Mikel John Obi

[Kojo 4,676]

He isn't getting all the credit though, if you look at the MOTM votes in the match day thread you'll see that easily. That's just something you've fixated in your mind out of your pure hatred for Mikel. What Mikel is getting praised for is the fact that when he came on he allowed Ramires to play on the counter and gave Oscar, Mata and Hazard a bigger platform to play on. In that sense he was pretty essential in our comeback. Give credit where credit's due.

For example, the two moments he lost the ball - why was there so much space for United to counter attack on? Because we were pushing for a goal, and our forward line pushed for a goal because Mikel allowed them to not worry too much about defending. The other players trust Mikel in that sense.

It's quite funny how you always highlight the bad with Mikel, and never the good. For example when he made that crucial interception from Valencia on the left whilst covering for A. Cole, or when he showed great composure and ball control and ghosted past 2 United players that were pressing him. Apart from that he also kept the ball ticking for us nicely, always offering a safehaven for our forward line when we were shifting the ball about.

He wasn't even my MOTM but he had a good game. I don't see why people aren't allowed to praise him because of that.

No, you are the same, if Mikel does something bad then you simply won't mention it. And as for the good things, which i may add are the tiniest things you praise him, even when we win games he gets all the credit. And the reason for that is, is because it's that bad it's all you can praise him for, because he hardly does anything which is good or effective.

[Santiago. 1,500]

Would be so much more beneficial with a proper holding midfielder working next to him.

[Kojo 4,676]

You're delusional if you think we did not miss Mikel. During Jan, we lost 3 games, drew 4 and only won 3. We let a lead slip 3 times in those games. I wonder what we needed to win instead? If only we had a player who player who would keep his discipline and stick to his defensive duties and allow us to keep the ball so we don't give the opponents chances to score..But where can find a player like that?

Mikel changed the game. Before he came on, utd were battering us for possession and we didn't get a single chance in the 10mins in the second half. Magically, after Mikel came on, we started to keep possession and build pressure on the utd defense and actually score goals. Not bad for a player who "contributes nothing to our attacks", right? Mikel was key to keeping us in the FA cup, don't know why you're so upset about?!

And in reply to some of the comments above, Mikel had an average game yesterday, in fact it was probably below his standards since some of his passing was uncharacteristically sloppy as mentioned above. But for once, everyone got to see the difference that Mikel makes in the team and how much the team plays better when he's in the lineup because he strengthens our midfield and allows players to go forward. How did yesterday differ from any of Mikel's performances? Can you point out one instance where Mikel was brilliant in yesterday?

People tend to judge footballers on certain instants and plays in matches and not their overall play; that is why Mikel is so underrated. But yesterday everyone got to see the difference that Mikel makes in the side and they're finally praising him for it (except for some sour grapes around here) but in reality, it was just a typical performance by Mikel.

And before that we where losing games with him, in November we never won a single game. It's stupid that for one game he doesn't play bad in you start coming on and try to say 'I told you so' yet you are in no position to say things like that, when I've proven you wrong from the start of the season. Mikel has been playing bad, costing us in games, he hasn't shown that he's the maestro in midfield, our problems are still occuring from there. And i have said that from the start, and I'm the one who still stands by it.

You have been roasted on this thread, yet you are that stubborn and delusional that you make stuff up in your head that Mikel is actually good, look at Peace, he had about 20 likes on a post and you had none, not even any of the Mikel fanboys would like your posts.

Mikel comes on and we all play well, but that's not all down to him at all. We tend to always come back against United, I've stated that, we didn't give up we showed spirit. But because Mikel came on and we played well you want to give him all the credit, because to be fair it's the only credit you can give him this season. And just for your information, we where outplaying United before Mikel came on. But go on and keep living your delusional ways.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

And before that we where losing games with him, in November we never won a single game. It's stupid that for one game he doesn't play bad in you start coming on and try to say 'I told you so' yet you are in no position to say things like that, when I've proven you wrong from the start of the season. Mikel has been playing bad, costing us in games, he hasn't shown that he's the maestro in midfield, our problems are still occuring from there. And i have said that from the start, and I'm the one who still stands by it.

You have been roasted on this thread, yet you are that stubborn and delusional that you make stuff up in your head that Mikel is actually good, look at Peace, he had about 20 likes on a post and you had none, not even any of the Mikel fanboys would like your posts.

Mikel comes on and we all play well, but that's not all down to him at all. We tend to always come back against United, I've stated that, we didn't give up we showed spirit. But because Mikel came on and we played well you want to give him all the credit, because to be fair it's the only credit you can give him this season. And just for your information, we where outplaying United before Mikel came on. But go on and keep living your delusional ways.

I would reply, but there's really nothing in there to reply to. I read that post 3 times in order to find some sort of logical connection between two sentences, some sense in a point you're trying to make...nothing! I mean, did you even read my post?

If this is an attempt to get me into a personal argument by insisting on calling me delusional and saying I got roasted ( ), then I'm going to have to disappoint you. I have no idea why you hate the man so much and it's even more puzzling why you take opinions about him so personally. I very much enjoy the debates about Mikel when the arguments are logical. No one is 100% right, and I accept that.

[Kojo 4,676]

I would reply, but there's really nothing in there to reply to. I read that post 3 times in order to find some sort of logical connection between two sentences, some sense in a point you're trying to make...nothing! I mean, did you even read my post?

If this is an attempt to get me into a personal argument by insisting on calling me delusional and saying I got roasted ( ), then I'm going to have to disappoint you. I have no idea why you hate the man so much and it's even more puzzling why you take opinions about him so personally. I very much enjoy the debates about Mikel when the arguments are logical. No one is 100% right, and I accept that.

You're the only one taking it personal, what logical answer do you want?.

You mean you want me to pick out how poor Mikel has been this season? I believe I've done that a thousand times, so why should i post my old arguements again if you're clearly not willing to read them?. It's obvious you wont listen to any other opinion, no matter if the facts are there you wont listen. Look at Muzchap, he likes Mikel, yet me and him are really good friends, had a few debates wtih him about it, i don't hate him. Since when did i say i hated Mikel? I don't hate Mikel, as a person he seems like a nice guy, so does Kalou, but just because they are nice people doesn't make them good footballers. Fact is we played well and all you have done is overly praised Mikel, and then suggesting that you've proven us all wrong. By that post alone you have shown how short sighted you are and that you're not able to look at the bigger picture, if you seriously look at one performance and think that will win your arguement, then what is the point really?.

You can call me stubborn, but I'm really not, the only person in denial and who can't admit when they are wrong is you. I didn't think Hazard would do well for us in his first season, i was wrong and i have even said that Hazard has proven me wrong in the Hazard thread. Many people rubbed it in my face, but you know i got on with it, because i play a fair game. It's evident Mikel has been average at best so far this season, It's evident that we need new midfielders, It's evident that he hasn't flourished despite coming up 26. And the biggest point of all is, the biggest point is that you name me one team in the top 8 what Mikel would get into?, that's a question you have been avoiding for ages because you know the harsh truth.

[didierforever 7,349]

this probably one of the very few times that i have been on the "mikel thread"... but reading the last 15-20 pages i would like to pat my self for avoiding this thread so far because all i can say people probably miss kalou. as he is longer here, there is no one to scapegoat and that is where mikel enters.

[The Skipper 20,593]

No, you are the same, if Mikel does something bad then you simply won't mention it. And as for the good things, which i may add are the tiniest things you praise him, even when we win games he gets all the credit. And the reason for that is, is because it's that bad it's all you can praise him for, because he hardly does anything which is good or effective.

Not really. In the same post you quote, I've highlighted Mikel's mistakes. I just juxtaposed you good things he did yesterday in that same post, they are not the "tiniest things". He did well yesterday, I don't know why you just wont buck it up and admit he was decent yesterday which is far closer to the truth than saying he was bad.

Everyone experienced first hand in the United game that he can be very effective for the team in certain situations such as the game yesterday. Why you just wont admit that he had a decent game is beyond me to be honest.

[Mundaka 243]

, the biggest point is that you name me one team in the top 8 what Mikel would get into?,

gonna go with arsenal!

arsenal (with wilshere/cazorla/arteta) i think mikel would be better for them than arteta in that midfield(their usual)

on topic: i have bigger worries than mikel's role for our team, he fits in nicely with our more attacking players and im not going to disagree there are better midfielders but it wouldnt improve us much if we buy a world-class player to play the same role mikel does

[Kojo 4,676]

Not really. In the same post you quote, I've highlighted Mikel's mistakes. I just juxtaposed you good things he did yesterday in that same post, they are not the "tiniest things". He did well yesterday, I don't know why you just wont buck it up and admit he was decent yesterday which is far closer to the truth than saying he was bad.

Everyone experienced first hand in the United game that he can be very effective for the team in certain situations such as the game yesterday. Why you just wont admit that he had a decent game is beyond me to be honest.

He wasn't bad, but he wasn't great either, anyone else who would've had a performance like that they wouldn't of gotten as much praise. Ramires constantly dominates the games against Arsenal, yet doesn't get as much credit as Mikel does. I also don't get why you are so suprised with me when you're the ones who can never admit when he plays bad and isn't good enough. I remember when Mikel was playing pure dog shite, this was like november time, and you were constantly digging up excuses no matter what and wouldn't admit that Mikel had a bad game. Times like Juventus for example, when he even said sorry after the game, you just dug up anything and used it as your arguement.

Don't try and pin it on me that I'm the one who can't see clearly.

gonna go with arsenal!

arsenal (with wilshere/cazorla/arteta) i think mikel would be better for them than arteta in that midfield(their usual)

on topic: i have bigger worries than mikel's role for our team, he fits in nicely with our more attacking players and im not going to disagree there are better midfielders but it wouldnt improve us much if we buy a world-class player to play the same role mikel does

No chance, Wilshere/Arteta is a great fluid pivot, Arteta is beast, i really fought he would be a flop for Arsenal but he has been fantastic. Wilshere is starting to come back into it also, he was the only good performer against Bayern Munich.

Plus Wenger likes to have pace in all areas, he wouldn't have Mikel in there who can't move.

[Hutcho 8,443]

Mikel is the only holding midfielder we have available who actually does the "holding" bit. His effect was more than his performance as it gave rambo freedom to surge forward with protection, which he doesn't get when playing alongside anyone else. Mikel started well and did his job effectively, but there were a couple of sloppy passes that should have been fairly simple leading to counters, but he got back and defended well.

He played fairly well, but we benefited more from it giving rambo and the others a bit more freedom.

[Mundaka 243]

No chance, Wilshere/Arteta is a great fluid pivot, Arteta is beast, i really fought he would be a flop for Arsenal but he has been fantastic. Wilshere is starting to come back into it also, he was the only good performer against Bayern Munich.

Plus Wenger likes to have pace in all areas, he wouldn't have Mikel in there who can't move.

Against top-teams it doesnt work tho, they are both great players (well arteta is good but not great) but arteta in the holding role is just too offensive, they dont fit together if they dont have much possesion (Bayern fe), heck even barca has busquests...

[Kojo 4,676]

Against top-teams it doesnt work tho, they are both great players (well arteta is good but not great) but arteta in the holding role is just too offensive, they dont fit together if they dont have much possesion (Bayern fe), heck even barca has busquests...

Yeah that's true, but Arsenal are more fluid than us all round, they are more fast paced.

Bayern Munich would give us a good beating if we played our usual game instead of parking the bus, probably just about as big as Aresnal. Despite the game last night, we are still a messed up team, Munich would penetrate us just about everywhere.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

You're the only one taking it personal, what logical answer do you want?.

How so? All my comments have been about Mikel. I never called anyone delusional, short-sighted, or any of the usual "arguments" used in here.

You mean you want me to pick out how poor Mikel has been this season? I believe I've done that a thousand times, so why should i post my old arguements again if you're clearly not willing to read them?. It's obvious you wont listen to any other opinion, no matter if the facts are there you wont listen.

Sounds convincing except it's factually incorrect. I must have made over 50 posts in this thread debating with members who criticize Mikel and I always come up with arguments. Whether you wish to agree with them or not is your right.

Look at Muzchap, he likes Mikel, yet me and him are really good friends, had a few debates wtih him about it, i don't hate him. Since when did i say i hated Mikel? I don't hate Mikel, as a person he seems like a nice guy, so does Kalou, but just because they are nice people doesn't make them good footballers.

Excuse me, you are trying to discredit him even when everyone else, even his critics, could see how he changed the game. That looks like hate to me. Even The Only Place To Be, who doesn't like Mikel said on the previous page that you are blinded by your hate.

Fact is we played well and all you have done is overly praised Mikel, and then suggesting that you've proven us all wrong. By that post alone you have shown how short sighted you are and that you're not able to look at the bigger picture, if you seriously look at one performance and think that will win your arguement, then what is the point really?.

You should really have read my post if you want to debate it with me. I never praised Mikel for his performance yesterday, in fact I said it was below his standard level of performance! My argument does not depend on one performance because yesterday was not a one-off game for Mikel, but since he came off the bench in the middle of the game, you could very clearly see how much better the team is when Mikel is there to provide balance and give people license to go forward like I've been saying he does in this thread. It's not because his performance yesterday was outstanding, but because yesterday you got a chance to see the team with and without Mikel. In reality, it was just a typical Mikel performance.

You can call me stubborn, but I'm really not, the only person in denial and who can't admit when they are wrong is you. I didn't think Hazard would do well for us in his first season, i was wrong and i have even said that Hazard has proven me wrong in the Hazard thread. Many people rubbed it in my face, but you know i got on with it, because i play a fair game.

I never called you stubborn. I've never called you anything for that matter. I just said that your last post did not make sense because it's content was disjoint which is why I couldn't reply to it. This post of yours does make sense (mostly ) which is why I replied to it. Am I delusional? Maybe. It is possible, but at the time anyone is yet to convince me that Mikel is not good a player.

It's evident Mikel has been average at best so far this season, It's evident that we need new midfielders, It's evident that he hasn't flourished despite coming up 26. And the biggest point of all is,

You keep saying that, but it seems that it's only evident to you (which consequently makes it not evident by the definition of the word "evident") because most of the people in this thread, even half of Mikel's critics don't think that we need to replace him.

the biggest point is that you name me one team in the top 8 what Mikel would get into?, that's a question you have been avoiding for ages because you know the harsh truth.

If I have avoided this question it's because it will inevitably lead to a pointless discussion and shallow comparison of players with different assets. But I've said this in the past, and I'll say it again: I think Mikel and Carrick are the best holding midfielders in the league. I admit that is not saying much since the league is lacking quality DMs, but I've never said that Mikel is world-class (although he could be in a few years) but just that he's very good. I know you will probably reply outrageously how Toure is better (he is a box-to-box midfielder who could not do Mikel's job) or that Tiote is a beast but then I'd have to use stats to prove my point and you'd just get mad...

[Kojo 4,676]

How so? All my comments have been about Mikel. I never called anyone delusional, short-sighted, or any of the usual "arguments" used in here.

Sounds convincing except it's factually incorrect. I must have made over 50 posts in this thread debating with members who criticize Mikel and I always come up with arguments. Whether you wish to agree with them or not is your right.

Excuse me, you are trying to discredit him even when everyone else, even his critics, could see how he changed the game. That looks like hate to me. Even The Only Place To Be, who doesn't like Mikel said on the previous page that you are blinded by your hate.

You should really have read my post if you want to debate it with me. I never praised Mikel for his performance yesterday, in fact I said it was below his standard level of performance! My argument does not depend on one performance because yesterday was not a one-off game for Mikel, but since he came off the bench in the middle of the game, you could very clearly see how much better the team is when Mikel is there to provide balance and give people license to go forward like I've been saying he does in this thread. It's not because his performance yesterday was outstanding, but because yesterday you got a chance to see the team with and without Mikel. In reality, it was just a typical Mikel performance.

I never called you stubborn. I've never called you anything for that matter. I just said that your last post did not make sense because it's content was disjoint which is why I couldn't reply to it. This post of yours does make sense (mostly ) which is why I replied to it. Am I delusional? Maybe. It is possible, but at the time anyone is yet to convince me that Mikel is not good a player.

You keep saying that, but it seems that it's only evident to you (which consequently makes it not evident by the definition of the word "evident") because most of the people in this thread, even half of Mikel's critics don't think that we need to replace him.

If I have avoided this question it's because it will inevitably lead to a pointless discussion and shallow comparison of players with different assets. But I've said this in the past, and I'll say it again: I think Mikel and Carrick are the best holding midfielders in the league. I admit that is not saying much since the league is lacking quality DMs, but I've never said that Mikel is world-class (although he could be in a few years) but just that he's very good. I know you will probably reply outrageously how Toure is better (he is a box-to-box midfielder who could not do Mikel's job) or that Tiote is a beast but then I'd have to use stats to prove my point and you'd just get mad...

The Only Place To Be is some 40 year old stalker, he has been constantly quoting me for weeks and no matter what i shall not respond.

I don't believe anything is powerful enough, i could explain everything i know in the best possible detailed way it would change nothing, all the evidence is there but you ignore it. But to look on the bright side, I'm just glad you don't work in our board, god knows how many shite players we would have playing for us now... then again coming to think of it, you most probably do.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

The Only Place To Be is some 40 year old stalker, he has been constantly quoting me for weeks and no matter what i shall not respond.

I don't believe anything is powerful enough, i could explain everything i know in the best possible detailed way it would change nothing, all the evidence is there but you ignore it. But to look on the bright side, I'm just glad you don't work in our board, god knows how many shite players we would have playing for us now... then again coming to think of it, you most probably do.

Well, to me, all the evidence is for Mikel yet you chose to ignore it. But I can admit that I might be horribly wrong about him and you completely wrong, but atm, no one has been able to convince me of that.

The board seem to agree with me on Mikel since we just gave him a 5 and half year deal. But you're lucky I'm not on the board, you'd probably get players like Dawson and Wigan's McCarhy!

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Our season can take off from here - Mikel

http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-chelsea-fc/2013/03/11/our-season-can-take-off-from-here-mikel-82029-32966480/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[The Skipper 20,593]

AGAIN I SAY, If Mikel is as shit as Kojo claims to be, why hasn't he been sold yet? He's been with us for an eternity now, and every manager he's been under give him decent to many minutes.

[Stats 6,982]

The Only Place To Be is some 40 year old stalker, he has been constantly quoting me for weeks and no matter what i shall not respond.

I don't believe anything is powerful enough, i could explain everything i know in the best possible detailed way it would change nothing, all the evidence is there but you ignore it. But to look on the bright side, I'm just glad you don't work in our board, god knows how many shite players we would have playing for us now... then again coming to think of it, you most probably do.

LMAO, I found it weird that both of you are not exactly Mikel's biggest fans yet you don't seem to like each others posts. Get it now