I don't see how anyone could pick AssCole over Bridge in terms of quality and efectiveness on the pitch. AC is constantly caught forward, and seems unable to forge a partnership with our wide players.
Wayne Bridge was brilliant at the start of the season, essentially overlapping as wingback to become a winger which kind of compensates for lack of width when its Makelele, Essien, Ballack and Lampard. Defensively Bridge was doing very well also! That said Ashley Cole has been awful, people knock Shevchenko as a bad signing, are they even watching the shameful Ashley Cole displays?
no offence but your poll sucks!!! while i was'nt in favour of ash comeing to our club the fact of the matter is he is a member of the current squad,and like it or not he does have certain qualitys that are better than bridges,but such is a fact of life i guess... you cant always have what you want
Agree with srd, Ashley is a very good left back and i'd say edges over Bridge in terms of an over all left back, but I voted for Bridge because recently he's been put in three different positions, played well in each and seems to have this understanding with Robben which Cole hasn't quite got yet (possibly because of how the left has been chopped and changed so frequently).
Two great English full backs. Ash does have the edge. I'd play them both [one as a RB] in our most difficult games as they both have crucial pace.
My take: I prefer Bridge by a nose. I'd love to see them both playing for lack of a better option on the right but then again both are SERIOUSLY left footed. As for Ash the gooner comments he pulls on the blue shirt now and plays as hard as he can so he is Chelsea player and deserves the respect of true Chelsea fans.
Wayne Bridge or Wayne Bridge, as there's only ONE CORRECT option Bridge, forever and ever, Amen! Mind you I don't think Ashley Cole has been bad at Chelsea, but IMO, he has done nothing to justify his starting role over Bridge. Bridge..... As well as being good defensively, he was great going forward down the flanks, as shown in our first 3 games he started. (I still remember that Drogba goal in the Man. City game, where Bridge overlaps Robben, takes the pass, then delivered a great cross to Drogba who headed it in.......wish we created more goals like this.) Have yet to see Cole do anything of that manner, nor anything impressive going forward. But take away the couple mental lapses Cole has had in a few recent games, he has been in decent form at Chelsea, and I can't say we're worse off with him, as he is a great LB... Tough decision really, but I'm with Bridge through and through. *Awaits the pro-Bridge response from lobomojo*
Why, because he played well against Wycombe? He certainly didn't against Reading. He was awful, actually. I hate to say it, but Cole is the better player and its hardly his fault we've been leaking goals. Not where nearly all the goals we allow come from - the right side of our defense. Cole is not the problem. In a 4-3-3, we can go with Bridge. For our 4-4-2? We NEED Cole for it to work.
Cole was disappointing in the start of the season but gradually he improved and kept on improving until he he ...fell
i think from the start of the season, in those games where Bridge has played, he was certainly one of our best players. I have not seen a performance from Cole where i could say the same thing. Now, we all know that Cole is a better player, naturally, but according to Jose, everyone plays based on their performance (except Ballack), so based on that, Bridge should be starting.
Why, because we battered (undeservedly) a below par Wigan? What about Bridge's performance against Reading? Don't get me wrong, I'd hardly be crying if Bridge began starting every game, but lets not pretend that he's better than Cole because he scored that goal and because Cole is.....well.......you know, Ashley Cole. But although he may be an annoying and greedy ex-Gooner, he's a really good player. And he's played quite well this season. Other than the one gaffe when he accidentally hit Essien's leg (shit happens), I can't remember him being individually culpable for goals this season. The left side of defense is not a problem right now. Its the right that needs sorting. Geremi's not fast enough, Ferreira isn't strong enough, Bouhlarouz isn't fit enough, Gallas wasn't paid enough and Essien isn't really a RB. That adds up to us needing a RB as our second priority (after CB help). We're unlikely to buy one, unless Jose buys a CB who's versatile enough to play RB, but it appears we tried that with Bouhla, and the result was less than thrilling. Gallas is, sadly, a one of a kind player.
He was marking Lennon when he scored the winner for Spurs. I agree with the rest of your post, though, but I think most of the frustration stems from the fact that Bridge was in such excellent form at the beginning of the season, and then was dropped unfairly due to A. Cole's arrival, and Cole hasn't really replicated the form Bridge showed in the first 3 games of the season.
It's my view that Ashley Cole is overrated. He's been constantly injured and hs never shown to be a quality defender. He's got as much as pace as anybody around but that certainly isn't grounds for starting over a player who has been consistently good at left-back for Chelsea.
Cashley any day !!! he scores a goal oh what a goal!!! Seriously Wayne Bridge is a player your missing he's got well heart which some of your players lack *crosses fingers it continues*.
Ashley is one of a big let down in the current chelsea side. his perfomance are as of thatb of sheva Bridge all the way
rediculous. I am no cole fan boy but take yesterdays game. The problems with Chelsea's defence are centre and right. Offensively how can he bomb forward with the state of the defence? The loss of Joe Cole is huge in terms of assessing A.Cole With England at the W/C, he did get forward and overlap Joe Cole often. The point is that for the fullback to get forward, it helps to involve him in the play and Joe Cole does that, and makes room for him, because Cole draws in the opposing full back and RM. This is exactly how it worked with Pires. Pires like joe cole likes to cut in. Furthermore without Joe Cole's important defensive work on the left flank, the opposing players can be much more confident coming forward on that flank - which keeps A. Cole pegged back. This is exactly what happened against Liverpool yesterday. If he bombs forward - who is covering the attacking winger? Ferreira? Bridge is a much better crosser than Cole IMO. Cole's whole career has been about playing to feet.
Joe Cole doesn't play on the left for Chelsea. When A Cole has played with Robben he's done ******** all going forward, unlike Bridge.
Robben is a forward not a midfielder. Joe Cole is a genuine RM or LM. I am not saying Bridge is better or worse - both are excellent players. But when a few things go wrong - everything can go out of whack. As you've pointed out, if the fullback is not coming forward, then there is no width and the CMs struggle. I'm not sure how much easier Bridge would find it.
Wayne Bridge I would choose him 1 million times out of a million in waynes first 2 matches of the season he had 2 assists were as ashley coles was more like 100 mistakes he did s**t all down the wing and did anyone see match of the day on saturday when they said what was wrong about ashely cole 2nd flop of the year behind Shevblanko