04 Oct 2021 23:16:33
Just saw the very long thread about keepers following Ed001’s list ( which I enjoyed of course brought back memories of the long threads we used to have on here) and a lot was said about « informed opinions and opinions », “facts and stats” “letting it go and still pressing home your points” etc .

Firstly, This is a banter site and as long as everyone stays polite I don’t see why the conversation should be cut short and an individual should be told « just move on » or « let it go » it defeats the purpose of banter and passing across your point of view. That’s the beauty of football, there are no certainties, different opinions on players and views on teams we can all disagree and state a case, without one individual feeling a need to tell the other to « stop acting like a 12 year old » because he doesn’t agree, you can simply just ignore the thread if you feel like you don’t want to contribute or if you’ve had your say and nothing more to add .

For example I could start a thread on why I think Prime Hazard is better than Salah, but I’d expect some to disagree while using stats, and their infinite football nous to argue otherwise and I’d likely do the same doesn’t matter how many « Chelsea fans » or « Chelsea board «  disagree with me I’d still stick to my self proclaimed informed opinion that prime Hazard is a better player than prime Salah (who was sold by Chelsea board mind you so goes to show they don’t know everything ) . This is just an example mind you.

That said I do think at the very least Mendy should be top 10 in my opinion without looking at stats and all of that just watching the difference he made to the team and how vital he was to us winning the UCL and also the start of this season it is almost criminal to suggest he isn’t top 10 right now. Using a wider time scale to judge obviously he wouldn’t cut it. I wouldn’t say he is world class (think that word is thrown around too easily these days) but my word he is well above average for me and if we do decide to replace him we’d do well to find better for around the same price or slightly more expensive.

1.) 05 Oct 2021
04 Oct 2021 23:55:52
Eli, I am with you about Eden, I know Salah scores more goals but I preferred watching Hazard- just a personal choice.

2.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 03:38:50
ELI, in the main I agree with the sentiment of your post but calling an Ed article “a biased opinion piece” is hardly reasonable. This is also an article given to the site free of charge.

Disagree with the articles conclusions by all means but there is a point when you have to agree to disagree.

As far as Hazard and Salah are concerned my biased choice would be Hazard but I wouldn’t mind Salah back at the bridge.

3.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 08:24:09
Fully agreed, Eli. Mendy for me is top class, and certainly top 10. His ball distribution, while bad on Saturday I'll admit, is usually on point. He's also pulled off some amazing saves in his short stint at Chelsea so far. Thinking back to one of our matches vs Madrid last season in the semi final of CL, if he hadn't pulled off that world class save on a Benzema shot that was destined for the bottom corner, then who knows what would've happened.

He plays behind a solid defense and team in general, certainly true. But when called upon he still comes through for us. The one thing I'll say is that he seems to be horrible at stopping pens. I know they go in more often than not, but I don't think he's even been close to stopping one so far :p

I'm sure the club would have gotten Donnarumma if they could have. And I agree guys like Courtois (who is definitely a better GK than De Gea in my eyes, as apart from ball playing he has the full package), Neuer, Emi Martinez are better than him. But I'm not sure Ederson and Alisson are. Both top class, but hard to say they're better than Mendy. And I think Meslier might be one of the world's best in the future, but no way he's better than Mendy right now.

4.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 11:53:15
IMO there is a helluva reinvention of what went on with the Mendy signing, and with the skills of Kepa!?
I don’t think Mendy was signed as a No 2. Chelsea had a No 2 Caberrello. He was signed at £20m on the recommendation of Petr Cech to Marina on behalf of FL who (like the rest of us) was at his wit’s end with Kepa. Mendy would go straight into the goals as his first pick. If Willi had went into goal then Chelsea were definitely have been playing their No 2. That (arguably) leads to connotations, perceptions, psychological benefits to the opposition that Chelsea have their No 2 in goals and therefore are vulnerable. I’m not sure if Mendy is in the top 10 and to tell you the truth I’m not really fussed. Some players just “fit” for a club and I believe that Mendy has done just that at Chelsea. Mendy is getting better, he keeps goal, saves what he should, he is quite good in a 1:1 and I notice his body is athletically thickening with top intense training. I agree that his distribution can be a bit “iffy”. I don’t know if he is not rated at Chelsea amongst the coaches. But I am reasonably sure that the board are not discussing spending money any time soon in that area.
Just a word on Kepa. Where has this penalty expert narrative came from, Stats I assume? That player caused one of the biggest embarrassments in English football and to Chelsea FC in the LC final at Wembley V City (over a bloody penalty shootout) which BTW need I remind everyone having refused to come off he never saved one penalty. I disliked Sarri’s football intensely but even he never deserved that. The very sight of Kepa makes me fume. He is the worst pro goalie ever in the history of the PL.

5.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 12:12:34
Stephen, I would have thought that putting a cigar out on a kids face or molesting an under age girl or even spitting in someones face might just have the edge over Kepa’s antics. Albeit they weren’t goalkeepers.

6.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 14:41:48
What Kepa did was extremely idiotic, however as goalkeepers go Courtois was far more disrespectful to the club. As I said I don’t like him but hate is a very strong word to use. There are many thousands of people in the world who your hatred would be better directed.

7.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 15:38:18
I am struggling with your responses. I never used the word hate in my post, never have, never will. That my observation of Kepa refusing to leave the field of play for a tactical substitution being compared with the darkest and most evil of criminal behaviour has left me somewhat shattered.
I am a football person and I was framing the standards of the behaviour by Kepa completely in a football match context. That is is frivolous in terms of life events is not even debatable. I apologise if my post stirred emotions as deep as the response I received. That was certainly not my intention.

8.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 15:52:20
No need to apologise Stephen. Just putting the event into prospective.

He acted unprofessionally and was embarrassment to himself and the club.

I’ve seen more embarrassing things happen at our club.

9.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 16:46:30
Sorry Stephen I misread your post re the word hate, although I maintain my views regarding Courtois being more disrespectful to the club.
We also had an assistant manager in the 90s who brought the club into disrepute by his criminal behaviour.

10.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 16:58:15
A club captain and a black cab driver, a future club captain and future assistant manager fighting outside a night club out of their brains and the list goes on and on!

11.) 05 Oct 2021
05 Oct 2021 17:45:24
There is one player who makes my nervous about his possible antics. It’s always the English players, the foreign players are generally more professional in their outlook.

12.) 06 Oct 2021
06 Oct 2021 07:13:22
TomB, I get all your priors from the past :), but the past is the past. I hark back to the late Jimmy Greaves, who was, and could have been forever a Chelsea Legend, but for the clubs financial situation!
As for the goalkeeper situation, Strousburg, were you on the "ink" that night? (I usually really enjoy you're posts) but sorry mate you were out of line in regards to your responses to ED 001.
Kepa under both Sarri and FL was TBH awful, and yes, I wanted him gone, but, under TT i have seen what the club maybe saw originally! Whilst we may not have any of the top 10 keepers, we certainly have 2 that are working together for our club and Kepa's improvement has been really great under TT.
Everybody on here has been very quick to bag Saul ( Yes he was somewhat disappointing v Villa and hasn't had a chance since) but, he is world class, and with the right guiedeanse and patience will deliver once he adapts. TT is using Barlkley right now, as did Villa last year, until he fell off the radar when ego took over and he became once again, as ED002 so succinctly put it, a knuckle dragger. RLC the same, unable to maintain standards, due to prior injuries, good for now, but what for the future.

13.) 06 Oct 2021
06 Oct 2021 09:12:56
Kiwi, I’ve said many times that Jimmy Greaves is the best player I’ve ever seen.

RLC is an interesting topic. I think and hope the club can manage his back issues. If they can, I think he has a part to play in our squad.

Saul had a poor debut but as I said at the time there were some positives. I haven’t given up on him.

14.) 06 Oct 2021
06 Oct 2021 09:17:32
Mendy is a fantastic keeper and Salah is greater than hazard by far. All of this is subjective and I don't understand why people can't respect others opinions lol.

15.) 06 Oct 2021
06 Oct 2021 13:55:48
'Foreign players are more professional'? I give you: Winston Bogarde!

16.) 06 Oct 2021
06 Oct 2021 17:06:53
MUTU.

17.) 06 Oct 2021
06 Oct 2021 19:12:11
Mendy of city.