Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has insisted the onus is on clubs outside the top four to "get their houses in order" if the perceived lack of competition in the Premier League is to be addressed. (Various) Source BBC
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon believes it is up to clubs outside the Premier League's big four to "get their houses in order" for them to compete.
The Blues, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have filled the competition's top four places in each of the past three seasons.
And Kenyon said: "Other teams in England should be knocking on our door; teams like Tottenham, Newcastle, Villa, Everton."
Ideas to try to level the playing field, including placing a limit on the number of foreign players, have been mooted in some quarters but Kenyon does not back such proposals.
"It's more about them getting their houses in order rather than us coming down to their level," he added.
"If you look across Europe, other major leagues are dominated by one, two or three teams, so it's too easy to say this is a Premier League issue.
"What's important is the way we distribute our TV revenues, which is very equitable."
Kenyon has also reiterated the club's willingness to discuss the league's controversial proposal for all sides to play a 39th match at a foreign venue.
The idea met with much opposition when first aired last season but it will again be discussed at the next shareholder meeting in September.
Kenyon said: "We are supportive of evaluating the proposal. We have to recognise it's probably the global league in football. We have to be open-minded."
"What's important is the way we distribute our TV revenues, which is very equitable."
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A red herring - Chelsea have recorded debts of £78m, £133m, £75m in the last three years that they have published accounts. The combined debt of Chelsea and Manchester United is 1.5bn - with both clubs in debt to the tune of around £750m each. TV revenue in the scheme of things is irrelevant -except that the over-inflated sums that Sky/Setanta etc pay help fund the interest payments and encourage dodgy Russian and American billionaires to buy clubs.
Rather than the likes of Spurs, Villa, Everton etc raising their game (and more likely the amount that they'll go in debt just to compete) it is the big four that should reduce their spending to the point where there is a more balanced playing field. Wage inflation is not confined to the top few clubs - increasingly Prem sides are building bigger squads and who can blame an average player for taking £10-15K a week to sit on a bench rather than take a lower salary and play in the CCC? The trouble is that this makes even average CCC players expensive to hire.
Leeds FC is an example of what happens when a club chases the dream and tries to establish themselves in the top four without the benefit of someone with deep pockets and had Ambramovich not wandered along to buy Chelsea in 2003 Peter Kenyon would still be at Man U earning a decent but not quite as stratospheric salary. In essence he should be grateful that Ambramovich is going all out to but success. In the real world the football industry operates to economies that would bankrupt most companies.
Agree with the general feeling re Kenyon. But one day, Chelsea WILL go bust. It may take time, but when they do it will be good for football. I wish the big four would just set up a european superleague and feck off, on the understanding they can never, ever return.
Comments
Lets have a vote. I'll go with c**t
Ok i'll switch my vote total and utter c**t
The Blues, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have filled the competition's top four places in each of the past three seasons.
And Kenyon said: "Other teams in England should be knocking on our door; teams like Tottenham, Newcastle, Villa, Everton."
Ideas to try to level the playing field, including placing a limit on the number of foreign players, have been mooted in some quarters but Kenyon does not back such proposals.
"It's more about them getting their houses in order rather than us coming down to their level," he added.
"If you look across Europe, other major leagues are dominated by one, two or three teams, so it's too easy to say this is a Premier League issue.
"What's important is the way we distribute our TV revenues, which is very equitable."
Kenyon has also reiterated the club's willingness to discuss the league's controversial proposal for all sides to play a 39th match at a foreign venue.
The idea met with much opposition when first aired last season but it will again be discussed at the next shareholder meeting in September.
Kenyon said: "We are supportive of evaluating the proposal. We have to recognise it's probably the global league in football. We have to be open-minded."
Without Roman chelsea are fooked and he knows it.
............
A red herring - Chelsea have recorded debts of £78m, £133m, £75m in the last three years that they have published accounts. The combined debt of Chelsea and Manchester United is 1.5bn - with both clubs in debt to the tune of around £750m each. TV revenue in the scheme of things is irrelevant -except that the over-inflated sums that Sky/Setanta etc pay help fund the interest payments and encourage dodgy Russian and American billionaires to buy clubs.
Rather than the likes of Spurs, Villa, Everton etc raising their game (and more likely the amount that they'll go in debt just to compete) it is the big four that should reduce their spending to the point where there is a more balanced playing field. Wage inflation is not confined to the top few clubs - increasingly Prem sides are building bigger squads and who can blame an average player for taking £10-15K a week to sit on a bench rather than take a lower salary and play in the CCC? The trouble is that this makes even average CCC players expensive to hire.
Leeds FC is an example of what happens when a club chases the dream and tries to establish themselves in the top four without the benefit of someone with deep pockets and had Ambramovich not wandered along to buy Chelsea in 2003 Peter Kenyon would still be at Man U earning a decent but not quite as stratospheric salary. In essence he should be grateful that Ambramovich is going all out to but success. In the real world the football industry operates to economies that would bankrupt most companies.