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Season Preview 20in20 - Chelsea
10 of 20 - The Blues
nick lochner
August 02, 2023
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Chelsea“The Blues” |
Are you an Chelsea Fan? |
2022/23 Finish - 12th Place
Change. That was the theme for Chelsea in 22/23 and is the theme heading into 23/24. Last season’s 12th place finish was The Blues lowest since 1994 (14th ). There’s been a lot of drama over the last 18 months, starting with the second half of the 2022 season when owner Roman Abramavich being forced out over ties to Russia. That did not deter Chelsea from spending as new ownership spend $300M on transfers, the most of any PL team heading into the season. There was tension between new ownership and Manager Thomas Tuchel heading into the season and after a frustrating start, Tuchel was sacked and successful Brighton & Hove Albion Manager Graham Potter took over. After a good stretch Chelsea won only 4 times in their final 19 matches and Potter was sacked, enter Frank Lampard to finish out the season. This offseason change continues to be the theme with a new Manager (Pochettino), yet to be announced kit sponsors, and significant player turnover including popular Amercian Christian Pulisic.
The Club
Located in Fulham, West London Stamford Bridge 41,000 capacity Rough estimates $620M Annual Revenue $200M Player Payroll  History on the Pitch
| Sponsorship
Biggest Rival - Hard To Say
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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. The club’s traditions, such as singing “Blue is the Colour” and “Ten Men Went to Mow,” have become an integral part of the club’s identity and history.
The PensionersChelsea 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. Supporters You May Recognize
 | SongThe 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
Official Twitter@ChelseaFC High Follows on Twitter @ChelseaFCinUSA (850k) @CFC_CHelseaFC (120k) |
The Team
The Gaffer
ODDS
| Roster NotesFull Roster click link Projected to finish 5th
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