Former Chelsea chairman Ken Bates may have shared the snowy white beard look with Santa Claus, but he was not a man to whom the spirit of giving came easily. Infamously outspoken, Bates frequently attracted controversy by being something of a wheeler-dealer and never one to keep his opinions to himself. When in disagreement with Chelsea benefactor Matthew Harding, Bates forced Harding out of club and labelled him an 'evil man' only a year after his tragic death in a helicopter accident. His masterminded construction of Chelsea Village, a hotel and set of shops and restaurants built around Stamford Bridge, was considered an expensive vanity project. He also enjoyed offering his opinions on former managers, fans and the FA, whom he magnificently described thusly:
At first they were a shambles. Now they have descended via farce to make them a laughing stock.
Regardless of his more critical tendencies, Bates was always a hugely popular figure among fans for having saved the club from going under and creating the Chelsea Pitch Owners association, allowing fans can buy shares in the Stamford Bridge pitch to protect the stadium after it was nearly demolished by property developers in 1992. He also led a successful campaign to rid the terraces of hooliganism and was the driving force behind the modernisation of the club in the nineties. Controversial he may have been, but there wouldn't be a Chelsea Football Club today if it weren't for him.
28-year old English writer with a borderline obsessive passion for films, videogames, Chelsea FC, incomprehensible words and indefensible puns. Follow me on Twitter if you like infrequent outbursts of absolute drivel.
