We Ain't Got No History - Roman Appreciation Week!Champions of Europe!https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52884/21_SBN_002_We_Aint_Got_No_History_Favicon_32x32..png2013-07-04T04:28:08+01:00http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/rss/stream/42481312013-07-04T04:28:08+01:002013-07-04T04:28:08+01:00RAW: The 10 Best Buys of the Roman Era
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<figcaption>Clive Mason</figcaption>
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<p>We continue our week of honoring Roman Abramovich by counting down the 10 finest transfers he's funded during his decade as Chelsea owner.</p> <p>Monday, as you are no doubt aware, represented the 10th anniversary of Roman Abramovich trudging through the Fire Swamp that is London to save us from that prick Prince Humperdinck. The wily Russian has since transformed <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> Football Club from a marginally successful, but wildly flawed, outfit into one of the world's biggest footballing brands.</p>
<p>As such, we've tabbed these early days of July as Roman Appreciation Week - affectionately known as <a href="http://wrestlingup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/new-raw1.jpg">RAW</a>.</p>
<p>For RAW, we're going to examine some of the best and worst moments of the Roman era. We're also going to dip into some of the biggest what-ifs. To start, WAGNH is going to get pretty divisive and look at what we believe (or better yet what I believe) are the 10 best transfers of the Roman era.</p>
<p>Let's get into it, shall we?</p>
<p><b>10. Alex<br>Fee: </b>£5.9 million</p>
<p>I thought we paid PSV $1 for his services? Unfounded urban legends aside, the Brazilian sledgehammer turned out to be an excellent piece of business for Chelsea. He spent five seasons at the club and was generally a rock at the back when called upon. Of course, he also provided some of the finest free kicks Stamford Bridge - and other assorted stadia - has ever seen.</p>
<p><b>9. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110266/michael-ballack">Michael Ballack</a><br>Fee: </b>Free</p>
<p>Reeling in a player with the varied skill set of a Michael Ballack for free is uncanny. The then-German captain may have not reached the heights that accompanied his time in the Bundesliga, but he was nothing short of a fine addition to the squad and provided some genuinely unforgettable moments during his time in London. I know I'm not the only one that still misses his presence around town.</p>
<p><b>Tie 8. Juan Manuel Mata<br>Fee: </b>£23.9 million<br>&<br><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110641/ricardo-carvalho">Ricardo Carvalho</a><br>Fee:</b> £19.8 million</p>
<p>Tough to separate these two in terms of value. Carvalho was rather expensive looking back on it but, my word, was his worth it. He instantly formed an imperious partnership with <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110210/john-terry">John Terry</a>, and the rest they say was history. Carvalho was the ideal blend of agility, awareness, grit, batshit craziness and sly dirtiness. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/jose-mourinho">Jose Mourinho</a> knew it and soon so did we. </p>
<p>Mata, meanwhile, has been a revelation in just two seasons at Chelsea. His fee may have turned some heads at the time but considering the amount being spent by other clubs on far lesser talent, the 23-plus million looks like a bargain as we move into the 2013-14 season. And to think, at 25, the Spaniard has yet to reach his peak. What a frightening thought (for opposing sides that is).</p>
<p><b>7. <span>Thibaut Courtois</span><br>Fee:</b> £7.9 million</p>
<p>Too high? I think not. Courtois is already among the best goalkeepers in world football - and he hasn't even thrown on a Chelsea shirt yet. That, my friends, is immaculate business. Considering we could probably go ahead and sell the Belgian for £20-plus million, and you get an even better sense of just how good a signing this was.</p>
<p><b>6. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110495/arjen-robben">Arjen Robben</a><br>Fee: </b>£12 million</p>
<p>When on form, Robben, it could be argued, was one of the most electric players to ever wear Chelsea blue. Maybe the most electrifying, to be honest. Unfortunately, a string of injuries crippled his consistency and Robben bolted for Real Madrid after just three seasons. His time in London, however, continues to bring with it fond memories for most Chelsea supporters. The club cried out for a player of his mercurial style for several seasons in the immediate aftermath of his departure.</p>
<p><b>5. Claude Makelele<br>Fee:</b> £16 million</p>
<p>What needs to be said about Makelele? Jack's all-time favorite player was the engine of a massively successful Real Madrid side in the early 2000s. Don't buy it? Just ask Zizzou. Makele was undervalued by the Spanish club, however, and moved to Chelsea in 2003 for what looked like a pretty hefty fee at the time. Not really - it proved to be peanuts considering the player the club received in exchange. Never one for the highlight reel, Makelele simply did what needed to be done to make Chelsea successful. Raineri called him the battery, an apt description. Put it this way, without him where would the club have finished in 2004-05 and 2005-06?</p>
<p><b>4. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110687/branislav-ivanovic">Branislav Ivanovic</a><br>Fee: </b>£9.7 million</p>
<p>Big man with big quads make big plays. Nobody - except maybe Stephen - had a clue who Ivanovic was when he moved to the club in January 2008. Most of us didn't think we were ever going to get an idea who Ivanovic was even after the transfer, either, as he didn't play a game for the club for eight months and was in and out of the team under Luiz Felipe Scolari. However, backed by interim manager Guus Hiddink, the Serbian bear awoke from hibernation to become a towering figure at the club. Brace at Anfield anyone? He has since morphed into a cult figure at Chelsea, and I wouldn't have it any other way. </p>
<p><b>3. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110411/didier-drogba">Didier Drogba</a><br>Fee: </b>£24 million</p>
<p>What a bloody player this man was at Chelsea. Legend. The Ivorian could very easily be considered the greatest signing of the Roman era (no argument here, really), rampaging in England and Europe with the kind of ruthlessness reserved for only the world's elite forwards. Blessed with strength, technique and a certain lust for the big moment, Drogba was the face of Chelsea for years. Though his reputation remains muddy on the world level, those in the know regard Drogba as one of the best players of his generation. His final contribution for the club, like the player's aura around Stamford Bridge, will live forever. </p>
<p><b>2. <span>Ashley Cole</span><br>Fee: </b>£5 million + <span>William Gallas</span></p>
<p>At the time, there was quite a bit of division over this move. Cole, not one to shy from the spotlight, was seen as a supreme talent but also a supreme asshole. He may still be an asshole, you know, but Cole is the greatest left-back of his generation, and he's only added to his on-field reputation during seven peerless years at Chelsea. Pretty much the definition of consistently great, Cole continues to define the left-back position - even at 32 years young. To bag this man for a fiver and Bill Gallas is just absurd. </p>
<p><b>1. <span>Petr Cech</span></b><br><b>Fee: </b>£7 million</p>
<p>How can you argue with this? Not much was really known about Cech, officially brought to the club by Claudio Raineri in 2004. He has since, however, written himself in Chelsea folklore - and become one of the world's best (if not the best) goalkeepers. Already a club legend, Cech continues to defy expectation, improving during pretty much each of his nine seasons in London. Not even a potentially career-ending head injury in 2006 could slow him. Petr Cech, everyone - the best purchase of the Roman Abramovich era.</p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/7/4/4490646/appreciation-week-10-best-buys-roman-abramovichJack Goodson2013-07-02T18:42:18+01:002013-07-02T18:42:18+01:00Within about 15 minutes, the deal was done<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2005/oct/17/newsstory.sport5">Within about 15 minutes, the deal was&nbsp;done</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>Required Reading: The one and only account of the Abramovich takeover that you need, from Rick Glanvill's official Chelsea FC biography.</p></p></div>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/7/2/4487116/within-about-15-minutes-the-deal-was-doneDavid Pasztor2013-07-01T21:22:01+01:002013-07-01T21:22:01+01:00Welcome to Roman Appreciation Week!
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<figcaption>Ian Walton</figcaption>
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<p>It's been 10 years this week since the reclusive Russian billionaire stepped from the shadows to forever change the fortunes of one of London's less-loved clubs for the better. It's time to celebrate!</p> <p>Without our favourite Uncle Roman, the past 10 years of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea's</a> existence would probably have been a bleak and bitter time for us, and, let's face it, most of us probably wouldn't be Chelsea fans at all. It's no secret that the rise of Roman's Chelsea has swelled the ranks of Blues at home and around the world. Unfortunately, that rise and the fans it brought have increased the animosity towards Chelsea from the rest of the football world and some traditional Chelsea fans. By-and-large, though, Roman's reign has been nothing short of a triumph for the club. His takeover led to our first League title in half-a-century and two more to follow, two League Cups, four FA Cups, the Europa League, and, perhaps most-importantly, the Champions League trophy he was said to "crave."</p>
<p>Beyond simply the increased presence in the football market and the trophies, Roman has brought something more intangible to the club. If you're younger than 20 or 25, it can be hard to comprehend where Chelsea were before the Russian acquired the club. While they had found some manner of success in the decade prior, we were still an upper-mid-table club, well-behind the traditional powers in England. Unfortunately, it had been at the cost of a large of amount debt. So large, in fact, that they threatened to bring down the club from within. The debt problems were probably never bad enough to put the club in serious danger of extinction, but a collapse of the type experienced by old rival Leeds isn't unimaginable.</p>
<p>Instead of a decade of mid-table-or-lower mediocrity and pain, Roman Abramovich, at-the-time newly-enamoured with the game, stepped in to relieve our debt problems and secure our position. For that alone, he deserves all the respect we can muster, but he went even further. He aspired to remake the club from the ground up and turn it into a world power. Ten years on, where are we in that respect? Pretty well, I'd say. In ten years, and with more-than-£700m spent on players' transfer fees alone, Roman has dragged Chelsea from the edge of ruin to the edge of true greatness.</p>
<p>In the past decade, we've become a perennial force in the Premier League and in Europe, despite a dip in form the past two seasons. We've managed to win every major trophy available to us, and have become just the fourth team to win all three major UEFA trophies, alongside Juventus, Ajax, and Bayern Munich, themselves giants of world football. Beyond just sporting achievements, our recent success has put us firmly in the the category of childhood clubs for young players around the globe.</p>
<p>That development alone is worth more than all the money Abramovich has spent on his rebuilding project. There aren't many clubs in the world for which most kids would love to play --I can't imagine there's a huge group of kids dreaming of Espanyol, for example -- but Chelsea is increasingly finding itself in lists of such clubs. If anything will permanently-cement our place in the world'd football elite, it's that the number of young players who've ever known that not to be true dwindles every day. Our own <span>Romelu Lukaku</span>, who was a Chelsea fan even before joining, was just 10-years-old when Roman bought the club. For half his life, the Blues have been an elite team.</p>
<p>That's why we're instituting Roman Appreciation Week. He's the man to whom we owe everything as Chelsea fans, and his 10-year anniversary is as good a time as any to celebrate him. This week, we'll have a bunch of great content for you celebrating the Russian's time in charge, before pre-season officially-begins next week.</p>
<p>We also want you to get involved. If you're so inclined, write a FanPost on the topic of what Roman has meant to you over these past 10 years, and we'll post a few of the best on the front page at the weekend. You have until Friday [5 July 2013] to have your submission written, and the title of your piece should contain "WAGNHRAW" or "Roman Appreciation Week."</p>
<p>I hope you all enjoy the celebrations this week!</p>
https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2013/7/1/4483786/welcome-to-roman-appreciation-weekKevin Kostka