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Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Has Wayne Bridge overtaken Ashley Cole in Chelsea's pecking order!?

When seeing the teamsheet's for yesterday's League Cup semi-final first leg between Chelsea and Everton the thing that struck me was that Chelsea had fielded the strongest available team - and that Wayne Bridge was in it instead of the former Arsenal full-back Ashley Cole.

Given the eventual deal which indicated how highly the West London side wanted Cole by being willing to part with William Gallas plus £5million for him - it is something significant that the England number one left back has been apparently overtaken at club level by his international understudy.

It has not been a happy couple of years for Ashley Cole. Before the rift opened up with Arsenal he was a fan-favourite who played expansive football for a Wenger team whose motivation was to play quick attacking football. He thrived and developed at Arsenal and by the time of Euro 2004 he gave one of the best full-back displays I can remember when keeping Cristiano Ronaldo shackled in his home country.

Then problems flared up between Ashley Cole and the Arsenal board - not helped by Cole's secret meeting with Chelsea which was exposed to Cole's and Chelsea's embarrassment. Eventually Cole ended up at Chelsea but his wife in a revealing recent interview said that Real Madrid was his preferred destination - but given his wife's professional commitments she coerced him to take the Chelsea offer. She said that until recently Cole had been 'dead in the eyes' such was the strain he felt in moving to Chelsea. And it looked to be refelcted in his game last year which dropped a level or two from what I'm used to seeing from him.

Mrs Cole did finally say that he was now loving it at Chelsea. But I'm not sure if there was such a shift in emotion - given that instead of being the outright number one choice left back he is now openly subject to a constant player rotation with Wayne Bridge under Avram Grant.

And now, in what I consider to be a significant low-point/wake-up call for Cole, it looks like Avram Grant has decided that when it comes to a big game it is Wayne Bridge who should be the number one choice left-back for the time being.

And I can undersand why Grant looks to have made the decision. Bridge looks better than Cole in driving forward from the back and is a better crosser of the ball than the former Arsenal left-back. Bridge also gives the appearance of seeming to want it more - he looks whole-hearted on the pitch and links up well with his forward players while Cole looks to be relatively suffereing by not finding the same fluency in his game and with his teammates than he had at Arsenal.

Maybe I'm reading to much into last night's selection. But the trend for Cole has been downward in the recent past and it would not surprise me if it is indeed the case that Grant currently considers Bridge his better option at left back than Cole.

What do Chelsea fans think of Cole v Bridge? Should Bridge be ahead of Cole in the pecking-order or vice versa?

18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I go for Bridge! Bridge seems always more confident on the pitch. I Havent
really never understood why Cole should play when we have Bridge?!

1/09/2008 11:36 am

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

F**KING LOVE IT!!!

Whilst all other Gooners around me were praying for A.Hole to break his legs & what not... I prayed he would lose his England place to Wayne Bridge... just to prove to the little phone raping fag*ot, what he has with us! (Full England International! Best Left Back in the world tag & Future Arsenal Captain)

HE'S LOST ALL THAT, OVER £5K A WEEK!!! WELL DONE ASH! YOU'VE THROWN YOUR CAREER AWAY! GOOD LAD! HA HA! C*NT!!!!!

From: Clock End Gooner

1/09/2008 11:39 am

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very intelligent repsonse and not at all bitter from the Gooner.
I hope that we get rid of Ashley Cole and keep Bridgey and sign a versatile left back (who can play left mid or centre back). Cole has looked decidedly average for Chelsea. It is strange that Chelsea have been unable to get a decent full back on either side and let them have a prolonged run in the team. I am still not convinced by Ferreira or Belletti. the rumoured signing of Ivanovic is a left sided player who can play central or left back. Perfect (hopefully)

1/09/2008 11:46 am

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Worst deal we ever did getting cole...utter madness.

1/09/2008 11:57 am

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cole aside,The Arsenal are really seeing the best of Billy Gallas now.

Thanks Chels

1/09/2008 12:16 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bridge was always the better payer going forward ad he is certainly more committed. I have no idea why the previous manager signed Cole he was just a another in an long line of players either not good enough or not needed.

The bonus was getting rid of the whinging G*llas allowing Carvalho to be a first choice, I never understood why G*llas was seen by Arrogantio as better than him.

What an intelligent comment above by the Ar*enal supporter, pity they can't make the same noise in their new library!

1/09/2008 12:29 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Im an Everton Fan and even before yesterdays game I have throught for a long time that Bridge offers much more to Chelsea and would do to England than Cole.

I always see bridge bombing forward and being involved in goals, however alls I seem to see from Cole is backwards or sidewards passes, he doesn't seem to know what to do with the ball. I hope capello will see that Bridge would be the far better choice followed by one of a fair few other youngsters.

1/09/2008 12:29 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"What an intelligent comment above by the Ar*enal supporter, pity they can't make the same noise in their new library!"

HA HA HA HA...

Coming from a mug who supports a club who can't even fill their own ground on Champions League nights & have to advertise match day tickets on the radio, hours before kick off?
Yeah, Arsenal aren't the loudest but for you to say that is like Gary Glitter calling someone a kiddy fiddler! ha ha!

Good noise Toffee's last night, by the way! Don't think I heard a single song from the Chav's, all night!

From: Clock End Gooner

1/09/2008 12:37 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The words Pot, Kettle and black come to mind for that last anonymous comment, first he sarcastically called a gooner intellegent for his remark then at the end called everton fans chavs!! Well my friend, that must have took some genius to com up with that. And I dunno what game you were watching, but Chelski fans only started singing when they scored, that was a clever song too 'Your not singing anymore' which suggests that 'the chavs' were singing. cosidering your 30 odd thousand to our 5 odd thousand, you should hang your heads in shame!!

1/09/2008 12:49 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is a message to say, that I hold my hands up and hang my head in shame.......I completeley misread the comment from Anonymous before I put my foot in it!!! So I apologise to the Clock end Gooner!!!!

1/09/2008 12:51 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You fucking gooner mugs now giving it large because he chose us. Cole was not feeling well last night why Bridge was playing and if you were a Blues fan you would know it so that stupid Gooner can sit down and shut up cos hes a twat. We have cole, you have Callas or Callous cos he's a mean cunt. Top of the table now, wait til you get down the Bridge and see whose laughing come May. Unbeaten at home mate soon see how captain Callous gets on when we get at him the traitor

1/09/2008 12:59 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why cant we all just love each other?

1/09/2008 1:08 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Cole was not feeling well last night..."

Aawww, weren't Coley Woley feeling well...? Bless! ha ha!
That cunt appears to come down with more virus & sickness (last year at the Emirates, anyone?) than a NHS hospital! ha ha

Oooh, you have a unbeaten home record do ya? Well done son!
Unfortunately, you don't get any trophies for going unbeaten AT HOME son! Go a whole SEASON Unbeaten (That's HOME & AWAY son), and you get a special gold Premiership title! It's lovely! You should come have a look at it, surrounded by numerous other trophies, over our History... OOOOPS! Sorry! The dreaded "H" word! Sorry, I know you chav's get all offended when you mention the "H" world!
Apologies my Chav friend! ha ha!
Listen son... You cunts are nothing but Tottenham with money (And even they have better History than you lot... along with Aston Villa), so don't give it the bigg'un to me son, when 5 years ago you were still running around in your 5th Man Unite strip. Silly chav cunt!

Daz,

No probs mate! I was wondering what the fuck you were going on about, with your 1st message! I was bigging you lot up! ha ha!
Don't worry Daz... you'll do the chav cunts, in the 2nd Leg! Mark my words!

From: Clock End Gooner

1/09/2008 1:18 pm

 
Blogger T said...

Thanks for all the comments - although lets try to keep swearing and insults out of them.

To the anon who said that Cole was unwell - the papers say he was fit to start and that he was in the stands watching the game. Maybe he was unwell but I haven't found a source saying that apart from you. If you can refer us to it that will be great.

However, even if he was unwell, it appears from the comments so far that there is more support for Bridge than Cole in terms of who should be in the first choice XI.

1/09/2008 2:53 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Go a whole SEASON Unbeaten (That's HOME & AWAY son), and you get a special gold Premiership title! It's lovely!"

Two titles in a row fella, got that with or without a win every time, count your lucky stars cos tey are running out! Mourinho was wiping the floor with you lot and we'll do the same with Grant, dont need much, get our skipper and Lamps back with Drogba then we'll see who's the daddy. We had none of them and you got one lucky goal so smile now, just waiting when the bubble bursts and hearing the shitty Gooner excuses. overrated Eudardo, overrated Fabregas, your keeper is shite and you have no cover, just wait and see and be ready to be here when it goes hahaha turd

Cole was the best left back in the region when at Arse-al and now he's gone he's not - jokers, jealous ones at that. Few say Bridge and you think we all want him over Cole kind of rubbish is that?? Are they Gooners in disguise?? Sort your head out and come out the clouds chumps

Come on you Spurs stuff those gits from the Emirats!!!

1/09/2008 5:54 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ha ha ha ha...

Good spelling son! Perfect use of grammar too!

Awwww.. blaming the African Cup of Nations & injuries on losing to us, are we?
Mind the gap son!

"Grant will wipe the floor with you?"
Sorry, wasn't he the manager, when you lost at the Emirates a few weeks back?

Anyway, I'm not arguing with someone who looks like they have the IQ level of a log!
Keep up the fantastic support of Chelsea son... but don't worry! If Chelsea don't buy anything this season, you can always go back to supporting Man United again! No one will notice... I promise!

"THERE'S ONLY ONE TEAM IN LONDON..."

From: Clock End Gooner

1/11/2008 10:50 am

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i am an aston villa fan and i would much rather have bridge than cole. i would love to have bridge as our first choice lb, just like sidwell he would blossom with first team experience. and under martin o'neill who knows what he could achieve

1/02/2009 9:49 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

looks like bridge is off to city now. am guutted why couldnt oneill sign him

1/02/2009 9:51 pm

 

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