The growing criticism of Chelsea’s ownership focuses on one thing above all – a lack of communication with fans about the club and its direction. It feels we only ever hear from them at big business conferences where supporters are being referred to as consumers.
So what better next move for Todd Boehly than… doing an interview with Forbes magazine.
It covers his whole career and portfolio, which spread over music and films and sport and all sorts of investment, so the Chelsea specific content is limited. But there are some unintentionally hilarious moments. It’s a long and fairly dull biography of how a rich man became rich by moving money around, but the writer does eventually get down to some questions about Chelsea:
“We just need to let the process develop and give them the time to go from being unbelievable individual players with great skills to fold into a team,” Boehly says of the catastrophe on the pitch in two years since he and his fellow owners took over.
“The good news is people care so much. And the bad news is people care so much. That leads to times when they’re frustrated with the team and the owners. I get that, but we just have to continue to stay the course.”
His summary that “people care so much” is a rather hilarious interpretation of the vulgar abuse that gets associated with his name at pretty much every away game with a bad result these days.
We’re sure Boehly had nothing to do with the sign off the piece, which basically reads as “he doesn’t care if people like him, he’s rich and only getting richer”, but it just happens to read as a perfect summary of what Chelsea fans are afraid of – that these owners are only concerned with getting rich, not in building a competitive team and connecting with the historic roots of the club:
“Love him or hate him, Todd Boehly knows that so long as fans show up or tune in, his annuity-holding backers will get paid—and his billions will continue to grow.”
It’s not really what fans want to hear, although it’s a good reminder that they can vote with their eyeballs and their feet if they really want to drive out this ownership.
The fa is always investigating clubs to where they can implement fines and so forth. Who is investigating fa…or FIFA for that matter. When it comes to selling premier League clubs, why on earth are rain group privilege with handling procedures. How many other nationalities wanted to buy CFC. Yet it ended up with Americans. When rumours went out about United guess who were to broker the deal. Just my opinion!!!
We need another coach
What we need is team. without an i.
Once again… You guys need to do your HOMEWORK! You appear totally ignorant of Boehly’s role in making the LA Dodgers a perennial winner. So, this business of “Oh, we’re so worried he doesn’t care if Chelsea wins,” is ignorant nonsense. It’d be laughable if it wasn’t so annoying to have to listen to day, after day, after day, after…
“Oh, woe is me. A big bad Yank came and ruined my football club.” Can you hear how whiny you sound? Or how ridiculously ignorant it is of you that you assume you know what Boehly is about when you so clearly don’t even know the basics?!
He should concentrate on his LA Dodgers then. Football is not a baseball and all American sports are running in completely different way. It’s a shame you didn’t know that.
We don’t want the owners out, so keep your advice to yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day and no great team was built in a day. The likes of Man U when Alex Ferguson took over, Man City since it changed owners, Liverpool, Arsenal and even the glorious Barcelona we used to know, didn’t become formidable within a year or two!
They were built over a consistent period!
We’re so used to buying success in Chelsea, forgetting that era is gone in football as the ground is now more level due to FFP, more marketing funds, greater involvement of moneybags in club ownership etc.
This is not Mr. BOEHLY’ fault. He has splashed the money. The fault is with the manager, and the so called agents, telling Mr. BOEHLY that these players are brilliant, when they are just Championship level players. If I may suggest: When purchasing a defender, take John Terry with you. JT can then train that player to the high standard required to wear the Royal Blue. For the Mid-field take Frank Lampard and do the same. For the forwards take Didier Drogba, again the same applies. Stop relying on these BS agents who just want your money. The players will get a shock to their bank balances, when they are sold at a considerable loss, and the buying club will notmpay their exorbitant wanting wages. Especially when they play shit.
The man has put a lot of money into OUR club, whether this money has been spent well is a different matter. The game is run under different rules to sports in the USA. We want to see our academy players come through to the first team without having to sell them,to conform to FFP
We do need a BLEND of top class players as well, to pass on the experience, a certain Tiago is the prime example. Let’s bring some coaches back to the club who know what it means to wear the shirt with pride, and also how much it hurts to lose and keep on throwing winning positions away. Let’s be calm and professional,when winning and play with passion when losing. It’s better to have lost 2 nil, and have played with passion than to have thrown in the towel at 1 nil and to accept the defeat
Chris Chambers, I think your piece is spot on. As Ive said in another place, it’s the agents that need telling to fuck off. Let the club decided who’s worth the shirt and who’s not.