ESPN’s Tom Adams examines the many reasons why Kenyon’s time with Chelsea came to an end — power struggles, possiblity of moving to another club, the Kakuta affair — before coming to this conclusion about the legacy he leaves behind:
Reactions to Kenyon’s Departure, Legacy
Kenyon’s own legacy is far from certain. Although he never achieved his much-stated aim of breaking even with the club’s finances, it cannot be denied that, under the chief executive, Chelsea became a far more established force in European football and a far more prominent club on a global scale. The exploitation of pre-season tours to Asia and America helped establish that most irksome of terms from a football fan’s perspective – a brand loyalty.
The growing trend of describing supporters as ‘consumers’ and clubs as ‘brands’ can hardly be laid solely at Chelsea’s feet. But the phenomenon received perhaps its clearest public expression when none other than Kenyon (to widespread public bemusement and ridicule), led the team up to collect a loser’s medal at the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow. United, in contrast, chose a dignified Sir Bobby Charlton, 50 years on from the Munich disaster.
That, perhaps, is the image that will last from Kenyon’s reign. A prominent, successful, and respected figure in the halls of power at Stamford Bridge, but one that was an unwitting symbol and key architect of the club’s poor public image in the wider football community.
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