On a visit to Stamford Bridge many years ago I was shown up to the boardroom.

I was surprised to find I was the only one in there apart from the new chairman Ken Bates, who had just taken over.

He had paid the princely sum of one pound to do so, but had inherited some massive debts.

In my many previous visits to Chelsea the boardroom had always been packed to capacity with much socialising before and after the game.

But soon after taking over he had circularised the many people who used to frequent the boardroom, among them many show business characters who gave Chelsea that special Kings Road atmosphere.

He thanked them for their loyal support over the years and suggested that they might now want to pay for their tickets.

Hence the empty room on the day I was there, and I don't think he appreciated my comment about absent friends!

Over the years since Ken has stamped his authority not just at Stamford Bridge, where he once proposed to put electrified fences around the ground, but in the higher echelons of the game after being elected to various committees at the FA.

He was heavily involved in the planning of the new Wembley and finished up having a row with just about everyone, but apparently a lot of his suggestions have been retained.

The expression 'bark being worse than bite' could well be used in his case although there are many people, including ex-players, who will say that he never had a bark at all, only a bite.

On another occasion, through a girl at the FA, I asked for a ticket to a Chelsea game with Manchester United when I was assistant manager with England.

Ken replied that he was already selling tickets in the box but they would try and squeeze me in the ground somewhere. I told the girl to tell him to forget it and that I would go somewhere else. But the word soon came back that they had found a seat in the box for me.

When I arrived on the day the boardroom was much fuller than the first time I'd met Ken and included in the throng was Prime Minister John Major, a Chelsea supporter.

I retreated to a corner and quietly read my programme before Ken bounced through the door and in a loud voice announced: "There's freebie Lawrie from the FA."

It was December and I wished him a Happy Christmas but he asked: "What's this silly game you've got on next week in Morocco?"

I said it was an England B game, to which he replied: "What the hell's the good of that?" I said: "It's to see whether your players are good enough to get into the full England team," to which Ken retorted: "If you do that, they'll want more wages," to which I replied: "Yes, but you'll want more transfer fees for them".

John Major said he'd heard nothing like it, even Prime Minister's question time, but he must have felt sorry for me - the following week he invited my wife and I to join him at Chequers on New Year's Day!

Ken resigned this week but we haven't heard the last of him.

March 13th 2004