Yes I read that article and I didn't particularly like it. Maybe you can post a link as I've forgotten where it was. For me, he had a sense of entitlement that didn't sit right with me.

 

Roman is paying for this stadium all by himself. That is staggering when you consider it will probably cost nearer £1bn than £500m, all told. That is a sign of his commitment to us, and to his son, whom it seems he will leave the club to when he's old. How many clubs have built grounds since the Taylor Report? How much help have they had? They simply couldn't afford to do it all by themselves. Yes, maybe Fulham Road doesn't need regeneration and maybe we don't require greater transport links but even so, the stadium will improve the neighbourhood, the community, we will be building a walkway from the station to the ground and we will be restoring the bridge on Fulham Road to its former glory. We are going to provide a bit of architecture that has real merit and enhances the area, unlike many of the generic stadiums you see around. All out of Roman's pocket. Yes he can afford it, and in that sense we're lucky, but this will dent a massive hole in his wealth, make no bones about it. At Chelsea, we don't get CPOs to help us expand, unlike other clubs, because the area doesn't need regeneration, we haven't had any help at all with our attempts to move, in fact local government has stood in our way. If it wasn't for Roman we'd be f**ked, we'd be watching all our London rivals move or expand, with lots of help, and we'd be stuck on the same site without any chance to expand, in a ground that has fallen way behind. In an age of FFP, our rivals would grow while we'd fall behind.

 

No help from anybody in our need to move or expand. We're probably unique in that sense. Thank f**k for Roman. In many ways we've been very fortunate to have such a wealthy owner, obviously, but in terms of the stadium issue, we've been very unfortunate, until now, we hope.

 

Why do I say all this? Because if he wants 15000 corporates he can have 15000 corporates as far as I'm concerned, assuming that figure is correct. The ground is there to make money, to help make us competitive, and on average a corporate spectator pays ten times more per game than your non-corporates. That's the figure I was given at the consultation. Ten times more.

 

Right now we have precious few corporates when you compare ourselves to bigger clubs. We get about 5000 in, and the facilities, because of the lack of space, are far inferior to those offered at the Emirates, Old Trafford etc. Also, when West Ham and Tottenham move, they'll have top notch corporate facilities and lots of them. We can't afford to fall behind. Modern stadia are built with this in mind.

 

I say all this because this is where the money is. It's in our interest to get that corporate dollar. That's just the way of the modern game. You ignore the corporate dollar at your peril, sad as that may be.

 

So, right now we "only" have 5000 corporates. An expansion was always going to involve this figure dramatically increasing, to be more in line with other, bigger grounds. What did we expect? If the figure of 15000 is correct, that's a quarter of the new capacity, but that quarter helps keep the other three-quarters paying less, and we still get about 8000 more seats available for general admission, and we know from the consultation that both stands behind the goals will be corporate-free and also that the middle tiers in the East and West won't be exclusively corporate, to avoid the "ring of silence" that exists at Wembley and the Emirates for example.

 

In that article Rolls asked what would happen if demand to watch football decreased? Would we be left with loads of empty corporate seats? The answer is simple. Tickets will become cheaper. It's simple supply-and-demand economics.

 

That's just my take on it. Do we expect Roman to pay for all this, to give us an incredible stadium, to solve our massive stadium issue, and then expect him to bankroll us further by disadvantaging us when it comes to match day revenues, or to ignore the reality of FFP? No he's giving us a bigger ground, hopefully, he's keeping us at SB, hopefully, he's giving us an extra 8000 "cheap" seats, hopefully. 

 

For my money Rolls is being a bit ungrateful. It's not a perfect world. We have to accept reality. We should just be all hoping and praying this comes off.

Was just looking back through this post and saw that you replied. Didn't get the notification for some reason. 

 

I'm inclined to agree with you if Roman is funding this all out of his own pocket. However 15000 is a lot of people. I really doubt that we would fill those corporate seats for all matches. The boxes that we do have available always look half full. I guess your argument about having expensive corporate seats makes our seats cheaper but I don't really think it factors in that much. They're still going to squeeze us for every penny. 

 

What I'm more concerned about at this point is us filling the stadium. I'm buzzing about the new stadium but I'm worried that the only way we will fill it is with tourists, and part timers. Thats going to see the atmosphere deteriorate even further. The only way I see us properly building a strong fan base is by offering cheaper ticket prices. Ticket prices make up such a small portion of clubs revenues as well. 

We will fill 60000 no prob, have you tried buying members tickets this season? It's a nightmare

Just read on twitter (source was the Mail, so make of that what you will) that Chelsea will knock down the existing stadium and build a completely new one in it's place. Timeline is that Chelsea will vacate in May 2017 and whole new stadium built between June 17 and September 18 (that's pretty quick!

60 minute makeover, M D F and sticky back plastic!!!!

Was just looking back through this post and saw that you replied. Didn't get the notification for some reason.

I'm inclined to agree with you if Roman is funding this all out of his own pocket. However 15000 is a lot of people. I really doubt that we would fill those corporate seats for all matches. The boxes that we do have available always look half full. I guess your argument about having expensive corporate seats makes our seats cheaper but I don't really think it factors in that much. They're still going to squeeze us for every penny.

What I'm more concerned about at this point is us filling the stadium. I'm buzzing about the new stadium but I'm worried that the only way we will fill it is with tourists, and part timers. Thats going to see the atmosphere deteriorate even further. The only way I see us properly building a strong fan base is by offering cheaper ticket prices. Ticket prices make up such a small portion of clubs revenues as well.

Mate cheaper prices will solve nothing. All it does is increase demand and touting. It will be absolute madness.

Plus we see cheap tickets for cup games. The atmosphere vs Sc**thorpe was shocking

Mate cheaper prices will solve nothing. All it does is increase demand and touting. It will be absolute madness.

Plus we see cheap tickets for cup games. The atmosphere vs Sc**thorpe was shocking

I agree with you that touting would be a problem but the fact is that we have priced out many fans who love the club but can't afford to go. What we've got now is people who couldn't give two shi*ts about the atmosphere. I mean there's not really as much of a reason for fans to make a racket when we're playing the likes of sc**thorpe. They're pretty much irrelevant. 

We will fill 60000 no prob, have you tried buying members tickets this season? It's a nightmare

My dad and I have got STs so no. Is their a waiting list for memberships? From what I've read we don't have a waiting list for STs and we even had something like 200 or 300 people who didn't re-apply a couple seasons back. 

I dont know much about building stadiums, but this sounds to me to be absolutely impossible. 3 months to build a 60,000 stadium? I think it will take 1-2 years

Most of the steel frame will go in no time at all, all fabricated off site then brought in and erected. For comparison where I work we had built a Biopower boiler, turbine, fuel feeding and water treatment plant in less than 2 years. The buildings themselves took a matter of months as they were all steel frame.

Mate cheaper prices will solve nothing. All it does is increase demand and touting. It will be absolute madness.

Plus we see cheap tickets for cup games. The atmosphere vs Sc**thorpe was shocking

Hahaha cheaper ticket prices will solve nothing ? I'm happy with increased demand and touting if it means people who really want to go to Stamford bridge can go without financially wrecking themselves.

Then you use the atmosphere vs Sc**thorpe to imply cup atmospheres are crap. Cup atmospheres at the bridge are generally much better than league game atmospheres.

Edited March 12, 201610 yr by DidierDidier

Stamford Bridge doesn't look as good since they removed the advertising boards from the stands in 2008, I probably am the only one who noticed, there is a lack of colour now. Plus the big club crest should have been replaced on the east stand after 2005, the one above the tunnel.

Hahaha cheaper ticket prices will solve nothing ? I'm happy with increased demand and touting if it means people who really want to go to Stamford bridge can go without financially wrecking themselves.

Then you use the atmosphere vs Sc**thorpe to imply cup atmospheres are crap. Cup atmospheres at the bridge are generally much better than league game atmospheres.

 

Ok maybe it will solve more than nothing but not as much as you expect. All it will do is increase touting (which is not a good thing), the rich will still be going for tickets and it will just be hell trying to even get a ticket. Will feel like buying away tickets.

 

I used Sc**thorpe as it was the last cup game I went to. Cup atmospheres at the Bridge are not much better than the league and I stand by that. Last season against Schalke, our support was so terrible. I didn't go to any CL games this season, but I've been to enough reduced ticket priced games to realise that our home support is just generally not that good, and its not just tourists to blame.

 

I've sat in MHL many times, surrounded by your typical English Chelsea fan and no one sings.

Presumably we should have a revolving gate for our managers to come and go?

Getting one of these installed in the board room

So that managers cant come back to bite us in the arse, it leads to this

Trouble is, after eating Benitez they wouldnt need feeding again for years...

Even sharks have a delicate taste - would they like to eat a fat Spanish waiter?

Even sharks have a delicate taste - would they like to eat a fat Spanish waiter?

 

They would eat anything.

So did anybody have a crack at that gate design competition?

So did anybody have a crack at that gate design competition?

Courtois seems to every game with his 'open wide' approach to one on ones.

Chelsea sign Spatial Structures for new training ground project
 

Spatial Structures, the Gloucester based specialist manufacturer and builder of steel framed, membrane covered buildings has been awarded the contract to build a state of art covered pitch building for Chelsea Football Club.

Work on the new building at Chelsea Football Club’s Cobham training ground is underway and is expected to be completed in September. The new building will be a 60 x 80m single span, steel framed Spatial Structures building. The fact that there will be no columns will mean that 100% of the 4,800 square metre area will be useable and translucent PVC roof will allow the maximum possible amount of natural daylight through.

The contract which is worth £1.8 million includes, foundations, the superstructures, ventilation, sports lighting, de-humidification and a feature glass façade. Chelsea’s project further reinforces Spatial Structures growing reputation as a leading provider of steel framed, fabric covered structures for a variety of sports. Spatial Structures have also built indoor football training facilities for Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club and Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.

Terry Young, Managing Director of Dove Construction which is behind the Spatial Structures brand, commented on the project. “We are delighted to have been chosen by Chelsea for this prestigious project. To have been chosen by a Club like Chelsea for a project of this importance is testament to our growing reputation in the industry. The new building will give the club a fantastic all year round, all weather training facility. Given the unpredictable nature of the British weather we are seeing a growing demand in sports clubs both large and small, wanting to cover existing facilities, meaning that bad weather need never stop play or training”. 

 

 

http://www.spatialstructures.com/News/News.aspx

 

New training facilities too!

Can anyone confirm the truth or otherwise of what a fellow chelsea fan mate has just told me

He claims that CPO have stated they will be advising against the buy back of CPO shares should Roman make a second bid

Ffs we dont need any more of those shenanigans, plus I thought they said they would have sold last time had Chelsea promised to redevelop Stamford Bridge which they are doing

Can anyone confirm the truth or otherwise of what a fellow chelsea fan mate has just told me

He claims that CPO have stated they will be advising against the buy back of CPO shares should Roman make a second bid

Ffs we dont need any more of those shenanigans, plus I thought they said they would have sold last time had Chelsea promised to redevelop Stamford Bridge which they are doing

 

Would see no reason for that not to be the truth, end of the day the cpo will say that roman doesnt need to have the freehold to redevelop the bridge they would just technically have to give permission for him to do so, can understand why roman would want the freehold but as a counter who would of though a club like leeds would of had to sell their ground? until our finances are ship shape id not be inclined to sell to him yet, he gets us financially level and gets the wage bill under control before that as other wise we are still at risk (no matter how small)

Would see no reason for that not to be the truth, end of the day the cpo will say that roman doesnt need to have the freehold to redevelop the bridge they would just technically have to give permission for him to do so, can understand why roman would want the freehold but as a counter who would of though a club like leeds would of had to sell their ground? until our finances are ship shape id not be inclined to sell to him yet, he gets us financially level and gets the wage bill under control before that as other wise we are still at risk (no matter how small)

But why would Roman spend hundreds of millions on a new stadium which he would end up not owning?

Answer is he wouldnt, I hope to god they dont go down that route, Roman is offering to build us a stadium , without which we will no longer be competitive, we should bite his hand off

The majority of reasons for the CPO existing no longer exist, if they basically block the building of the new stadium then they hold the club to ransom and become what they once defeated.

But why would Roman spend hundreds of millions on a new stadium which he would end up not owning?

Answer is he wouldnt, I hope to god they dont go down that route, Roman is offering to build us a stadium , without which we will no longer be competitive, we should bite his hand off

 

He'd build it because it's best for the club, but the CPO probably believe it's also best for the club that the fans still own the Freehold. It's a very unique thing in football and was a very necessary thing in making sure this club survived long before Roman Abramovich had probably even heard of Chelsea Football Club.

 

At the moment, with the way the club is being run and some of the decisions that are being made there are obviously going to be those who would be concerned about giving him everything.

devils adovc

 

He'd build it because it's best for the club, but the CPO probably believe it's also best for the club that the fans still own the Freehold. It's a very unique thing in football and was a very necessary thing in making sure this club survived long before Roman Abramovich had probably even heard of Chelsea Football Club.

 

At the moment, with the way the club is being run and some of the decisions that are being made there are obviously going to be those who would be concerned about giving him everything.

 

I trust roman wouldnt do anything intentionally to harm the club but I do think some of his decisions leave might hurt us unintentionally, once we are on a sound financial footing then maybe, but with us losing money hand over fist (you cant keep making transfer profits each year) then id be inclined not to hand over the keys of the kingdom just yet, a few years ago when battersea was an option I was all for him getting the freehold assuming the powerstation stadium was built first.

The majority of reasons for the CPO existing no longer exist, if they basically block the building of the new stadium then they hold the club to ransom and become what they once defeated.

I could understand those who didnt want to sell last time when they said they didnt want to see Chelsea leave Stamford Bridge, that was a perfectly valid reason, however if they turn Roman down a second time, especially now Roman is prepared to do what they said they wanted spending hundreds of millions on the Bridge, then i would tend to agree with you

Making up new reasons not to sell every time Roman agrees to previous objections means we just end up a stagnating

devils adovc

 

 

I trust roman wouldnt do anything intentionally to harm the club but I do think some of his decisions leave might hurt us unintentionally, once we are on a sound financial footing then maybe, but with us losing money hand over fist (you cant keep making transfer profits each year) then id be inclined not to hand over the keys of the kingdom just yet, a few years ago when battersea was an option I was all for him getting the freehold assuming the powerstation stadium was built first.

 

Well the reason Battersea was an option because the Bridge couldn't be re-developed. Funny how things change isn't it?

 

 

I could understand those who didnt want to sell last time when they said they didnt want to see Chelsea leave Stamford Bridge, that was a perfectly valid reason, however if they turn Roman down a second time, especially now Roman is prepared to do what they said they wanted spending hundreds of millions on the Bridge, then i would tend to agree with you

Making up new reasons not to sell every time Roman agrees to previous objections means we just end up a stagnating

 

Mentioned it above but the reason we were considering Battersea was because the Bridge wasn't a feasible option. Now it is apparently. Don't forget in 2011 the club tried some pretty underhanded tactics to get control of the Freehold.

 

In that time what's happened? Trophies yes but what legacy has Roman built? What identity is left? That is a huge issue for a lot of supporters, especially those who established the CPO to save the club. 

 

It's hard to trust someone who does all he can not to engage with the fanbase and doesn't seem to understand them in any real way.