Comments on: Inside Chelsea’s Propaganda Machine

By: Ello, ello ello

Ello, ello ello — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:48:29 +0000

I liked the piece very much.
I think you are spot on in a number of areas.
The likes of peter kenyon and clueless Simon greenburg, who must have headhunted Steve Atkins are systematically ripping the soul out of our club.
Their shelf-life is not long in the grand scheme of things so hopefully Roman will ditch them soon.
I’ve just noticed that so-called fanzine ChelseaChelsea from chelseanet has had a revamp with content supplied by Chelsea FC themselves.
Interviews with macienne and lampard plus a feature on the club photographer for christ’s sake!!
It seems the desire to control even non-chelsea publications know no bounds.
So beware if the likes of atkins come knocking on your door.
Failing that – get a shed load of money from them for selling your soul!!

By: Manchester United

Manchester United — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:35:12 +0000

Does anyone else believe that Chelsea management just fired the boss after half a season!?

By: Dino De Lellis

Dino De Lellis — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:07:16 +0000

Very interesting article , I really enjoyed this , I agree with you that Chelsea ( and several major publications for that matter ) has a powerful propaganda machine behind it. It uses this to create an image of perfection that so many people will tend to aspire to work be a part of it’s publication team , as you said a ” dream job”

Sadly like so many , politics and profit is the major factor in this industry. Politics because the top brass of the company will base their decisions not on what is right but based on what will make their investors and partners happy ( even though it’s wrong ). And profit will drive its content , how it will draw in new buyers and how it will expand to new markets , so it is not surprising that the content of the present publications will differ greatly from the ones in the past.

By: Avram Grunt

Avram Grunt — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:18:28 +0000

I worked for the company that produces Chelsea’s publications back when the glossy magazine/new programme format was first launched. I ended up walking out on them after three months such was my dissatisfaction with the company and anger at the petty nonsense foisted upon us by the CFC hierarchy. Sounds like the situation hasn’t changed much.

By: Jennifer Doyle

Jennifer Doyle — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:24:09 +0000

Thank you – great read, great article!

By: ursus arctos

ursus arctos — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:00:06 +0000

Stowe, as someone who grew up in the US but has followed European football for more than 30 years and has lived here for almost a decade, I think that what you need to keep in mind is that this kind of no-holds-barred, “on message” commercialisation (or commercialization) of club communications is relatively new in the English context (though as I noted above, the big Italian clubs have been at it for a while, but then propaganda is an Italian word).

The people who preceded Terry at Chelsea may not have had Woodward and Bernstein levels of editorial autonomy, but they were nowhere near as shackled as he was.

By: The Liquidator

The Liquidator — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:26:44 +0000

Just like you wouldn’t go to Chelsea TV for a balanced view or any real insightful analysis. Right?

I wouldn’t watch Chelsea TV if you paid me, frankly.

By: Stowe

Stowe — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:21:53 +0000

As an American who has visited Stamford Bridge and, sad to say, bought an official Chelsea Matchday Programme, I have to say it was nothing out of the ordinary for me. Yes it’s fawning and over-simplified and no, I don’t really care who Shaun Wright Phillips’ last big night out was but isn’t that par from the course? American sports teams (I am thinking particularly of my local teams, the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Bobcats who fall all over themselves despite constant mediocrity) are as guilty at least and, because of that, the magazine didn’t particularly surprise me. Yes, it’d be nice to get a straight answer or a hard-hitting interview but clubs are about propaganda (or team spirit) and that’s just the way things are. Just like you wouldn’t go to Chelsea TV for a balanced view or any real insightful analysis. Right?

I don’t mean to slag off your article in any way though. Enjoyed it immensely and the disconnect you talk about seems pretty rampant at the club these days. Whether it’s a lack of communication between coaches and executives, club and fans, etc. Chelsea have a lot of fractures to repair.

By: Chelsea Ces

Chelsea Ces — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:14:53 +0000

Alas, the magazine and, to some extent, the matchday programme, are seen purely as marketing vehicles by the Chelsea hierarchy, rather than a method of communicating with the fans. What they fail to realise is that it is the character of the club that attracts new fans (apart from glory hunters) and these grey publications totally obliterate the wit, attitude and warmth that made me fall in love with Chelsea over 30 years ago.
It is facile to point to our Russian ownership as the propigator of this sanitisation. We need look no further than the Chief Executive who, in a previous life, brought the world MUTV, which was christened Pravda by the Manchester United supporters. Luckily, the UK version of the official website remains largely untouched by the corporate tyranny. Yes, there are articles on our latest ‘branding’ exercise, but thanks to Jax, brought in by the old regime to figure out this new fangled web thingy, it remains a vibrant place for communication between the club and the fans and among the fans themselves. Long may it continue!
Finally, the standard of copy editing in the magazine is shocking – many spelling mistakes and glaring grammatical errors. I suggest that if CFC wants to appear more professional they insist that their media company lackeys clean up their act. We never had this problem with Onside.

By: iG - Blogs e Colunistas » Blog Archive » Por dentro da máquina de propaganda do Chelsea

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:04:55 +0000

[...] não, eu realmente não sei o que aconteceu com o Mourinho. Perguntem ao Brian Woolnough.*Publicado originalmente no site inglês Pitch Invasion, um dos melhores do mundo sobre futebol, e cedido gentilmente para o [...]