But he has taken the time today to offer some words of praise for Stoke City, who will be entertaining us in the FA Cup.
Bates said, "Stoke is a great club. It has always had a reputation for exciting football - going right back to the days when they signed Stanley Matthews.
"They're an interesting club with a lot of history and it's an intriguing tie.
"I am sure it will be a great day for both our clubs up in the Potteries and we'll be looking forward to going up there."
"It's a nice draw - one of the reasons being that Stoke have got a new ground with a near 30,000 capacity so it should comfortably accommodate the Chelsea fans who want to go up there."