I totally get where you are coming from DB but do think you have let sentiment cloud your judgement. There are some tough calls to be made, particularly where Cole and Lamps are concerned. You say Man Utd wouldn’t discard Lamps and maybe you’re right but they do seem to have a record of being able to keep their players happy even when their playing time is limited. Maybe it’s good man management, maybe the players know that there are probably no bigger clubs to play for so better to play now and again for Utd than more often for someone else?
With Lamps it all boils down to the next manager and how he handles it. Lamps cannot play every game now – we all know that. He might start some matches or come on in others or be rested completely. As long as he is happy with that and fully accepts it with no pressure on anyone then he should stay. If not then he has to go. This situation could also be the same for Cole. We have to accept that his form has dipped and he is unlikely to become the ultra-consistent left-back he once was. He’s still good, but he is in decline and we have both Bertrand and PVA ready to try and fill his boots and they need experience.
Essien is a totally different matter. He is nothing like the player he once was and all the time we keep him in the squad it is blocking the way of others who are more deserving. My issue is if we keep all three of them and the new manager is even a tad weak when it comes to team selection, it will be like this season all over again. If they are still in the squad, the temptation will always be there to play them. Sometimes you just have to make a clean break and move on.
I agree with all the rest though!
Good point regarding Utd, maybe it's easier to keep their aging stars happy because of Fergie and the fact they are Utd and likely to win the main prize every time, however Lampard has Chelsea very much in his heart and he wants the scoring record, be sure of that. He feels he can go on as long as Scholes, and for that to happen, he needs to be rested, he will understand that, particularly if the manager has authority. Lampard is a no-brainer. Absolutely must stay. A good manager will know how to utilise him and utilise him he will. Every single club in the world would take him. Every single one. I've spoken to them and they've confirmed it for me. That was a lot of phone calls.
Regarding the LB situation, Bertrand is nowhere near ready to compete at the level we want him to. Good prospect but from what I have seen he still needs to learn the basics of defending. He needs more game-time, sure, but if we are to depend on him next season we could be in trouble, and we could expose him, which wouldn't do him any good. Again, no brainer. He plays more bread and butter games, Cole welcomes the rest, teaches Bertrand all his tricks (not
all Ashley, behave), and plays at his optimim more regularly because he is being deputised. The options are get rid of Cole and depend on a youngster, which is dangerous, or keep Cole and phase him out while phasing in the youngster, which seems more prudent. We cannot depend so much on Cole but neither should we fritter away what we have, which is a player still able to compete at the top level with the right management. Alternatively, we sell Cole and buy a world-class LB, but where does that leave Bertrand?
Essien, you may well be right, but I stick to what I've said, and what Loz has said above. Let's see what he's got. It's too early to judge. He's been absent an awful lot and we can't expect too much too soon. You can't just come back from two major injuries and perform at a high level consistently straight away, it's impossible. We need to have a look, and that means giving him a fair chance, then we decide. Right now, if we were in the CL final,
he makes my first team, though I would rest him in many other games. I know you think we can sign better and you may well be right, but let's find out. As I've said, Mikel and Meireles are dispensable as far as I'm concerned. Not Ess. Not yet anyway.
I think the key to your post is in regard the manager. You have got it spot on. No "people-pleasers" need apply, and for me, RDM is not the man for the job, whatever happens this season, though that may seem harsh. It is far easier being a caretaker than taking the job full-time, there is often a "bounce", and we have a very important summer ahead of us.
