On Wednesday evening, I had a text from a Pitch Owner mate who was going to the meeting on Thursday asking what time I was planning to arrive. I told him and he said he’d keep an eye out for me. I replied “You’ll recognise me. I’ll be the one asking the awkward questions”. As things turned out, it proved to be an accurate prediction. I don’t know how others…
Amidst extraordinary scenes, the Say No CPO campaign saw their will and determination to defeat the proposal put by Chelsea Football Club to CPO shareholders come to fruition. The West Lower concourse at Stamford Bridge was suitably transformed for such a dramatic occasion into The Great Hall, festooned with black drapes and with banks of comfortable seating, the latter being a consolation as the meeting stretched into a fourth hour…
This is written on the morning of one of the most historic days in the eventful life of a great football club, and by this time tomorrow we will know whether shareholders in CPO have signed away the Chelsea FC’s birthright forever. The last three weeks have seen unprecedented sales of Pitch Owner shares. Indeed, more shares have been shifted than in the previous seven years. So much for Richard…
Since the announcement of Chelsea FC’s proposal to Chelsea Pitch Owners, the club have used every possible medium at their disposal to try and influence shareholders to vote “yes”. We have seen the club utilise current players, former players, columnist, the medium of Chelsea TV and the matchday programme. The intensity of their campaign indicates how seriously they are taking this matter. In the interests of balance, the “Say No…
Saturday was a key day for the Say No to CPO campaign, with volunteers taking to the streets and pubs of SW6 to hand out leaflets and discuss issues with supporters face to face. It was a hugely positive experience. Many fans, even those in favour of the “yes” proposal, wanted to have a chat about what the campaign means and its objectives. Many of those I spoke to had…
Update 1 of The Road to the Harris Suite addressed the ethos of the “SayNoCPO” (SNCPO) campaign, issues that have arisen to date, and our strategy going forward. Whilst meetings with club officials are taking take place, and a meeting with CPO Directors is envisaged, this weekend’s home game against Everton, televised on Sky, and the only significant home game before the meeting on 27th October, provides an opportunity for…
It’s now been eight days since Chelsea FC announced that a General Meeting of Chelsea Pitch Owners would take place on 27th October, at which their proposal to buyback the Leasehold of Stamford Bridge would be voted on. Over course of the last week, tentative discussions between individuals via the medium of social networking have combined with supporters’ groups and CPO shareholders to form an umbrella group representing the interests…
A bitterly cold, snowy, winter. An indifferent summer. A Royal Wedding. 1986 has a lot in common with 2011. It was in 1986 that the Battle for the Bridge was at its height. The words “super stadium on the M25” were enough to strike fear into the heart of any true blue. Ken Bates finally reached agreement with the banks representing the now-defunct Marler/Cabra Estates in 1992, and in 1993…
One of the tenets of being a football fans is that, by and large, nothing will hold you back for being “there” for your team. However, with our supporters being stretched not only by the financial demands of everyday life – you know, those luxuries like mortgage or rent, food, etc. – but the demands of the early season European and domestic cup games, it appears that we may just…
I return to you unrefreshed by a hiatus for which I can only apologise. It all started the first weekend of August. I went to visit Old Mother Baby for a few days. We were watching Miss Marple on ITV3 during the Saturday evening when, during a break, I happened to glance at the BBC news headlines on my phone. A headline, three stories down the page past Libya and…