I whats frustrating is that if some changes are made at ownership level, next season we could be solidly top 4 and then the season after back to challenging for the league. But it requires the owners to realise they've made mistakes and rectify them:

1. Being in 3 or 4 ready made players, ideally that have won stuff

2. Get rid of the sporting directors, bring in 1 or 2 top operators and stop over complicating everything.

3. Get a top manager in and let him have more control, this 'collaborative effort' is bo**ocks and doesn't work

Do I expect most of this to happen? No I don't, but it's pointing out the obvious. We all know these are steps we need to take, but for one reason or another these c**ts at the top will insist that their way is the correct way. There isn't one public figure or media outlet which is supportive of how we're being run now and that's a good thing, Clearlake have to be aware now at how badly they are thought of on and off the pitch.

Hi everyone, why do i always get the impression that Chelsea is constantly changing things and never getting anywhere? It seems like there's no football plan at Chelsea; it seems like the people in charge of football just make things and hope they work out, praying to God or whoever.

When i watch Chelsea games, I always get the impression that the fans would rather drink water from a Chernobyl swimming pool than watch the games.

20 minutes ago, charierre said:

Reading that is shocking, I only understand half of it, but basically they have bought us using a publicly funded investment instrument, the purchase goes completely against all the restrictions of that instrument. They then have structured the purchase so they are paying themselves interest and fees directly from the club.

Also us being successful or not has no impact on their payments, and unless I've got it wrong the more debt they lay on us the higher interest and fees they take.

Absolute f**king criminals.

1 hour ago, dkw said:

Reading that is shocking, I only understand half of it, but basically they have bought us using a publicly funded investment instrument, the purchase goes completely against all the restrictions of that instrument. They then have structured the purchase so they are paying themselves interest and fees directly from the club.

Also us being successful or not has no impact on their payments, and unless I've got it wrong the more debt they lay on us the higher interest and fees they take.

Absolute f**king criminals.

My reading too. This bloke seems to be really good at delving into finances forensically. The other criminals involved in this are the government who forced the sale.

Edited May 5May 5 by charierre

4 hours ago, timetowaste said:

I whats frustrating is that if some changes are made at ownership level, next season we could be solidly top 4 and then the season after back to challenging for the league.

This may have been possible last season. Not anymore with the financial mess we're in. This ship has sailed

3 hours ago, dkw said:

Reading that is shocking, I only understand half of it, but basically they have bought us using a publicly funded investment instrument, the purchase goes completely against all the restrictions of that instrument. They then have structured the purchase so they are paying themselves interest and fees directly from the club.

Also us being successful or not has no impact on their payments, and unless I've got it wrong the more debt they lay on us the higher interest and fees they take.

Absolute f**king criminals.

Agreed. I would say this is a bigger issue than our football club if accurate, as they have basically defrauded the PSERS members (including Pennsylvania teachers association) with this instrument. In theory they could go to jail if this is investigated, but unfortunately white collar crimes like this rarely go that far.

This is the in depth article that led to the Bobby F post The Analysis Series: A deeper look at Chelsea’s ownership, BlueCo 22 Limited & 22 Holdco Limited (Year Ended 30 June 2025)

The last paragraph sums it up well

"The risk to PA PSERS is not just the potential for a default on the loan, but the duration risk. The COP III loan, like the Holdco PIK loan, has a long-dated maturity (extending into the early 2030s). If the club fails to reach the Champions League consistently or if the Premier League’s broadcasting revenue growth slows, the consortium may struggle to refinance these facilities, potentially forcing a distressed sale that would impact the valuation of the COP III notes."

So basically if as expected the club's fortunes do not go well in the years ahead it will potentially lead to a massive reduction or even a default on the instument that has been sold among other clients to the Pennsylvania teacher's pension fund.

3 hours ago, charierre said:

My reading too. This bloke seems to be really good at delving into finances forensically. The other criminals involved in this are the government who forced the sale.

There are many questions on this. It is certainly possible the UK government did this not only for political points but also financial considerations. Perhaps continues ones.

Also seems quite possible BlueCos lead people are using this vehicle to line their own personal pockets. And thy have found a way to do so regardless of how the team performs.

Yet many still think they could change the model, the directors and care about a winning team...

1 hour ago, forbzy said:

This is the in depth article that led to the Bobby F post The Analysis Series: A deeper look at Chelsea’s ownership, BlueCo 22 Limited & 22 Holdco Limited (Year Ended 30 June 2025)

The last paragraph sums it up well

"The risk to PA PSERS is not just the potential for a default on the loan, but the duration risk. The COP III loan, like the Holdco PIK loan, has a long-dated maturity (extending into the early 2030s). If the club fails to reach the Champions League consistently or if the Premier League’s broadcasting revenue growth slows, the consortium may struggle to refinance these facilities, potentially forcing a distressed sale that would impact the valuation of the COP III notes."

So basically if as expected the club's fortunes do not go well in the years ahead it will potentially lead to a massive reduction or even a default on the instument that has been sold among other clients to the Pennsylvania teacher's pension fund.

Further to this, did Clearlake even use COP III the way it legally should have been done so?

Below Younes et al show Clearlakes own documents state at least 75% of COP III 2.2billion was to be used in North America and using the American dollar:

20 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Further to this, did Clearlake even use COP III the way it legally should have been done so?

Below Younes et al show Clearlakes own documents state at least 75% of COP III 2.2billion was to be used in North America and using the American dollar:

Yes. That explains it all pretty well. Pretty clear that Clearlake put up a smokescreen with their original investment through a shell company in UK that has since been dissolved. They also invested money that was contractually supposed to be invested in a diversified group of US businesses. Presumably that money is all gone now and goodness what will happen once the customers find out.

15 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

HHe did just that 😂

Exactly what anyone where knew would happen. They will continue this trend where they try to approach a top manger and get told “ Do one you bellends” and then they will try to spin the story saying they weren’t a target.

They have f**ked yo so much that the entire fan base now knows their playbook.

11 hours ago, charierre said:

My reading too. This bloke seems to be really good at delving into finances forensically. The other criminals involved in this are the government who forced the sale.

The US specifically told the UK government leave Roman alone as he’s mediating between Ukraine and Russia but the one time you want that 🤡 Boris to actually not follow local pressure he does.

This is all on the clown Boris and his Tory party.

8 minutes ago, El regreso said:

The US specifically told the UK government leave Roman alone as he’s mediating between Ukraine and Russia but the one time you want that 🤡 Boris to actually not follow local pressure he does.

This is all on the clown Boris and his Tory party.

It was Theresa May's govt that refused Abramovich a visa.

8 minutes ago, strider6004 said:

It was Theresa May's govt that refused Abramovich a visa.

But it was Boris Johnson the PM when the government seized Chelsea from him, if I remember correctly.

22 minutes ago, El regreso said:

This is all on the clown Boris and his Tory party.

It’s actually mainly on that odious little c**t Chris Bryant who bought it to Parliament to seize all Sir Romans assets.

14 minutes ago, RMH said:

But it was Boris Johnson the PM when the government seized Chelsea from him, if I remember correctly.

True yet the Democrats from Obama onwards were planning on pulling Ukraine into the West, I think May was trying to encourage him to move on rather than seize any assets due to his perceived closeness to Putin.

2 hours ago, El regreso said:

The US specifically told the UK government leave Roman alone as he’s mediating between Ukraine and Russia but the one time you want that 🤡 Boris to actually not follow local pressure he does.

This is all on the clown Boris and his Tory party.

Acting like this wasn't all started by Chris Bryant the corrupt Labour MP and Arsenal fan.

17 minutes ago, GarnachoCheese said:

Acting like this wasn't all started by Chris Bryant the corrupt Labour MP and Arsenal fan.

YES YOU ARE CORRECT

A bit off subject but seems the best place to post this. Details of ticketing policies for next season.

Chelsea FC introduces ticketing policy updates for the 20...

Chelsea Football Club can today confirm important changes to our general admission ticketing policy for men’s matches next season, including the introduction of ID verification for ticket purchases.

The switch to digital ticketing this season has enabled the club to clamp down on ticket touting and misuse. Together with enhanced resources, these changes have made a material difference to the club’s ability to tackle ticket touting this season – the results of which can be found here.

Building on this work, the club is introducing further changes that will be implemented ahead of the 2026/27 season, to make the ticketing process fairer for fans as well as improving security checks within our system.

Extensive consultation over many months with the Fan Advisory Board, specific meetings with the Fans' and Access Forums, as well as other supporter groups have helped to shape the following updates to our ticketing policy for men’s matches to ensure the system is fairer and more secure for fans.

Over the coming weeks and months the club will be providing step-by-step guides, hosting a supporter townhall, drop-in sessions, and sharing online tools to support fans through these changes.

- Click here to read FAQs on updates to our ticketing policies

Key updates

ID verification

What?

Following this season’s successful implementation of anti-touting measures, the club is taking further steps to ensure that all ticket holders are verified individuals.

In the interests of security and to help tackle ticket fraud, before accessing or purchasing tickets, supporters over the age of 16 will need to complete an online ID verification.

More information on how the club will be completing these checks will be confirmed with supporters in due course.

Why?

The club’s anti-touting measures have been successful but existing checks carried out by the club are currently implemented post-purchase. This change is designed to prevent those using false details from accessing tickets in the first place, so that as many tickets as possible remain available for genuine Chelsea supporters.

Ticket application window: Home ticket sales

What?

Tickets for our home matches next season will be sold via an application process for Chelsea FC members.

For each match, eligible members will have a designated window to submit an application for tickets. Supporters will be able to enter at any time during the window providing greater flexibility, with no impact on their chance of success for that game.

Once the application window has closed, tickets will be allocated through an automated process run by a third-party to ensure complete fairness.

Select fixtures will require a minimum number of loyalty points to enter.

Why?

Following feedback on the current process and issues previously experienced by supporters, the club wants to streamline the ticket purchase journey, make it more flexible for fans, improve reliability at peak times and reduce the risk of bot and tout activity.

By moving to an application window, supporters will no longer need to join an online queue at a specific time for home tickets. This approach is intended to provide a fairer, more consistent experience for eligible members whilst enhancing the club’s ability to monitor and prevent automated purchasing behaviour.

Loyalty points

What?

Loyalty points will now only be awarded for attendance at men’s first-team home matches and no longer accrued for purchasing tickets.

Points will be added to eligible accounts following each game, provided the ticket has been scanned at the turnstile.

This means that supporters purchasing tickets on the ticket exchange, or receiving tickets via ticket forwarding, will now receive loyalty points for attending matches.

Loyalty points will continue to be awarded for purchasing away tickets.

Why?

This change aims to reward supporters who attend matches. The club has been made aware of instances where supporters have purchased tickets solely to obtain loyalty points, with no intention of attending the match. This prevents others from being able to attend matches and results in empty seats. This is a fairer way of rewarding loyalty and incentivises attendance which will enhance matchday atmosphere.

Season ticket utilisation

What?

From next season, season ticket holders will be required to utilise their ticket for a minimum of 13 Premier League home games.

Your season ticket will be considered as ‘utilised’ if you do any of the following:

• Attend the match and scan your ticket at the turnstile to enter the stadium

• Forward your ticket to an eligible member in your network, who scans the ticket to enter the stadium

• List your ticket on the club’s official ticket exchange (there is no requirement for the ticket to sell)

The club will continually review attendance data throughout the season. Where a supporter’s seat has not been utilised for a number of matches, the club will endeavour to contact that supporter to make wellbeing checks and offer advice on utilisation methods. Please note that ticket forwarding and ticket exchange will now be available up to three hours before kick-off, to provide as much flexibility as possible for supporters when they are unable to attend a match.

If a supporter continually leaves their seat un-utilised without explanation, they may lose the opportunity to renew for the following season. This requirement will not apply to supporters with accessible tickets.

Why?

With such high demand for our tickets, it is important to us that as many seats as possible are made available to members. We are therefore encouraging season ticket holders to make use of the options available to them if they are unable to attend a match.

Home ticket sales: Ticket exchange

What?

In addition to season ticket holders, True Blue and CFC Blue members will now have the option to list tickets on the ticket exchange if they are unable to attend a home match.

The ticket exchange window will be extended to close three hours before kick-off in line with ticket forwarding. Previously, the window closed at 3pm on the last working day before a match.

Why?

We understand that there may be unforeseen circumstances which prevent supporters attending matches at short notice. Extending the ticket exchange is intended to give supporters increased opportunity to ensure their ticket is used with more time to do so.

Automatic Cup Scheme

What?

Season ticket holders will be given the option at the start of the season to ‘opt-in’ to purchase their seat for all home cup fixtures.

Those who opt in for the Automatic Cup Scheme will be prompted to submit their card details at the start of the season. The card will then be automatically charged on a match-by-match basis.

Why?

The Automatic Cup Scheme will guarantee season ticket holders access to their seat for all cup fixtures, subject to their seat being available. Payments will be automatically taken ahead of the specific match reducing the administrative burden for supporters.

Chelsea's most recent home cup game was an FA Cup quarter-final

Away ticket transfer and exchange

What?

In the interests of security and fairness, the club is introducing limitations on who away tickets can be transferred to.

From next season, away ticket holders will only be able to pass on their ticket to an existing eligible member.

When doing so, they will be required to provide the name and membership number of the member who is using the ticket to the club via an online form, details of which will be provided in due course.

Away ticket holders will be able to transfer their ticket up to six times per season. Digital and in-person spot checks will be carried out to ensure the correct information has been provided to the club. The individual receiving the ticket must be ID verified and will be re-verified where necessary. Additional Ticket Collection Points will also be put in place.

Where a ticket has been passed on without the club’s knowledge, incorrect information has been provided, or an away ticket has been passed to an ineligible member, the ticket holder could be subject to sanctions consistent with our conditions of issue. This could include having their membership suspended or tickets revoked.

In addition to this, the club will also be introducing a new away ticket exchange where supporters who do not wish to transfer their ticket or attend the match themselves can list their tickets.

Why?

For security purposes, it is important that Chelsea FC and the opposition club know who is attending matches. We are aware that away tickets are regularly illegally sold via social media, third-party platforms or are purchased by those with no intention of attending simply to accrue loyalty points.

We want to ensure that only genuine Chelsea supporters attend away matches.

Family Stand

What?

The sales restriction rules in the East Lower South will be removed from next season.

As a result, adult and youth tickets in this section can now be purchased without needing to be bought alongside a junior or senior ticket. Concession rates for juniors and seniors will continue to be available within the East Lower.

Why?

Over the course of the season, through our anti-touting efforts the club has gathered compelling evidence that concession tickets are being purchased fraudulently in this area. Almost half of suspended accounts this season involved misuse of tickets purchased within the Family Stand.

A sizeable portion of our match-by-match seats are positioned within the East Lower stand. With such high demand from within our membership, removing these restrictions will increase the number of tickets available to adult and youth fans.

The East Lower North will remain a dedicated family area, with greater support in place to help ensure a family-friendly atmosphere for all supporters.

The East Lower in the sun

We would like to thank all supporters for their continued support and patience as we continue to improve our ticketing system to ensure a fairer, more secure process for all.

Chelsea Supporters Trust's statement on the changes to ticketing policy.

I can't imagine attendance being too high next season if its Marco Silva leading the team out the dugout.

1 hour ago, Sconnie Blue said:

I can't imagine attendance being too high next season if its Marco Silva leading the team out the dugout.

Another Jorge Mendes plant. Same bloke that trapped us with Pedro Neto.

The comments from other club fans/ex players that we deserve this, that we are cheats, the our former players are ashamed of what they won with us due to "cheating", is another thing to thank BlueCo for.

Our legacy with a black mark and astrix against it.

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

The comments from other club fans/ex players that we deserve this, that we are cheats, the our former players are ashamed of what they won with us due to "cheating", is another thing to thank BlueCo for.

Our legacy with a black mark and astrix against it.

Even George Graham being done for taking bungs at the mighty Arsenal can also be levelled at us. He was one of our own after all.