So...Are Chelsea the Biggest Club in The World Yet?

[Mockney]

Peter Kenyon
By 2014 we want to be internationally recognised as the No 1 club,

"mwa ha....mwa ha ha ha....mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.......oh"

So, as we approach 2010, it's almost 3 years since Peter "I have a CL runners up Medal" Keyon spewed out this little nugget of wonder and using my special selective calender, almost the half way stage in his evil scheme.

Clearly I should have waited another year and a bit to start this thread but I'm an impatient person with important things to do (my toast is burning as we speak) so I'm making it now and I'll bump it should I survive the impending apocalypse of 2012 (also known as the London Olympics)

How do we think it's going so far?

When this statement was made the sensible among us laughed it off as naive and ridiculous. The biggest club in the world cannot be forged over 8 years, it takes decades to accumulate the right and respect to even be considered for the honor. Still, we worried that the seemingly endless money pouring in could certainly give them the might to barge their way onto the top table....However things have changed

Since 06 Chelsea have sacked The Special One, replaced him with an angry frog and then promptly sacked him too. Then The Poseidon Adventure ended early as, in an unexpected late re-write, Gene Hackman was killed off after failing to reach the upper deck fast enough.

So, will this prediction ever come to pass? and if they win 3 CL's on the bounce would that fulfill the prophecy in the required time?...

Clearly the answer is no. But please debate anyway...

 

[Anderson Searl]

If you win 3 CL's in a row historically you're one of the best clubs ever, period.

I don't know, they're a top top top club no doubt, and by that I mean an elite company, despite the monies.

 

[Mockney]

Yes I suppose you're right. If they win 3 European Cups they'll earn the right to be called one of the biggest in the World. Not the biggest though...and in any case, they won't

 

[kouroux]

How about winning 3 PLs and 3 CLs in a row Mockney ?

 

[Moriarty]

I'd just like to thank you for posting that photograph: in fact, lovers of emetics all over the world who log on to this site ought to thank you.

 

[Quinny1999]

Never mind in a row, that doesn't matter now. Clubs that did it in the past did it when the competition was much weaker with less games to win it. To win the CL now is much more of an achievement.

I would say if Chelsea won the CL 3 times, back to back or not, they deserve the right to be classed as one of the best clubs in Europe.

However this won't happen .... close thread

 

[phelans shorts]

even if they get 3 champions leagues in a row, real got 5 in a row way back when, so it is impossible for chelsea to claim such an accolade

 

[Mockney]

How about winning 3 PLs and 3 CLs in a row Mockney ?

then I'd concede they were a big deal. But to be the biggest club in the world it takes way more than that. Real have been blabbering about being the biggest club in world all this summer despite the fact they haven't gotten past the QF of the CL in the last 4 years.

Ergo, It takes way more than instant success to be the biggest club. Kenyon, I''d imagine, thought Chelsea would have won the Champions league by now...maybe more than once. The pre-seasons tours are designed to try and break America while everyone else concentrates on the far east....but it doesn't seem to be working...

All in all, it'll take a monumentous sweep of trophies playing glorious football for his dream to come to pass...even then I find it highly unlikely

 

[Raven Blade]

They have grown to become a bigger club over the last few years but are still a long way off clubs such as us, Real Madrid, Barcelona, etc. For all their money they simply cannot buy history and gain the respect of a global fanbase.

 

[Walrus]

I still see them as a decent club (around the Villa/Everton/City kind of level) who happened to be the first EPL club to get a billionaire sugar daddy investor.

Their youth system is still average (when talking about top clubs, that is), same deal with their stadium and fanbase. I said when Abramovich took over that whilst they would enjoy short term success, they would never achieve anything in the long term without spending on their infrastructure, business and off-the-pitch activities. They have yet to prove me wrong.

 

[Member 39557]

Being a big club is to do with more than winning trophies in my opinion. It's about success, history and fanbase in order to make a lasting impact on the football world.

Chelsea have had success but in my opinion they don't have enough history or a large enough or loyal enough fanbase to be one of the worlds biggest clubs. I remember hearing reports of large portions of their ticket allocations being unsold for some midweek away games and even cup finals when they were held in Cardiff.

 

[Mockney]

Their youth system is still average (when talking about top clubs, that is), same deal with their stadium and fanbase. I said when Abramovich took over that whilst they would enjoy short term success, they would never achieve anything in the long term without spending on their infrastructure, business and off-the-pitch activities. They have yet to prove me wrong.

You could say much of the same about Real Madrid though. Clearly Madird are bigger, but they work in much the same way...very little emphasis on youth (if any) and sustain their success with big expensive signings...leading to an eventual collapse of structure, leading to more big signings.

 

[Jarmon]

Chelsea will NEVER be nr 1, since Man UTD will always be nr1!

 

[Anderson Searl]

Man Utd, nr1 !!!

 

[ALX8725]

all the big clubs started small at SOME point in their history, if the rich Russian doesn't get bored and continues to keep Chelsea at the top with his funding, I suspect in 10-15 years they'll be recognized as a big club

 

[Mockney]

 

[ALX8725]

 

[Red_Jamie]

We're nr1! We're nr1!

 

[Alwyn]

Give them a chance Oscar, they've still got four and a half calendar years to become the biggest.

 

[Crustanoid]

The big difference between the Chav$ if they won 3 CL in a row, and the other clubs who have done this (Real, Ajax, Bayern I think), and also even Barca, Milan, United, Liverpool and the other 'Big European clubs' is that the others did not instantly become rich overnight, and made a natural progression to be a big club. No matter what the Chav$ do no-one will ever respect them enough to think of them as the 'Worlds biggest club'

 

[Anderson Searl]

The big difference between the Chav$ if they won 3 CL in a row, and the other clubs who have done this (Real, Ajax, Bayern I think), and also even Barca, Milan, United, Liverpool and the other 'Big European clubs' is that the others did not instantly become rich overnight, and made a natural progression to be a big club. No matter what the Chav$ do no-one will ever respect them enough to think of them as the 'Worlds biggest club'

But do you rate them still as one of the elite?

I can't bring myself to NOT rank them.

 

[Nani Nana]

Oliver enjoys making ironic threads


How couldn't one call ironic a question to which everyone has the answer.

 

[FlawlessThaw]

But do you rate them still as one of the elite?

I can't bring myself to NOT rank them.

They are currently one of the elite clubs in the world. Arguably one of seven which has a great chance of winning the champions league. But that's not saying that much considering Nottingham Forest were one of the elite clubs 30 odd years ago.

Big question is will Chelsea have it in them to maintain themselves in the top echelon of clubs like United and Liverpool.

 

[Mockney]

Originally Posted by ALX8725

Don't worry, I was laughing at Searl's post not yours mate

Give them a chance Oscar, they've still got four and a half calendar years to become the biggest.

Shut up Alvin

How couldn't one call ironic a question to which everyone has the answer.

Easily. It's not Ironic, it's rhetorical....if even that.

 

[Nani Nana]

Easily. It's not Ironic, it's rhetorical....if even that.

Oh yeah thanks, I was looking for that word.

 

[Mockney]

Well it isn't really rhetorical. If Chelsea do win 3 CL in a row, then the generation reaching memory retention age now will think of them as the top team. As ALX8725 said, all clubs had to start somewhere...but by 2014? no

Furthermore, I think it's still up for debate as to whether they've attained status as one of the true big clubs or not. I wouldn't bracket them in with Us, Madrid, Barca, Juve, Milan, Bayern & Liverpool yet. Not even Ajax. But the next generation quite easily could. Is the plan working?...slowly

 

[Jens' Face]

an angry frog

really?

I always had him down as a hemorrhoidal vampire

 

[Walrus]

But do you rate them still as one of the elite?

I can't bring myself to NOT rank them.

I dont rate them as an elite club. I rate them as a pretty big club with an extremely rich owner - which in turn has brought them much more global recognition and support.

Make no mistake, if Abramovich hadn't come, they would still be fighting alongside the City's, Villa's and Everton's for the 4th CL spot and UEFA cup. It would actually be interesting to see that "alternate reality", in particular about the successes of Arsenal, Liverpool and ourselves had Chelsea never emerged as such a "big" club.

 

[Mockney]

really?

I always had him down as a hemorrhoidal vampire

Debatable...I always see him as this

 

[Jens' Face]

Debatable...I always see him as this

first of all that frog is clearly not angry; he's malevolent -- and happy about it.

second of all,

all you really need to add to ol' Avrampire is the lipstick

 

[Mockney]

I see your Bela Lugosi and I raise you.

 

[sammsky1]

I still see them as a decent club (around the Villa/Everton/City kind of level) who happened to be the first EPL club to get a billionaire sugar daddy investor.

Their youth system is still average (when talking about top clubs, that is), same deal with their stadium and fanbase.

about sums up my feelings. In fact was discussing this with my cousin last night.

History tell is that when you get your chance, you have to take it, because sooner or later, there will be chances no more. Ivan Lendil played in 6 Wimbledon finals. Every year he lost, people would say, he will surely be back and win it next time. But next time he lost again .... and then he has to retire. To have reached the CL semi finals 5 years in succession and not won it it verges on a flagrant misuse/abuse of opportunity. This level of performance is not maintainable. And this season, with a resurgent Real Madrid and Inter Milan, Im not sure they will make the CL semi's this year. They have no youth program to speak off and no young players coming through, a squad that is already too old and so not capable of winning the PL and still they are getting older and a sugar daddy who will not invest like he did before. In fact, once Abramovich leaves, the whole thing will combust, perhaps as crazily as it did at Leeds.

I'm convinced that in about 20 years time when people look back on this era, Whilst Liverpool, United and perhaps Arsenal still are there or thereabouts, people will ask how the feck the Chavs managed to do what they did and be bracketed along with the likes of Huddersfield, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Everton as random clubs who had a brief taste of success but were very far from being a true great.

 

[Jens' Face]

feck me that's one angry frog

 

[Mockney]

I'm convinced that in about 20 years time when people look back on this era, Whilst Liverpool, United and perhaps Arsenal still are there or thereabouts, people will ask how the feck the Chavs managed to do what they did and be bracketed along with the likes of Huddersfield, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Everton as random clubs who had a brief taste of success but were very far from being a true great.

The fact that Chelsea are in London would put paid to that theory IMO

 

[Name Changed]

Chelsea will never be a top club. They will never have the support that the likes of United, Liverpool and Arsenal have. The don't have the appeal. It may as well be Ipswich or Southend who are in their position.

 

[olesmyhero]

Chelsea were only popular around the world in recent years because they spent a lot of cash, and got a lot of coverage because of it. Since then, other billionaires have come along and outspent them, and United has outplayed them. This whole 'biggest club' business rested solely on them winning everything under the sun because of the team they were building. That went a bit awry with Mourinho leaving obviously. I don't think they'll ever be as big a club as Abramovich wants them to be. Nor will City be as big as their owners want them to be.

 

[Ramshock]

I see your Bela Lugosi and I raise you.

the exact same pic i posted a few weeks ago in a thread about him

 

[B20]

@propagandaphoto I'm back in Kuala Lumpur for Chelsea's Asia tour. It's basically the same as Liverpool's but without any fans.

 

[duffer]

?

We don't play our first game until thursday as far as I know.

 

[B20]

?

We don't play our first game until thursday as far as I know.

The pic on the right is not from a game. It was taken from one of our training sessions there. 38.000 turned up just for the first session.