I haven't been a great fan of Ken Bates in the past. I am not a Chelsea supporter, although I have nothing against the club. Indeed, I remember Charlton playing Chelsea in the mid-1950s. In those days supporters mixed and one of the Chelsea fans gave me a blue balloon. However, when I got off the 53 bus some miserable so-and-so said, 'Wrong colours for round here.' I suppose I was a bit suspicious of people living in Monaco, part of a location once described as 'a sunny place for shady people.' Bates is now 90 years old but gets back for Chelsea games when he can. An interview in The Times with him on Saturday was very interesting. It is behind a pay wall and protected by copyright. He talks about when he bought a debt-ridden Chelsea in 1982. The club was losing £12,000 a week (£45k in current prices) and the bank was threatening to bounce its cheques. He joined the board for a Saturday match and found 36 peop...