Ken Bates, Chelsea, and the bad old days of football

Ken Bates, Chelsea, and the bad old days of football recalls how the death of Ken Bates at age 94 this weekend drew attention to troubled eras of English club football. The article contrasts a multicultural England team ahead of cheering moments with memories of the 1980s, when it says crowds, hooliganism, and racism were prominent. It cites that in the 1985-86 season, attendance in England’s top tier hit its lowest postwar totals and that Chelsea was widely viewed as emblematic of the period’s problems. It recounts that Bates bought Chelsea in 1982 for £1, taking on £1.5 million in debts, and that the club returned to the top flight three years later. The piece references specific incidents, including a 1975 clash at White Hart Lane and the use of 12-ft electrified perimeter fences at Stamford? (it says Crystal Palace and later home matches; it states 12ft high fences around stands) and notes the Greater London Council prevented them from being activated.