Chelsea Football Club has faced several existential crises in its history. So the precarious position the club is currently in is nothing particularly new.
In the 1970s, the building of the East Stand nearly bankrupted the club, leading to the Mears family selling Chelsea to Ken Bates in 1982. However, the freehold of Stamford Bridge was retained by the previous owners who then sold it to property developers Marler Estates plc, (later Cabra Estates plc) in 1984.
Throughout the 1980s, Chelsea supporters lived with the very real possibility of losing Stamford Bridge as their home ground – to be replaced by high-value penthouse flats no doubt – while they would groundshare with Fulham or Queens Park Rangers.
