Chelsea recently celebrated 13 years of Roman Abramovich’s ownership of the club. In 2003, the Russian billionaire was picking up a fast-improving brand that had garnered several trophies under the leadership of Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli and Claudio Ranieri. But with him on top and Mourinho as its key player, was soon set on a course that would see it become the most hated team in England. 20-25 years ago Chelsea didn’t have anything, no trophies, not much fan base but currently they are amongst the biggest clubs in the world, hated by others due to the feeling that they have bought success rather than work hard for it.
Abramovich has brought that “win-now” mentality by buying the best and most expensive footballers in the world. Since he bought the club, the Premier League has seen many foreign buyers coming to English shores and purchasing teams, without any connection with the fans. Here are the 5 reasons why people hate Chelsea.
Money
Before Roman Abramovich bought the club, Chelsea were nowhere near a Premier League winning club, they were at best a cup team. Getting to the top four was the priority not winning the league. The Blues were on the verge of bankruptcy before the Russian arrived and saved them with his billions. His money turned them into a potent force over night, they had the resources to get the best players in the world. In 98 years before Abramovich took over, Chelsea had won 8 major trophies but since then the Blues have gone on win 15 trophies.
Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is a serial winner, he has won trophies everywhere he has gone but unfortunately for him, he has managed to gather a lot of hatred along the way from opposition team’s fans for the methods he has used to achieve success. The Portuguese has always put winning over everything, which means his tantrums on and off the field are often aggravating for the others. Although not at Chelsea anymore, he will always be remembered at Stamford Bridge as a manager who made his teams functional rather than fantastic.
Loan Strategy
Many people might not realize it but Chelsea have one of the best academies in the country. They have produced many talented youngsters. However apart from buying world super stars, there are many young talents who are brought in and then immediately loaned out or even loaned back temporarily to their old clubs, and eventually sold for a profit when they impress elsewhere. There is a feeling around the footballing world that Chelsea aren’t much interested in developing youngsters, there focus is mainly on immediate success.
Diving
Chelsea players are notoriously famous for simulation, they have many more yellow card diving then their closest rivals. Diving and trying to influence the referee is something which is hated by the fans and pundits alike. Chelsea have a bad reputation of hounding the referees, something straight from the mind of Jose Mourinho.
Boring Football
Chelsea have made it a habit of winning ugly, the most recent example that comes to mind in the Champions League victory run in 2012, where they did nothing except defend, as they looked to stifle Barcelona and Bayern Munich on their way to the trophy. They have often been accused of playing boring football in order to achieve their desired results. For a side assembled with hugely expensive signings, there play really lets them down.
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