For many of us this has come as a news which could be best described as a ‘curate’s egg’. Personally, for me it came as a shock but I knew that it was coming, so at least the shock was minus the surprise factor.
News channels are flooded with this topic and it really pains me to see how media goes against us. Forget the biased British media even the Indian NDTV described Chelsea as “rude” in releasing the duo.
We are sure that Ancellotti wanted both of them to stay despite Joey failing to fit into the boss’ tactical nuances. And we are also sure that it is solely Roman’s decision to let them go.
Economically, Ballack came for free and left for free, Joey had cost us around 6 millions but both of them had fetched us billions and for that we would always remain thankful. Had we renewed Joey’s contract we could have been benefitted despite his greedy measures. Buying a new substitute is a way more expensive than increasing the wage of the one who is already a player. But the increase would cause turmoil in the wages of Chelsea players and this was what Roman wanted the last. If I had been Joey, I would accepted the offer (£90,000-a-week) and prove his worth on the field thereby getting a raise in the salary. But it is the question of paying so high to most probably warm the bench and the willingness of Joey to warm the bench. I think the player of his caliber deserves to be in the starting 11.
Ballack’s case is bit different. ADIDAS is Chelsea’s one of the main sponsors and Ballack’s departure might distance ADIDAS from Chelsea. It is not that we are relying solely on the German sportswear but why would we not like anything which comes as a compliment. So don’t be surprised if our kit might have NIKE’s logo within few seasons’ time. I would fancy the beloved UMBRO, though. Ballack’s wage is higher (£130,000-a-week) than Joey’s and he was pretty happy even to take a wage cut last season. He was also happy to extend and was hopeful that it would happen at the current wage rate. But Roman thought that it was too high a stake.
We know they were given new wages but it still fell below their expectations. We don’t know how much Chelsea offered but logically, we could have given Joey 100,000 and Ballack 110,000 (another wage cut) and if they wanted more, then off they go. I feel that is what actually happened. Nico, the unsung hero gets only 90,000 and he is happy with that. Are English and Germans greedier?
However, we need not bother much that they have left because Roman is going to buy and he will be his generous self. What we might miss would be Joey’s creativity and Ballack’s experience but if it came at a too little too high a cost, then Roman did the right thing. May be Roman want to rekindle his chance on the Champions League which had evaded him for so long and may be Ballack and Joey played their part to cause the evasion, may be!
Joey refused to comment on his future and stressed that he is solely focused on the World Cup. And yes his performance in England’s shirt in the coming weeks would determine his future. But it is obvious that he is going to ignite a war amongst the probable suitors: Redknapp, Wenger, Fergusson, Mancini, amongst others. And I fear that he would join one of our arch rivals and take revenge on us, but revenge and Chelsea do not go well when you are not a Chelsea player!
Ballack expressed his sadness and I think he is right. He pointed at Roman as the one who made the decision and vowed to prove him wrong. He said, “I’m even more determined to carry on since I’ve been injured and the motivation is growing inside me every single day.” And I can see the heaviness (of the pun) in the word “injured” and am sure Roman got it too!
Ballack was grateful to Chelsea and the fans and said “Chelsea was always my first choice as I had four great years at the club and enjoyed every minute, but it was not to be. It’s still my first choice, even now, but it was not up to me. The decision was down to Roman.” He is quite straight forward and is so nice of him to acknowledge Chelsea.
He sums it up his departure message here, “I loved the club. They always made me feel welcome and there was a special atmosphere in the team. We won three FA Cups and the Premier League in four years, but winning the Double this season was unbelievable as it was a real piece of history. Chelsea do not have the history of Liverpool or Manchester United but are growing as a club. I wish them well for the future.”
We, as fans are bothered about Chelsea and least about the past and these two are a past now. But if it is money, rather the lack of it that they had to leave us, I doubt if there would be any person willing to meet their costly demand. And even if they got it it won’t be more than a mere addition to what we tabled for them. Joey might get it from Man City or Tottenham while Ballack seems probable to join Real or land up in Bundesliga, Wolfsburg being the first German suitor.
Whatever happens let us all wish them a good luck in their career and once again thank them for their service. Joey’s flick against Manu and Ballack’s gunning down (doing exactly what we all would have done) of that Norwegian wanker would remain as two sweetest moments of the most recent times. If you wish, you can recollect as many as you can, you won’t have to look hard!
In addition let us all take time to express our gratitude to Juliano Belletti, may he have good time back in his Samba land.
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Cole, 28, said: “What I need in my career is a manager to give me that feeling that you are going to play, that faith.”
And he pointedly made no reference to Ancelotti but praised ex-Chelsea chief Jose Mourinho.
He said: “Under Jose, I played more than Robben, Duff, Wright-Phillips, Mutu, Malouda and Gudjohnsen.
“Jose had a lot of faith in me and I played in all the big games.
“This was a hard season for me mentally, coming back from my injury and it being stop-start.
“In January, when some of the boys went to the African Nations Cup I felt I was back to my best.
“I was making goals but when they came back, the manager changed it.
“You lose the continuity and coming back from my injury you need continuity.
Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk
It’s sad to see my Beloved Joe Leave but am helpless to him to stay though.
I wish him all the best as he continues his career else where.
BUT I STILL THINK SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING………
I WISH THE OTHERS GREAT CAREER AHEAD OF THEM AS WELL
I,LOVE U JOE
i think joe had to leave…chelsea did their best to keep him but his agument about wage increase was underseving for him.joe was da real no.10 for chelsea during mourinho tym but since he never went back to his good form.so i thnk he dd da ryt thing to leave…but da question remain….who will be our playmaker coming in(no. 10)? i hope it cud be da next zidane…
ballack should remain st least 4 his effort and expericen roman should have a re think about ballack stay
Ballack should be allowed to stay. He loves Chelsea and is prepared to take a pay cut. At least another year at the Bridge would be ok for him. We love him. Sorry about Joe. If he was prepared to take what was offered to him, he would have been given a contract. Sad that he had to leave the club he supports. Both will be sorely missed by us
I’m so gutted – they’re both such great players. I always felt that Joe was like a little Zola, worked is backside off throughout each & every game & unless fouled, never lost a ball. Ballack has such strength & presence on the pitch & I hope that we’ll not miss that too much.
I guess it’s time for Joe to move on if he’s not fitting into to the team psychologically, but Ballack seems to be just as loyal & fired up.
Real shame – wish them both well and look forward to the revised team dynamics, albeit with a little nervousness.
Keep it blue.
Fuck Off J.Cole , Belleti , Ballack , Deco , Ferreiera, Hilario , Carvalho. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we need new player !!
@Karma
I had read in other blogs that Joe wanted a ?120k deal but Chelsea had refused to offer more than ?80k. And Ballack wanted a 2 year extension for ?80k, but Chelsea were reluctant to provide more than 1 year and that too on performance basis i.e ?60k + 20k for more than 20 appearances. According to the article, Ballack was ready for the pay cut but later Roman nevertheless decided to cease negotiations giving priority to reduce age & save ?20m a year on wages by letting out Joe, Ballack, Belletti & possibly Deco.
But you are right when you say Joe was more keen on first team inclusion than the said wage demands. If Goal rumour mills are to be believed then he has already signed for Arsenal and that too for ?80k. What a shame.
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2565/exclusives/2010/06/10/1967603/revealed-joe-cole-has-signed-a-contract-to-join-arsenal
@k.drogba
You can be little gracious, can’t you?
Quoting chelsito
It seems the text editor converts Pounds to question marks here
Quoting k.drogba
be gracous it was ballack whose performance in later half of 2007 -08 guided chelsea to brink of epl and ucl joey has been brillant as well
WTF!!!!!!!! It seems we sold off Stoch to Fenerbahce. I havenot seen him play, but playing as attacking midfield in dutch league is like making romance in paris. i dont know understand why these things happen.
By the way, today is TFO birthday. Happy Birthday to Carlo!!!
The loss of Joe Cole and Michael Ballack saddens me. Although I feel that Joe Cole was not performing to his best this season and that Ballack has passed his prime, both have been such an integral part of recent Chelsea history that we will miss them both !
I think we should’ve kept Ballack for another season as an experienced player on our bench. The leadership qualities he displays and the passion with which he plays for our team will be missed in the coming season. Fergie has still kept Giggs, Scholes and Neville hasn’t he even though the latter two are way past their primes. Joey however, looked like he was waning but it is very sad that he fought with the club over an increase in his wages, only to leave for our rivals Arsenal for 80,000-a-week ! [If the unpredictable Goal.com is to be believed].
Quoting oH mY bLUE
If this is true, then I don’t know who the hell is planning our squad for the next season. Stoch would’ve been the ideal replacement with his pace, skill and movement. I think this rumour is false thought since our official website does not mention anything.
KTBFFH !!
another sad news is that miroslav stoch has joined fenerbache..
OMG Stoch allowed to leave.?I hope it is nt a mistake…he’s a gd player…Nw i really hope chelsea sign a few big and talented and skilful players…
Just went through the Fenerbahce official website. We have sold Stoch. What is wrong with Chelsea. Firstly they unceremoniously dump 2 of our experienced long term players & now a potential future star. And all that youth promotion promises.
We have sold Stoch to Fenerbahce. I thought he would be featuring in the starting 11 next season !! He’s on fire this season and helped Twente win the title. Selling him signals that some new player is definitely on his way to Chelsea. (I guess Stoch was not promised a starting role).
letting Stoch and Belleti were huge mistakes……
No one can say Belleti didnt prove his worth in the midfield this season. He was one of the best in mid for us until he got injured.
Stoch just had an unbelievable season, couldn’t we let him play for a little and sold him in january transfer???????????????
Quoting k.drogba
the fact is he is right.. come on guys… they could not carry on playing for chelsea all their careers! the team needs to be refreshed, if you have not noticed we started to play so slow and lacking ideas.. remember that!!, joe…lost his consistency!! ballack was ok for me,
read the article below.
need a keeper back up
need midfielders
need one striker.
as much as we dont like to admit it.. lampard is 31!! we need a new character of heroic proportions!! personally i would like a world class prospect, (Javier Pastore) comes to my mind. thats another discussion.
Luis Suarez looks damn good…. he kicks it fromvany angle it seems!!
SCHWEINSTEIGER i would be happy to see him
guys this is a good read:
http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/2292/editorials/2010/06/10/1968520/debate-alexandre-pato-might-be-ancelottis-favourite-but-who
Quoting chelsito
mother fuck! i would atleast wanted to see him in pre season damn.. guys they are working hard behind the scenes.. i promise there will be a new wave of signings!! of extremely good quality… i expect some really good guys… i thikn just like us fans Roman hates..inconsistency in players.. he wants world class… and super subs!! i personally didnt really see him in our starting 11. i see chelsea as a team that wants physical players… of a certain height and build. with technical know how
http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2067655,00.html
joeys best goals he will be missed
Quoting denverblue
At 20 years of age he has won the Dutch league with almost starting every match and we sell him for petty 2.5m (not that money matters). I can only think that Stoch demanded 1st team place, which we could not guarantee. This is what happens when you get the taste of regular starts and glory. That is why I see mancienne too leaving Chelsea for wolves. Chelsea should have made them feel wanted by playing them in Carling cup rather than loaning them out.
I am even more disappointed at the handling of Ballack. If Roman didn’t have Ballack in his plans, he could have made it clear to him before the end of the season, so that the Stamford Bridge faithfuls could have bid farewell to our long serving player. Instead Ballack had to be stunned and humiliated of knowing this through the media. Money is not everything. I know Roman if he wishes can land Messi and Ronaldo as replacements for the players. So much for Roman’s wish to see Chelsea as a respected club (he even sacked Jose for the cause). You don’t get respect you earn it.
17. xerxesk – 10th Jun
letting Stoch and Belleti were huge mistakes……
No one can say Belleti didnt prove his worth in the midfield this season. He was one of the best in mid for us until he got injured.
Stoch just had an unbelievable season, couldn’t we let him play for a little and sold him in january transfer???????????????
There seems to be a lot of confidence here that Chelsea will spend big to acquire new players.
I wonder if that’s truly the case, though. Other than the occasional mad splurge on his favorite Eastern European players, Abramovich has been very circumspect with his Euros of late. He’s made a goal of having Chelsea be financially self-sufficient. And it seems clear that cutting Cole, Ballack and Belletti is more about money than performance.
Perhaps Abramovich will make a major acquisition. But it’s also possible that in his quest to make financially stable a club with a relatively small stadium, he’ll rely on youth team members to replace the likes of Ballack, Cole and Belletti. In that scenario, the loss of Stoch surprises me and must be a football decision by Ancelotti.
Barring an injury catastrophe like 2009-2010, it may be possible to squeeze another title out of this squad. But after that, the kids better be ready to come through or Chelsea may begin a decline.
Michael Ballack always hugged the goal scorer!!!! and said good job!!
News about Stoch …
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/10/chelsea-miroslav-stoch-fenerbahce
He was the most talented player from youth .. with two game changing performances…
We will always miss that passion and the fighting spirit, Ballack brings to Big games. May it be Mourinho, Avram, Scholari or Calro, – all of these managers played him for all big games, they all knew he is a big game player.
A true fighter and winner in all aspects of the game. One of the main reasons why Lamps could play a little ahead on the attack.
BTW, a Gr8 All in one calendar for WC ’10
http://www.marca.com/deporte/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-2010/calendario-english.html
I am sure Stoch news is a rumour, i hope it is a rumour. I want him to stay at any cost!
OH NO, he had left us! Who did this, who the wanker did this?
Carlo Ancelotti ran the rule over Stoch very early in his reign at SW6 and concluded quickly that Stoch would not develop physically enough for the Premier League and thus instantly became surplus to his requirements.
Chelsea did very well to get any kind of fee for him as a result which presumably is reflected in the fee not being disclosed.
http://www.chelsea-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/stoch_not_strong_enough_for_premier_league_531719/index.shtml
Quoting k.drogba
Absolutely disgusting K.drog, I have no other words to describe ur comment, is this how u treat all ex chelsea players, are these the words u use to describe the likes of Peter Osgood, Roy Bentley, Jimmy Greaves, Gianfranco Zola ?? Joey & Ballack might not be every fan’s favourite but none the less they have been humble servants to the club and for that reason alone, the least we fans can do is appreciate them. Im born and bred in england, not too far from Chelsea and i have been a life long supporter, im 23 so yes i have been in a spot where winning the FA Cup was like winning Champions League or World Cup for us.
But fans like you who jumped on the chelsea wagon when Roman bought us, have no respect what so ever for ex players, for you they are a commodity, which has been used up and thrown away, hence they have no value left. But for loyal blue fans every player, no matter if he’s Andriy Shevchenko or Gus Poyet means the same, there all sons of Chelsea and will have the upmost respect in our hearts no matter what. Here’s wishing Joey, Belletti, Stoch and Ballack all the best in their respective future, i hope they continue playing for years to come and win lots of things. Were all going to miss you guys. KTBFFH
Joe Cole,Michael Ballack and Juliano Belleti leaving didn’t come as a surprise to me. As I feel that there are better players out there for that price range in wages. They played their part and can hold their heads up high! I want Chelesa to mould their squad into an unbeatable team. cheers!
I surelly can understand why Joe Cole is la d off but still have to understand what happened in Ballack’s case.As I’ve read it after Chelsea lost to Inter all contract talks were halted on Roman’s orders.
Sure,Ballack is not every fan favorite because he hasnt score many goals, but couldnt that be because he is unselfish and was happy to perform a more defensive duty while allowing Lampard to rush forward and score more goals?
I think I’ve read somewhere that Ballack was even willing to take another pay cut and base is monetary reward on apearences,if thats the case then the board is throwing away a good oportunity to set an example as next 2 years many veterans will be at the end of their contracts.
Plus,the player obviously still wants to impress to have a shot at the next European Cup so he wont end his international career because of an injury .
The reason why Chelsea threw away this opportunity can only be traced back to Roman.
I could be wrong but I think Ballack will be sorely missed next year considering he offered very good value for the money…
this whole thing is becoming so confusing. May be Roman didn´t have at all any problems with the players, but their agents. So could be he let them go free, so that agents would get zero commissions. Well what should i say, good revenge Roman. Agents are turning into real bastards and are killing football.
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Well, its been strange to say the least.
Joey didnt have a great season, but it was far from a bad one and Ballack has had one of his most productive seasons in a Chelsea shirt yet. Literally, both players wanted too much money. For what Ballack gets paid, he isn’t fit enough of the time and Joe Cole knows he can take his performances up another notch yet.
It is always better to build on a team than to replace players. Belletti needed to go, fair enough, hes given decent service and is gettin on, he wants to finish his career somewhere meaningful to him. Ballack and Joey are off so we will save alot of money from wages. Players like Matic and kakuta will get pushed into the squad now hopefully. I think we should replace both players.
The new guy for ballack needs height, power, stamina, needs to be good at defending and able to contribute competently in attack. I like Tom Huddlestone and Daniele de Rossi but things probably won’t work out that way. Joey has ball control unlike many players, our next winger needs to be young with techinical ability. To be honest, there aren’t too many options. Dont get me wrong, there are alot of good, quick wingers with dazzling dribbling ability, but Joey is miles ahead of them. Replacing him will take seasons. I like Ashley Young and James Milner, players like Di Maria……not what we need just now. The winger needs to be strong and aggressive like malouda so that our play does not stop
schweinsteiger wouldnt be a bad purchase to play him as a central midfielder or on the right where joey would be, but I would much prefer someone who will put headers away and outpace opponents, anyway…..
Im sad to see Ballack and Joey leave but it is just a stepping stone in us moving foward and up
I wish Joe and Michael good luck as they’ve both been good for us down the years, Ballack’s been very underrated by alot of people. Still, like has been said, Joe had a poor season last year and we still swept all aside (apart from Inter) and Ballack as good as he was is replacable so I’m not too worried. There are dozens of good central midfielders out there, and we won’t drop off too much as long as we make a signing. De Rossi would be my first choice aswell but also think Vargas who plays for Fiorentina and Toulalan from Lyon are very good players as well who might be more affordable. Whoever it is I hope its not Felipe Melo or Huddlestone! (Sorry Platinum but how come you rate him? I’ve watched maybe 25 matches with him over the last few years and he’s looked poor in almost every one – slow, kind of lazy, no idea where to position himself defensively and completely incapable of keeping his head when forced into tight spaces. I guess maybe you’ve seen more of him?)
I also want to wish Stoch and Beletti good luck although I couldn’t care less about either of them going, from what I saw of him I doubt Stoch will ever be anything more than someone who will play for Uefa cup/lower champions league level team and Belletti was ok but he was clearly a level below our other midfielders.
Still nothing too brutal has happened this sumer, so it should be a good one. By all accounts Joey is staying in London so his best option is Arsenal. I’m sort of relieved about this, he would have improved Man United alot. As long as he doesn’t go there I’m happy! Just do us that favour Joey!
check out mesut ozil and thomas muller in world cup .they are awesome young players.muller has kept klose and gomez out of munich starting lineup
mesut ozil this guy is a must have sammi too!!
i heard we bought Yossi Benayoun… on a 4 year deal.. the guy is 30 ….i hope not
I hope Chelsea don’t go and buy Tom Huddlestone. He is not Chelsea material to play for a team trying to win the Premier league, UEFA league, FA Cup and Carling Cup etc. He isn’t my cup of tea. I saw a bit of Ashley Young last season though. And I was very impressed by him. I think that he should have made the England World Cup squad ahead of Aoran Lennon. I told my mates before the World Cup began that Germany was going to win the tournament. I knew I should have backed up what I said with some money. cheers!
Hey guys and girls
Its very sad to see Joe, Ballack leave they have both been a big part of the clubs success. Im sure there will be more departures players that most of us will all agree about. We have a strong leadership at the club and there will be some exciting signings this season Im sure. We have some great young players coming through now and I think we will be seeing allot of a certain young French player who will make a big mark in the Prem. Enjoy the world cup and look forward to seeing some new younger fresher talent at the Bridge. Out with the old, in with the new…..
Arrghh.. not Benayoun man….