I'd add Aguero to the list as well, don't think anyone has mentioned him yet. Oh, and Marco Boogers - remember him?
I stick by what I said Munky. When you look at Torres' list of Honours over the last three years it does indeed look impressive, but when you delve into the details the glitter all but disappears. For example, winning the Golden Shoe at the recent Confed Cup with 5 goals sounds hugely impressive until you realise that 4 of those goals came in one match, the 10:0 pasting of --- er, Tahiti. The Golden Boot at Euro 2012 was shared with 5 other players (3 goals apiece), who included Gomez, Mandzjukic, Balotelli and Dzagoev as well as the truly WC Ronaldo. So a good achievement yes, but not quite the glittering performance that "Golden Boot Winner Euro 2012" conjures up. Similarly, how much of a contribution did he actually make to Chelsea's Champions League campaign or Spain's World Cup triumphs? More bit part player than star billing I would say. When you think that the world appeared at his feet when he signed for Liverpool, it's become a rather sad story. Not finished yet though.
torres is a brilliant player, always has been, but because he's never recaptured his best and most scintillating form he showed at liverpool he's wrongly labelled a dud. the price tag was always silly - he wasn't worth £50m and never has been. his hamstring issues meant he lost a yard of pace so he has had to adapt his game, which he has achieved yet it appears to have gone unnoticed. just shows how little some 'experts' know about him. he's not world class but he is probably amongst the top 20 most decorated footballers to have ever lived.
Torres was a superb player and probably was world class for a couple of seasons at Liverpool however it is undeniable that he has benefitted from Wes Brown syndrome - i.e. a decent enough player but with many more medals than his ability would warrant due to the good fortune of playing in a team surrounded by brilliant players. Not that I am saying he is only as good as Wes Brown (obviously) but if he were playing for another nation I strongly suspect that he would have nowhere near the medal count. That said he is deemed good enough to play for Spain so he can't be all bad.
I guess Elmander must have kept Toivenen out the Sweden first XI for both of the last two (crucial) qualifiers?
I think Toivonen played in the game against Cambuur Leeuwarden(according to this match report): http://www.7msport.com/video/20130902/6158.shtml So he has had some competitive football recently, it's probably more that Elmander is just as good and they like his attitude better. Edit: Ah okay, here's a better report: http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/p...ur-leeuwarden/index/spielbericht_2342292.html so has played recently.
Ji Sung Park now playing for PSV (a season-long loan from QPR). Two seasons ago he was featuring for Man Utd. One of the "big name" signings that had QPR fans ecstatic about the upward trajectory of their club. I feel a bit sorry for Park; he's a decent player and no doubt signed for QPR having been lavished with praise and hype (and of course money).
Toivonen's transfermarkt page reveals he has made six appearances this season, but all as substitute and averages under 17 minutes game time per match - so he has essentially played one match of competitive football this season... I think Elmander is the marginally better player, more useful and is getting more game time, which is why he is starting for Sweden. That will definitely change in a year or two, which is why buying Toivonen would have been great, but as a stop-gap Elmander has been great, doesn't seem passed it and I can already see him becoming a bit of a late legend at Norwich! His form is in stark contrast to the aging "internationals" we had last time in the prem...
Sorry got the clubs mixed up it's PSV. I have heard that his attitude stinks, Cove thinks he is bastard and I think we have been lucky to avoid by the sounds of it. I am willing to be proved wrong though.................
He has also been informed unless he signs an extension with PSV that he will be dropped to the reserves for the remainder of his contract.
To be honest, I still wouldn't be completely surprised to see him turn up in January or next season. It sounds like he was demanding high wages and with his contract running down fast, the few million odd that would have gone to PSV could easily be allocated towards his contract. I agree that he sounds like a bit of a prima donna, but equally I suspect it's also slightly exaggerated - after all, he simply doesn't want to sign a contract extension, it's not like he's going around punching the coach or undermining other players.
Noononononononoonono! Not just me, everyone who follows and watches the Eredivisie KNOWS he is a bastard.
C'mon Cove I know you created this facebook page: https://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/I-Hate-Ola-Toivonen/192007004163672
Holey, crap whats my post doing there?!?! No seriously that's not my page. I'm not on Facebook and you will never see me on a privately owned Mac ever. And I see I made a couple of typos, gotta edit that **** out right away.