Friday Nov 24 2006 10:27
Chief executive Peter Kenyon has stoked the fires ahead of
Chelsea's Premiership clash with
Manchester United on Sunday by claiming the Blues are on their way to overtaking the Red Devils as the world's biggest club.
Kenyon moved to Stamford Bridge from Old trafford in 2004 and has - alongside results on the pitch - helped transform the champions into one of the biggest clubs in Europe both on and off the pitch.
"By 2014 we want to be internationally recognised as the No.1 club," said Kenyon.
"Our revenue has grown dramatically and is now on a par with United. It's a very ballsy vision but one that has captured the interest of the owner.
"Manchester United was built around heritage, whether that was the Busby Babes, 1958 and Munich, winning the European Cup in 1968 or the Fergie years.
"Their record of eight Premiership titles, two doubles and the treble in 1999 has set the benchmark for every English club.
"Chelsea's success was sporadic and we didn't have the depth of heritage to pull back on.
"We're probably expected to do things that bit different and that's part of the DNA of Chelsea. We're based in one of the top three cities in the world, which is another difference from Manchester.
"That's not a criticism of United, it's in the context of where we differ.
"Chelsea didn't have a tragedy, didn't have ten years of unbelievable success in the Sixties, which culminated in winning the European Cup, and then the Fergie years.
"It was a fairly soulless place, so it was about starting again."
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