don't want to go on but he is not the player he was is he

the fiasco against fulham says it all - sent off last minute then trotts off to africa for a week

and at everton, he was awful, then guess what, trotts off to africa again

yes yes, honourable reasons and he is an icon in ghana etc - but our club isn't a charity so Essie can pursue his interests

4 goals this season, no goals since jan and his play has been average at best

proof - watch the goals scored by mancu against us this season - he is missing in all of em

great player in the past, but for me get rid

I'd rather have tioto or mulumba any day

Lampard only scored like 10 goals and didn't score against ManU. Kick him out!

Cech let in a few goals. Sell him now!

Torres only scored once. Give him to Man City for free!

Drogba screwed us over by getting malaria - the swine! Tell him to f*ck off!

Ramires sucked for a number of games. Slow starting b*stard should leave!

Anelka is old. Sell!

Luiz has too much hair. Sell!

Malouda is french. Sell!

I'm getting f*cking tired of all this whining. If a player don't perform for a number of games he's apparently "useless" or "past it". It doesn't matter if he's been brilliant for a number of years before that or if he's had a bad injury.

Are we that f*cking spoilt?

It's sad to read all the junk some people write here (hey, I might write junk too).

Take Ramires as the perfect example. A few months playing for Chelsea and people where asking for his head on a plate. He was useless, crap, a c*nt and God knows what else.

What happened then? Ramires started playing better and better and at the end of the season people had him as first pick in their line up, ahead such players as Mikel, Essien and Lampard. And it wasn't because the other players were so bad that he couldn't be any worse, but actually because he was playing really well.

So, for heavens sake, let's get a grip and stop biting players heads of every time they have a bad game. We might curse and say that they were s*ite in that game, but let's not be stupid enough to say that anyone has become a crap player or "past it" (not long ago we won the double with our old squad that was "getting past it").

Let's give the players time. Everyone has slumps, everyone has injuries to deal with.

If we see over a longer time that a player isn't good enough then we might talk about him getting replaced. But in the end it's not our call and somehow I feel that the people in charge of transfers at Chelsea might know more than we do. If the manager consider a player good enough to stay, then he's probably good enough to stay.

No point us bitching over that. As long as a player is at Chelsea and wearing the shirt proudly he's a Chelsea man and we should show atleast some support (as long as the player don't act like a complete prick - we can't accept that, can we?).

Many of our players have had a less than great season, but who's to say they won't have a better next season? Maybe we'll see Essien being the engine we want. Maybe Lampard will hit 20 goals again and be important for our midfield.

Who knows?

The moos you got it spot on. fed up with negative tramp articles written about a player who has had a substandard season. Fairplay, the bison has been less than amazing this season but for all his awesome seasons give him a break. ffs, fed up of spoilt little dare i say "plastic" fans. just be greatful we can have players of his calibre at this club! KTBFFH

Edited June 4, 201113 yr by Itsintheblood89

I am shocked and outraged that Essien had the audacity to have a form slump after 18 months of injuries. Absolutely ridiculous, not to be tolerated.

With Drogba, Lampard and a couple of the others the wrong side of 30, I don't believe they are finished as footballers at this club, but I can at least understand why people my reasonably believe they are on the decline.

Essien still has years ahead of him though, and i'm not aware of any major, career ending injuries that would lead people to think that the can't regain past form. It's not like the game has past him by tactically either (like you may have been able to suggest with Guardiola ).

Essien still has years ahead of him though, and i'm not aware of any major, career ending injuries that would lead people to think that the can't regain past form. It's not like the game has past him by tactically either (like you may have been able to suggest with Guardiola ).

Last season Essien showed little signs of the dynamism that we all knew he has/had and I think a lot of people just put that down to the two serious knee injuries in two years (to both knees) which is understandable, after all, the body can only take so much.

I think we will find out if this is the case next season, which I think is going to be a huge one for the player. But I totally agree, to give up on a player who has given us so much after one bad campaign is ludicrous.

Edited June 4, 201113 yr by bjd

Start of the season he was our best player as I recall. He also had to adjust playing with Ramires and without Lampard. I also think Carlo said him to be more cautious going in attacks as he has defensive duties. Not a good season from Bison but come on. Manu won the league with worse mid-fielders than Essien.

His priorities seem to lie with going off to Ghana for various events. What he did at Fulham was unforgiveable, I say get him gone. He has shown little and no commitment to Chelsea this year.

We all know he was awful this season but we also know how good he was and how good he can be. So unless he's desperate to go or we need the money he has to stay just in case he gets back to form next season, because if he does we need him!

His priorities seem to lie with going off to Ghana for various events. What he did at Fulham was unforgiveable, I say get him gone. He has shown little and no commitment to Chelsea this year.

What? He retired from international football for a few years to be able to concentrate on his Chelsea career, how is that not showing commitment? I have no idea where you got any of that from. As for the Fulham thing, I presume you mean the game at the Bridge, not at fulham. The game where he scored the winner but was sent off for a stupid challenge?

What? He retired from international football for a few years to be able to concentrate on his Chelsea career, how is that not showing commitment? I have no idea where you got any of that from. As for the Fulham thing, I presume you mean the game at the Bridge, not at fulham. The game where he scored the winner but was sent off for a stupid challenge?

Sorry, i think i an missing something here too ?

I know it was a silly challenge and a needless red card, but is the implication here that he got himself dismissed on purpose so he could spend extra time in Ghana ?

Dont recall this being a question during the season or after it happened (i might well have missed it), but i just cannot believe he would do it on purpose and am surprised the allegation is being made.

Edited June 4, 201113 yr by bjd

I do believe we have seen the best of him and as sad as it would be to see him go, I think it could be the right move if a sizeable bid came in (£20m plus).

Sorry, i think i an missing something here too ?

I know it was a silly challenge and a needless red card, but is the implication here that he got himself on purpose so he could spend extra time in Ghana ?

Dont recall this being a question during the season or after it happened (i might well have missed it), but i just cannot believe he would do it on purpose and am surprised the allegation is being made.

Thats what I think he is saying, which is a ridiculous thing to say. Especially as he sat out many Ghana games for his Chelsea career.

Thats what I think he is saying, which is a ridiculous thing to say. Especially as he sat out many Ghana games for his Chelsea career.

Thats just what i thought.

Oh well, lets sell him innit

Thats just what i thought.

Oh well, lets sell him innit

Sorry, i think i an missing something here too ?

I know it was a silly challenge and a needless red card, but is the implication here that he got himself dismissed on purpose so he could spend extra time in Ghana ?

Dont recall this being a question during the season or after it happened (i might well have missed it), but i just cannot believe he would do it on purpose and am surprised the allegation is being made.

Also, am I the only person that thought it was actually quite a harsh sending off? To my mind, if you wanted to get sent off on purpose, you'd properly clatter someone (a la Keane or Scholes) to make sure, rather than make a slightly dodgy challenge and hope the referee is feeling mean.

Essien will come back next season. He had an extremely difficult time with injury. His commitment to chelsea should not be questioned as he has proved his dedication year in year out. Stop the complaining about players, it was a difficult season. Instead of calling for players to be sold, why dont you give some support. And getting sent off to play for Ghana, what a load of boll**ks

The Moo's said it all, essien had to deal with a sh*t load of injuries and his life hasnt been easy as his father has disowned him, give the guy a break, he will come good once again.

Lampard only scored like 10 goals and didn't score against ManU. Kick him out!

Drogba screwed us over by getting malaria - the swine! Tell him to f*ck off!

Anelka is old. Sell!

Malouda is french. Sell!

I'm getting f*cking tired of all this whining. If a player don't perform for a number of games he's apparently "useless" or "past it". It doesn't matter if he's been brilliant for a number of years before that or if he's had a bad injury.

Let's give the players time. Everyone has slumps, everyone has injuries to deal with.

If we see over a longer time that a player isn't good enough then we might talk about him getting replaced.

Many of our players have had a less than great season, but who's to say they won't have a better next season? Maybe we'll see Essien being the engine we want. Maybe Lampard will hit 20 goals again and be important for our midfield.

Who Knows?

Yeah, we should give all our over thirties such as the likes of Lampard, Malouda, Drogba and Anelka a "longer time" to come out of the slump that they have had this past season, maybe another 3, 4 or 5 years. If they dont snap out of it right away we should persist in the hope that they turn it around. Maybe we could give them all new long term contracts and see if they can turn around their form once they hit their 40's. Maybe some mad scientist will come up with a magical product which can reverse the aging process...as moos said... who knows? :P

All joking aside, i can appreciate giving certain players (who still have age on their side) time to prove their worth, but i am against continuing to pick older players on past reputation. We need to look to the future and start building the next gen of our team. Whilst he is not the oldest player, from Essiens form this season i have seen little to suggest that he should be one of the first names on the team sheet anymore ( as has been the case in the past). IMO he doesnt have the craft, creativity, vision or passing ability which we need in the middle of the park to move our team forward, and whilst i have no objection to him staying or ill feeling towards him, i would like to see us cash in on him when he is still fit and when we would still get a good fee for him.

I'm not suggesting we sell him, at all. however, given the injuries to his knee's, they can be recurring. So, if a large bid came in for him I think the club may consider it.

Most of the team has been below par this season. If older players can't stand the pace, then share their roles with the youngsters. Except we don't have any youngsters. Round and round we go....

Poster is having a laugh surely ?

Essien has been a great signing, worth every pound of the 20 odd million. So he had an average past season, but he was played out of position for a lot of it. Since Makele left more often than not he has been asked to play that role, his forte is attacking not holding. He like Chelsea if coached and deployed on the pitch smartly will be back.

Essien can be one of the best midfielders on the planet on his day, something he has proven time and again in previous seasons.

He was pretty disappointing last season, but he's certainly earnt at least one more season to prove himself to be the beast of old.

not sure my post was whining, and certainly I am no plastic............as for exampl I can remember frank upton playing for the blues (he died recently)

anyway - take a look at the sending off again, absolutely stupid challenge - and yes he did go to africa for a week - presmuably we paid his wages?

yes give players chance to recover and get back to their best form but just like joe cole, seems (to me at least) his best days are gone - no bite or drive or goals

he plays in critical position, so for me we need to be more objective about our players, take off the specs (rose tinted) and smell the coffee (not ghanian)

at everton, he was poor and after the game when we were doing our best to clap the players, he trotted off....................to catch his flight to charity match he had arranged

wheres his focus?

Jesus, such incredible amounts of bollocks in so few sentences.