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Lincs sam

Drinkwater Charged with Drink Driving

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DD, we did right by the £35mn. It was reported he was available for loan in the Summer but Chelsea wanted £10mn for a season plus wages. £15mn for DD services for a year, no wonder there were no takers. He is stuck on a retirement job of £5mn wages for another 3 years for doing nothing other than keeping fit. Maybe we could arrange a swap for Matty James.

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18 hours ago, KingsX said:

To put everything into playing again, he’ll surely have to accept a buyout, and rebuild his game in the lower half of the Championship.  He’d have to be really committed to that path not only to give up the cash, but to handle the pressure of media and fans picking him apart.  Because despite his high profile, he’s not going to immediately play well with a body compromised by injury and two years of rust.  Nor would he get the minutes he needs in a side competing for promotion.

 

If he wants to ride out his contract -- rational economic behavior -- he won’t sniff the pitch.  His task will be to come to terms with who he is: a well-off, retired footballer.  To use his means to help build an identity he can be happy with.  Somebody worth something to himself, his family, society.  The message he gets today from his employer, the media, and the envious everyman is just the opposite: that he is a detestable, wage-stealing kind of worthless.  An image he is now reinforcing with self-destructive actions.  Less than three years after mass adulation. 

 

I don’t feel sorry for DD.  He demanded the right to set himself on this road.  I just feel some empathy that any way forward for him will be difficult.  Whether or not he ever plays another PL match, I hope he gets off the sauce and takes responsibility for his future.

His most likely route would be either on loan to a newly promoted PL team and Chelsea heavily subsidize his wages or they buy him out of his contract. I doubt he will walk away from earning £120k a week to less than half of that without Chelsea agreeing to cover at least some if it, that's sadly how it works and we have been in this situation and still are a number of times.

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14 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

Why? Everybody else knew it.

Players jump at the chance to join a big club from a smaller club, it's highly unlikely they are ever going there with very little competition for places either. Big clubs are usually stacked with options but players back themselves to make an impact. There are countless times a player has gone up against a number of high profile players in their position and been a success, it's all about mindset. Yes, we can all predict the chances of him being as influential there as he was at Leicester was going to be a massive ask but should that mean players never try and better themselves? Should normal folk like us never walk away from a sensible and safe job to setting up a business because it might fail and then they'll be in a worse position than when they started?

 

The pitfalls of footballers going to bigger clubs and it ruining their careers happens, it is always worth considering that when players are faced with the dilemma but i'm not sure it's enough to prevent this from happening in the future, it's the way of the world.

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Hot take - the only season in which Drinkwater was actually running our midfield was the promotion season (13-14) - and even then, it's debatable given that Matty James was also in the best form of his career.

 

Andy King was still doing the business at the back end of 12-13 when he arrived and was Mr. Consistent. As with some of the others mentioned here, it was probably his best season for us in terms of his all-round game and defensive contribution.

 

He had Cambiasso pulling the strings in 14-15. 

Kante was the engine in 15-16.

 

On the contrary, our midfield was greatly diminished in 16-17, which was why I was so surprised that his big money move went through after that season. He'd already shown regression by that point without a grafter to tidy up and was more or less "found out".

 

With all that said, a fit Drinkwater would probably thrive with a free playmaker role in this team with an in-form Ndidi doing the donkey work. That said, if we can get him, Tielemans is a better all-round player. I stand by my belief that he was always a bit of a luxury player and, with the exception of a few memorable performances (Watford in 13-14, a couple in the Champion's League that were probably the basis for Chelsea's bid) was maybe a bit over-rated.

Edited by OntarioFox
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27 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Players jump at the chance to join a big club from a smaller club, it's highly unlikely they are ever going there with very little competition for places either. Big clubs are usually stacked with options but players back themselves to make an impact. There are countless times a player has gone up against a number of high profile players in their position and been a success, it's all about mindset. Yes, we can all predict the chances of him being as influential there as he was at Leicester was going to be a massive ask but should that mean players never try and better themselves? Should normal folk like us never walk away from a sensible and safe job to setting up a business because it might fail and then they'll be in a worse position than when they started?

 

The pitfalls of footballers going to bigger clubs and it ruining their careers happens, it is always worth considering that when players are faced with the dilemma but i'm not sure it's enough to prevent this from happening in the future, it's the way of the world.

Fair points, but I'm not sure the analogy with normal folk taking on a bigger job is quite right. For most people, taking on a new challenge is indeed largely about 'mindset' - if you put in the time and are very determined to succeed, you've got a chance. But no amount of mindset was ever going to turn Drinkwater into the kind of player that would be a first team regular at Chelsea. He was bought solely to bulk out their midfield options when the Barkley deal fell through on transfer deadline day - that's all. If he genuinely believed he would be regular starter there, I can only take my hat off to him for his ability to delude himself.

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30 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

Fair points, but I'm not sure the analogy with normal folk taking on a bigger job is quite right. For most people, taking on a new challenge is indeed largely about 'mindset' - if you put in the time and are very determined to succeed, you've got a chance. But no amount of mindset was ever going to turn Drinkwater into the kind of player that would be a first team regular at Chelsea. He was bought solely to bulk out their midfield options when the Barkley deal fell through on transfer deadline day - that's all. If he genuinely believed he would be regular starter there, I can only take my hat off to him for his ability to delude himself.

Chelsea had been linked with him all summer, they wanted him and had a number of bids turned down. Shakespeare was quoted after he left that Drinkwater had told him early in to pre-season that he wanted to go to Chelsea. It's pure opinion on whether he ever thought he was be first choice there or not, it's also pure opinion that Chelsea have always thought he wouldn't become first choice either. Like I said, there have been a number of times when players prove themselves at clubs and become integral players. Would it have been impossible for Drinkwater to do that at Chelsea, of course not. He was teaming back up with Kante, he had every right to think they could rekindle their form together. Is that delusion on his part? Was he deluded to think he was capable of winning the Premier League?

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9 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Chelsea had been linked with him all summer, they wanted him and had a number of bids turned down. Shakespeare was quoted after he left that Drinkwater had told him early in to pre-season that he wanted to go to Chelsea. It's pure opinion on whether he ever thought he was be first choice there or not, it's also pure opinion that Chelsea have always thought he wouldn't become first choice either. Like I said, there have been a number of times when players prove themselves at clubs and become integral players. Would it have been impossible for Drinkwater to do that at Chelsea, of course not. He was teaming back up with Kante, he had every right to think they could rekindle their form together. Is that delusion on his part? Was he deluded to think he was capable of winning the Premier League?

Chelsea were also desperate at the time.

The fact Barkley turned them down at the same time suggests it was an expensive punt on there part as Barkley signed 4 months later so DD was probably second choice.

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Just now, HankMarvin said:

Chelsea were also desperate at the time.

The fact Barkley turned them down at the same time suggests it was an expensive punt on there part as Barkley signed 4 months later so DD was probably second choice.

Yes they were, their opening bid was about £15-20m if I rightly recall in July/early August. They had a couple more nibbles before paying our asking price on deadline day. They definitely wanted him though and you could see the link between him and Kante was behind it.

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6 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

Players jump at the chance to join a big club from a smaller club, it's highly unlikely they are ever going there with very little competition for places either. Big clubs are usually stacked with options but players back themselves to make an impact. There are countless times a player has gone up against a number of high profile players in their position and been a success, it's all about mindset. Yes, we can all predict the chances of him being as influential there as he was at Leicester was going to be a massive ask but should that mean players never try and better themselves? Should normal folk like us never walk away from a sensible and safe job to setting up a business because it might fail and then they'll be in a worse position than when they started?

 

The pitfalls of footballers going to bigger clubs and it ruining their careers happens, it is always worth considering that when players are faced with the dilemma but i'm not sure it's enough to prevent this from happening in the future, it's the way of the world.

Mate you are sticking up for a bloke who got in a car and drove all the way to London at night to force away a move from our club, knowing full well he was 2nd choice to Barkley because Chelsea just wanted an English CM of decent quality to satisfy their European squad quota. 

 

He swapped ridiculously good wages here for even more ridiuclous wages in London. Pardon the rest of us for not seeing it as some giant career gamble.

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6 hours ago, Babylon said:

Other than the people who matter, who were buying him for big money eh. 

 

Clearly a club that doesn't do much in the way of scouting. He barely looked a league one player when they signed him from us, absolutely mental decision.

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Drinkwater, approaching the twilight of his career appears to have taken an easy, lucrative option and I just wonder if he still has the desire or ambition to play at the top level. If he does then his agent is failing as a move away from Stamford Bridge is long overdue.

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2 hours ago, filbertway said:

 

Clearly a club that doesn't do much in the way of scouting. He barely looked a league one player when they signed him from us, absolutely mental decision.

Well that's rubbish really because he was easily our best player until he picked up his injury half way through the season. 

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1 hour ago, Babylon said:

Well that's rubbish really because he was easily our best player until he picked up his injury half way through the season. 

He looked a beast for a while and then after his injury he looked absolutely awful. Poor scouting for me and just going on him being part of a freak season.

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On ‎09‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 10:39, Xen said:

Feel sorry for him, at least in regards to his career. Clearly had the talent and wanted to test himself at a higher level, and noone could really begrudge him his move to Chelsea. The lack of playing time since then, though, has completely derailed his career and he'll be wondering why he bothered. Messed up his chance of any more England caps in the process. Yes he's much richer for it (although he was already ludicrously wealthy at Leicester) but he'll still have plenty of regrets. He'll end up on loan at a promoted side next season, probably.

 

That being said, anyone drink-driving is a prize c*nt. No excuses.

I hope this mistake hasn't derailed his career entirely and that as you predict he'll resurrect it elsewhere next season in some way, shape or form away from Stamford Bridge. Getting back into the England squad will be purely on playing merit under Southgate you'd imagine rather than being held to account for this 'easily done' charge. Many ordinary folk have done this and have gotten away with it but you cannot afford to when you're in a professional footballer's position of course, regardless of how your career is or isn't going...…….

 

 

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Interesting one Drinkwater.

 

Remember Pearson describing him as a ‘complex character’ and I’ve always suspected that he snubbed England in response to not getting in the Euro2016 squad rather than vice versa. It was almost like he’d decided that if they didn’t want him then, they didn’t deserve him now and pulled out with injury having completed 90 minutes perfectly fine for us.

 

Were it any other player I’d expect them

to be unhappy with their playing time and wanting to leave but with him I’m just not sure. Maybe when Pearson used the word ‘complex’ he meant it less in a demanding/intense way and more of a stubborn/difficult way.

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sarri has thrown him under the bus with his most recent interview. said he told him he wasn’t ever going to play because he didn’t think he fit sarri’s system and drinkwater basically said that’s fine i’ll just hang around and get paid. 

 

seemed weird. 

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People saying hes got to go to lower Championship are forgetting.. he is a highly talented player, a league winner and a capable midfielder.

 

A promoted side or relegation survivor will be falling over to get him. 

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I question his desire to actually play football.

 

People have spoke about him pulling out of international duty a couple of times in strange circumstances when he was here.

 

I think everyone knew he wouldn't play much/wasn't good enough for Chelsea (in comparison to the players they have) you can argue he wanted to prove himself there all you like but it was on the cards that he wouldn't play/wasn't good enough and that has been the case.

 

If it's true his attitude to Sarri's comments were 'fine, i'll just stay and take the money' instead of knuckling down and atleast give it a go at proving him wrong, I think he's simply a mercinary and not actually bothered about playing or his career, hey who am I to judge, fair play to him if that's what he wants to do but I know if I was good enough to be playing at a high level i'd want to be playing.

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