Chelsea fan Mike Ticher pays grudging and limited tribute to the man who has run the Blues for good or ill for the past 21 years – and isn’t going anywhere just yet
For more than 20 years, Chelsea have been run by a man who has sailed close to the wind in his business dealings. Some of Ken Bates’s closest associates have been in serious trouble with the law and the ownership of the controlling stake in Chelsea Village was officially a mystery for many years.
Tuesday 1 A Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich, buys a controlling interest in Chelsea and is expected to settle the club’s oustanding debts, which will cost him around £130m in total. Ken Bates, who will stay on as chairman, professes himself delighted with the deal: “The club will benefit from a new owner with deeper pockets to move Chelsea to the next level.” UEFA president Lennart Johansson repeats an earlier warning that England may be expelled from the European championship if fans misbehave at future away matches. Harry Kewell’s agent claims there are still six clubs in the running to sign him, one of whom he can’t name, just to make it all sound more exciting. Craig Bellamy is to face three charges of racially aggravated harassment following an incident outside a Cardiff nightclub in March.
Ian Farrell follows the tetchy career of a player highly rated by Johan Cruyff, but who proved to be an unsatisfactory replacement for Jason Wilcox
Depending on how sympathetic you are towards them as a species, Richard Witschge is either a typical Dutch player or the sort that unfairly gives them a bad name. Arrogant, outspoken, not quite as talented as he thinks he is and ultimately destined to underachieve big time. Mix these characteristics with the floppy hair, three-day stubble and permanent sulk of a long lost Gallagher brother, and the result is no British manager’s idea of a trouble-free pro.
As the world looks east towards the World Cup, England could be on course to righting the wrongs of 1998
You never really know until it starts, of course, but it feels as though this World Cup is going to be very different from the last one. Some of the differences are obvious, notably the fact that it is being held much further away from England. While you would not want to rule it out, it seems implausible that hooliganism will be as big a theme as it was in France. Perhaps more interestingly from England’s point of view is the way the culture of the team itself has changed, largely, though not entirely, due to the influence of Sven-Goran Eriksson.
With the World Cup looming, two writers are at loggerheads when asked: "Should players with bad attitudes be left out by England?"
Yes~
What makes a good footballer? It’s a simple enough question, but perhaps it requires a more complicated answer. Touch, control, balance, strength, speed and fitness are all obvious prerequisites, but what about those other, less tangible, qualities that are integral to the footballer template?