Robben shows us what we're missing

[sweet waffle]

He may be made of glass and miss loads of games but he is exactly the type of player we're missing at the moment.

[Nibs]

Amen to that.

I actually felt it was good business when we sold him to Real and bearing in mind the number of games he has missed for them, I kinda stand by that. But it was only ever good business if we had some sort of replacement and Malouda................well I won't even bother 'cos we all know Robben, injured & with no legs would still be of more use than Malouda.

[Jayhawk]

Amen to that.

I actually felt it was good business when we sold him to Real and bearing in mind the number of games he has missed for them, I kinda stand by that. But it was only ever good business if we had some sort of replacement and Malouda................well I won't even bother 'cos we all know Robben, injured & with no legs would still be of more use than Malouda.

a drunk Loz is better than Malouda :D

[ethicalstrategy]

I've been following him at Madrid and he has been just the same as he was for us. When he is fit he is just about the best wide player in the world but he has missed huge chunks of the season for them.

Since he has comeback this time he has been pretty much unplayable and was easily the best player on the pitch yesterday afternoon. I'd have him back in a heart beat.

[dkw]

he wanted to leave and go to madrid so f**k him. after the way he acted v the dippers in europe at anfield i lost all respect for him. as good as he is he has no heart or fight. also, i watched the barca game and im so glad we didnt get that horrible little toe rag dani alves. what a diving, conniving, cheating sh*t he is, makes ronaldo look like lineker.

[Chelsea Lad]

He and Ronaldo are the only wingers, at the moment, who are prepared and can run at defenders with pace and take them on. We could do with his quality at the moment, and his way of playing is what we lack but there is also a lack of these players in the world unfortunatly for us.

[abramovich]

Robben was quality when he was fit but it only happened for about 30 % of the season. He was also non factor in big matches quite often when the quality opposition would deny him space.

Don't get me wrong he's a brilliant player but I think the real reason we miss him so much is because our current wingers are so hopeless.

[Maksimov]

He and Ronaldo are the only wingers, at the moment, who are prepared and can run at defenders with pace and take them on. We could do with his quality at the moment, and his way of playing is what we lack but there is also a lack of these players in the world unfortunatly for us.

There aren't many of them around, but Ronaldo and Robben aren't the only wingers capable of that. That's why I'd be delighted to see Zhirkov join us.

[TheWestwayWonder]

Robben was quality when he was fit but it only happened for about 30 % of the season. He was also non factor in big matches quite often when the quality opposition would deny him space.

Don't get me wrong he's a brilliant player but I think the real reason we miss him so much is because our current wingers are so hopeless.

Exactly this. And what Nibs said. We sold him at a huge profit to Madrid, and we got rid of a frustrating, shameful player who could be brilliant. But why didnt that 24 million go back into another young, world class winger? Not that those are growing on trees, but they didnt try.

His goal was excellent, but I cant change my mind about him. The mistake came in getting rid of Duff, who was nowhere near as brilliant, for only five million. That was definitely stupid.

[midlandblue]

the fact that we got £5 million for Duff is ok with me, he's only played about 6 games since he left.

[Englishman]

Robben was quality when he was fit but it only happened for about 30 % of the season. He was also non factor in big matches quite often when the quality opposition would deny him space.

Don't get me wrong he's a brilliant player but I think the real reason we miss him so much is because our current wingers are so hopeless.

That's the trouble with Robben. He looks great on a highlight reel, but what about all the times when he's semi-fit, hobbling off injured or MIA for much of the season. I still think we did the right thing in selling him. He wanted to leave, and we got a lot of money for him, we just didn't buy a decent replacement.

[loz]

The bottom line with RObben is that he wanted to leave and made it very clear - on those grounds we did well to get the money we did get for him. Personally I was gutted to see him leave and would happily take him back irrespective of his injury issues however there is no point is dwelling over the 'mistake' of letting him go because it wasn't the case that the club sold a player who was happy to stay.

[TheWestwayWonder]

Right now, to me, Robben = Drogba. Total arse of a human being, but a great player when they actually feel like being one. But we never really replaced him, and if we sell Drogba we cant make the same mistake

the fact that we got £5 million for Duff is ok with me, he's only played about 6 games since he left.

yes, but I have to wonder if that would have been different had he stayed. SJP has a notoriously strong trend of injuries.

To me, Duff's sale was not for great money, but denied the team another option, albeit a tame one at wing, and a strong leader-by-example. He was nothing like Robben, but playing with a great winger made Duff better than he really was

[yorkleyblue]

....................SJP has a notoriously strong trend of injuries. .............................

but was OK in Sex and the City and has a nice line in perfume so we forgive her! Go on, you would, wouldn't you even though she looks like a horse

Edited January 5, 2009 by yorkleyblue

[The Brit]

got a great deal for him, got rubbish replacements for him...we don't seem to have a player capable of scoring a goal out of nothing like he can...joe is the closest, but is lacking confidence and no wonder as he's subbed every game

[g3.7]

joe's always been subbed all through his career- he often runs out of energy... if he's lacking confidence it will be because he's lacking form more than the fact he's getting subbed. (which is true of most of the side to be fair)

[Backbiter]

I was as excited by Robben's talent as anyone, but his career with us was a let-down, and we did well to cash in on him, however much we've missed a winger who can terrorise defences since he left. His Premiership stats speak volumes:

2004-5 14 starts 7 goals 9 assists

2005-6 21 starts 6 goals 2 assists

2006-7 16 starts 2 goals 6 assists

Champions League? In 3 seasons he started just 9 games and scored just one goal, with 2 assists.

In all he was used as a sub 29 times in 3 seasons in all competitions. Given his talent, that shows he spent a ridiculous amount of time coming back from injury. If he'd been fit and in form he'd have been an automatic choice. As he so rarely was either fit or in form, it's hard to dispute that he failed to deliver what we hoped for.

His replacement has, of course, been a massive let-down as well -

Prem:

2007-8 16 starts 2 goals 1 assist

2008-9 12 starts 2 goals 5 assists

CL

2007-8 8 starts 1 goals 2 assist

2008-9 5 starts 1 goal 0 assists

Here are Lamps' stats to compare!

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=8941

Edited January 5, 2009 by Backbiter

[Mr Chelsea]

dont miss robben one bit, he had all the potential and never peaked for us on regular enough occasions, when he did he was awesome but he didnt do it often enough

would prefer see jesper gronkear at full fitness and at his peak than robben (opens new can of worms)

[Chippy]

dont miss robben one bit, he had all the potential and never peaked for us on regular enough occasions, when he did he was awesome but he didnt do it often enough

would prefer see jesper gronkear at full fitness and at his peak than robben (opens new can of worms)

You sure you have'nt got an old fridge in your garden aswell? ;)

It really more than anything shows what type of player we are missing, whatever your personal thoughts on Arjen a player with his ability or even close to, that played a good percentage of games per season would make Chelsea a very different proposition.

I just hope there is someone nearly as good as him out there and hope we can get him, even if it does mean we have to let some more players go.

[icecoolguy22]

The problem is Robben only plays about 20 games a year, and he can twist his ankle getting out of bed any morning. I had no problem letting him go, the issue was Jose believed Malouda was an equivalent of Robben skillwise :D

[mad_mac]

Seen the highlights of the past few Real games since Robben has been back, and all I could do was sigh! He has looked great, he has looked menacing, he has looked as frail as Bambi on Ice.

I don't think selling him was a mistake, I think the fact that we replace an out and out winger with someone more prone to be on the inside left just showed that wingers were being slowly fazed out!

[Nibs]

I just hope there is someone nearly as good as him out there and hope we can get him, even if it does mean we have to let some more players go.

This is why I am astounded that we have not thrown Kakuta into some first team action - just to see what the kid can do.

I know I have only seen clips of the lad and it could well be that the top level is a bit much for him at this stage, but what have we got to lose? Robben could be very hit and miss but when he was on from he had that bit of magic that could be vital to turn a game. Kakuta looks like he might have that. He certainly has the tricks and plenty of pace and giving him playing time has got to be a better option than persisting with Malouda who is not so much hit and miss but sadly just the latter.

[c3blu]

I was gutted when Robben left because he was one of those players who had you on the edge of your seat whenever he got the ball. He could beat players and open defences and is exactly what we are missing at the moment..... we would'nt have drawn as many games at home as we have if we could call Robben of the bench. even if it was only for the last 20mins.

I know he was injured alot but to be fair to him he did have 2 broken feet at Chelsea so its not like he was faking it. On the other hand his injuries hav'nt got any better since he's been in spain, hence his nickname of tampon (in for 1week out for 3weeks).

If we had bought any kind of decent replacement this would'nt be an issue. Since winning the league back to back we have gone backwards in terms of squad quality.

Give me Crespo,Robben and Duff any day. But if they want to leave or you think they have past it then sell them, only though when you have players of the same quality or hopefully players who are even better than them ready to come in.

When your 4th choice winger becomes your 1st choice winger not because he has improved but because the players keeping him out have left it does'nt take a genious to work out why the team is'nt as good as it was????

[PloKoon13]

Here's some footage of Kakuta. Only YouTube, I know, but he still looks like he has pace, bags of skill and the courage to take people on. I have to say his final touch doesn't look all that though after he's beaten the man... a few wayward crosses in that video. A couple of nice finishes as well though!

[Ruh Buh Juh]

This is why I am astounded that we have not thrown Kakuta into some first team action - just to see what the kid can do.

I know I have only seen clips of the lad and it could well be that the top level is a bit much for him at this stage, but what have we got to lose? Robben could be very hit and miss but when he was on from he had that bit of magic that could be vital to turn a game. Kakuta looks like he might have that. He certainly has the tricks and plenty of pace and giving him playing time has got to be a better option than persisting with Malouda who is not so much hit and miss but sadly just the latter.

I have to agree with you there. I watched him the Chelsea v Man U Youth Cup a couple of months back, and he got passed about 3 players with one move. It was an incredible piece of skill, plus it was in the 70th-odd minute and he was obviously shattered, but that shows commitment to a cause, never giving up, we were 2-1 up an coasting and I'm sure everyone was thinking "okay let's lave our legs and just hold out for the win" but he kept going for the whole match and he was outstanding. But, LFS will have to send him on loan first just to let him "grow up" like Mancienne.