







Buying a football club in 1982
Success in business is all about timing. In 1982 Ken Bates, a self-made millionaire from ready-mix concrete, bought Chelsea Football Club for £1, while taking on debts of £1.5 million.
At the time it wasn't the bargain it now seems. The club was struggling in the second tier of English football, Chelsea finished 18th in 1982/83 and faced becoming homeless as the Stamford Bridge freehold had been sold to property developers.
Football then was a totally different proposition. The game was marred by falling attendances, crumbling facilities and hooliganism. Live TV coverage was in its infancy and merchandising was extremely rudimentary. In short football was a declining industry. But 1982 proved to be the nadir.
The on-field fortunes of Chelsea improved in the 1980s, with the club gaining promotion to the top flight in 1984. Then, after a long legal battle, Ken Bates reunited the Stamford Bridge freehold with the club in 1992 and Chelsea became a founder member of the newly established Premier League.
At the same time football underwent a revolution. Lucrative deals for live TV improved the cash flow of top football clubs, which was often frittered away in players' wages, while facilities were modernised in the wake of the Taylor report and leading clubs were required to have all-seat stadia.
Hooliganism largely disappeared and supporting football became a much more upmarket experience. Football had cachet and the powerful and wealthy wanted to be associated with it.
In 2003, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea football club in a deal worth £140 million.
The new owner stumped up £80 million to cover the club's debts and also bought a controlling interest in Chelsea Village, which owns the football club. Twenty-one years after purchasing Chelsea for £1, Bates made a £17 million profit on his investment.
info courtesy worldwideweb
Mitwaa Tere Bina Lage Na Re Jeeya Ra Lage Na
aaj se apana waada raha
ham milenge har ek mod par
dil ki duniya basaayenge ham
gam ki duniya ka dar chhod kar
jeene marne ki kisko padi
laakh gehara ho saagar to kya
pyaar se kuch bhi gehara nahi
dil ki deewaani har mauj par
aasamaanon ka pahara nahi
toot jaayegi har hathakadi
The bonding of life must not break
Lets love for a moment or two
Forget about a long long life
A moment of love is enough
what is the value of a smile in your eyes,
when your eyes have never tasted the value of tears.
There is no youth if it has no story to tell
Tears are the strand of happiness
Darling i cant live without you
From today we have a promise
We will meet at every place, every chance we get
we will build the world of our hearts
We will leave behind this sorrowful world of fear
Who cares about living or dying
The oceans may be thousands deep
There is no limit to the deepness of love
The desire of the hearts pleasure