WORRIED Chelsea fans might reckon it’s a Bridge too far – after AI came up with four dodgy suggestions if the club has to change its name.
Todd Boehly’s £4billion boardroom battle with co-owner Behdad Eghbali coincides with plans for a new £1bn Bernabeu-style stadium.
Canva’s AIChelsea are pondering a new stadium inspired by the Bernabeu[/caption]
AlamyChelsea owner Todd Boehly is embroiled in a £4bn power struggle[/caption]
But an odd clause means the Stamford Bridge pitch owners could enforce a NAME CHANGE for the club if they disagree with a move away.
Supporters are anxious enough about Boehly’s power struggle.
But they could face moniker misery, should Chelsea switch venues and ChatGPT then get its way.
SunSport tasked the AI app to explore new names for the club.
And the result was four options ranging from boring to bemusing.
In fact, fans might feel it’s a case of Stamford Cringe when they hear a couple of these ChatGPT nominations.
The app first revealed four issues it decided was vital to throw into the mix for such an important project.
It branded them: historical context, cultural significance, branding and marketability, and fan sentiment.
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And if that sounded awesomely academic, sure enough the conclusions were more suited to a degree than a dugout.
More PhD than PSG, more Uni than Rooney… with one shocking exception.
AI was obviously on a ChatGP-tea break when it came up with the rather lazy opening offering of “Chelsea United FC”.
It justified this entry-level suggestion by saying: “This name retains the geographical identity while fostering a sense of unity and inclusivity, appealing to a broader fan base.”
Next up was a name with more than a hint of a franchise or perhaps a gloomy mood sweeping across the capital – “London Blues FC”.
ChatGPT believes this “emphasizes the club’s geographical location and its traditional color, while also creating a distinct identity that could resonate with international fans”.
But it’s the final two ideas that risk alienating fans most.
Somehow finding a way onto the shortlist was “Chelsea Heritage FC”.
Apparently this “reflects the club’s historical significance and commitment to its roots, appealing to both traditionalists and modern fans”.
As for the final alternative, it could also have doubled for ChatGPT’s dissertation title for a Masters in Marketing – “Chelsea Global FC”.
The justification? “This name positions the club as a global entity, reflecting its international fan base and aspirations.”
Meanwhile, sadly, Chelsea can’t even be sure which name will be leading the boardroom for much longer – as Boehly and Eghbahli both want to buy each other out.
So that’s another issue where, so far at least, a “chat” does not appear to have produced the right outcome!
Chelsea will lose their soul by leaving Stamford Bridge
By Matt Penn
JUST what London needs – another £1billion bowl-shaped, soulless football stadium.
No offence to Spurs, because theirs looks great, but it’s not like they had years of title-winning history to celebrate at White Hart Lane.
Arsenal moved on from Highbury a couple of years after their last Premier League title win in 2004, and to no avail, they’ve been chasing that glory ever since.
And the less said about West Ham‘s move from Upton Park, the better. The Olympic Stadium pales in significance to Upton Park, where binoculars weren’t needed to see the pitch from Row Z.
It’s no secret Chelsea fans have become disillusioned with the club since Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali took over from Roman Abramovich two years ago.
The sacking of two full-time managers in that time, a 12th-place finish in the league, no European football, billions spent on Brazilian teenagers you’ve never heard of and civil war between the owners have turned the club into a laughing stock.
Seems like the perfect time to revamp plans to leave Stamford Bridge, doesn’t it?
According to The Guardian, Chelsea are in talks to move to a new 60,000-seater site in Earl’s Court, something they’ve attempted before.
Chelsea are said to have made plans for the Lillie Bridge depot site as an area that could be developed in a move that could cost hundreds of millions.
Forget that so much else still needs fixing on the pitch, that the results are still not going the way they should, that players still can’t seem to click on a consistent basis.
The owners, who are said to be looking to buy each other out already, might not think it, and the seats might be a little rusty, but fans do value tradition.
The Bridge has been a place supporters can call home every other Saturday. It’s raw, the stands are close to the pitch, it has four sides, and most importantly, it’s owned by the fans.
For any deal to go through, Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO), a group made up of over 14,000 fans, have to approve a move away from the 42,000-seater stadium.
On the other hand, redvelopment of Stamford Bridge would see the team move away from the stadium for a number of years, likely double the three years Tottenham spent at Wembley.
But why not overhaul each stand one-by-one? Both Liverpool and Fulham had stands refurbished and they were able to stay put. There are also plans for Crystal Palace to do the same.
If Boehly and Eghbali are so desperate to put money at the forefront of their decision-making, then go about it in a way which will appease fans.
Sadly, football isn’t really about fans anymore, and it’d be easy to say Chelsea will lose their soul if they leave Stamford Bridge.
But you fear they already have.