Phil Driver

Mikel does not carry the ball out that is a big part of his failings as a player . He usually only looks for a slow sideways/backwards pass,it is almost impossible to launch a counter attack with him in the team as well as this he never wins posession high up the pitch as Ramires does and springs a counter attack ,this really does not suit our three A/M's they feed on quick ball and the reason our lines are so stretched with Mikel in the team is because he is reluctant to squeeze the play and win the ball as high up the pitch as possible. Of course if you have a holding midfielder who believes his job is to stand next to our two centre backs most of the time (due to a lack of mobility/stamina) we are often out numbered in midfield and the game is played in our half,rather than trying to squeeze the opposition and take the game to them and get our clever palyers on the ball in advanced areas as quickly as possible with good passing not long balls ,think about it if we are not to be stretched with Mikel in the team we need to play a defensive set up ,because Mikel sits deep all the time ,look at our champions league win .

JT will be superb this season ,he looks well rested and lean to me ,with a player like him who never relied on pace to get him out of trouble they can play longer ,because the key to JT is his football intelligence and that tends to get better with experience. I would bet on him earning a new contract for next season on determination alone,next to the class he has as a player ,this bloke would die for Chelsea and I get the feeling some Chelsea fans are spoilt and do not realise the worth of the likes of Terry and Lampard to Chelsea,they are almost irreplacable and should both be kept at the club once their playing days are over.

Just reading some of the quotes on here from people who are eager to write off a world class midfielder in any language, they are the same people who are talking up Jon Obi Mikel . I suppose all those goals and assists dont count as stats . There is no substitute for class chaps and luckily Jose knows that ,he was the first signing Jose made on his return

Didnt realise it was on video ,great memories look at the Shed when the winner went in ,not as many went home as I thought looking at that . Flasher was unstoppable when he came on as you can see from the video ,amazing to see it again,thanks. Bolton have always been amongst our favourite opposition .

Cant remember the date 75/76? ,but the game will never be forgotten. Went with a group of about 10 mates from school all in the shed ,Chelsea were 3-1 down with 20? Mins left ,all but two of us stayed to watch the final minutes of another humiliation at home ,then Flasher warmed up while the Shed were singing "Chelsea,Chelsea we'll support you ever more" (it was all we had left). Anyway Flasher came on and turned Bolton inside out and Chelsea won 4-3 with an own goal from Big Fat Sam ,great days ,great memories of Chelsea old,those that remained in the Shed will never forget it .

SFL will still be invaluable to us as he was last season when his performances carried us to relative success once again ,anyone who does not think that Jose will be calling on Lampard when the going gets tough in all the big games knows nothing about Mourinho's respect for the class of Frank Lampard and the class of the player ,still one of the very best in Europe and he will prove it once again this season under Mourinho.

The mistake we made as a club was to try and turn a failing (expensive) attacking midfielder into a defensive one ,it has not worked it is a specialist position and you either have those skills or you do not , Makelele was the master of that role and trying to turn a failed attacking midfielder into a defensive one was doomed to failure , Chalobah already looks more of a natural in that role to me .

Wrong ,Makelele was a quality defensive midfielder ,Mikel is not in the same league ,Makelele sensed danger and won the ball as high up the pitch as possible and then used it wisely and quickly. Mikel is a very poor defensive midfielder he is too slow both in mind and body . Please do not waste the word "quality".

Ah I see he came on in the 66th minute and we were awful ,only watched the first half . You are soon going to have to face reality here soon and in England we spell realise with an " s " . Have you ever seen Mikel live? he looks just as slow as on the box. The remaining points which you choose to ignore will still be proven right given time.

Remember this - Without Ken Bates there would be no Chelsea at Stamford Bridge,no cups and no leagues,no Abramovich and no taking the piss out of Arsenal and Spurs. Batesy was in the top ten most important people ever to serve Chelsea Football Club and that includes players,he did what needed to be done for Chelsea to be where we are today.

Anybody remember Kevin Sheedy (Everton) this lad reminds me very much of him and he was a class player .

Is he injured again? It would seem that of the returning confederations cup players,Mikel is the one who has not played,realisation will be here soon for those who have not worked it out yet,all the clues are there and Mikel will be on the bench picking up his generous wage courtesy of Emenalo for another four years if he wants to. It is obvious the Galatasary interest was a red herring planted by his agent,nobody wants him on those wages,inc. Mourinho and he was for sale ,Ramires said he was phoned by Mourinho and told of his value to Chelsea,I doubt Mikel has got the same assurance and crunch time is here and all is about to be revealed. Mourinho is not silly,nor was the waiter ,he wanted Ramires too at Napoli ,hence Mourinho contacting Ramires to remind him of his value to Chelsea. It will be good for us as a club to see the manager in control of the team and who plays once again and Mikel's non selection will be further evidence of this . In Jose we trust .

Their pursuit of Luis Suarez tells you all you need to know about this awful cheating club from birth and Henry Norris infamy,they are hypocrites of the highest order and deserve no respect,their support is the worst in London.

If I know Jose he is playing a blinder on Rooney ,unsettle him and suggest we are interested causing maximum disruption and uncertainty for Moyes and Utd and then walk away at the last possible moment and sign someone better ,we dont want Rooney at the Bridge ,he is on the way down and we have had a couple of these already. I would rather have Lukaku playing for us than Rooney next season . .

Cmon Andre ,please be good and do the business for us ,hopefully he can develop into a strong dressing room leader who will embrace the spirit of never giving up we have at Chelsea.

Monaco away , to this day I think it was all a dream ,Haisselbaink ended up playing left back as I remember and they had ten men ,it was unbelievable . He was good for us though on balance especially with Frank and JT bringing them on ,but not good enough once Roman came in .

I will if it gets the transfer fee up ,yes brilliant ,brilliant goal against Tahiti . It will all unravel now and I will wish him all the best with his new club ,they will be getting a bargain .

Or Tahiti .

Not at the races this half ,another of his traits lack of fitness ,no chance he can be box to box in that role ,like Frank or Rammy ,looks like he is running in sand,as soon as this is over Jose will bring us the good news that he is leaving .

Latest NewsJobsDON'T MISS“My players played well and played to instructions” – Keshi defends players after Uruguay lossMou-ring-io: Chelsea boss calls up players that are in his plans, as Mikel and Mata prepare to leaveWe will expose all electoral fraudsters from 2003 to 2013 – NHRC boss, OdinkaluMusa, Oduamadi sit out Eagles training“Stop ‘Janging’ about, Amaechi is NGF Chairman” – Oshiomhole mocks fellow GovernorJonathan says two-party system is better for Nigeria; lauds formation of PDP Governors Forum“The Super Eagles remain among the best-paid national teams in Africa” – NFF stand firm in bonus rowConfederations Cup: Oduamadi doubtful for Spain clashChelsea agree new 10-year deal with AdidasNGF crisis: Governor Jang never sought to be consensus candidate or begged to be Chairman – Yiljap Home > Sport > Mikel Obi fit to feature in Europa League final Mikel Obi fit to feature in Europa League finalBy Phillip Eta on May 12, 2013 John Mikel Obi has declared himself fit and available, for the Europa League final on Wednesday between Chelsea and Benfica. The Nigerian midfielder has been out of action for a while with injury, but made a return to training on Friday, although he did not feature in the Blues 2-1 victory over Aston villa on Saturday. “It is not always good feeling when one is out of action but I am good now. I returned to full training on Friday,” he said. “I am set for Europa league final and I am looking forward to it as well as the last game of the season.” Mikel’s availability, will give Rafa Benitez more options, as the coach lost captain John Terry and winger Eden Hazard to injuries in the win at Villa Park. Just to clear up any confusion on the thread about the players availability towards the end of the season and his fitness, this was confirmed by the fact he played in both games in the USA ,lets not hide the truth he was available and not picked by Benitez

Yes and Frank Lampard said lets win it and he did,that is the attitude I want at Chelsea and so will Mourinho ,if there is anyone who is too good for the Europa League it is Lampard but he had the determination to win it and share centre stage when lifting the trophy with Mikel who seemed to think it was well worth winning at that point .

Not if it helps get rid of said player who is a liability for Chelsea and one who I am sick of watching play ,that is apart from when he is dropped .

That is what forums are for ,making your point extremely clear and I reserve the right to make my point on a player I rate as poor and not good enough for Chelsea, as is your right to defend him .

Your excuses for Mikel will all be irrelevant soon ,when you realise Jose wants him out ,as I say ,watch this space and remember where you read it first

You boys will have a lot of egg on your face when you realise Mourinho is looking to get rid of him . watch this space .................................