3 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

Ultimately they want the club to provide profits for their millionaire investors. 

As do all owners but Clearlake are taking a very different approach to generating revenue. Maybe because it's so different to other clubs it's emphasising the focus on cash generation rather than trophies

58 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

Can't see anything negative there in terms of money

Unfortunately it doesn't say anything about the football side of things, which might well have been negative .

 

Oh no, it's the most neutral article I've read so far on all this. Guardian for example left a bit out so we look even worse. For the one above though I doubt it was written without grinding his teeth. 😆 

What I'm trying to say is rgdn the money side, the situation may be even better than the most "neutral article", I can find without going on fan sites or journalist/reporters that support Chels, has to say.

 

In rgds to the football side of things...I still think its too early to judge the team and manager.

From owners perspective...I'm sticking with immediate goal being top 4 and continue profiting on buying and selling young players as commodities with the hope if good enough they go to the main squad if not make a quick buck and buy another.

Future...gradually getting better til the first squad is good enough to compete for trophies and then they can make even more money by selling them and starting again!

Rinse and repeat...then in 10yrs when they can finally sell they can assess to sell up at a profit or go for another 10 and repeat this crazy cycle again.

 

Enjoy the madness,

instead of going mad!

1 hour ago, The Rising Sun said:

The fact that Brighton is yet again mentioned in a statement about Chelsea really gives the game away.

The owners KNOW from the Brighton model that a club does NOT need to win anything at all in order to make a profit.

Weren't Brighton the club who made the biggest profit last season? 

 

In large part thanks to us LOL. 

The statement we're discussing was at time of takeover, but I doubt much has changed. Eghbali and Feliciano will still have a hard on for Tony Bloom 🙂 

1 hour ago, The Rising Sun said:

I said before they are great admirers of Brighton and can see how you can make a profit without winning anything.

Mid table and profits will be enough for them.

Mid-table profits are nothing compared to the CL. The CL is where the money is. Fortunes. Which means top 4. What was behind the breakaway Super League? Guaranteed fortunes. You seriously think uber-capitalists are going to turn their backs on such money? I think not.

11 minutes ago, dermott said:

Mid-table profits are nothing compared to the CL. The CL is where the money is. Fortunes. Which means top 4. What was behind the breakaway Super League? Guaranteed fortunes. You seriously think uber-capitalists are going to turn their backs on such money? I think not.

Absurd argument really.

It's the very reason we are struggling for sponsors right now given the only ones that are attracted us are undervalued in the fair market. Chelsea back in the Champions League = $$$$. Chelsea winning trophies season after season = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

20 minutes ago, dermott said:

Mid-table profits are nothing compared to the CL. The CL is where the money is. Fortunes. Which means top 4. What was behind the breakaway Super League? Guaranteed fortunes. You seriously think uber-capitalists are going to turn their backs on such money? I think not.

We never made a profit when we were in the CL year after year and actually winning it..

Our constant references to Brighton being a mid table very profitable club when talking about OUR plans tells us a lot.

35 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

In large part thanks to us LOL. 

The statement we're discussing was at time of takeover, but I doubt much has changed. Eghbali and Feliciano will still have a hard on for Tony Bloom 🙂 

Oh I didn't know it was an old statement.

It doesn't help that Brighton are making money from mid table, the f**kers !

“

This is what Todd said in May 2024 in Qatar...

 

"We think this is a really young and exciting team that will be together for a long time. If you look at franchises that dominate for a long time they have real stability in the team, front office and coaching staff "

Yeah we need stability for sure, hopefully one day ....

2 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Nah the ultimate plan is to compete, despite Bob's best efforts to play that down at every waking moment. 

Ownership believe its a better long term and sustainable investment to build on these players whilst their value is low vs waiting for players when their stock is high and their wages disrupt the incentive model they are currently implementing. For all the criticism Eghbali is getting from Bob's post, Eghbali specifically mentions that it isn't just about increasing their value, but keeping them. That is the difference between us and Brighton. We told Real to f**k off when they asked about James. We told Liverpool and Bayern to f**k off when they asked about Colwill. We just gave Palmer a life time contract after winning YPOTS despite the insane levels of scaremongering some members on here stating we'd sell him next summer. 

Ownership stopped talking directly to Poch and used intermediaries after the league cup final defeat. All we heard last spring was that European football was a priority. It's clear as day ownership have a set and realistic ambition which is to go up the ladder season after season until we are at a place where we can challenge on all fronts. Poch would've been a safer bet to build on what we had last season but he was never going to be the long term answer. The directors believe Maresca is and they are putting all their chips on him. Let's see where we are come Feb-March. 

 

I used to think similarly to you, that the owners wanted us to win trophies because that’s how you make the most money. And I still hope that that’s how they see it. However, I find it difficult to understand how they are spending on random players without paying attention at the glaring needs of this team. They’ve been on a shopping spree and we’re still incredibly unbalanced. With a bit more of careful planning, they could have spent less money while making the team stronger. As it stands, I’m not sure we’re making Europa league this season. So the facts do not entirely match either of Bob's nor your hypotheses. I still think that they want us to win trophies, but they are not ready or don’t know how to build a team and appear more concerned with paying top money for ‘potential’ with resale value than to cover the team’s holes with established quality.

11 minutes ago, RMH said:

I used to think similarly to you, that the owners wanted us to win trophies because that’s how you make the most money. And I still hope that that’s how they see it. However, I find it difficult to understand how they are spending on random players without paying attention at the glaring needs of this team. They’ve been on a shopping spree and we’re still incredibly unbalanced. With a bit more of careful planning, they could have spent less money while making the team stronger. As it stands, I’m not sure we’re making Europa league this season. So the facts do not entirely match either of Bob's nor your hypotheses. I still think that they want us to win trophies, but they are not ready or don’t know how to build a team and appear more concerned with paying top money for ‘potential’ with resale value than to cover the team’s holes with established quality.

We finished 5 points off Top 4 last year despite a whole catalog of issues working against us. This team is more than capable of finishing in the Top 4 under the right set up and management. We took it to extra time from winning our first trophy last summer and controversially knocked out in an FA Cup semi final. We are also in a European competition where we should 110% be winning. You can call it unbalanced. I see a very talented team that any manager would be lucky to have. 

Directors built the team and judging from reports they are now into their 4 windows where the club are going to assess them. 

This seems the best place to post this. Takes a lot to make me angry but when I am angry it's not a pretty sight. Once I broke a piece of furniture at work when I was angry with a couple of colleagues. I can also be very sarcastic which can get me into trouble. Anyway I had a heated phone conversation with the Chelsea ticket office this morning. I was phoned following an email exchange (see below) about a clash of matches on Sunday 6 October. Some of you will be aware that I have a season ticket for the men's team and a season ticket for the women's team.

Following the Conference League draw the men's home game against Nottingham Forest has been moved to 2pm (U.K. time) on Sunday, 6 October. The women's game against Manchester United kicks off at Kingsmeadow at 12 noon on the same day. I therefore have to make a choice about which game to attend. I pointed out to the person in the ticket office that I felt that it was unfair that I had to choose through no fault of mine. The ticket office informed me that the scheduling of the men's game was, as we know, fixed by the Premier League and broadcasters and the time of the women's match was set by Sky and the WSL. I was advised that the Premier League and WSL are separate bodies to which I replied that shows the lack of co-ordination and co-operation amongst the footballing authorities, broadcasters and clubs and the incompetence in managing the game. I also said - in my best sarcastic voice that the lack of planning e,g. Chelsea should have assumed that we would progress in Europe  and planned so that the men's and women's matches did not clash and was an example of the incompetent way in which the club is managed. That didn't go down well. I was pleased about that. It was suggested to me that I go Kingsmeadow and then travel to Stamford Bridge and miss part of the men's game. In reality I would miss most of the men's game. The suggestion was laughable. I was also told that I could give one of my season tickets to a friend but that is not the point.I was also advised to contact the Premier League but I'll just get fobbed off. I will contact the Chelsea Supporters Trust though. It is the Chelsea Supporters Trust AGM this coming Saturday and hopefully the issue will be raised. Unfortunately I won't be able to go as will be at the Goodwood Revival watching classic cars and motorcycles.  I did suggest that the club put an apology on the club website about the inconvenience to fans - I'm sure I'm not the only supporter who has ST for both the men's and women's teams - but there more chance of me giving up buying books; giving up and beer and whisky; and supporting Celtic than the club issuing an apology. By the way, my family would disown me I supported Celtic. Now, which game do I go to. 

Rant over and here is the email exchange. I've removed the name of the person in the Chelsea ticket office. The emails are in chronological order.

I have just read that the men's team's game against Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge has been moved from 3pm on Saturday to 2pm on Sunday, 5 October. On the same day the women's team will play Manchester United at Kingsmeadow with that match kicking-off at 12 noon.

I have season tickets for both the women's and men's team. With the best will in the world I won't be able to travel from Kingsmeadow to Stamford Bridge. With the clash does it mean the women's team will be re-scheduled? If so, will Sky be agreeable to that? Also, it would mean the women's game against Manchester United being moved for a second time.

I doubt if if I am the only supporter who has season tickets for both the men's and women's teams and I may have to make a choice and why should I? Is this yet example of Chelsea's management not being considerate to its supporters. The club should have anticipated that the men's team would progress in Europe and planned accordingly. It is called bad planning. Do you agree?

Please advise and depending on the response I may contact supporters groups.

Thank you and regards,

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thank you for your email.

 

We are sorry for the inconvenience the dates for the Nottingham Forest and Manchester United Women’s fixtures has caused.

 

The decision to move the Nottingham Forest fixture was made by the Premier League and TV Broadcasters.

 

The decision to move the Manchester United Women’s fixture was made by the WLS and TV Broadcasters.

 

If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to contact us,

 

Kind Regards,

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thank you for your email.

 

This is not meant to be a personal criticism of you but more a criticism of the way that Chelsea is being run at the moment and football in general. Frankly, I find your response pathetic, patronising and insulting. It has not answered all of my questions and not for example explained why the club did not anticipate the men's team progress in Europe and plan accordingly. It has been known for sometime that most if not all of the Conference League games will be broadcast on a Thursday and clubs including Chelsea should plan accordingly.

 

I now have to make a choice and through no fault of mine about which game I attend. Does the club feel that is fair and will an apology to those who attend the men's and women's games be published on the club website? 

 

There is a solution to this and that is to move the men's team to 4pm on Sunday and that will give people who have gone to Kingsmeadow time to travel to Stamford Bridge. Or is that too much to ask.

 

As I mentioned towards the start of this email the clash of the two games is an example of how poorly run the club is  - and football in general - and is insulting to fans who attend games. It is bad enough with games being switched at short notice to cater for the broadcasters and the inconvenience that causes to match going fans.

 

Please respond to all of my questions. You can also call me to discuss. Even if you do phone me I still expect an email response to all of my questions. If I don't receive a response to all of my questions I shall contact supporters groups.

 

Regards,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

We finished 5 points off Top 4 last year despite a whole catalog of issues working against us. This team is more than capable of finishing in the Top 4 under the right set up and management. We took it to extra time from winning our first trophy last summer and controversially knocked out in an FA Cup semi final. We are also in a European competition where we should 110% be winning. You can call it unbalanced. I see a very talented team that any manager would be lucky to have. 

 

Blimey you've changed your tune LOL. 

All those (correct) arguments fell on completely deaf ears last season ... 

Just now, Sexyfootball said:

Blimey you've changed your tune LOL. 

All those (correct) arguments fell on completely deaf ears last season ... 

Not really. One of the issues was Poch going against what worked in preseason until March. 😉

15 minutes ago, RMH said:

I used to think similarly to you, that the owners wanted us to win trophies because that’s how you make the most money. And I still hope that that’s how they see it. However, I find it difficult to understand how they are spending on random players without paying attention at the glaring needs of this team. They’ve been on a shopping spree and we’re still incredibly unbalanced. With a bit more of careful planning, they could have spent less money while making the team stronger. As it stands, I’m not sure we’re making Europa league this season. So the facts do not entirely match either of Bob's nor your hypotheses. I still think that they want us to win trophies, but they are not ready or don’t know how to build a team and appear more concerned with paying top money for ‘potential’ with resale value than to cover the team’s holes with established quality.

They could be trying to do both with vary degrees of success atm especially if player turnover this season has made them a small profit, as far as they are concerned its still early in the 10yr project.

So yr3 of 10 is a small profit and it increases every year. I think that was and still is the plan.

In rgds to football, as commodities mature they hope the results will get better too. They've bought the talent to do it. The better the results, the more money they get (even for the commodities not in the first squad). 

 

I definitely think they will aim for trophies, but they won't think top4 is a failure either.

 

3 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Not really. One of the issues was Poch going against what worked in preseason until March. 😉

All very well except the League Cup was done and dusted before the end of February LOL. 

4 minutes ago, Simplymo said:

They could be trying to do both with vary degrees of success atm especially if player turnover this season has made them a small profit, as far as they are concerned its still early in the 10yr project.

So yr3 of 10 is a small profit and it increases every year. I think that was and still is the plan.

In rgds to football, as commodities mature they hope the results will get better too. They've bought the talent to do it. The better the results, the more money they get (even for the commodities not in the first squad). 

 

I definitely think they will aim for trophies, but they won't think top4 is a failure either.

 

Theoretically, this squad won't peak for another 4 seasons yet so you may well be bang on in terms of timeframe being too early to assess at 3 years out of 10 

56 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

“

This is what Todd said in May 2024 in Qatar...

 

"We think this is a really young and exciting team that will be together for a long time. If you look at franchises that dominate for a long time they have real stability in the team, front office and coaching staff "

Yeah we need stability for sure, hopefully one day ....

I think this was to do with the executive power struggle ... Todd wanting to keep the manager, and Eghbali wanting to part company. I saw it as Todd trying to solicit media support for his preferred course of action. In the event, as a minority shareholder, he got outmanoeuvred and outvoted ... I don't think he was wrong though, and it's totally backed up by what has helped make his other sports team the Dodgers successful.

 

1 hour ago, Sexyfootball said:

I think this was to do with the executive power struggle ... Todd wanting to keep the manager, and Eghbali wanting to part company. I saw it as Todd trying to solicit media support for his preferred course of action. In the event, as a minority shareholder, he got outmanoeuvred and outvoted ... I don't think he was wrong though, and it's totally backed up by what has helped make his other sports team the Dodgers successful.

 

So Todd knows what is vital for success but is unable to implement it because he's a minority shareholder..

Sort of sums up the mess .

1 hour ago, Simplymo said:

They could be trying to do both with vary degrees of success atm especially if player turnover this season has made them a small profit, as far as they are concerned its still early in the 10yr project.

So yr3 of 10 is a small profit and it increases every year. I think that was and still is the plan.

In rgds to football, as commodities mature they hope the results will get better too. They've bought the talent to do it. The better the results, the more money they get (even for the commodities not in the first squad). 

 

I definitely think they will aim for trophies, but they won't think top4 is a failure either.

 

The most depressing thing is that after the 10 year embargo on paying dividends to investors is lifted, our profits will enrich wealthy shareholders.

That shouldn't surprise anyone, that was the objective of Clearlake's investment in our club from the start.

 

1 hour ago, Simplymo said:

They could be trying to do both with vary degrees of success atm especially if player turnover this season has made them a small profit, as far as they are concerned its still early in the 10yr project.

So yr3 of 10 is a small profit and it increases every year. I think that was and still is the plan.

In rgds to football, as commodities mature they hope the results will get better too. They've bought the talent to do it. The better the results, the more money they get (even for the commodities not in the first squad). 

 

I definitely think they will aim for trophies, but they won't think top4 is a failure either.

 

Good news !

Darren Bent has predicted a top 4 finish for us behind Citeh , Arsenal, Liverpool..

As a bonus Tottenham in 5th and Everton relegated.

Who says the media hate us !🤣

 

4 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

I agree that we generally supported teams that weren't based on trophy wins. Yes, it was about locality, family, friends etc. There are loads of well supported teams whose fans are as passionate as us, or as any trophy winners, but whose clubs never win anything.

But the match going fans are outnumbered by fans from around the world, who  choose a team based on maybe success etc.  and I don't know this for sure, but maybe feel ok with changing the team they support?

 

 

Do fickle fans around the world translate into money in the clubs coffers though? Are Caicedo fans in Ecuador buying genuine Chelsea shirts or are they more likely to buy a cheap knock-off? 

1 hour ago, Simplymo said:

They could be trying to do both with vary degrees of success atm especially if player turnover this season has made them a small profit, as far as they are concerned its still early in the 10yr project.

So yr3 of 10 is a small profit and it increases every year. I think that was and still is the plan.

In rgds to football, as commodities mature they hope the results will get better too. They've bought the talent to do it. The better the results, the more money they get (even for the commodities not in the first squad). 

 

I definitely think they will aim for trophies, but they won't think top4 is a failure either.

 

Mo !

Stop referring to football players as " commodities" ! Next you'll be talking about fans as " customers" 🤣🤣🤣

4 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

Mo !

Stop referring to football players as " commodities" ! Next you'll be talking about fans as " customers" 🤣🤣🤣

It's the only way I can make sense of it in my head without abusing the owners for treating ppl like commodities.

They don't ask for a list of players but a "stock count"

😆 

1 minute ago, BS66 said:

Do fickle fans around the world translate into money in the clubs coffers though? Are Caicedo fans in Ecuador buying genuine Chelsea shirts or are they more likely to buy a cheap knock-off? 

I absolutely agree , and the Asian market are renowned for producing cheap imitations .

I believe the EPL gets loads from Asian TV rights though.

Todd sees America as a largely untapped market. Dunno if the World cup over there will change that, ? 

Clearlake will have a plan to pocket money off of club somehow.

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

Mo !

Stop referring to football players as " commodities" ! Next you'll be talking about fans as " customers" 🤣🤣🤣

Tbh, customers might be a bit rich too. Those would be the big companies that rent boxes or corporate events, etc.

The fans are actually "walk ins" 

Hahaha.