Big Thanks to CS subscriber Jim for some of the content in this season preview - and check out his Podcast - “Always Bayern Chelsea” (link to apple podcasts).
Chelsea
“The Blues”
2024/25 Finish - 4th Place
Qualified for Champions League.
The Club
Located in Fulham, West London
Stamford Bridge 41,000 capacity
Rough estimates
$755M Annual Revenue (5th PL 9th world)
$250M Player Payroll
Sponsorship
Kit: Nike
Shirt: Infinite Athlete (AI Tech)
Sleeve: BingX (Crypto in Singapore)
History on the Pitch
6 Titles, last in 2017
8 FA Cups
2 Champions League, 2 Europa League, ! UEFA Conference League
Have never been outside the top two leagues and have won all cups at least once
Notable Players in History
Frank Lampard, Peter Osgood, Didier Drogba, John Terry, Eden Hazard, Cesar Azpilicueta, Petr Cech, N’Golo Kante.
Home
Away
Biggest Rival - Hard To Say
This is interesting - supporters would say Arsenal, Tottenham and Leeds.
They also are 1 of 4 teams in the West London Derby with Queen Park Rangers (QPR), Brentford, and Fulham. They may not consider them rivals given their dominance - in aggregate of 151 Matches Chelsea have 75W 45L 31D. The other 3 clubs have won 48, 47 and 45 respectively.
Ownership
Prior to 2022:
Chelsea had a lot of success with Roman Abramovich, a Russian Oligarch worth $13B, owned Chelsea. Then Russia invades Ukraine (I am not going to get into the human impact or the politics of it) but it brought to the forefront the term Sportswashing - the idea that people or governments try to use sports to improve their reputations, often with unlimited funds.
This created the opportunity to put pressure on Russians with influence. The British say he acquired his wealth illegally and has direct ties to Putin and the UK banned him from living in the UK. Roman came out with a statement that he was giving the Trustees of the Charitable Foundation stewardship and care of Chelsea FC to protect the club. However, the trustees didn’t agree to it before the announcement. In the statement he didn’t mention war or even acknowledge the conflict. He got hammered for it, and the UK government froze his assets including his $150M home in the UK. Supporters demanded change. Should he have been targeted? I don’t know. From a pure soccer standpoint, he is missed.
Post 2022:
BlueCo was created just for this takeover bid of Chelsea, which was approved at $5.5B. BlueCo is led by Todd Boehly, an American businessman and investor. Boehly attempted to buy the club in 2019 for $3B but was rejected by Abramovich. Boehly also owns 20% of the LA Dodgers, 27% of the LA Lakers and is an owner of DraftKings.
The Culture
Chelsea is a “suburb” within Central London that is very affluent, internationally diverse and loaded with high-end shops, restaurants, and luxury. Like the “suburb”, Chelsea FC is an international club and fan base, and depending on how you count have a top 5 fan following in the world. Interestingly, Chelsea started when Gus Mears, a businessman, purchased Stamford Bridge with the hope of luring Fulham to use the stadium. They declined. So Mears founded his own club.
The club has always been very close with the community as demonstrated by their beginning as “The Pensioners” (see below). You can see this play out with their passionate supporters and gameday atmosphere. The club’s supporters, known as the “Chelsea Pensioners,” are known for their songs, chants, and passionate support of the team. Opposing fans love to poke fun at one of the main chants, “Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea".
Heading to a Match and want to be among the most vocal supporters? Sit in the “Shed End”, although regardless of where you sit Stamford Bridge provides fantastic supporter viewing. And make sure to see the museum and take a tour of the Bridge on a non-match day.
Museum
The Pitch
The Pensioners
Chelsea has undergone many changes over its history. The club nickname started out as The Pensioners (Veterans of Wars, like the VA in the US). In 1952 the crest changed to a lion, and has changed 3 times since, most recently 2005. Manager Ted Drake felt the club needed adapt to the times, and “The Pensioners” was retired and “The Blues” were created, to fit the teams historical colors. This fit with Drake’s no nonsense approach. Pensioners still have a quota of seats allocated for home matches.
Michael Caine
Tara Reid
Bryan Adams
Lil Wayne
Will Farrell
Owen Wilson
Raquel Welch
Jimmy Paige
Billy Idol
Kevin Garnett
Sex Pistols, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, many many more
Song
The song was produced in 1972 by Penny Farthing Records and has sold over a million copies worldwide and hit#5 in the UK Charts.
“Blue is the colour, football is the game, We’re all together, and winning is our aim, So cheer us on through the sun and rain, ‘Cause Chelsea, Chelsea is our name.”
Margaret Thatcher used the song successfully as part of her election campaign to Prime Minister.
"Blue is the Colour;" "Maggie is her name;" "we're all together" (...verse....) chorus.... "Margaret Thatcher is her name!"
The Chelsea Pensioner
Game Day Pub Guide
Fan Sites
“Chelsea in America” is the supporter’s group that has factions across America, and is a great way to get connected to fellow Chelsea fans (Highbury Pub - @thehighbury on X - in Milwaukee, is an example)
Official Twitter
@ChelseaFC
High Follows on Twitter
@ChelseaFCinUSA (850k)
@CFC_CHelseaFC (120k)
@AbsoluteChelsea
@CFCInAmerica
@LondonBluePod
@ChelseaFC
@AlwaysBayChe
Chelsea winning the Club World Cup
The Team
The Gaffer
Enzo Maresca (Italy), 45yo.
Signed from Leicester City after getting promoted from the Championship a year ago.
Good first year righting the ship for Chelsea.
Worked as an academy coach at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
Heavy possession-based style of play and building from the back.
Roster Notes
Full Roster click link
CS Projected to finish 2nd
Americans on the team (as of Aug 2)
Cole Palmer
Joao Pedro
Liam Delap
Marc Cucurella
Many more to choose from
Goalkeeper
Robert Sanchez - Top 15 in PL.
ODDS
To Win League +820
To Be Relegated +11,000
Stamford Bridge
