http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3224836/title/it-was-10-years-ago-today

 

 

 

With a formal share offer, published on this website late on Tuesday 1 July 2003, it was announced to the world that Chelsea Football Club was embarking on a new era, and sparking a new age for English football too.

After a long weekend of negotiations and paperwork, a deal had been agreed that day for a Russian businessman to buy 50.09 per cent of the existing shares in Chelsea Village plc from then chairman Ken Bates and other owners. It meant a new man was in control of the 98-year-old club.

 

 

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/6519?cc=5901

 

It was the deal that changed English football in an instant, and, as the 10th anniversary of Roman Abramovich's purchase of Chelsea edges closer, the true cost of his investment can be revealed for the first time. 

July 2, 2003 was the date Chelsea banished their financial concerns to become one of the richest clubs in world football, with their transformation completed as a reclusive Russian billionaire opted to base his fantasy football team in west London after spurning the chance to set up camp on the other side of the capital at Tottenham. 

"This is not about making money," Abramovich told the BBCon the day he took over Chelsea, in what is still the only major interview he has granted during his decade as one of the most powerful men in football. 

"I have many much less risky ways of making money than this. I don't want to throw my money away, but it's really about having fun and that means success and trophies.

 

Excerpt from  The Roman Conquest by Harry Harris

 

 

 

 

After telling advisers he “wouldn’t mind buying a football teamâ€, Abramovich hired investment bank UBS Warburg to write a feasibility study, which listed a number of possible options. “It said that Manchester United would be expensive and the fans would go crazy. Aston Villa was for sale but was in Birmingham and the long-term opportunities were limited. Tottenham was on the list along with Chelsea. They were in London; they were in financial trouble. Roman’s advisers tried to arrange meetings with Tottenham and Chelsea but for whatever reason, they couldn’t set up a meeting with Tottenham, or Tottenham didn’t want to meet.†A provisional deal with then-owner Ken Bates was sealed not with vodka but with Coca-Cola at the Dorchester Hotel in central London, Buck said. Abramovich and his team had been “naïve†about the football club’s place in British culture and had not anticipated the long-running media fascination in the new Russian owner. “We thought, ‘Yeah, it will be a decent story for a couple of weeks and then Roman will go back and have his private life.’ Because he is a very private guy. He clearly didn’t do things for the notoriety or publicity because that is not him.†Chelsea received more intense scrutiny than the major northern teams like City, United and Liverpool because it was “a London club, a bit of an upstartâ€.

 

Harris, Harry (2012-05-29). The Roman Conquest - Chelsea Kings of Europe 2012 (Kindle Locations 237-256). Empire Publications. Kindle Edition. 

 

 

Excerpt from Game Changer by Mihir Bose.

 

 

 

This was as clear an invitation as any and although the details of the judgement were meant to be secret it seemed all the world heard it. Since then investors have flocked to Britain in search of football clubs ripe for takeover. Indeed, just over a year after this momentous decision, a Russian arrived who was to have a dramatic impact on the game in this country. That man was Roman Abramovich. In the summer of 2003, after benefiting from the collapse of communism which had enabled him to make a fortune in Boris Yeltsin’s Russia, he bought Chelsea for £140 million. Abramovich has never explained why he bought the club. Before he bought Chelsea he met Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman. There have been persistent stories he really wanted to buy the North London club. Levy has always denied this was the case or that he received any offer. Among the rumours is one that Abramovich flew over the Chelsea ground and decided that was the club. Unlike Hammam three decades earlier, he was not given the brush-off by the owners of Chelsea but eagerly welcomed. Whatever his motives, he had no plans to turn Chelsea into another Crazy Gang. And before long, the Premier League was awash with what many felt was crazy money. These Russian riches unleashed changes that were to prove dramatic and continue to be felt to this day.

 

Bose, Mihir (2012-09-13). Game Changer: How the English Premier League came to dominate the world (Kindle Locations 5272-5282). Marshall Cavendish. Kindle Edition. 

 

Edited July 1, 201313 yr by kitierkatba

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23064770

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-22623436

Two good articles.

No, he's definitely not bored yet.

No, he's definitely not bored yet.

 

And i don't think he ever will be.

No, he's definitely not bored yet.

 

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/8800278/Premier-League-Roman-Abramovich-still-hungry-for-success-after-decade-at-Chelsea-helm

 

"Will Roman Abramovich become bored, having won all the major trophies? My answer is no. Can Jose Mourinho bring more success to the club? My answer is yes." - Bruce Buck

Here's to the next 10 years.

 

Cheer Roman, it's been emotional. 

Must try & find some comments from journalists and opposition fans where they state, matter of factly, he will get bored, leave & we'd collapse as a football club.

Must try & find some comments from journalists and opposition fans where they state, matter of factly, he will get bored, leave & we'd collapse as a football club.

Please do as i'd love to tweet them.

Edited July 1, 201313 yr by Zola

You on Twitter Zola? What's your username?

10 years already wow. Scousers keep telling what will you do when roman f**ks off. w**kers. Thanks roman. Top team and top training ground and loads of throphys. Just please keep us at the bridge.

Like it was yesterday... They passed by really fast, yet were full of excitment. The good times will do that to you.

You on Twitter Zola? What's your username?

PM'd

PM'd

What a weird name.

 

I can remember the day this all started coming out, being on the old CSR and everyone thinking there was no way this was true, no chance we would be taken over by someone this rich. Then when the realization hit that this was actually going to happen all the excitement and fun over who we could now sign.

Imagine the storm in the land of Twitter if it had been in use back then...

^{AS BJD has said a few times... we are the luckiest fans in the world.}

Imagine the storm in the land of Twitter if it had been in use back then...

Oh man, that would have been hilarious seeing all the fans of other teams falling apart as it dawned on them it was actually happening.

could of been spurs and not us

 

http://cdn.chud.com/2/28/250x161px-LL-281f6a36_baby-laugh-horrified.gif

I was at a house party I couldn't believe it.

Oh man, that would have been hilarious seeing all the fans of other teams falling apart as it dawned on them it was actually happening.

RAWK Meltdown back then would've been epic!

Those pictures of RA celebrating our CL final win in Munich 19/05 were like watching any other Chelsea fan in the stadium that night, no holding back, he wears his Blue heart on his shirt, and that's why I will stand by him, thankfully he's a billionaire so that helps.

 

could of been spurs and not us

 

http://cdn.chud.com/2/28/250x161px-LL-281f6a36_baby-laugh-horrified.gif

Ha ha... and then he saw sense.

Must try & find some comments from journalists and opposition fans where they state, matter of factly, he will get bored, leave & we'd collapse as a football club.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/mar/07/chelsea-saga-roman-abramovich - 2012

 

http://www.wsc.co.uk/wsc-daily/953-January-2009/2307-abramovich-losing-interest-in-chelsea - 2009

Imaging how sickening life would be, had he purchased Spurs, can you imagine that for just a few moments?

The sight of them with the European Cup, Premier League titles, I was sick to my stomach at the thought of them

getting to the Europa League final, and winning it.

Imaging how sickening life would be, had he purchased Spurs, can you imagine that for just a few moments?

The sight of them with the European Cup, Premier League titles, I was sick to my stomach at the thought of them

getting to the Europa League final, and winning it.

Life would be considerably less awesome!

Thought this thread would have more posts. What a milestone day that was for this football club and us fans, Some of the players,Goals, Trophies, Moments have been amazing in the last ten years. I'm sure there was a point alot of fans thought they would never see chelsea lift the premiership trophy considering how far infront arsenal and man u were at the time. Nevermind the fact we were so very far in the red which Roman just walked in and paid off like it was nothing.  I am yet to witness any other owner or consortium do this to any other club, they just get mega loans out and hope they can eat away at the debt over time.

 

Like everyone, there has been times that he has been extremely frustrating, mainly the hiring and firing of managers it has to be said because apart from that he absolutely puts his money where his mouth is, He doesn't want to be the center of attention like alot of owners who want all the glory and credit for themselves. Anyone who claims that they preferred chelsea before the Roman days because of the so called glory hunters are as deluded as that Idiot of a west ham on talksport the other night.

 

Cheers to another Ten years Roman