Blues manager Kieran McKenna says Luke Chambers, who announced his retirement last night, was a very important captain and leader in the club’s history and will be inviting him to meet him at Playford Road.

Chambers, 37, announced that he is hanging up his boots on last night’s Life’s a Pitch TV having been released by Colchester United at the end of the season.

The central defender or right-back made 395 starts and one sub appearance for the Blues, scoring 19 goals, between 2012 and 2021, skippering for all but a handful of those games.

“Your legacy in a club sometimes is how people speak about you,” McKenna said when asked about Chambers and his announcement.

“And I've not heard anything other than absolute positives from everyone about Luke and his time at the club. 

“Not just from the likes of [physio] Matt Byard or the staff, but every staff member around the club and, really importantly, all the players in the dressing room. 

“Even in his last year or so here, it wasn't going how anyone would have wanted it to go, but he is spoken about so highly by the players in the dressing room for how he was as a leader, as a person, as a player and I think a very important captain and leader in the history of the club.

“So we wish him all the best. Hopefully, we'll get him in here at some point. I've not spoken to him yet, but hopefully we'll get him in here to come and have a chat with us and have a chat with the players because I know they all think very highly of him, he's been an important part of the club.”

Photo: Matchday Images

henryblue added 17:48 - Aug 4 The great irony here is he wouldn’t have gotten close to being part of this proper footballing McKenna side. Please god don’t offer him a coaching role…
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muccletonjoe added 17:53 - Aug 4 Well said gaffer
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Nomore4 added 17:58 - Aug 4 Don’t Panic Henryblue…. There’s more painting to be done at Playford Road…..and there looking for a committed gardener
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Suffolkboy added 17:59 - Aug 4 HB - what sad part of the football world do you represent ? What has formed the basis for this outright condemnation ? Thankfully these closest to the Club, the Man , his qualities and widespread ability have a totally different aspect to portray ! OR are you simply wanting to provoke .. COYB
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Wickets added 19:22 - Aug 4 Yes one or two pathetic comments from people who si.ply can't be loyal Town fans .Luke Chambers excellent skipper and person .
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Vancouver_Blue added 19:40 - Aug 4 A proper gentleman on and off the pitch. And.of course an absolute Fist Pump Legend
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YorkshireBlue1967 added 21:07 - Aug 4 A true servant for our club - I would certainly welcome him back. Too many ‘so called’ Town fans are quick to criticise! Good luck Luke, in whatever you do next…and thanks!
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NorthStandOracle added 21:47 - Aug 4 Henryblue, incredible to suggest a prime Chambers wouldn’t walk into our current team. A bloke whose played 800 odd games, mostly as captain in championship teams for Us and Forest. A guy who was a must pick and clearly rated by every single one of his managers over a long career. Ended on a sour note with us of course due to that idiot Lambert who played him at right back at 36 when we had better (JD) inexplicably out on loan. But prime Chambo out of position at RB still got us comfortably in the play offs and never looked out of place. if Evans hadn’t sold our strikers at key moments or invested when necessary he probably would’ve got in there a couple more times and wouldn’t have had to suffer the vitriol that he did in his later years

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PhuketPete added 05:18 - Aug 5 NSO you summed it up. Whatever he was towards the end thanks to various circumstances, he was a class act all thru his career and in his peak years was absolutely a top Championship standard. No disrespect to our other CB’s but none have yet arrived at the level Chambo enjoyed at his peak. Deserves better than to just be jokingly dismissed as was done in the first post.

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slade1 added 07:48 - Aug 5 Henryblue and Nomore4 ....... Its a pity the forum has to put up with this total drivel. It maybe just a few words that you wrote, probably when drunk or high, but how do you think it makes Luke Chambers feel if he were to read this forum? Whether you liked him as a player or not, there is no getting away that he served this club magnificently on and off the pitch and gave 100% every game. You should both be ashamed of yourselves and apologise. PS. I bet you both joined in with the Chambers fist pumps though!!

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Nomore4 added 09:06 - Aug 5 Slade1. You need to understand this is a platform of opinion…….yes everyone has one…..you May agree with some….you may not agree with some……if you don’t like….it’s probably better to stay away
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Naylorsrightboot added 10:28 - Aug 5 Nomore4: Be respectful. The guy was a top defender in his prime. He dealt with an awful lot on and off the pitch during the Evans years. One of the few who came out of those years with his head held high. Always gave his all for this club. You can see the guy loves the club too!
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Nomore4 added 10:59 - Aug 5 Yes Naylor I respect your opinion….doesn’t mean I have to agree with it….Top defender LOL
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henryblue added 12:20 - Aug 5 @slade1 - apologise to a bloke who made his millions at our deteriorating football club pumping the ball out of play every week? I never rated him and always thought he was extremely limited and average as a footballer, that’s just my opinion and if he read it I’m sure he’d get over it pretty quickly. He was the figurehead of the most depressing era in the clubs history, and I prefer to look forward now rather than back.

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DifferentGravy added 22:04 - Aug 5 Sorry, this is the problem with modern society. Cannot separate the factual from maudlin, cloying nonsense. Was he loyal...absolutely. Did he give it his all.....definitely. Did he do a lot for the club off the pitch...without a doubt. Compared to many lower level league players did he enjoy a long and fruitful career......certainly earned a flipping good wage for many a year. Was he a really good player....nope. Did he oversee(as captain) a successful time in the clubs history....nope. Even at his best would he have found a position in the current team....nope.

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