Dunny’s Hairdryer

Bruce almighty’s Chelsea trumpet

SINCE installing Bruce Buck as chairman of Chelsea Football Club, Roman Abramovich has had three wives and 15 different managers.

So Buck (below), in the eyes of Abramovich, must be doing something right.

And 15 major trophies since the takeover is a decent return during that tenure. But quite why Buck feels the need to trumpet Chelsea as one of the “10 or 12 big clubs in Europe” is anybody’s guess.

They are right now, but have not been in the past and might not be in the future.

“I am not in favour of dumbing down the large clubs to make all clubs the great unwashed,” he said, with remarkable tact.

There was a time when Chelsea WERE part of the great unwashed. Buck was railing against UEFA attempts to create a fairer financial playing field.

“They have done that in the US over the last 20 years and I think it has been to the detriment, particularly of baseball,” he went on.

In those 20 years, there have been 13 different winners of baseball’s World Series. In the same 20 years, there have been five different winners of the Premier League.

Baseball’s measures seem hardly to the detriment of competitive sport.

Buck has done a fine job at Chelsea – but his club is really no bigger than many of the unwashed he does not want to join.