Alonso gave his all in every game he played and then moved on. Whether you think he could have stayed or not is an argument no-one is going to win. The fact is, he played his arse off and then left. He did it the right way. Mascherano was similar up until the whole Man City debacle. He'd wanted out for over a year, and barring a little dip initially he mostly played well and gave his all. He blotted his copybook with the way he forced it through in the end, but by and large he put a shift in and did his job. Torres on the other hand has blatantly not given a **** for ages, and despite the myriad of excuses that have been made for him by fans who didn't want to accept what he was doing, he's now proved it by putting in a transfer request three days before the transfer window shuts in mid season. Puts a whole new slant on this 'oh look he's playing now that Hodgson has gone and we have a new manager'. He wasn't doing it for Kenny, he was doing it for Chelsea, to prove to them he isn't as **** as he's been showing for months. One of the few exceptions to his ****ness was the game against Chelsea. Wonder why.
Oh and the ÃÆÃââââ¬à ¡ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã50m clause is there. There have been suggestions it doesn't kick in until the summer though. Not sure if that's the case but the clause exists.
If he stays I wouldn't play him. We had no choice up until now, as no matter how he **** he was we couldn't drop him as a) we had no-one else and b) it would give him the excuse to leave I don't want to see him on the pitch for us again. If he stays, it's because Chelsea didn't pay up, not because he wants to be here. It doesn't matter how good he is, he can't be trusted to give his all every time he plays, so for that reason I wouldn't play him. For most of the season he's been no better than Ngog anyway.
Just think that the timing of the transfer request is absolutely terrible. Even if you got a lot of money for him now , you barely have 48 hours to find yourselves a suitable replacement. Have lost all my respect for Torres this season , he just doesn't appear to care. He's not fighting for the shirt and sadly I think his presence may cause unrest in the dressing room. 50m+ Torres for Carroll?
Wow James_8 I've never in all my years on the interslice ever seen anyone have a 5 post conversation with themselves on the same thread. I'm not even mad, I'm impressed!
sorry jeezontoast, you`re right, i didn`t fully read what u had written. i`m an arse and i wanna die. for a punishment i shall attend Grimsby Towns next home game.
I don't disagree with the crux of your article: it's a murky business. Agents in particular seem to come in for some stick for often being loose cannons on deck. It was said again on the LFC TV Press Box show when the bid was known. It's odd, then, that Kuyt was unsettled at the beginning of the season just trying to discover whether Inter had actually made a bid. You'd think he and his agent would've known if it was a universal truth. It's also odd that Chelsea happened to start being absolute pants just as the Torres Interview came up. Big coincidence, that, so I'm not convinced. Considering what we've been through the question of why he stayed at the most traumatic and uncertain time, when his Spanish mates thought he'd go, is highly pertinent. Purslow promising the club would be sold? And that's supposed to be an appeasement for the "4-5 players" he wanted to see? That doesn't make sense. I can't see anything other than feelings of loyalty nagging at him to keep him here during that period and a hope that new owners would be able to bring those players, especially when he had a World Cup Winner's medal round his neck he could go anywhere with. That doesn't mean he is, or has to be, as loyal as Carra, though even Carra threatened to leave if he was going to be benched more often by Rafa. So maybe the loyalty that was there has ebbed away, as the criticism of his effort in a piece of s**t system moved from the numpty pundits he probably didn't give two flying ones about to some fans on some forums who think making loads of money means normal human foibles and weaknesses don't exist anymore, and if you have to run from the centre circle to the corner flag chasing long balls for as long as the manager tells you to then you'd better bloody well do it with a smile on your face, even if the fans are crying into their scarves at the awfulness of Roy's one big idea. They didn't feel his pain so why should he feel theirs now? We're okay, we've got Kenny back. He might have to go to Chelsea, where he will not get the love he loves but if he's not getting it here then so what? The presentation of our transfer dealings had some people on some forums questioning whether we had new owners or recycled old ones. It's possible "Promise less, deliver more" started to seem like more empty words and as the Suarez deal went on I can imagine his agent suggesting if they were going to do it they'd have to move soon. This raises the question of whether FSG concluded the deal to get the Torres story off the headlines with some good news for fans, or was it to let Torres know the words were not empty and FSG are deadly serious? Of course, they may have already known this might be coming and asked him to hold off the transfer request until the Suarez deal was concluded, but if that's true then why the refusal and haggling with Chelsea? Surely they'd already have set a price via the agent? When was the transfer request handed in on Friday? Was it from the agent? Had he spoken to Torres since the Suarez deal, or was he mad keen to force the issue and get himself a big payment? After all, it's turned the fans against Torres so he might as well go now, right? Whatever the truth I think he was right to look around under the circumstances. If he goes I'll boo but forgive him and if he stays I'll forgive him because if push came to shove I'd rather work for Abramovich than Hicks & Gillett and Torres stuck by us right to their bitter end. Debt paid as far as I'm concerned.
i want 40M + Anelka + Sturridge. Anelka for the now. Sturridge for the future and homegrown. I'd prefer Zhirkov/Kalou over Anelka but due to Anelka's form and lack of goalscoring form next to Drogba, I think thats more likely. Loyalty exists in football. Its would have been loyal for Torres to stay with us if we were finishing 4th place. However, 7th place is tacking the mick
If he has a change of heart, I still say **** him. I understand why he wants to leave, I really do, and I don't hold it against him at all. I just think he's taken the ****ing piss all season and **** on the fans who idolise him and stolen a wage from the club. And to slap in a transfer request so late in the window is a ****s trick. Play your heart out, then go in the summer. That's what he should have done, and if he had then I daresay he'd still be admired and respected the way Alonso is. If he has a 'change of heart', it will be down to Chelsea not stumping up enough cash and him being left high and dry here. Unless they have a bid accepted and he knocks them back, like Gerrard. Can't see it though.
This song's been going round my head: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLgdcGEqgcw Not that I think he should but it seems apt.
"Fernando Torres to issue statement to the Press confirming he has withdrawn his Transfer request.......Reports coming from Melwood"
Just read on the Mirror site that Chelsea think they'll get Torres cheaper because the fans have turned on him. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...nded-in-a-transfer-request-article685283.html Make of that what you will.
I refuse to believe anything the mirror has to say. But I'm a slight hypocrite as I'm quite selective with what a choose to believe, atm on google live news updates and there's so many contradictions it's unbelievable. Fair to say no one really knows what's happening. He's due in training tomorrow, so could be interesting...
IF hes going we should screw as much out of the Russian ganster as possible,If hes staying till at least the end of the season and still wants out we should auction him off to the highest bidder. Its better for all concerned if he goes abroad if he goes. Chelsea came in with 4 days of the window left to try and force our hand,John Henry should tell the Ruski that glasnost and peristoika dont exist in the prem.
For loyal British players how about Scott Parker, Rob Green, Ledley King and Danny Murphy to add to that list? One thing I would like to ask, why do you consider Torres going to Chelsea leaving to a rival? Historically they aren't one and this year they are challenging for the title whereas you are trying to get in to the top 4 so its not that close in terms of the league. Just wondered that all.
Agreed I would put Kuyt and Neville in that list. Maybe get rid of Terry, although I dont buy all that private life nonsense. I think he is generaly loyal to Chelsea, certinaly Frank is.
As much as it's worth believing any sports journalist but I trust Brian Reade as a fan a lot more than James Lawton and his ilk. I'm also refusing to jump to conclusions and judge Torres harshly until all the weirdness about the timing and the destination actually starts to make some sense.
