It's brilliant that you've got so much incite that after 5 games you can already see that we're weaker than last season. I personally would point to the fact we've got more points at this moment in comparison to last season, but it'd be silly to use such facts.
Look at the stats on Torres he had 1 great season (his 1st) and has not been the same since, we backed him as fans even though he wasn't the player that he once was but he still wanted to leave. £50 million was good business I don't think we will ever see the Torres of the first season at Liverpool ever again. Alonso wanted to go and maybe we should have done more to hang onto him as the fans loved him. Mascherano again wanted to go the season before so we did hold onto him until it was right for the club. His replacement (Lucas) is doing well. So we haven't replaced Alonso but have changed the formation. Suarez for Torres is in my opinion an upgrade. Lucas is young and will continue to improve so a viable replacement for Mascha his posative passing is already better. Carroll imo will come good but you may have a point time will tell.
Torres I must say surprised me. He was the best striker in the premiership because the whole team played around him and for him. He benefitted hugely from that. May be he wanted to win trophies (which he will never get if he stayed with the scousers his whole career). He made the wrong choice and I for one am delighted. We used to fear him now he is just any other striker. May be the manager should have sat him down and have a friendly chat with him. But your manager at the time was not the type to do that (IRWT and all that) As for Carroll I honestly think you should take a loss and get rid of him. Trying to fit him in will be disruptive and ruin your chances. Newcastle are playing better without him and now you too are playing better without him. Capello has already warned about his off the pitch behaviour and if he is not careful he'll go down the pan.
There's no panic with Carroll though, we have Suarez, Kuyt and Bellamy so we are able to take our time and get him right. If not he may move on but at 21 there is no rush.
Not only that, his attitude is infinitely better so he won't be picking up the same amount of cards as Masch did.
Could you please try and be consistent in your reasoning, was Torres the best striker in the premiership or was it because we built the team around him? If you don’t fear him anymore and you say he is now just another striker surely that means we were right to sell him (especially for £50mill)? IRWT? From my recollection it was not Rafa that sold him so I dont see what a freindly chat from the Inter manager would have acheived, or does that stand for In Roy We Trust, which we most certainly did not, but again would be incorrect.
this is a load... god.... ferguson knew he could get another year out of ronaldo, then he sold him. 80mil torres on the other hand was struggling and we got a bid of 50mil which has proven to be over the odds so we took it... end of!!! aquilani only left cos kenny didn't wanh him and didn't fancy him i nthe prem... simple enough! Mascherano gave us another year under rafa and in the end we held him then sold him. simple. NONE OF THESE DECISIONS ARE SOLELY BASED ON A PLAYER WANTING TO GO. how on earth do we equate modric with meireles? Modric was held for a year already and singed a contract, spurs couldn't replace him so didn't sell... just cos he got a goal v us doesn't mean he's staying! Meireles was injured half the time and kenny wasn't picking him even with gerrard out, come on guys kenny was happy to see him go!
Torres was the best striker in the premiership BECAUSE he was playing with the scousers , in a team built around him. Once he left that set up he struggled. If you had not sold him, I truly believe he would have recovered to be the best striker in the prem again. BUT only in your team. He does not the same effect in any other team, including barcelona, madrid or United. You had a one in a million gem and you sold him....
Torres only plays well in a 4-2-3-1 which is what Chelsea looked like more or less against United. And he tore through their defence like it didn't exist repeatedly. He doesn't need the side set up to serve him (he can set them up as well) he just needs to be a lone striker.
mr smith. i think everyone can only speculate on some details on each player. for instance is can speculate the real madrid and ronaldo has an agreement in place but real didn't pull the trigger... I know chelsea pulled the trigger on torres and had him tapped up already to move. In the end ronaldo/ferguson didn't have a formal bid to decide upon did they? they knew full wel lthat when real were ready (presidential elections there etc) they would be in so until it actually happened both parties were dead happy to continue to make a lot of money and win a lot of things together. Mascherano with all due respect is different. we were being sold down the swanny by owners so he gave rafa another year more than he needed to (IF IF barca actually bidded) mascherano would have jumped at any move i think. alonso was again different, he was pushed out by the manager then and only stayed cos we didn't buy barry. we actually were only lucky real paid more than juve! torres with respect is and was a shadow of his former self and it would be better for you to say we ruined a great player than we are stupid to sell him. We got a great deal for 50mil. he also wanted to go and cheslea offered the right money so we did the deal. in the end if we had the time back alonso at 30mil was a GREAT deal. that was good moeny BUT rafa utterly wasted the moeny on aquilani that is scandalous. Mascherano watned to go but we should have gotten more for him really... I've no issue with them going....
