the fact that we won a few European and domestic pots in the decade preceding the Abramovich era.  Indeed, we were not out of the top 6 in the top flight for the 5-6 previous seasons and had also played in and later qualified for the Champions League.  We even have the 5^th highest average attendance in English league history and the highest league attendance ever at a home ground.

We do have standing (no matter how much the revionists attempt to re-write football history) but even though Manchester City were once a powerful force in English football, alas for them, it was a long, long time ago.

They don´t like it up em!

No. Money doesn't bring everything and City fans are already finding out what it’s like to be at the sharp end – all they have to do is turn on the radio or read a newspaper to witness the bitterness from rival quarters. The transfer market is also no turkey shoot (as they saw last night when Kaka turned them down). 

Good luck to City though.  Anyone who is prepared to step through the large hole we left in the door when we gate-crashed the party of the cartel created by the top clubs in England and Europe with the Premier League and G14, earns my approval – a few more like us and the playing field whilst not being level, will at least have less large bumps and divots in it.

But as far as our beloved Chelsea is concerned it is still by no means over. No. It will take a few more pots (domestic and European) in the trophy cabinet before we are invited to partake at the table of the old guard of European football clubs. I just hope that when we get there, we perhaps dine on something different than the others.

Kenyon delighted to be no longer number 1

Discussion started by 50 Years Over 100 Years , 20/01/2009 20:23

50 Years Over 100 Years
20/01/2009 20:23

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Since 66
20/01/2009 20:43

Article rite up your street Dixie fella

I can't wait for the figures to be published and the news stands spontaneously combusting with the media going into overdrive and HOPEFULLY this board going into meltdown with fans from our rivals, giving it large





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dixon9
20/01/2009 21:04

Agreed!

And we are used to fending off oppo fans aren´t we? We need to be fine swordsman at times on this board!





"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.

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Since 66
20/01/2009 21:19

on guard





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