Bridge building
I've been a supporter of Chelsea FC for over 30 years. When I worked in Reading from 1974-78 I used to go to Stamford Bridge quite a few times in the season. That was in the days when matches were almost always at 3pm on a Saturday. Chelsea had declined from the great team that won the FA Cup Final in 1970, and the European Cup Winners' Cup the following year. They were struggling in the old Second Division, with crowds of about 15,000 in a stadium with a 50,000 capacity. Construction of the East Stand was halted before all the facilities had been completed. It was years before the final bits were put in place.
In 1982, Ken Bates bought the club for one pound sterling and inherited its debts. Over the next two decades he struggled against all sorts of opposition from the local council, and even some of the fans, to build this sleeping giant of a club into something to be proud of. Ken is a stubborn man, who can be as charming as he can be irascible. Some of that irascibility is no doubt due to his upbringing. As a teenager he discovered that the people he had called Mum and Dad all his life were not his real parents, but had adopted him at birth. The experience shattered his trust in people, even those close to him, and he tends to see everyone as potential trouble until they prove otherwise. In the past he has banned certain journalists from the club, and the press responded by ganging up against him. Ken doesn't care. The fabulous Chelsea Village complex and the first-class facilities now available to supporters speak for themselves.
Now we've moved to the next level. When the time was right, Ken sold out to one of the richest men in the world. Roman Abramovich is a Russian billionaire, and the British press can't get their heads round that. They've tried to dig up some dirt on him, but they haven't found anything. Now British TV channel Five is having a go. And all the time our rival clubs are moaning that one man, one club, has been able to spend over one hundred million pounds on new players. A year ago, these same people were moaning that there isn't enough money in the game. Who do they suppose has Roman's hundred million now - that's right, these other clubs. But in return, we got some of their best players, and though it's early days they're starting to play like a real team. And the bit that really riles the other clubs is that all these guys get on well with each other, and can play a bit. Suddenly, Chelsea are a major force again, and all the old music hall jokes don't seem so funny any more.
On Wednesday, Chelsea beat Lazio 2-1, and top their group in the European Champions League after three games. For someone who remembers dull 0-0 draws in a stadium with no atmosphere, the transformation beggars belief. My sister and nephew are season ticket holders at Stamford Bridge, and I envy them being able to watch so many great games. Yet Chelsea have never lost that ability to shoot themselves in the foot at vital moments, and there will no doubt be a few interesting headlines as the season progresses. But for those of us who remember the way it was, this is paradise. And they say the best is yet to come.
12:18:15 AM 
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