D-day for chairman Bates

Ken Bates's immediate future at Chelsea will be the central talking point when he speaks at the Chairman's Supper Club at Stamford Bridge tonight.

Speculation has been mounting in recent weeks that Bates is on the verge of resigning as chairman after being sidelined since Roman Abramovich saved the club with his £ 140million takeover last summer.

Bates's plans should become clearer this evening when he addresses an audience of over 100 Chelsea fans, employees and directors who have paid £40 each for an evening in his company, including Chelsea Village chairman Bruce Buck.

Unlike on previous occasions no guest speaker has been booked and Bates will have the floor to himself.

It will be his first public speech since his controversial programme notes were dropped last month and he is expected to discuss his future.

Under the terms of the takeover by Abramovich, the 72-year-old has a contract to remain as football club chairman until the end of next season-when he was then due to become a life president of the club in its centenary year. However, it now seems he will leave before that date, possibly this month.

There is no salary linked to the chairman's job but the ambassadorial role deal allows for generous expenses and any settlement with the club would be likely to involve a hefty financial package.

The extent of any negotiated package may depend on the manner of Bates's departure.

Both sides would be keen to make the whole matter appear as dignified as possible as Bates has played a crucial role in the club's history, saving Chelsea from bankruptcy in 1982. However, close associates today said he was intending "to have the last word with a broadside at his detractors".