The Official Thread of Chelsea FC

[new devil]

Archie you really don't like united to you? 

[Archie Mitchell]

The only team I like is City. I don't like any other team. Drogba got alot of abuse on here for diving, people saying he deserved it, maybe deserved being kicked elsewhere etc. So it turns out he could have a serious enough injury, where are all the posters slagging him off now.

[new devil]

I didn't say Drogba dived..He was diffiently caught by evans but it was an accident...Don't no why he got booked
Ive said before on here that Drogba is a player i have a lot of time for.

[mountainboii]

I'd have my doubts that he's that seriously injured. Could be very likely that he just didn't fancy a trip to the Ivory Coast to play in a dead rubber.

[Minder]

I didn't say Drogba dived..He was diffiently caught by evans but it was an accident...Don't no why he got booked
Ive said before on here that Drogba is a player i have a lot of time for.

That will keep him warm at night.

[new devil]

   

[Norf Tyrone]

I'd have my doubts that he's that seriously injured. Could be very likely that he just didn't fancy a trip to the Ivory Coast to play in a dead rubber.

I doubt there is a footballer in the world who has done more for his country that Drogba, so to say he didn't fancy a trip to his country for a dead rubber is laughable.

[Eastern_Pride]

I'd have my doubts that he's that seriously injured. Could be very likely that he just didn't fancy a trip to the Ivory Coast to play in a dead rubber.

I doubt there is a footballer in the world who has done more for his country that Drogba, so to say he didn't fancy a trip to his country for a dead rubber is laughable.

Quite right, although I doubt the chap in question has ever seen him play for his country. A player who really has come on in leaps and bounds since he moved to Chelsea

[mountainboii]

I'd have my doubts that he's that seriously injured. Could be very likely that he just didn't fancy a trip to the Ivory Coast to play in a dead rubber.

I doubt there is a footballer in the world who has done more for his country that Drogba, so to say he didn't fancy a trip to his country for a dead rubber is laughable.

They were already qualified and were probably going to experiment a bit, so he mightn't have even played. They didn't need him for a game that didn't matter, so there was no harm staying behind when he might not be 100%.

The broken rib story has only been reported in the Sun so far, so some scepticism is reasonable.

[Norf Tyrone]

http://www.footytube.com/video/2-1-27415

A contender for one of the greatest goals that never was by Zhirkov last night!

[TheGreatRambo]

I'd have my doubts that he's that seriously injured. Could be very likely that he just didn't fancy a trip to the Ivory Coast to play in a dead rubber.

I doubt there is a footballer in the world who has done more for his country that Drogba, so to say he didn't fancy a trip to his country for a dead rubber is laughable.

What has he done that sets him apart from other players who representing their countries then???

[mountainboii]

I'd have my doubts that he's that seriously injured. Could be very likely that he just didn't fancy a trip to the Ivory Coast to play in a dead rubber.

I doubt there is a footballer in the world who has done more for his country that Drogba, so to say he didn't fancy a trip to his country for a dead rubber is laughable.

What has he done that sets him apart from other players who representing their countries then???

In fairness Norf has a point, Drogba rarely misses games for the Ivory Coast. However in this instance, their game was irrelevant and took on no more importance than a friendly. My suggestion was that Drogba, maybe not feeling 100%, decided, with some prompting from his club, that he would give this one a miss, especially in light of the fact that he'll be heading off with his country for a month anyway in a few weeks time. I doubt Drogba is above a bit of pragmatism.

[TheGreatRambo]

I'd have my doubts that he's that seriously injured. Could be very likely that he just didn't fancy a trip to the Ivory Coast to play in a dead rubber.

I doubt there is a footballer in the world who has done more for his country that Drogba, so to say he didn't fancy a trip to his country for a dead rubber is laughable.

What has he done that sets him apart from other players who representing their countries then???

In fairness Norf has a point, Drogba rarely misses games for the Ivory Coast. However in this instance, their game was irrelevant and took on no more importance than a friendly. My suggestion was that Drogba, maybe not feeling 100%, decided, with some prompting from his club, that he would give this one a miss, especially in light of the fact that he'll be heading off with his country for a month anyway in a few weeks time. I doubt Drogba is above a bit of pragmatism.

i'm not knocking norf or Drogba for that matter, he is a player who seems genuinely interested in and proud to play for his country. I think he may be alluding to him "bringing peace to the country" which I always was a bit sceptical about!!!

[Norf Tyrone]

I don't believe that Drogba's influence meant he was locked in political talks for weeks on end, but his influence was massive. In addition, I think he has just donated £2.5 million to build a hospital back in IC too. Don't quote me on that though.... yet.

Drogba- The African King

All he said was: "Come to Abidjan, Alex. You will not be disappointed." Ordinarily, when a footballer tells you to jump on a plane and travel thousands of miles to West Africa for an interview, you tend to hesitate. But then Didier Drogba is no ordinary footballer and, as it turned out, this was to be no ordinary interview.

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Football fans' forum
As soon as I landed in the capital of Drogba's native Ivory Coast, it immediately became apparent just how big a star he was. Almost every street corner housed a giant billboard on which the Chelsea striker advertised everything from chocolate to mobile phones.


It was clear that Drogba was the face of his country; the symbol of a new, post-civil war Ivory Coast. What was yet to emerge, however, was his pivotal role in bringing about that peace.

Civil war had been raging for five years when, moments after leading his nation to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany back in October 2005, Drogba picked up a microphone in the dressing room and, surrounded by his team-mates, fell to his knees live on national television. He begged both warring factions to lay down their arms and, within a week, his bold wish had been granted. "It was just something I did instinctively," he explained. "All the players hated what was happening to our country and reaching the World Cup was the perfect emotional wave on which to ride."

The culmination of the peace process came on the second day of my trip, when the White Elephants played an African Nations Cup qualifier against Madagascar in Bouake, the old rebel stronghold about 300 kilometres north of Abidjan.

"Seeing both leaders side by side for the national anthems was very special," Didier said. "I felt then that that the Ivory Coast was born again."

I had been totally unaware of Didier's incredible feat until I began talking to people in Abidjan. At no point had he mentioned, let alone boasted, about his political involvement. I wondered why he had not spoken about this before, especially when the British press had been on his back? "I don't feel I need to say anything to anybody about who I am in Africa," Drogba replied. "I know what I stand for and that is all that matters."

Had he not, though, sometimes wanted to bite back when his integrity on the field had been called into question? "Honestly," he said, "it doesn't bother me what I get accused of. The people who mean most to me know what I am really about."

Many footballers have used their influence to great effect in recent years, whether by putting their name to an inner city project or sponsoring a charity, but none has ever stopped a country tearing itself apart. Truth be told, no other player could. Drogba is a god to the Ivorian people, not just because he is a famous footballer, but also because he is someone who speaks for the masses. He is in tune with the average Ivorian. "Of course," he said, "because above all I am one of them."

On the way to the house where he grew up in the suburbs of Abidjan, he told me that he could cope without money; that he could easily give up all the trappings of wealth and return to a humble life back home. Before my trip, I would have doubted him. But today I am sure he was being truthful.

Of course Drogba enjoys his lifestyle, but that does not mean he is detached from the world around him. "The money came after my education," he said, "after I became a man."

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When standing on the balcony of his ancestral home, looking down on the thousands of cheering locals who had assembled as soon as word got out that he was in the village, Didier looked visibly moved. "There are no words to express how I feel right now," he said. "This is love."

However, he did manage to describe his emotions after the ceasefire agreement. "I have won many trophies in my time," he explained, "but nothing will ever top helping win the battle for peace in my country. I am so proud because today in the Ivory Coast we do not need a piece of silverware to celebrate."

[Dinny Breen]

I don't believe that Drogba's influence meant he was locked in political talks for weeks on end, but his influence was massive. In addition, I think he has just donated £2.5 million to build a hospital back in IC too. Don't quote me on that though.... yet.

Drogba- The African King

All he said was: "Come to Abidjan, Alex. You will not be disappointed." Ordinarily, when a footballer tells you to jump on a plane and travel thousands of miles to West Africa for an interview, you tend to hesitate. But then Didier Drogba is no ordinary footballer and, as it turned out, this was to be no ordinary interview.

Premiership Fixtures Download
Premiership Transfer Talk | In pics: Summer transfers
Football fans' forum
As soon as I landed in the capital of Drogba's native Ivory Coast, it immediately became apparent just how big a star he was. Almost every street corner housed a giant billboard on which the Chelsea striker advertised everything from chocolate to mobile phones.


It was clear that Drogba was the face of his country; the symbol of a new, post-civil war Ivory Coast. What was yet to emerge, however, was his pivotal role in bringing about that peace.

Civil war had been raging for five years when, moments after leading his nation to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany back in October 2005, Drogba picked up a microphone in the dressing room and, surrounded by his team-mates, fell to his knees live on national television. He begged both warring factions to lay down their arms and, within a week, his bold wish had been granted. "It was just something I did instinctively," he explained. "All the players hated what was happening to our country and reaching the World Cup was the perfect emotional wave on which to ride."

The culmination of the peace process came on the second day of my trip, when the White Elephants played an African Nations Cup qualifier against Madagascar in Bouake, the old rebel stronghold about 300 kilometres north of Abidjan.

"Seeing both leaders side by side for the national anthems was very special," Didier said. "I felt then that that the Ivory Coast was born again."

I had been totally unaware of Didier's incredible feat until I began talking to people in Abidjan. At no point had he mentioned, let alone boasted, about his political involvement. I wondered why he had not spoken about this before, especially when the British press had been on his back? "I don't feel I need to say anything to anybody about who I am in Africa," Drogba replied. "I know what I stand for and that is all that matters."

Had he not, though, sometimes wanted to bite back when his integrity on the field had been called into question? "Honestly," he said, "it doesn't bother me what I get accused of. The people who mean most to me know what I am really about."

Many footballers have used their influence to great effect in recent years, whether by putting their name to an inner city project or sponsoring a charity, but none has ever stopped a country tearing itself apart. Truth be told, no other player could. Drogba is a god to the Ivorian people, not just because he is a famous footballer, but also because he is someone who speaks for the masses. He is in tune with the average Ivorian. "Of course," he said, "because above all I am one of them."

On the way to the house where he grew up in the suburbs of Abidjan, he told me that he could cope without money; that he could easily give up all the trappings of wealth and return to a humble life back home. Before my trip, I would have doubted him. But today I am sure he was being truthful.

Of course Drogba enjoys his lifestyle, but that does not mean he is detached from the world around him. "The money came after my education," he said, "after I became a man."

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Jose Mourinho: English benefit from foreigners
Blog: Fantasy Football auction
When standing on the balcony of his ancestral home, looking down on the thousands of cheering locals who had assembled as soon as word got out that he was in the village, Didier looked visibly moved. "There are no words to express how I feel right now," he said. "This is love."

However, he did manage to describe his emotions after the ceasefire agreement. "I have won many trophies in my time," he explained, "but nothing will ever top helping win the battle for peace in my country. I am so proud because today in the Ivory Coast we do not need a piece of silverware to celebrate."

You got love the Drog, definitely my favourite character/footballer outside the goons in the Premiership. A man bigger than the game...