Didier Drogba Returns!

[Sloth]

Do you still stand by that after another poor display today? What has happened when he has played recently is exactly what many of us feared and didn't want to see. A once great player not being able to form at anything like the level he once did.

 

I just want to see Drogba coming on against tired, leggy defenders from now on - NOT starting games. Counting the minutes until Costa returns and just hope he doesn't get injured or suspended for the remainder of the season.

 

Of course, if one game is going to change your mind about something then why should your opinion hold any value in the first place?

 

How many people written Drogba off and wished he never came back after the Shalke home game was it? When he missed a good amount of chances. Then he scored against United and people were licking his arse again, football fans are always so fickle.

 

I stand by what I said and I'm glad he is here, I think he will prove very useful this season.

[Nibs]

Of course, if one game is going to change your mind about something then why should your opinion hold any value in the first place?

 

How many people written Drogba off and wished he never came back after the Shalke home game was it? When he missed a good amount of chances. Then he scored against United and people were licking his arse again, football fans are always so fickle.

 

I stand by what I said and I'm glad he is here, I think he will prove very useful this season.

 

It's not ONE GAME - it's been pretty much every game (bar a couple).

 

Sorry, but his legs have well and truly gone. He is nearly 37 and I'm afraid he looks it. Good luck to you if you think we are going to see the Drogba of old as the season goes on. I think however you are likely to be disappointed.

Edited February 7, 2015 by Nibs

[Crem]

I didn't see the game today but he was awful against Bradford . I was called disrespectful for saying so, though I think there are too many fans ( and Jose to a degree ) who seem to think it is 2005 all over again and don't realise how time affects footballers and also how exponential the drop off in performance over 32 can become.

I still think he can play as a sub and I can see him coming on and scoring the odd important goal before the end of the season. But starting with him is wrong and so is the notion he should be a striker next season.

Sometimes boxers take one fight too many. The last thing anyone wants to see is Drogba eating into his legacy.

[Sloth]

It's not ONE GAME - it's been pretty much every game (bar a couple).

 

Sorry, but his legs have well and truly gone. He is nearly 37 and I'm afraid he looks it. Good luck to you if you think we are going to see the Drogba of old as the season goes on. I think however you are likely to be disappointed.

 

Since when does he have to start games in order to have value?

 

Whenever he comes on in the last 10 minutes he has been class, he's hard to handle and he always wants to score against a tired defence.

 

I was against him starting today, I wanted Remy to start this one. I don't think he should start games either but bringing him on he is definitely a useful sub, still a large part of the season to play and I stick by what I said, if people want to give up on him now then that's fine, Drogba isn't a player to write off though regardless of age.

[GhostOfDembaPast]

Very poor today. I agree that he should be a bench option. Not really fair on the man to expect him to perform at the top level at 36/7. He could come on in the last third of a game to add some presence, but it's asking too much of Drogba to start him when you have players like Hazard and Willian alongside him who rarely make the kind of runs to compensate for Drogba's understandable lack of pace.

Edited February 7, 2015 by GhostOfDembaPast

[Blueblur]

Make no mistake, Didier was f**king shocking today. Club legend or no, Remy deserves to start over him. Must be so frustrating for the lad to see a 36 year old stumble around the pitch in such a clumsy manner. 

 

There, I said it. 

Edited February 7, 2015 by Blueblur

[just]

Drogba wasn't good today and his time may well have gone.

However, Torres performed pretty much at that level for the best part of three years and got nothing less than total encouragement and support from some of those slagging Drogba now.

A sense of perspective and respect if you would be so kind please.

[Jackson786]

I love you drogba! I really do... But it is time to call an end to your playing career. An important role as a sub, most likely, for the rest of the season but retire at the end and get your ass onto our coaching staff. Today was too painful to watch.

[Blueblur]

Drogba wasn't good today and his time may well have gone.

However, Torres performed pretty much at that level for the best part of three years and got nothing less than total encouragement and support from some of those slagging Drogba now.

A sense of perspective and respect if you would be so kind please.

 

Oh so we're never allowed to criticise one of our players now? I think everyone here agrees that whilst it's great he's back with us, he should only be a bench option. We have a great, young(ish) striker in Remy. We should use him instead. I love Drogs as much as anybody but his legs have gone.

 

Don't bring Torres into this, especially with such an outlandish statement. Ever read the Groundhog day thread? I wouldn't say he had total encouragement! 

[Crem]

Drogba wasn't good today and his time may well have gone.

However, Torres performed pretty much at that level for the best part of three years and got nothing less than total encouragement and support from some of those slagging Drogba now.

A sense of perspective and respect if you would be so kind please.

By 'respect' you mean ignoring what is patently obvious.

[just]

Oh so we're never allowed to criticise one of our players now? I think everyone here agrees that whilst it's great he's back with us, he should only be a bench option. We have a great, young(ish) striker in Remy. We should use him instead. I love Drogs as much as anybody but his legs have gone.

 

Don't bring Torres into this, especially with such an outlandish statement. Ever read the Groundhog day thread? I wouldn't say he had total encouragement! 

 

 

Bollox. Drogba aside, we have a 28 year old £8 million pound squad player that no big clubs were even remotely interested in unless you count Brendan Rogers and Liverpool as BIG. His previous EPL clubs are QPHa and Newcastle. His full international record is 7 goals from 31 games. Less than a goal every 4 games and they came against Armenia, Norway, USA, Romania, Albania, Chile and Spain. Hardly, Ballon' Dor stuff is it?

 

But if you think he is the answer mate, be my guest, dream on. But I suspect it will pan out the way it did with your last big wet dream,..... Nando. Though the up side is at least it will be £42 million cheaper.

 

Look, you may well be right Drogba's legs might well have gone. But please, whilst while you're waiting for Jose to wake up and smell the coffee and pick Remy, show a little respect and, yes, also a little bit of gratitude, for all Drogba has done for this club. He is a genuine legend with a capital L.

Edited February 7, 2015 by just

[ForeverCarefree]

Bollox. Drogba aside, we have a 28 year old £8 million pound squad player that no big clubs were even remotely interested in unless you count Brendan Rogers and Liverpool as BIG. His previous EPL clubs are QPHa and Newcastle.

Spin it how you want but Liverpool finished 2nd in the league last season.

Bony's previous Premier League club is Swansea, does that mean he isn't any good?

End of the day Drogba's clearly not able to lead the line for us anymore, that's no slight on a 36 year old and doesn't diminish his achievements from his previous spell at the club but today was a timely reminder that Remy should be starting ahead of him because he's got the pace, fitness and ability that Drogba no longer has.

As a plan B and something to lump it up to Drogba can still offer something from the bench but as a starter, no way.

[Davey Baby]

I still get the feeling Drogba will pop up and score the winning goal in two cup finals this season.

 

It's what he does.

[Jackbuchanan]

Starting drogba was the wrong choice, may offer something from the bench, but as a starter remy should be a clear second choice after costa. He has been fantastic every opportunity he has had.

[HazardsLeftPeg]

Bollox. Drogba aside, we have a 28 year old £8 million pound squad player that no big clubs were even remotely interested in unless you count Brendan Rogers and Liverpool as BIG. His previous EPL clubs are QPHa and Newcastle. His full international record is 7 goals from 31 games. Less than a goal every 4 games and they came against Armenia, Norway, USA, Romania, Albania, Chile and Spain. Hardly, Ballon' Dor stuff is it?

 

I would assume most of those 31 games are from the bench. Benzema's record for France is 25 in 76. Is he a bad striker? I wonder why Madrid keep starting him. Or a better comparison would probably be Nicolas Anelka who's record is 14 in 69 (worse than a goal every 4 games). Was he a bad striker? Oh and we bought him from Bolton when he was 29 years old and pretty much no one else was interested in him. Didn't turn out to be so bad did he?

 

Jose made a mistake starting Drogba and he corrected it. I doubt we'll see him start again this season if both Costa and Remy are available but he has already proved this season to be more useful than people expected.

[Blue Daze]

Apart from the Spurs game he's looked poor everything he's started. Amazing that Remy doesn't get more minutes because Drog is looking every inch his age.

[Nibs]

 

Look, you may well be right Drogba's legs might well have gone. But please, whilst while you're waiting for Jose to wake up and smell the coffee and pick Remy, show a little respect and, yes, also a little bit of gratitude, for all Drogba has done for this club. He is a genuine legend with a capital L.

 

Just, you are probably Drogba's biggest fan and I always respect your opinion and in fact now you've made me feel guilty for posting what I did!

 

But many of us did not want him back as a player. It ended perfectly that night in Munich and we could all foresee that memory getting somewhat tarnished. In a way, I'm kind of pissed off with Jose for thinking it would be a good idea to bring him back. Of course he will get the odd goal - he is Drogba after all, but on the whole it has backfired. Don't think any of us are meaning to be disrespectful, from my own point of view I'm frustrated that it has been allowed to happen.

 

Like you, I'm not certain Remy is the answer when Costa is unavailable but he still looks a better bet right now that DD.   

[Cech_Hook]

If we win the league, in no way will Drogba's legacy be tarnished.

[Sloth]

If I'm being honest he did sort of ruin that legacy, it's a hard way to put it because instantly when someone says that it looks baffling, but when you think about it he left in the most amazing way a player could ever leave.

 

The last kick of the ball was what won Chelsea there first Champions League ever, (hopefully not only Champions League ever)

 

After such a long and painful time of failing to achieve it we finally done it. That would have been remembered forever, that wont be the case anymore sadly, he will always be remembered obviously but just not in that stature anymore. That probably doesn't matter to many people however I loved that sort of legacy about him.

 

Part of me is glad he is back though, I think he has done a good job so far whenever he has come off the bench, I also think we haven't seen the best of him  yet for what he can do for us this season. He seems to thrive when we are in need, we haven't really been in need but we will be eventually. For example the knockout stages haven't even started yet.

[Chippy]

I can't believe anyone is feeling Drogba has in any way tarnished his reputation, legacy or whatever here, I commend him for coming back to a club he loves and doing his best to help them achieve more success, he hasn't let us down in any way, maybe a couple of lacklustre performances (how many of our players haven't had a couple of them this season?) but some decent ones as well.

 

He will always be the player that won Chelsea their first CL and he will always for me be a legend.

 

If he has a bad game, I'll support him, the manager watches him in training and feels he still has something to offer, we rest other players when he's on the field and he has been decent enough off the bench as well, I've not seen much of Remy to say he is a better second choice and obviously its horses for courses, Jose will know when to and how to use the two of them to our advantage.

 

I think he's doing as much from the sidelines and in training to have a big influence on how our season pans out and I don't begrudge him a minute on the pitch.

 

I really hope he stays on in some capacity after his playing days are over but I'm in no hurry for the day to come.

[Blue Daze]

He's not diminishing his legacy in any way. His body is simply getting old and limiting him, yet he's still capable of scoring a few important goals.

He really shouldn't be starting ahead of Remy though in my opinion.

[icecoolguy22]

Drogba is for the big games, playing him as a sub in the Carling Cup final may be good, but definitely not starting him in an away match against some team fighting for relegation.

[Nibs]

 

 

If he has a bad game, I'll support him, the manager watches him in training and feels he still has something to offer, we rest other players when he's on the field and he has been decent enough off the bench as well, I've not seen much of Remy to say he is a better second choice and obviously its horses for courses, Jose will know when to and how to use the two of them to our advantage.

 

 

 

Chippy, if I had a pound for every time you used that line............................................!! 

[coco]

God bless him.

 

He can't compete with these younger players for pace at all.

 

Needs to be used off the bench, after the opposition have been battered and knackered by Costa.

 

Love having him back though, and hope he can go on to represent the club in some shape, legends don't come around too often.

Edited February 9, 2015 by coco

[Zola]

Drogba had these sorts of games now and again when he was in his peak. Not worried really.....he will score some big goals for us later this season.