What's that, 3-5-10 players? Statistically that's irrelevant, you cannot draw conclusions from a sample size that small. I expected better of you, dkw. Shall we make observations on English football fans based on the comments in this thread? That won't show much improvement since the '80s :P

We had 4 first team belgians, 3 have talked bollocks to the press.

We had 4 first team belgians, 3 have talked bollocks to the press.

 

Is 4 a big number for you? "English football fans are struggling with basic arithmetic." ;)

 

They may have been talking bollocks but so are you with gross generalisations like this.

You don't have any proof, DKW.

 

 

 

 

 

Let me guess.

 

The Guardian, Chelsbear?

 

Martin Samiels?

Edited March 28, 201610 yr by Krc-fan

Is 4 a big number for you? "English football fans are struggling with basic arithmetic." ;)

They may have been talking bollocks but so are you with gross generalisations like this.

No but 75% is quite a big percentage wouldn't you say. It's the only evidence we have to go by at our club. How about Liverpool, 2 belgians and one talking bollocks, 50% is quite a big number. Everton, 2 belgians both talking bollocks. 100% is quite a big number.

Edited March 28, 201610 yr by dkw

0% proof and 100% trolling is quite a big percentage in my opion.

 

(Forgive me the worth trolling. It's not personaly. It's the only english worth I know right now.)

No but 75% is quite a big percentage wouldn't you say. How about Liverpool, 2 belgians and one talking bollocks. 50% is quite a big number.

Tottenham 3 Belgians none of which are talking bollocks.

Also what has Coutois said that is talking bollocks, have you read a transcipt or just a brief caption from a translated interview which words can very easily be manipulated.

What Hazard said was pretty poor but it boiled down to that PSG should be considered a very big team and it is hard to say no to very big teams. He could well believe he is currently at a very big team as Chelsea in my life time has become a very big team. Take it as you will but why is that something we should be harping on about we don't know the meanings behind the words or the feelings of these players.

 

Edited March 28, 201610 yr by PedroMendez

Everyone that disagrees with you is a troll? I think not.

Tottenham 3 Belgians 

 

 

4, PedroMendez.

Everyone that disagrees with you is a troll? I think not.

 

 

No.

 

Just you and friends.

Don't get me wrong.

 

I believe you are a great and good Chelsea fan.

And it's your job to be attention!

 

But be careful with writing troll things on this forum.

 

And believe it's true.

Edited March 28, 201610 yr by Krc-fan

That's never good for your club.

 

Never!

 

 

 

 

Believe me.

Edited March 28, 201610 yr by Krc-fan

Tottenham 3 Belgians none of which are talking bollocks.

Also what has Coutois said that is talking bollocks, have you read a transcipt or just a brief caption from a translated interview which words can very easily be manipulated.

What Hazard said was pretty poor but it boiled down to that PSG should be considered a very big team and it is hard to say no to very big teams. He could well believe he is currently at a very big team as Chelsea in my life time has become a very big team. Take it as you will but why is that something we should be harping on about we don't know the meanings behind the words or the feelings of these players.

Come on, its pretty obvious that both hazard and courtois are managing a way out if the club with what they have said and its a sh*tty thing to do. Courtois said “I do not say yes, I do not say no. I do not know: I still have three years on my contract. We must see what Chelsea want. It is true that it [this season] has changed me.”

That's either an incredibly naive thing to say or a calculated attempt, just as rumours f a bid from Real Madrid are made public.

Frankly I'm sick of players doing this sh*t, always when on international duty then on return they just claim it was misinterpreted. Gobsh*tes.

Edited March 28, 201610 yr by dkw

If we got ridiculous money for Courtois, I'd definitely sell. He's nowhere near the level of De Gea.

He seems slow and makes silly decisions. He's still young but he's very experienced now and that cannot be applied anymore. He's nowhere near Cech's level with us.

That's a good opinion, MayosNoun.

 

 

Do you think the time is right to get some ridiculous money?

His stock would have been higher last year, no doubt but some clubs may be willing to take the gamble. Juventus will be recruiting a goalkeeper shortly - If indeed rumours are true that Buffon is not immortal. Madrid don't seem too happy with their goalkeepers again and having played in Spain, seems more logical.

And before or after the Euro?

 

How long can you guys wait?

(Apologies. I must go. Will be back soon.)

Don't rush

Defended the guy earlier for his form, but his comments make it very hard indeed to like him. 

 

As others have mentioned, what is it with Belgian players? Lukaku loved to talk when he was here and now he's being incredibly disrespectful to Everton. Hazard managed to do the same just before the PSG game, De Bruyne wasn't exactly Mr 'No Comment' either. Even Musonda has alluded to a fondness for the Spanish game and certain teams.

 

The issue for me though is who will call Courtois to task for these comments? Who at the club will say that this isn't the way you treat the badge? It would appear there's no-one to crack the whip right now and bring him into line. 

 

Again, that is a problem for us.

Defended the guy earlier for his form, but his comments make it very hard indeed to like him. 

 

As others have mentioned, what is it with Belgian players? Lukaku loved to talk when he was here and now he's being incredibly disrespectful to Everton. Hazard managed to do the same just before the PSG game, De Bruyne wasn't exactly Mr 'No Comment' either. Even Musonda has alluded to a fondness for the Spanish game and certain teams.

 

The issue for me though is who will call Courtois to task for these comments? Who at the club will say that this isn't the way you treat the badge? It would appear there's no-one to crack the whip right now and bring him into line. 

 

Again, that is a problem for us.

 

 

1. We don't actually know that there aren't internal sanctions from the club.

 

2. Do we actually want things to be made public, like the Eva saga which I think we all agree should have been dealt with internally, away from the prying eyes of the media and fans.

1. We don't actually know that there aren't internal sanctions from the club.

 

2. Do we actually want things to be made public, like the Eva saga which I think we all agree should have been dealt with internally, away from the prying eyes of the media and fans.

 

You're right on both points, but it is hard to imagine who might be the one to sanction him. Who would be the one to take that decision right now?

You're right on both points, but it is hard to imagine who might be the one to sanction him. Who would be the one to take that decision right now?

 

 

Ememalo probably, though we would have to keep within any employment laws so the more likely person would be the club secretary, David Barnard or one of his senior staff.

Ememalo probably, though we would have to keep within any employment laws so the more likely person would be the club secretary, David Barnard or one of his senior staff.

 

That's what I assumed too. How depressing.

Defended the guy earlier for his form, but his comments make it very hard indeed to like him.

As others have mentioned, what is it with Belgian players? Lukaku loved to talk when he was here and now he's being incredibly disrespectful to Everton. Hazard managed to do the same just before the PSG game, De Bruyne wasn't exactly Mr 'No Comment' either. Even Musonda has alluded to a fondness for the Spanish game and certain teams.

The issue for me though is who will call Courtois to task for these comments? Who at the club will say that this isn't the way you treat the badge? It would appear there's no-one to crack the whip right now and bring him into line.

Again, that is a problem for us.

First of all, his words in the context of his native language and culture weren't so bad. They were a bit rude and condescending toward clubmates, but they haven't been translated in the most accurate way. Nonetheless being publicly rude about your clubmates is never a good thing.

I hope Guus will give him some tips since Guus is the master of the boring non controversial interview and knows how common Dutch phrases can be translated in a way that isn't technically wrong but that has some negative connotations. It's not Guus's job however to micro manage them off the pitch.

If this were in the United States or Canada, the public relations staff would pull him from official media access events (they wouldn't be able to control him talking to the media outside official events) and send him to media training classes. The media training classes are serious and intense. They put players through practice interviews, and players have to attend feedback sessions where they watch videos of their real interviews along with their teacher.

Ideally our lads won't sound totally robotic and over rehearsed, but for players who aren't naturally good at interviews, being rehearsed isn't a bad way to start. Once they become more experienced they can improvise more. In Thibaut's case, he would have been rehearsed to say when asked about the training level in the club versus national team, "The level of training is high for both. They are different because the national team doesn't train together as much so each individual session can be more intense. With the club you have many more training sessions. A single session might not be as intense, but since we do so many of them, it's just as challenging when you add them together." He would also have been rehearsed to dodge the question of whether he wants to stay: "Right now my focus is on this season and helping my club finish as high as we can in the table, then on performing well for my country at Euros. I'm not thinking beyond that."

Just a small sidenote to add onto this, he's referencing why injuries are more likely to happen for Belguim than at Chelsea. The world class players bit is just pandering to his home fans, his real point is that players are always pushing their selves really hard in training because there is a lot of competition for spots. This isn't the case at Chelsea, which is a fair point.

I hope Guus says, "So you think the fact that there's competition with the national team raises the level of training? That's easy to solve. From now on you compete with Asmir."