top 5 good

1. saved the club from going bust

2. fought the property developers for years - then redeveloped the ground

3. found a good buyer to take the club forwards (bit of luck there)

4. brought in Glen Hoddle who kick-started the modern era

5. never cow-towed to the FA or the media

top 5 bad

1. changed the club crest...................er

Wasn't the club's crest changed because the Viscount Chelsea (or perhaps Lord Cadogan) objected to his family crest being incorporated into the club's logo?

2) Should have had a massive new shed stand built in the redevelopment

3) ----

4) ----

5) ----

Must say I liked Ken Bates, did they ever get to the bottom of all his financial backers etc?

3- Took away Matty Hardings Family's honourary season tickets after he passed.

Electric Fences !!??

3- Took away Matty Hardings Family's honourary season tickets after he passed.

4/ Ridiculously small Shed end being built to accommodate Ken's apartment.

Didn't sack John Neal after we nearly went down to Div 3 in 1983. Sticking with him and giving him the money to rebuild was absolutely vital to the way the club developed.

Having a foot in both camps when the property developers tried to get SB.

Looked like Father Christmas.

Looked like Father Christmas.

some say he thought he was.

Went to Leeds... is still at Leeds.

Thought that building a hotel, fitness club and travel company was a bigger priority than moving the training facilities from Harlington.

He didn't welcome any of the old seventies players back at the bridge.

Amused me at Leeds when,asfighting broke out, God walked onto the pitch arms in air , urging all participants to halt hostilities with immediate affect...

Good.

1.Got involved with the club when no-one else wanted to,(long before football was 'fashionable').

2.Saw through Brian Mears,(I don't want to talk ill of the dead,but).

3.Often forgotten,but he did stick up to the press when those vultures made up stories about us supporters,(anyone remember that London Programme on LWT?).

4.Gave John Neal time to re-build after '83,Dixon,Nevin,spackman & co arrived.....not many chairman would do that,even then.

5.Stubborn as hell,but you felt he was honest,if he thought you a fool,then he'd tell you,to your face,a rare quality thesedays.

Bad.

1.Stubborn as hell,wouldn't admit he was wrong,Colin Hutchinson must have had nightmares.

2.THAT electric fence,just what the f*ck was the old b*gger thinking?,were his supporters in the same league as his dairy cows?

If I remeber it correctly,it took a court injunction from the local authority to stop him switching it on!.

3.Could take supporters for granted,a lesson which is as relevent today as then.

4.Has a lawyer on speed dial.

5.Kept on wearing a rank ankle length fur coat,which made him look like a '70's pimp.

P.s

I think the crest was changed over issues with copyright regarding the old one,to many firms were making gear without paying Chels any cash!,imagine batesy on that one!.

Not sure the electric fence should have been in the bad!! lol

You've got to give it to the old bugger as was typical of him he didn't try to solve the problem half-hearted! Full steam ahead!

Good.

1.Got involved with the club when no-one else wanted to,(long before football was 'fashionable').

2.Saw through Brian Mears,(I don't want to talk ill of the dead,but).

3.Often forgotten,but he did stick up to the press when those vultures made up stories about us supporters,(anyone remember that London Programme on LWT?).

4.Gave John Neal time to re-build after '83,Dixon,Nevin,spackman & co arrived.....not many chairman would do that,even then.

5.Stubborn as hell,but you felt he was honest,if he thought you a fool,then he'd tell you,to your face,a rare quality thesedays.

Bad.

1.Stubborn as hell,wouldn't admit he was wrong,Colin Hutchinson must have had nightmares.

2.THAT electric fence,just what the f*ck was the old b*gger thinking?,were his supporters in the same league as his dairy cows?

If I remeber it correctly,it took a court injunction from the local authority to stop him switching it on!.

3.Could take supporters for granted,a lesson which is as relevent today as then.

4.Has a lawyer on speed dial.

5.Kept on wearing a rank ankle length fur coat,which made him look like a '70's pimp.

P.s

I think the crest was changed over issues with copyright regarding the old one,to many firms were making gear without paying Chels any cash!,imagine batesy on that one!.

I'd go along with most of those points, regards the London programme i've still got a copy of it on vhs, while i dont want to talk ill of the dead especially a ledgend like Peter Osgood, but i have to say looking back now Ossie didnt do himself any favours by apperaing on the programme & slagging the club off, at the time we were struggling & maybe could have done with all the help we could have got from the likes of Osgood but he chose to do nothing, slag us off & moan about how Chelsea had changed since his day & it was so bad that him & the 70s team couldnt get a free drink anymore in pubs near the ground(or words to that affect), he said that while sat at the bar in his own pub!

Other good points, Bates giving banned CFC fans 30+ tickets for the directors box at Luton one year.

Suing the press over & over for their bullsh*t reporting of the club.

Another bad point is the banning of tv cameras to some games, all footage lost forever, though i could understand why he did it, but as i've shown i love old footage lol!

Didn't he also help out a load of our supporters who were in court? I think he helped pay for their fee's or something

like that...

Chelsea Collection as the kit manufacturer 86-87 season

Chelsea Collection as the kit manufacturer 86-87 season

Grange Farm shirt sponser for a short while.

some good debate and yes agree some more bad points than I remember but all in all one of footballs characters

leeds fans hate him, so thats a plus aint it

is it true that he was the original Stamford the Lion, lol