The Battle for Stamford Bridge

Ken Bates had been Chelsea’s controversial chairman for over a decade by the time the Premier League was formed and in that time little at the club had changed. Stamford Bridge was still a rundown collection of disparate stands and the club had only just been promoted back to the top-flight for the third time in a decade. Meanwhile Bates had spent the first part of his reign attempting to secure Chelsea’s future in a long-running battle with Marler Estates who wanted to turf them out of their own ground. However, having finally won that battle, Bates lacked the money required to renovate both the stadium and improve the team, if Chelsea were to keep pace with the big boys.

Having scoured the City for investment and come up empty, Bates last chance was an ad in the Financial Times. The only genuine interest came from Matthew Harding, a season ticket holder who had followed the Blues since he was a schoolboy. He also happened to be one of the richest men in Britain. Riding like a white knight to Chelsea’s rescue, Harding provided loans for both players and a new stand and was co-opted onto the board. 

Yet the relationship between Bates and Harding soon turned sour and descended into outright warfare with Harding impatient to take control of the club and Bates determined to stop him.The Battle for the Bridge was played out in the tabloids with News Of The World reporter Rob Beasley Harding’s man in Fleet Street and Harry Harris of the Daily Mirror having the ear of the Chelsea chairman. The rancour even continued after Matthew Harding’s tragic death in a helicopter crash in October 1995 with Bates calling his former rival ‘an evil man’ in a Channel 5 documentary in 1997, yet for Chelsea this period was key to their transformation from a footballing backwater into the £4 billion club it is today. 

Former Mirror Chief Sports reporter Harry Harris was at the centre of the Battle for the Bridge and tells the story of a transformative period in English football in general and Chelsea in particular. This book is based on transcripts from a new BT Sport Films documentary Poundland: The Battle for Stamford Bridge which features contributions from manager Glenn Hoddle and homegrown centre-half Michael Duberry; the journalists who covered the saga and fans who experienced some of the club’s darkest and euphoric days first hand, including actor Phil Daniels. Ken Bates refused an interview with the documentary makers but granted an interview to Harry Harris for this book and reflects on the his controversial time as chairman of Chelsea in typically robust and entertaining fashion.