Who would you say is most under-rated player for the Blues over the premier league era?

I think he was already regarded as world class when we signed him but even so I'd still say Hernan Crespo. I also think Tiago Mendes was perhaps a better player than what people gave him credit for.

Edited October 1, 20187 yr by the special one

John Obi Mikel

Edited October 1, 20187 yr by Stim

Paulo Ferreira. He wasn't just underrated by football fans, but by the coach's at the club too. He may not have been brilliant going forward (he wasn't terrible either though) but he was a very solid defender. We were even picking Bosingwa ahead of him.....

Maybe I'm wrong but always felt Bridge and Malouda were underrated by fans.

10 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

Paulo Ferreira. He wasn't just underrated by football fans, but by the coach's at the club too. He may not have been brilliant going forward (he wasn't terrible either though) but he was a very solid defender. We were even picking Bosingwa ahead of him.....

Paulo was a fine player. One of his best games for us was in the 2007 FA Cup Final. He marked Ronaldo out of the game. Agree that he was underrated by a number of people. A shame as he was a good player. After his last game for us he was given a great send-off at the Bridge.

Edited October 1, 20187 yr by Boyne

Without being a miserable old git I think this is in the wrong section. If I said Mark Stein or David Hopkin must posters wouldn't know who they were because they're too young besides this section is mostly pre premier league.

On the subject of Paulo this is from the club website:

https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2018/9/28/my-blue-days--paulo-ferreira

 

15 hours ago, Boyne said:

On the subject of Paulo this is from the club website:

https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2018/9/28/my-blue-days--paulo-ferreira

 

Interesting read, one part caught my attention relating to Mourinho and one of the two goals Paulo scored.

He said JM had a feeling he would score and suggested he stayed up for the corners though told him not to go for the first ball yet hang about the penalty area.

He did and scored, it was against weaker opposition in the FA Cup.

Unclear whether this was Jose's intuition or just common sense.

 

Edited October 2, 20187 yr by Strider6003

Bloody hell, there have been loads. As a fanbase we're a fairly impatient bunch:

 

- Agree with Paulo - was very steady, a truly excellent club servant.

- Albert Ferrer (although much loved by our own)

- Bernard Lambourde

- Geremi

- Agree (to an extent) with Malouda - was fantastic when he really hit form, was also despised by large sections of the fanbase for reasons passing understanding. In the future I think I'd chuck Oscar's name into that category too. 

- Goldbaek

- I know some people who would say that Mikael Forssell has a brilliant future behind him.

 

 

Obviously there is one true king of the underrated, brilliantly described by someone or other as the 'middle child' of CFC, the English, European and African champion - John Obi Mikel!

I agree with Oscar. And he gets unfairly blamed for the players sold when he was here.

Edited October 2, 20187 yr by Stim

Eidur gudjohnson got to be up there

Steve Clarke is another but there are loads

24 minutes ago, the real shed end said:

Eidur gudjohnson got to be up there

Steve Clarke is another but there are loads

Never thought of either of them as underrated. 

Until recently, I've always thought Hazard was underrated, ridiculous as that may sound. The football world is now appreciating what a rare talent he is.

Frank Lampard (underrated by the people that compare Lampard to Gerrard).

 

Bosingwa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  No one ever once gave him credit for playing whilst two caterpillars were wrestling on his forehead....... and I'll always remember one of his greatest achievements in a Chelsea kit.....Publicly asking whether Overbo was a referee or a thief after that game against Barcelona ahhaha  Oh, and he did a good job against Ribery in the Finals in 2012....

 

Not my most underrated though....

Lampard.

Still don’t think it’s acknowledged how phenomenal it was for a midfielder to consistently, year after year score the amount of goals he did.

Wayne Bridge, for a time he was playing as well as Ashley Cole ever did. 

Jody Morris, if not for the contract dispute that lead to him leaving the club I think he could have gone on to have had a long successful career with Chelsea.

Kalou, given our struggles for goals from strikers in the last 6 or so seasons maybe we were a bit harsh on holding him to the standards of Robben, Duff and Drogba.

Ferrer, was constantly a 7/10 performer and the likes of Melchiot, Glenn Johnson and Bosingwa showed that a good right back shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Paulo Ferreira, Wayne Bridge, Stevie Clarke are good shouts.

Or perhaps Carlo Cudicini ?

I'd say Michael Ballack, who spent most of his time playing out of position

Cavalho playing next to JT, seemed to dig us out of lots of tricky situations though us fans loved JT.

On ?01?/?10?/?2018 at 13:42, bluehaze said:

Without being a miserable old git I think this is in the wrong section. If I said Mark Stein or David Hopkin must posters wouldn't know who they were because they're too young besides this section is mostly pre premier league.

David Hopkin was by far the best player I played with (Port High School circa 1983/84 ) or against !

 

Ricardo Carvalho.

He isn't the first name that comes to mind when people talk about the great Chelsea teams of the 2000s, but he was a rock in our defence alongside JT. One of the best centre-backs I've seen at his peak.

Frank Leboeuf

Alan Mayes

Gallas .... thought he was JT's best partner in central defence, but he gets a lot of negative sh*t for the move to Arsenal ...

On ?20?/?06?/?2019 at 20:02, Sexyfootball said:

Gallas .... thought he was JT's best partner in central defence, but he gets a lot of negative sh*t for the move to Arsenal ...

I agree. His pace puts him above Carvalho for me.

I also thought Ivanovic was underated and took at bit more stick than he was entitled to.