Salomon Kalou

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Oh great another Kalou-debate.

The best thing about when he eventually leaves is, we'll be done with those. Bar those who claim "if only we had Kalou now...", when suddenly everyone becomes Captain Hindsight. Glad it's finally becoming an almost-reality that we won't have to cringe upon the name even appearing on the substitutes bench.

[Tomo 21,733]

The abuse Kalou gets on here is shocking.

He may not be that good a player but the abuse goes beyond that and it's a joke.

[Joker10 946]

Yeah, thats right, for all the disparaging comments on him in here, you forget that he has scored vital goals for us. Deserves better than a "fuck you and if we see you in the next billion years it'll be too soon".

Unlike the majority of our players he tries his very best every single game, even if he's just brought on in stoppage time. He doesn't sulk, he doesn't continually complain about being played out of position, he doesn't publically question the manager's tactics, he doesn't get involved in backroom politics or involved in any of the unsavoury activities our better players get up to both on and off the pitch, and yet he is loathed and called things like a cheater and a con artist. The way he conducted himself through the AVB 'era' where he was frozen out purely because he didn't like the contract he was offered was exemplary, the only player in our squad other than him that I can imagine shutting up and getting on with it no matter what happens off the field would be Paulo Ferreira. Look at what Lampard, Essien, Cole, Malouda did- tantrums, played rubbish- better players but as men not fit to hold a candle to him. It's no miracle to see why some of our squad have lifted their game, its not because Di Matteo is a magician, its just that they are a bunch of toddlers who just wanted to get rid of the mean nanny who didn't let them throw the toys out of their pram. Now he's gone they are more than happy to play as they did before. And yet those overpaid primadonna's are exalted by people just because they happen to, when they give a fuck, play better than him; or as in the case of Essien, are living off past glories.

He may not have been the best player we've had on our books, but its quite shocking to see him foot the blame for a lot of things when we've had 50 and 30 million pound players perform half as well as he has done. For 8 million pounds we've received a fair return, better than anything Torres is likely to come up with and yet we all, myself included, have orgasms whenever Torres scores one goal or gets one assist. How fair is that?

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This is some of the biggest bullshit i have read. you act like Kalou never throw a tantrum and never sulked, when in fact he does many times over his Chelsea career. He has sounded off and ripped his teammates on a few occasions. How can anyone forget when he was lucky enough to score the winner against spuds last season, and he decided to sulk and refused to celebrate with his teammates because he didn't start the game.

You really don't think RDM playing Lampard in the double pivot role has nothing to do with his performance? Lampard at this stage of his career is suited to play a deeper role, his performance has much to do with RDM better using his talents.

Again Cole performance has nothing to do with being rotated and rested? And getting better cover help then Mata provided on the left flank.

Malouda? shit before and after AVB.

Essien?

The man has given so much to the club, it is disgraceful to blame him for not giving his all and not playing better. The numerous injuries wont allow him to be the old Essien, it is simple as that.

Kalou a better man then Essien?

Essien has always been known to give everything on the pitch, and what shouldn't be also questioned is Essien as a men is better then a mere footballer. He is truly a great role model and a great ambassador for Chelsea. His philanthropy work in Africa is inspiration, and can't imagine a better men representing Chelsea football club.

[Tomo 21,733]

Lets put this in perspective here.

For years Liverpool were a Fernando Torres injury away from having to make do with David N Gog up front on his own for god knows how long.

If Arsenal lose Van Persie they are stuck with Marouane Chamakh who has only scored once all season long.

We have to lose Drogba, Nando, Lukaku and Danny before we are 'stuck' with Kalou and im sure even the biggest Kalou haters will admit he is much better than Chamakh and N Gog.

If you really want something to complain about however, ring up Owen Coyle or Arsene Wenger and see if they would swap Kalou for those players mentioned, they would bite your hand off and we would have something serious to complain about.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Lets put this in perspective here.

For years Liverpool were a Fernando Torres injury away from having to make do with David N Gog up front on his own for god knows how long.

If Arsenal lose Van Persie they are stuck with Marouane Chamakh who has only scored once all season long.

We have to lose Drogba, Nando, Lukaku and Danny before we are 'stuck' with Kalou and im sure even the biggest Kalou haters will admit he is much better than Chamakh and N Gog.

If you really want something to complain about however, ring up Owen Coyle or Arsene Wenger and see if they would swap Kalou for those players mentioned, they would bite your hand off and we would have something serious to complain about.

That is horribly out of context and exaggerated.

First of all, Kalou is a winger, so to play the card about central-striker is totally out of hand. Secondly fair point about having a back-up, but that's not why we signed him 5 years a go is it? We signed him because he was a hot prospect coming out of Feynoord and we hoped his potential would be enough to take a punt on. 5 years later he's no stronger, better or intelligent than when he first arrived. John Obi Mikel is the epitome of a growing player, and he's only 25 still.

[Tomo 21,733]

That is horribly out of context and exaggerated.

First of all, Kalou is a winger, so to play the card about central-striker is totally out of hand. Secondly fair point about having a back-up, but that's not why we signed him 5 years a go is it? We signed him because he was a hot prospect coming out of Feynoord and we hoped his potential would be enough to take a punt on. 5 years later he's no stronger, better or intelligent than when he first arrived. John Obi Mikel is the epitome of a growing player, and he's only 25 still.

fair point about his signing and why we signed him (for the potential he had) but sometimes it doesn't always work out like that and the players role in the squad get's altered. Even tho he will never reach the potential and hype that surrounded him in 2006 their are certainly much worse back up players, like the one's i have mentioned in the last post. I would certainly not cry if we let him go for the record i think it's probably time if we can get a decent or better squad replacement but while we could have done a lot better we could have defiantly done a lot worse.

Anderson at Man.Utd is another example, when he signed he was dubbed the new Ronaldinho and was expected to be one of the world's best by now, he hasn't progressed like United had hoped it's clear he never will now so Ferguson has instead used him as a decent squad option.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

My issues with getting rid of him are:

1) The timing: We already have several positions to fill in the summer, the most importat of those concerning the wings. The last thing we should do is get rid of another player who could serve as a decent back up, because odds are we will not be able to replace him soon.

2)Letting him go for free. This has always bugged me about our board.We can not keep this up with the FFP rules.

[MGuerreiro 252]

My issues with getting rid of him are:

1) The timing: We already have several positions to fill in the summer, the most importat of those concerning the wings. The last thing we should do is get rid of another player who could serve as a decent back up, because odds are we will not be able to replace him soon.

2)Letting him go for free. This has always bugged me about our board.We can not keep this up with the FFP rules.

Depends on how you define letting him go for free, we are getting rid of his extremely high wages (compared to his squad status). That counts for a lot.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Depends on how you define letting him go for free, we are getting rid of his extremely high wages (compared to his squad status). That counts for a lot.

And won't his replacement have similar, if not even more ridiculous, wages?

[Kostas 1,468]

And won't his replacement have similar, if not even more ridiculous, wages?

4th choice striker/ 3rd* choice winger? Doubt it.

*Come to think of it I meant 3rd on each side rather than 3rd from all our wingers.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

4th choice striker/ 3rd choice winger? Doubt it.

Perhaps, but I still think we should try to actually sell him and get at least 5-6m for him. With the FFP rules, we can't afford to over-pay for players, then let them go for free after a few years.

[capriccioso 2,545]

This is some of the biggest bullshit i have read. you act like Kalou never throw a tantrum and never sulked, when in fact he does many times over his Chelsea career. He has sounded off and ripped his teammates on a few occasions. How can anyone forget when he was lucky enough to score the winner against spuds last season, and he decided to sulk and refused to celebrate with his teammates because he didn't start the game.

You really don't think RDM playing Lampard in the double pivot role has nothing to do with his performance? Lampard at this stage of his career is suited to play a deeper role, his performance has much to do with RDM better using his talents.

Again Cole performance has nothing to do with being rotated and rested? And getting better cover help then Mata provided on the left flank.

Malouda? shit before and after AVB.

Essien?

The man has given so much to the club, it is disgraceful to blame him for not giving his all and not playing better. The numerous injuries wont allow him to be the old Essien, it is simple as that.

Kalou a better man then Essien?

Essien has always been known to give everything on the pitch, and what shouldn't be also questioned is Essien as a men is better then a mere footballer. He is truly a great role model and a great ambassador for Chelsea. His philanthropy work in Africa is inspiration, and can't imagine a better men representing Chelsea football club.

First: He didn't celebrate the Spurs goal because his family, friends and countrymen were in all kinds of trouble. This is a guy who celebrate fluke shin's into the net as hard as he would a 30 yard piledriver. To suggest he deliberately didn't celebrate that goal because he hates this club is ridiculous.

Lampard is actually trying, thats the difference. He had opportunity to pass like this under Villas-Boas. He took distance shots when they came up. Cole, Essien, Malouda? He repeatedly said none of them were part oh his 3 year plan. Beyond that, the lot of them laughed at him when he announced his tactics before the Napoli game, that's why they were dropped. Villas-Boas came out the next day and denied that but he was obviously in damage control, even he would not have been crazy enough to drop them for no reason.

Essien certainly isn't trying anymore. I know he's crippled but look at him, he laughed that day when he conceded the penalty and didn't care whatsoever. He may have some foundations or whatnot set up in Africa but that's just a PR scam, all footballers have things like that set up. Terry does, would you use that as an excuse to call him a gentleman?

Finally, the 4 of them played a role in the sackings of Scolari and Villas-Boas.

[capriccioso 2,545]

Excellent through baller? Surely you jest? I think I've seen him assist off of one through ball.

He would have had about 6 assists already since February if Mata (seemingly the target of all his through balls) was just a little bit faster. I'm not blaming Mata, speed is something that is totally out of your control. Had those passes hit say, Sturridge or Torres, we could have seen them all as goals. I think he got like 3 in about 15 minutes to Mata in the Spurs 5-1 win but Mata either just couldn't quite make it there in time or miscued the shot.

[Spike 12,049]

He would have had about 6 assists already since February if Mata (seemingly the target of all his through balls) was just a little bit faster. I'm not blaming Mata, speed is something that is totally out of your control. Had those passes hit say, Sturridge or Torres, we could have seen them all as goals. I think he got like 3 in about 15 minutes to Mata in the Spurs 5-1 win but Mata either just couldn't quite make it there in time or miscued the shot.

What ifs don't make a great footballer. I don't care what he would have done if some variables were different,

[capriccioso 2,545]

Perhaps, but I still think we should try to actually sell him and get at least 5-6m for him. With the FFP rules, we can't afford to over-pay for players, then let them go for free after a few years.

Yep. Moneyball teams like Liverpool would pay insane amounts for him when they look at how successful he is statistically.

Here's a good article:

http://www.eplindex....a-analysis.html

A club like Liverpool would pay top dollar for that:

"100% crossing accuracy? We can make Carroll a 50 goal a season player with that!"

Of course, we know those stats are misleading as he's probably attempted about 2 crosses all season at the time that article was published, but a lot of clubs aren't arsed properly scouting a player and will go in for him anyway. Even if there is a case for him leaving, we can recoup a lot of what we paid for him. 6 million I reckon, meaning we paid 2 million + wages for 60 goals and 39 assists, which would make an already decent signing into a great one.

[capriccioso 2,545]

What ifs don't make a great footballer. I don't care what he would have done if some variables were different,

Meh. Point is 4 years ago we wouldn't even be talking about 'what if' passes from Kalou.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

Salomon Kalou is one of the best when it comes to dribbling the ball into defenders

Edited

[capriccioso 2,545]

And yet, he has a better dribbles/runs past opponent per game ratio than any other player on our team.