"The facilities were disgraceful" - Glenn Hoddle opens up on Chelsea's stature as a club before Roman Abramovich's arrival

Since Roman Abramovich's takeover in 2003, Chelsea have seen a meteoric rise in world football. They have won five Premier League titles and two Champions League titles since the Russian's acquisition of the club.

But what was it like at the Blues before the takeover? Former Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle spoke to the Guardian about the year's before Abramovich's arrival. Hoddle managed Chelsea for three years from 1993-1996.

Speaking about his time at the club, he revealed that the "facilities were disgraceful." He said:

"The facilities at Chelsea were disgraceful. My office was in the staff changing room where there was an old BT phone with the bottom pulled out. They told me to put in a 50p coin and it would drop through to the bottom. You would then put it back into the slot before the call cut out."

Hoddle also recalled an incident with Ron Atkinson. He added:

"I’ve got everyone walking in and out and Ron Atkinson [the then Villa manager] said: ‘Glenn, what’s them noises?’ I said: ‘Ron, I’m not even going to tell you.’ We were trying to compete a £2.1m deal and, God, it was horrible.”

The former Tottenham Hotspur player also revealed how he never managed a club with the luxury of large funds. He said:

“I never managed a club that had money. Tottenham didn’t have money, Southampton didn’t and Chelsea didn’t when I arrived [in 1993]. I wanted Andy Townsend to stay because he was Chelsea’s captain. But Villa were after him and Andy wanted to go."

Hoddle, in his three years at Chelsea, made them a force to be reckoned with in club competitions. He took them to the FA Cup final in his first season but lost to Manchester United. He stayed with the Blues until 1996 before moving on to the England job.

---

Chelsea looking to get back to winning ways in key games after the international break

Before going into the international break, Chelsea were held to a surprising 1-1 draw by Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

They still maintained a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table. However, they have some tricky games coming up just after the break.

Chelsea face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League. They then invite Juventus and Manchester United to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League and Premier League respectively.

Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways in these tricky fixtures after the break and maintain their lead at the top. They will be eager to get their hands on their first Premier League title since 2017.