ARSENAL chairman Peter Hill-Wood reckons that Chelsea have no chance of knocking the likes of Manchester United from world football's top table.
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon - formerly of United - has made no secret of his desire to make the Blues the world's leading football brand by 2014 but their progress has been checked by the departure of manager Jose Mourinho last week.
Just 25,000 fans turned out to watch their opening Champions League game at Stamford Bridge last Tuesday, a 1-1 draw with Rosenborg, while a night later the Emirates' 62,000 capacity was sold out for the Gunners' 3-0 win over Sevilla.
And, despite the quick appointment of Avram Grant as Mourinho's successor, a 2-0 defeat to United on Sunday has left the Blues five points behind leaders Arsenal having played an extra game.
Hill-Wood said: "I don't want to run Chelsea down, but one has to concede Manchester United and Liverpool are probably the biggest names in UK football and probably throughout the world.
"For Chelsea to think they are suddenly going to dominate United and Liverpool is fantasy. It's not going to happen.
"I found it very surprising Chelsea only had 25,000 for a Champions League game (against Rosenborg at Stamford Bridge last Tuesday).
"Our fan-base probably started in the 1930s and it's been handed down from father to son and so forth. It takes 100 years to build and about 100 minutes to destroy. Money is irrelevant to history and how big your club is."
The Gunners supremo, celebrating yesterday's announcement that the club's turnover has broken the £200million barrier, has stated the board will not sell any more shares in the club despite recent purchases by Alisher Usmanov and Stan Kroenke.
Do you agree with Hill-Wood? Have your say.
Hill-Wood: Chelsea plan is fantasy
September 25, 2007

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usual stupid chelski rubbish. can buy players but cant buy greatness
If you are willing to throw stupid amounts of money at something, with an open ended return, the result will be initially positive. Mr Ambramovich is a young guy - sell the business, new start, new country, new wife, new toys, etc. Unfortunately the 'toys' are losing there christmas day newness. Jose is now on a wine tasting holiday in the Algarve, Peter Kenyon has run out of 'spin', the new manager looks like he's walked off the set of the 'Munsters' movie and to cap it Romans choice of matchday partners at O/T (Van Basten and Mr Burns) left little to the imagination. Next to go - Drogba.
Beware the 'blue tongue' disease.
Good comments by Hill Wood I always believed that Judas Kenyon was deluded in his comments now it seems others in the know agree. Kenyon is/was a City fan that claimed to be a United fan then defected to Chelski for the dollars. What a horrible little man.
Lee, Heywood...'Kenyon is/was a City fan'...
What a load of complete and utter garbage. And you've got the nerve to call Mancunians bitter!
Funniest site on the web. I honestly can't stay away because you lot make me laugh so much. At you, not with you.
Looks like the fantasy related to Chelsea doesn't just stop at that. It is reported in The Guardian today that some papers in Israel put down the Ref's decisions on Sunday to his being anti-Jewish because Avram is a Jew. And we all thought Moaninho had gone through the litany of stupid, crass and downright dishonest excuses when Chelsea played badly and did not win. Chelsea sure are turning the world blue but not in the way that they intended. Ahhh! The beautiful game.
News flash, rom puls out of chelski, drogba shock jan move to man united, lamps to spain, chec to real and who cares about the rest?
ok it could be a bit far fetched but once rom relises endless money wont get him what he wants, how long before he gets bored and slings his hook?
And of course you lot have never tried to buy success!? Arsenal are now the richest club in England! Nuff said
Mike do you/did you ever know Peter Kenyon ?? I had dealings with him many years ago when he worked for a local reputable sportswear brand. He was as blue as your empty seats back then.
Icicle boy...is that like shark boy and lava girl? Great cartoon that - try and get in it - then you can tell the other kids 'my dad's richer than your dad...' Another one with 'blue tongue' disease.
Dont think Arsenal fans will be too happy that Hill-Wood hasnt included Arsneal when mentioning the biggest clubs in the UK.
I dont think Chelsea are just going to implode because Mourinho is gone, but i think its going to set them back a few seasons. It would be a major surprise if Grant starts next season as manager. If he doesnt, then a new manager is going to be looking to bring in new players, plus the likes of Drogba and Lampard appeared to be getting itchy feet even before Jose left, so they too could be gone by the start of next season. Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool will all have stolen a significant march on Chelsea by that point i think, so i think Abramovich will have to pour in another fortune.
Also it appears he's now going down the dangerous route of meddling in team affairs. He's not gotten as far as Romanov at Hearts, but if, as its generally believed, he was behind Ballack and Shevchenko arriving, and he's sacked Jose because he wasnt happy with the style of football, then its easy to see him continuing down this interfering path.
It looks to me like its going to be Arsenal and Liverpool we're going to be fighting with for the title over the next few seasons, as there arent many managers who will be able to come into Chelsea like Mourinho did and deliver instant titles
united do not try and buy success, we buy players not teams. Plus we try to introduce our youth players when we can
I see Mike the Bitter is still posting, go away !!!
Now then, here's an interesting little scenario. Manchester City fans say that they have more fans in Manchester than Manchester United so for arguments sake, if Manchester City play Norwich on a Tuesday evening and then Manchester United play Coventry on a Wednesday evening, we would all be right in thinking that Manchester City would have an attendance far in excess of Manchester United due to the "alleged" locality of their supporters. Let's all wait and see....... I reckon United will have at least 30,000 more supporters at their game, now then, why does that happen if Manchster City have more local fans than Manchester United???? Beats me
Sensibly and truthfully Hill-Wood!
Now matter how hard Kenyon the Red shouts from his lofty office at the shed it is all a dream from which he's going waken soon!
World domination?!!!?
You're having a a larf chav$ki$!!
Not too long ago they were averaging 23000!!
Up The Reds
See Bobby we are men in the Know !! I didnt like Kenyon back then. I didnt like him at United and I like him even less now !!
No matter how much money is
involved here, Arsenal and
Chelsea are still the riff
raff they have always been.
United are different class on and off the pitch.
Up the Reds,
Arsenal, well run club, owned by people who care about their team (and don't take a penny in dividends). Mmmm, contrast that with the money-sucking owners of a certain North West-based 'franchise'. Ps Note to Mr Glazer, ta very much for my mandatory invite to tomorrow's Worthless Cup clash with European giants Coventry City - £33 to watch the reserves, a veritable bargain and no mistake. Still, as long as it helps pay off YOUR debt, it's OK with me!
Re Sunday's game, Terry should definitely be banned for trying to grab the ref's red card - even by Terry's lofty, 'I'm the ref' standards, that was absolutely disgraceful. Remember Scholes and Rooney last season, three match bans for the Amsterdam nonsense? But then again it's one rule for Utd, particularly with a Scouse-controlled FA.
Robbo of 'North Stand
48 quid cheapest seat in the premier to watch Arsenal - 96 quid most expensive.
Actually Robbo this match is a good opportunity for a Glazers out demo. Loads of people who don't want to be there at the exorbitant price charged. That might change their attitude especially if it hits the news headlines.
kenyon has to justify his obscene salary somehow and by saying the words the Russian wants to hear then he is safe for the time being. But in a couple of years when they are still the fourth best supported team in London, well that is another story, P45 commeth.
Hey Guys, is Kenyon really worthy of our time? The guy is an absolute joke with his stupid comments and certainly the saying 'He rose without a trace' can be applied to him - man who has had a personality, intelligence and charisma bypass which of course makes his ideal for Chavski.
GEORGE LYONS - good point re ticket prices at the Emirates. It's also about a tenner for burger & chips. Programmes etc are also similarly extortionate. It's a difficult balancing act for United between being competitive on price (bearing in mind the earnings differential between London and the North West) and yet being able to compete on player salaries and transfer fees.