[Clan]

Welcome back to Stamford Bridge for our first home game of the new season. Our opening fixtures are tough with home games against four of last season's top six opponents plus two London derbies. Nothing like a testing start to blow away the cobwebs from the summer and establish our credentials for the challenge ahead.

Much has been written of Chelsea in the close season, mostly speculation and much of it negative, still we are used to that and the only way to respond is on the field.

This we did in style at the Valley last week, snatching the three points in dramatic fashion. On Chelsea TV last Wednesday Frank Lampard said that we would win and he wanted to get the winner. We did and he did. Pity his Dad left a few minutes early and missed his son's triumph. One Sunday newspaper reporter said that Frank was rubbish, another made him Man of the Match but the game is all about opinions, you pays your money and you takes your choice.

Although on the surface nothing much has happened here this summer, behind the scenes the reality has been very different. With the stadium development complete we have commenced our rolling programme of refurbishment and improvement. We have continued in our efforts to make a silk purse out of the pigs ear of an East Stand. New improved toilets, refurbishment of the Executive boxes and Middle Tier where required and of course a new pitch. This is very much a temporary arrangement.

Next summer we will be completely replacing the pitch area with new drainage, undersoil heating and irrigation. Automatic pitch covers will protect the grass during heavy rain. Our photographer friends will also be accommodated with a proper viewing area where they will be able to operate more efficiently. (Sorry that we have had to delay it a season.) Finally the latest revolving advertising system will replace our current static boards.

The summer lull has also given Trevor Birch our new Chief Executive time to get to grips with the complexity of the whole Village operation. Originally brought in to succeed Colin Hutchinson at the Football Club, he quickly realised that CK was not a stand alone operation independent of the Village as had previously been perceived by some. Accordingly he has assumed control and is responsible for the whole complex. In turn, he has appointed and we welcome Lorraine O'Brien as the Group Commercial Director. The benefits are already being reaped with sales and marketing being integrated across the Group.

Simon Arthur is our new Director of Operations. To complete our new management team David Barnard, formerly of Fulham and Wimbledon has joined us as Secretary to Chelsea Football Club.

We have sold three more Millennium Suites, welcomed three new Vice Presidents and season ticket sales have broken all previous records. A big thank you to everybody for your loyal and unyielding support.

We have received great praise for the new format on Chelsea TV which now enjoys record subscriptions (at £6 per month). Daily news, phone-ins, chat shows, exclusive interviews, daily visits to the training ground and details of all games played including the reserves, youth and ladies teams. All produced in our in-house, state-of-the-art studios. If it is not on Chelsea TV, it isn't happening.

We also have a new telephone news service -Blues News on 0906 600 7760. The two pirate competitors, Teamtalk and Chelsea Clubcall have no connection nor have any access to Chelsea. Anything you hear in those lines are regurgitated stories from newspapers which in turn are sometimes inaccurate. Please don't phone them, you will be wasting your money.

TNS, is a Club in the Welsh League, not far from Oswestry. We are delighted to welcome their Managing Director, Mike Harris, this evening on the occasion of our twinning with his Club with plans of close co-operation between Chelsea and TNS.

Firstly a note of appreciation to our sponsor Emirates. Easily the best Airline in the world, they have just extended their routes to another 11 destinations. At Chelsea they are extending their relationship to a much wider issue from youth development to our overseas supporters clubs. We are very appreciative of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed AI-Maktoum and his staff throughout the organisation