Tortilla9

Rewatched the match. And this is all I could think after and going forward when Fernando decides to defend. Just change "Rio" to "Fernando".

Man, the computer is kicking my butt today. I tried to copy and paste in the post but I couldn't. Supposedly this picture was taken of Torres walking to the Bridge today.

I take anything the Daily Mail and Mirror say with a huge grain of salt. If they said 1+1=2 I'd still double check.

AVB from the official website: Having seen the incident unfold just yards away from him, Villas-Boas admitted that 'the sending off looks a good decision by the referee', but would not criticise Torres for his overenthusiastic challenge. 'The challenge is part of the nature of the game and the referee decided like that,' he said. 'It's a pity because the spectacle was promising and it could have gone on to a good afternoon for us and the fans, but in the end that's what the referee decided and we just had to adjust. 'There is nothing to apologise for. I think every player is disappointed with being sent off, Alex was the same, and there will be some disappointment for sure,' he said of his striker.

Can you imagine seeing him walking to the game if you're a Chelsea fan? You probably don't believe you're seeing him.

Brendan Rodgers on the Torres red card: "I think it is his intention to show at the moment that he is fighting for everything." Still love him, still want to give him a kick in the ass.

I agree it was a dumb move on his part. At least he's giving the two Martins something to talk about.

He's always been a ref talker even when he couldn't speak English. Rafa used to tell him periodically to shut up. Oh well. 3 games - 2 goals, 2 assists. At least he's getting better playing in Blue. He should be rested for the CL games and AVB will be allowed to rotate too. Still shaking my head.

Fernando Torres = Attention Whore He just can't stand to be out of the media limelight. One positive, everybody was wondering how the miss would affect him. He didn't have many chances today but he made the most of the one he had. Nice finish. That's what makes the red even more puzzling. He'd just scored, the team was attacking more, and he wasn't frustrated. He's always had a pissy streak in him on the pitch but his last red card was in La Liga in September 2006. Riley wasn't in a pro-Chelsea frame of mind to begin with and Torres was pissy from the get go with Riley.

3. He can play CL games but not PL. He'll be back for PL games after QPR.

Skeptical about ?

Poor marking by Bosingwa on that one. Williams lost him too easily.

Torres last red card was September 9, 2006 for Atletico against Valencia in La Liga. AVB will have his hands full in the press conference won't he?

2 CL games - Valencia (Sept 28) and Genk (Oct 19).

It is what it is. He'll be rested for CL games is the only plus.

Well, I guess Torres will be rested for the upcoming CL games then. Love him but that was a slightly boneheaded move. At least he got a goal before the early shower.

AVB said in his presser yesterday he wouldn't play because of the knock in the CC.

Does AVB know Dalglish is using his "obsession" word when speaking about the media and Carroll? The scousers and their media friends are obsessed with Torres and his price tag but the same shouldn't occur for Carrol? Hypocrites. "I don't understand the obsession....I think people are obsessed with Andy Carroll". "I'll tell you one thing. The fans are more supportive of Andy than some people that write about him, and that's the most important thing to him, and us." "I don't understand the obsession with certain players. If the team changes, the team changes. The team changes not just for the sake of change, but for the benefit of everyone for varying reasons. That will continue." "I said before the price of someone doesn't make a difference. That's not Andy's problem."

For three successive summers prior to leaving Atletico, clubs came calling about Torres. Torres kept saying "no thank you". After the infamous 6-0 loss to Barca at the Calderon, Torres decided he needed to leave Atletico. Even his agent said that loss was a watershed moment for Torres because of the mentality of the club at that time. The move would be good for him and Atletico could try to rebuild. Many think Torres chose Liverpool because of the Spanish connection - Benitez, Reina, Alonso, Arbeloa, etc. which is probably true. I'm sure Chelsea and United could have tried harder but the consensus was Liverpool were the front runners to get him at that time. Here's a really interesting article during his first Liverpool season. http://fourfourtwo.c...42/article.aspx 1. What he says about Terry - lol 2. He felt Atletico relied on him for everything and couldn't compete at the level he wanted. Funny how when he left Liverpool it was the same thing, a club relying on him for everything. 3. The Calderon and Atletico fans relationship with Torres. Having watched a few games during his time there, they absolutely loved Torres. The weight of the Atletico world was on his shoulders and he wasn't even 24 years old.

More media love: @johncrossmirror: How can a manager berate a referee for a "mistake" and in the next breath absolve a striker for missing a sitter

Exactly. It's too easy for the media to relate stories to the public that portray Chelsea as ruled by a secretive Russian gazillionaire (yes, that's a word) who fires managers on a whim while secretly praying to his own personal gold version of the CL trophy. Then there are the players who get their own media love on a regular basis - Terry, Cole, Lampard, and of course the media's personal favorite, Torres. AVB at least makes them stop and think for half a second before continuing on with their usual media spin. Not saying everybody has to love Chelsea, at least treat Chelsea with some impartiality which seems to be missing at times.

I'm not looking for a manager to stand up there every press conference and have a diatribe or whine, leave that to Fergie or Kenny. I do like a manager who stands up for his club, his team, and his players with class and dignity. Thanks AVB.

Wherever you hear "Britney Spears", change to "Fernando". I forgot how damn bad this video was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc

I thought it was a head band thing. It's really called a snood? Something we don't have in southern California.