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Does anyone think the FFP rules are anything more than fantastical nonsense? Just the same as the ‘fit and proper owner’ test.
How on earth can a club owned by a Mr R Abramovic be 1.5 billion quid in debt to a holding company owned exclusively by a Mr R Abramovic and that’s all apparently perfectly legit?
The FA won’t do a bloody thing because it’s Chelsea, same as they don’t do anything about the same at Citeh or they wouldn’t at any other ‘Big Club’ (tm)
The wheels of the gravy train must be suitably lubricated
It’s a joke, but despite the best efforts of the FA, Chelski may well be ****ed anyway.
Well it's looking increasingly nervy being a Leeds fan. It was only a month ago that we drew 3-3 with Villa at Villa Park. This evening we got stuffed 0-3 at home and managed the sum total of one shot on target during 90 minutes.
If we don't beat Norwich on Sunday I think we will be in real trouble and probably favourites to fill the final relegation place.
I still can't understand why we didn't buy anyone in the January transfer window knowing that 3 of the main players had long term injuries.
How on earth did the Brighton goalkeeper get away with that? That would have made Harald Schumacher wince.
My brother in law is a lifelong Chelsea fan and goes to all home and most away games and has done for the last 30 years....he's not at all fazed by the current situation and has said on many occasions since Chelsea got rich and successful that he would happily trade all of that to get the old days of playing low flight clubs back again. He and the crowd he meets each week almost prefer to go and play Wigan or Colchester and almost sadisticly likes it when they loose? I think he'd quite relish them being demoted actually.
How on earth did the Brighton goalkeeper get away with that?
Absolutely agree - there seemed a few times when VAR didn't seem to be worth having in that game
He and the crowd he meets each week almost prefer to go and play Wigan or Colchester and almost sadisticly likes it when they loose? I think he’d quite relish them being demoted actually.
The perverse logic of footy fans. City used to get bigger crowds at Maine Road after they were relegated and playing Gillingham
I can’t say I’m particularly enjoying us being absolutely shite, to be honest, though there is a certain novelty to not being the most hated club in Manchester 😂
Hats off to the Newcastle fans for the chorus’s of “Mike Ashley! He’s coming for you!” 😂
Oh Frank!
Smart move by Rooney to avoid Everton job!
there is a certain novelty to not being the most hated club in Manchester
Poor Stockport, at least I don't hate them.
Looks like Chelsea can’t sell tickets to their FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough and have asked for the game to be played behind closed doors.
I love their reasoning...
The match should be played behind closed doors 'for matters of sporting integrity'
Do you reckon they managed to keep a straight face when they put that press release together? 'Sporting integrity' and Chelsea in the same sentence? Hmmmmmmm.
So, because Chelsea can't tell tickets to their own fans due to legal sanctions imposed on them for their blood-stained club ownership, no fans of opposing teams they play can have fans there either? Even if it's at their place?
Seems like a perfectly reasonable request.
I presume this will apply to all their home games too? So they can't have their season ticket holders at Stamford Bridge?
I dunno - I guess as this is a cup tie, it falls under “can’t sell tickets to games that haven’t already been sold” rule doesn’t it?
should give them out free to local schools
I dunno – I guess as this is a cup tie, it falls under “can’t sell tickets to games that haven’t already been sold” rule doesn’t it?
That must be the case, yes
So if Chelsea can't sell tickets to their fans for away games and they then want the match to take place behind closed doors, then that's fine...
as long as the reverse applies and their season ticket holders can't attend any remaining home games at Stamford Bridge, as they also can't sell tickets to away fans to come there?
Hmmmmmmm... I wonder if they're requesting both, or only the one of those things?
Either way.. Middlesborough have (quite rightly) told them to **** off as they've sold all their ticket allocation!
I don't think there's a ban on selling tickets to Chelsea fans, just that Chelsea can't sell tickets, so the profit doesn't end up in RA's pocket.
Move the allocation to Ticketmaster or whoever and let them sell them for a handling fee and set aside the profits, to be distributed after the mess is sorted out / new owner found (not saying they should get the proceeds, mind) or give the proceeds to help pay for the resettlement of refugees.
There's no love lost here for Chelsea but watching your team is a major part of some people's existence and I'm not entirely sure punishing them by removing that pleasure* is necessary.
* I'm a Reading fan, second club Newcastle. Pleasure is a strange concept, very close to pain.
Tend to agree with theotherjonv. While they’d be the set of fans with whom I’d have not a lot of sympathy, I’ve heard plenty who say they agree with the sanctions placed on Abramovich and just want to support their club. I think there needs to be found a way of having their fans there without revenue going to the club.
You wouldn't have thought it would be too difficult, would you?
But then we are talking about the FA and this government trying to fathom it out...
Chelsea fans like the rest of us knew, their wealth was be based on crypto-Mafia ill-gotten gains and chose to ignore this.
I know a lot of Chelsea fans.
Back to the actual footy: looks like theres going to be a proper title race on then?
Liverpool v Arsenal is going to be an interesting one on Thursday, for both teams
Should be a good game tonight at OT too. I'm not optimistic, but then I never am nowadays. Hey ho! 😀
Re: Chelsea fans
If you peel back the veneer of dirty cash from Abramovich and previously the cash support in the Harding the Messiah years, underneath you'll see a larger more successful version of Millwall. Basically a bunch of right wing/racist nasty gits. The nasty element is not on display when they win games or silverware but it will return once they have to endure sanctions for a long period of time.
What is it about football that causes people to make insulting broad sweeping statements like that about a set particular set of fans? My son is a fan and I've taken him to Chelsea several times and always had good experiences despite being a Liverpool fan myself. Surely in this day and age we can move on from those old viewpoints? I always hope that football can get to the day when fans are mixed like in rugby, but I fear it won't ever get there...
Just one point on the Boro v Chelsea game. Those who do go to away games will know that it is the away clubs sell the tickets on behalf of the home team, largely acting as agents. So that is not really the issue as Chelsea wouldn't profit (handling charges etc notwithstanding). As it's an FA Cup game, the normal process is to split the takings 50/50. Not sure on the admin side of this but surely it's within the gift of the FA to ring fence Chelsea's 50% for good causes etc?
As for feeling sorry for Chelsea fans who'll miss out seeing their handsomely-rewarded klepto-stars in action...ah well. What about those fans who's teams have missed out on winning things in the last 20 years or had their players bought by Chelsea using dirty roubles? Should they feel sorry for them?
Edit: The current structure for teams participating in the FA CUP works like this: Between the third and sixth rounds FA CUP games, 45 per cent of gate receipts are divided between both clubs, with 10 per cent heading into a central pot.
@bigdaddy - you're correct. It's a sweeping generalisation I should have said many of their "fans".
There are idiot fans at most clubs, Chelsea just happen to have a lot of them (as do others)
Fair play to the head of the Chelsea Supporters Trust who's on Five Live now saying Chelsea Football Club should withdraw their ridiculous request and basically stop moaning as it's embarrassing.
He's also making the point that if clubs had supporters involvement they might read the room a bit better than this.
Abramovich has been lauded since taking over, changing the epl to what it is now, it makes me laugh that all these organisations, people and outlets are tearing into him now, he’s not suddenly changed in any way.
It’s also funny that one of the reasons folk said he got into Chelsea was due to putin going after some of the oligarch’s who were not playing ball with him after making their fortunes, so move to London, become high profile and so on, now he’s back in Moscow and Chelsea are stuffed because of his current relationship with Putin
The Chelsea situation is somewhat ridiculous, Man City's owners are hardly from a regime to admire. As for Newcastle, arguably their owners have been doing what someone who Chelsea's owner knows had been doing recently for years, but that's OK cos we sell them their weapons.
It should in any sane world lead to a complete reform of the utterly farcical 'Fit and Proper' owners test
It won't, obviously
Too many people making too much money
The Chelsea fans I know are very far away from the far right, in fact 2 of them are university lecturers.
As said maybe back to the football, this is not a rugby thread.
Wish I had sky as the Liverpool Arsenal game could be a humdinger.
Wish I had sky as the Liverpool Arsenal game could be a humdinger.
No friends who could lend you their sky id to watch online 😁
Could Chelsea just give tickets away? To get some atmosphere, at least?
I don't have any sympathy for Chelsea Football Club as an entity - as Carragher pointed out on telly, they used their money to steamroller plenty of clubs in the past, just like MCFC; it's the way of the game, and other clubs will no doubt do in the the future (hello NUFC). If anything, the fault lies with the 'Fit And Proper Person Test', for being completely laughable.
It is a shame for the fans though, who generally don't get to choose their owners, and just want to watch their local team.
No friends who could lend you their sky id to watch online
Probably, but it's a ride night, I watch too much football, so can have night free.
I always hope that football can get to the day when fans are mixed like in rugby, but I fear it won’t ever get there…
Not quite in the same league, ahem, I used to be a regular at Whitley Bay FC. We played a team called South Park in the FA Vase - cue lots of bad jokes etc etc. However, their players, despite getting a battering, joined in with the humour heading their way, and their keeper, a rather rotund gentleman, when someone in the Bay crowd behind his goal shouted 'OMG they killed Kenny' bellowed back - 'nah mate - I ate him!'. Great team, lovely set of die-hards who'd travelled up to support them. Brilliant.
I always hope that football can get to the day when fans are mixed like in rugby, but I fear it won’t ever get there…
Dear God, NO!! I can't think of anything worse
Football's venomous, tribal rivalries is what makes it. Especially the totally baffling ones like Blackburn and Burnley. You can't beat the sound of tens of thousands of fans bellowing out incredibly offensive chants at each other on a big match day
Trade that in for men called Olly in stonewashed jeans and brogues having a pint together?
**** that!! 😉
You can’t beat the sound of tens of thousands of fans bellowing out incredibly offensive chants at each other on a big match day
The best matchday one I ever heard was at Leeds v ManU when Beckham was in his prime and his blossoming relationship with Posh Spice was national headline news.
"Does She Take It, Does She Take It, Does She Take It Up The...
My wife (then young and innocent GF) who was at her one and only football match said 'what is it they are all singing'?...
I do recall him turning to the crowd with a big grin on his face - respect to him for that 😂
^^ oh!
Reading fans are baffled as to why Swindon fans cannot read or write but are able to drive a tractor.
@binners 😂😂 agreed with the tribal rivalries but not with ‘venomous’ - that’s the bit I don’t like. Those tribal atmospheres are great, but with that can be tongue in cheek, which is different from what was written up there (which has been acknowledged). We all love the game at the end of the day!
Anyway, bring on Arsenal!!
I'm more interested on Everton/Newcastle on Thursday. If Everton lose again they are in serious trouble, and they probably will because barring the first 6 games or so their form has been record breakingly bad!
Massive game. Have you seen Everton’s run in - pretty tough, especially April. They really need a win or two.
It’s a proper 6-pointer! It’s quite compelling watching just how awful Everton are. An Everton-supporting mate has been in a state of permanent apoplexy for months now. I can understand why.
I was looking back at the start of the season: Everton had 10 points after 4 games! & only 12 from their next 22. Some slump.
You look at the money they’ve spent, then you look at their squad and the disconnect is on another level
They make Harry Maguire look like money well spent. They’ve spent Champions League money on a championship side 😂
Their defence is particularly bad. Coleman’s legs have gone, Rafa spitefully sold France’s left back, Mina can’t stay fit and Pickford and Keane always have a howler now and again.
The best matchday one I ever heard was at Leeds v ManU when Beckham was in his prime and his blossoming relationship with Posh Spice was national headline news.
“Does She Take It, Does She Take It, Does She Take It Up The…
My wife (then young and innocent GF) who was at her one and only football match said ‘what is it they are all singing’?…
I do recall him turning to the crowd with a big grin on his face – respect to him for that
Amazed anyone still finds this funny.
The minute Everton had Rooney turn them down and then hired Frank you knew they were in real trouble, where they can't even bring in a real manager.