Great post Liam, now let's turn it on its head.

Which ex-Chelsea players do you most like? Not simply because they were brilliant on the pitch, but because they were simply a damn good bloke, truly had the Club at heart, always gave 100% without being World Class, always gave you a laugh etc etc etc.

For me :

Mickey Thomas

Joey Jones

Bobby Tambling

Zola

Chopper

Mine are all because they are players who I feel loved the club as much as we did (and I am restricting it to players since the early 80s due to my age).

Micky Droy

Erland Johnsen

Dan Petrescu

Steve Clarke

John Bumstead

Kerry Dixon

Gianfranco Zola

Eidur Gudjohnsen

Kevin Hitchcock

Pat Nevin - slightly different reason - he is in there because he was prepared to put himself inthe firing line to support Canoville

Obvious reasons

Kerry Dixon

Dan Petrescu

Roberto Dimatteo

Zola

Chopper

Peter Bonnetti (top Bloke)

JFH (Always supports us when he's a pundit and his lack of celebration when he scored against us)

Tore Andre Flo (likeable bloke bought half the bar a drink before the Pool game including my Nephew who got his Autograph)

From the old days:

Charlie Cooke

Eddie McCreadie

John Dempsey

Ron Harris

Mickey Thomas

Kerry Dixon

Peter Osgood (god rest his soul)

Peter Bonetti

Mickey Droy

Roy Bentley

All have been glad to give their time when approached by numpties like me. They showed me they cared for the fans

From more recent times for the very same reasons (from my own experience) and one or two of these may surprise people:

Scott Parker

Asier Del Horno

Carlton Cole

Hernan Crespo

Franco

Eidur

Damien Duff

Arjen Robben

Maka

Far too many to list

It's hard to choose without going into a massive essay. There are the obvious choices, such as Zola, Di Matteo and Desailly.

Unlike many, I still like Poyet despite the Spurs link. I enjoyed watching him enough that I can just about forgive him that.

I'm still annoyed with Duffer for bottling it and leaving like he did. I still like him though and I am sorry his career has gone down the toilet since he left the promised land.

This is much harder and is akin to picking between your kids.

This isn't based on performance. legend status or anything like that but just players I 'like', so in no particualr order and for no special reason:

Wise, Zola, Laudrup (I know..), JFH, Gudjjohnssen, Harris, Le Bouef,

Osgood, Christ Osgood

what about Gullit

Tried not to include players no sadly longer with us but of course Ossie and I really liked Ian Hutchinson,

Charlie Cooke was my idol when I was a a kid but I never knew much about his personality.

Very difficult.. I'll try to keep it brief.

Chopper

with due respect to JT, Chopper will always be Mr Chelsea to me.

Charlie Cooke

This in full, is the last email he sent me re: the questionnaire he never got round to:

Lofty more groveling apologies from this end. I'm coming over there at the end of November for the Pitchowners do so if I haven't replied by then shoot me.

Best regards.

Charlie

Mickey Droy

Was very patient and friendly towards me when I approached him on the way back from some away game, even though I was stuttering like a drunken idiot. Or something. And likewise:

Ray Wilkins

Was a friend of friends of mine, and used to talk to us on the underground when we saw him on the way to the Bridge.

Marcel Desailly

All round class act.

Ossie

Born is the King Of Stamford Bridge

I could go on, but won't.

GIANFRANCO ZOLA, la la la laa la la Gianfranco Zola. That man can walk on water far as I'm concerned.

Alongside him, theres others I grew up watching, like Super Dan Pet-rescue, Marcel, Le Saux, Jimmy FH, Wisey, Eidur (even with all the Barca rubbish....he did score against the Dippers for them though!).

Too many to really mention. I still love guys like Kezman and Forsell who tried their hearts out, but couldn't quite get it done, either due to injury, lack of chances or whatever.

I have an incredibly long list, but, for me, only one player will get a mention.

Eidur Gudjohnsen.

He was easily my favourite Chelsea player, and was such a nice guy aswell. He's had interviews with ChelseaTV since leaving and has said that Chelsea will always have a place in his heart.

Zola, Eidur, Forsell for refusing to celebrate when he scored against us.

Hard to know about any others as I have never been over there....

Eider

Wise

ZOLA!!!

JFH

Duff

Vialli

Robben

Gullit

Eddie Newton

Vialli

Super Dan

Robbie D

Marcel Desailly

Gudjohnsen

Clarke

Zola

Hernan Crespo

I'm sure there will be others that come to me, but that's all I could think of right now

Eider

Wise

ZOLA!!!

JFH

Duff

Vialli

Robben

Robben? That one was a bit surprising!

Robben? That one was a bit surprising!

I loved Robben when he was playing for us, so exciting to watch, sure he got injured a bit but i was gutted when he left to be honest.

Chris Garland because he was a true blond

seriously far too many due to reasons of age, but a big big shout for Peter Houseman, they don't come better

Wise - I grew up with him being the captain. And love him for the damage done to the Toon.

Flo and Erland Johnsen - fellow norwegians.

Desailly - imposible not to like this man, and always cheer on us when he's a pundit.

Hasselbaink - for all his goals and also for always cheering on us when he's a pundit. The goal against us when he refused to celebrate.

Gullit - Ruud's boys

Gudjohnsen - If Jimmy doesn't get you, Eidur will.

Zola - doesn't need any reason why.

Clarke - the work he has done as a player and assistant.

Makelele - no need for explanation.

Eddie Newton, Petrescu, Lebouef, Dueberry

Super Dan

me too, i used to love Dan Petrescu. to this day hes possibly my favourite player after franco and wisey. and in my opinion one of the best signings we made in that era. also used to love Dmitri Kharine mainly because its quite possible he was mad.

Edited October 23, 200916 yr by dkw

Zola

Petrescu

Wise

Di Matteo

Clarke

Desailly (absolutely awesome and genuinely nice guy, and you can tell he's a huge Chelsea fan)

Gudjohnsen

Cudicini

Makelele

Edited October 23, 200916 yr by blizeH

Flo and Erland Johnsen - fellow norwegians.

You better add Frode Grodås

Do you include any refs in "fellow Norwegians"? (sorry)

Edited October 23, 200916 yr by Tim W

zola

petrescu

ed de goey

makelele

damien duff

Too many to list really but top of that list has to be Kerry.

He is pretty much the reason i love football and i love Chelsea as much as i do. He scored the first Chelsea goal i saw and i was lucky enough to see him score many more. Ive met him a couple of times and he loves Chelsea, his blood really is royal blue.

I will never forget in 1994 at Wembley after we had beaten Luton to reach our first major final in eons the Chelsea end still managed to find time to sing 'theres only one Kerry Dixon', just shows how much he meant to so many people.