There is an abbreviation sweeping the football world - ABC. No,
it's not a literacy scheme for the Premiership's overpaid,
under-educated divas; it's a phenomenon known as Anything But
Chelsea.
ABC expresses itself in the most unlikely realignment of tribal
loyalties. For example, over the next couple of weeks we will see
fans who have spent a lifetime loathing Manchester United -
traditionally the most hated club in England, and very possibly the
World - desperately hoping that they off the Premiership/FA Cup
double. Why? Easy. ABC.
How can we explain this? After all, Chelsea and Manchester Unitied
have so much in common - money, ego-crazed managers, an effortless
sense of superiority, foreign billionaires at the helm, and the
determination to become the world's number one sporting
franchise.
But there are crucial differences. While United play dazzling
football and score lots of goals, Chelsea win in an ugly way. While
United's success has been founded on a nucleus of home-grown
players, Chelsea have no brought a local up through the ranks in
aeons.
Perhaps the reason we most hate Chelsea is that they think money
gives them the right to win everything. A few weeks ago the club
were still in with the chance of winning an unprecedented four
trophies, but they felt rattled enough to issue following
statement: "We will not sack Jose Mourinho," announced chief
executive Peter Kenyon, as if granting a royal pardon.
Brilliant.
On Wednesday, Marketing magazine will controversially reveal that
Chelsea still have some catching up to do on United - according to
its annual survey of brands we love and hate, Manchester United is
the seventh most hated brand in the world, whereas Chelsea is only
29th (up from 72).
But to truly understand ABC, we must measure how much both clubs
are hated against how much they are loved. Whilst 34.3% name United
as their most hated team, a mere 22.4% loathe Chelsea.
Significantly, United are also the most loved team, with 23.7%
while Chelsea have a paltry 9.1%. Hated by many, loved by few -
this pretty much explains the ABC phenomenon.
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wanted to post this at "All Football & EPL" 
but i think its safer here 
