Tortilla9

If I was a Liverpool fan the Dion Fanning article would be damn depressing. Too many won't be bothered to read it because it doesn't cast 100% blame on Torres.

Why would Pepe refuse to shake his hand? That would be totally classless which isn't Pepe. They are Spanish teammates too. Don't see that happening at all. Too be fair don't see any LFC players refusing to shake his hand...except maybe Skrtel whose not the sharpest tool in the shed to begin with.

My apologies, you're correct. I remember that game and my daughter asking "are they saying what I think they're saying to Torres". The look on his face to that section of fans after he scored - priceless. Torres doesn't do a lot of interviews, this will probably be the most we hear out of him for months at a time. I personally have no problem with his comments and appreciated the candor. He said what most of us realize is true. The journos should appreciate his frank talk instead of the usual blah blah blah. Gave them even more to write about. When you spend hundreds of millions of $ it's not about romance. Again, you're correct, the Liverpool fans have taken it and run with it. They have forgotten everything he ever did at the club and only focused on the departure. The cycle of football. Funny about the romance comment. I think Torres himself lost a lot of his romance with football because of Hicks and Gillette. He was one of the few LFC players to speak out publicly saying they needed new owners. He stayed to help the club sell and without the sale LFC could have faced administration. He was as loyal as he probably thinks he could have been after 3.5 years of promises unkept.

When he played at Real Madrid with LFC a few years ago, the RM fans were yelling "Torres es puta" the entire time until he scored. Then he showed them the back of his jersey and they shut up. The abuse he received in that game was crazy until RM got thumped. He's a big game player, that's why he always scored against Chelsea.

You're right but I also think the media expects Chelsea to make the player available especially after a move like this. CFC has been promoting it on their website. The media is gorging themselves on it. They/he couldn't hide away in a room until Sunday.

I understand that. I'm going to have to go back and read that entire article because isn't it the same one he said Roy should have been given more time? IMHO there was something just not kosher about it. But maybe that's me trying to put a positive spin on Torres who I've followed at Atleti and Spain. Interesting article from the Guardian from Torres about his Chelsea move. I'm curious about the 10-12 days before the closure of the window timeline. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/feb/05/fernando-torres-liverpool-chelsea He does seem like the baby faced assassin at times but there seems to be a very pragmatic, ambitious person under that. "I never kissed the Liverpool badge," he said. "I see some players do that one week after they join a club but the romance in football has gone. It's different now. People come and leave. When you join a club you want to do the best for yourself and for that club. That's all. Some people like to kiss the badge. I only want to score goals, do my job and achieve all the targets the team has. We share the same targets." "Torres said he had made it clear to John W Henry and Kenny Dalglish some "10 to 12 days" before the closure of the window, after Chelsea's initial £28m bid, that he wished to leave. "They were pushing really hard for me," he said. "I really wanted to leave Liverpool, so I told them straight. Everything was clear. It's about being fair and honest with everyone." "The new owner, John Henry, has the right ambition to get things back to what they were, but they need time. Maybe they will need the time while I'm at my best age to play football. I explained my situation to them, my feelings, and was honest and face to face. But when you have an opportunity to play for a team who have a chance of winning the Champions League and the Premier League, and you are the right age to do that and compete with the best, you can't say 'no'. To call me a 'traitor' makes no sense. I played three very good seasons there, and left them with massive money, scored lots of goals and put in good performances. I helped the sale process as well. But I have to think about my career, and this is a step forward."

Aquaman, I'm not picking a fight, more curious than anything. 1. Would it have been less disgraceful if they had burned a Spain Torres shirt? 2. Suarez does seem promising. Carroll not so sure. That seems like a lot of money for somebody with half a season of PL football. Time will tell. 3. The posts on RAWK and LFC's forum about Torres leaving have been something. At first I read them but I couldn't keep up. There's a post to never speak his name and then 5 more created about how awful he is. It seems LFC fans can't let it go. Why the level of hostility? Is it the timing only? One thing, the club seems so adamant about erasing him from the club's history. I agree he's moved on and so should the club. But what he did for the club in 3.5 years was not too shabby. Even Carragher who I didn't expect it from said he did a lot for the club when he was there.

http://www.thefootballramble.com/index.php/blog/entry/saintly-nando-will-be-chelseas-cold-eyed-killer Don't let that baby/pretty boy face fool you. You don't get to this level without having some major ambition and self-centeredness. If he didn't have ambition he'd still be at Atleti for God's sake. Reminds me of what Tim Howard said about Torres a few years ago. "I think he's been one of the top in the world. He's got speed, and he's got a great sense for the goal, which all great strikers have. The craziest thing about Torres is that as silky smooth as he is, he's a scrapper as well. When he gets in the box, it's like you don't think this flashy guy is going to get in there. And he sticks his feet in, he sticks his head in. He knows as he gets closer to the goal the importance of really fighting and battling. He seems to always hit the target, and he hits it with pace, which makes it really difficult for a goalkeeper."

The newbie voted 5.

It's going to be a zoo tomorrow at the press conference. The media are going to have a field day with every syllable he and Carlo say. My family has contributed to the shirt sales and helped recoup some of that signing fee. We're in the States so we're paying in US $. We've purchased the LS Green, LS Blue Home CL, SS Black Away CL. My daughter is extremely excited. Add this to the Drogba SS Black Away CL she already has. It's only $, right?

Can't be bothered to find the timeline but he passed the medical and then signed. The delay was LFC letting him leave Liverpool.

I've watched Torres for a long time at AM, LFC, and Spain. I'm a huge fan and here are my two cents worth: 1. He won't run around the field like a chicken with his head cut off. He's not that kind of player and never has been, never will be. If that's what you're expecting, you'll be disappointed. He likes to typically play off the shoulder of the last defender and make his move. 2. His touch can be horribly bad and in the next second sublimely ridiculous. 3. He can be a moody a## but he can also be an arrogant one. When he's arrogant is when he's at his best. It seems if you piss him off personally on the field that gets him going and he steps up. Sometimes he can be whiny but on the other hand he gets the crap kicked out of him on a regular basis with little protection from refs. 4. He gets up for the big games and plays well - Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester, Real Madrid, etc. He takes the challenge personally which makes him a great competitor. 5. He feels he can take multiple players on a time. Sometimes it's amazing and sometimes you want to know what the hell he was thinking. 6. Because there is Anelka, Drogba, Kalou, he doesn't have to play 90 minutes of every game no matter what. At LFC he probably played hurt more often than he should have. That combined with Spain commitments took their toll. He should be able to be rested and fit the second half of this season. With the summer off he should be a beast next season. He is not a perfect player but he is a great player. He knows where the goal is and has a great appetite to score. He's also happy if teammates score. I think CFC will be a good fit for him. He can contribute but he doesn't need to carry the team all the time, a la AM or LFC.

Great article about Fernando's loyalty. http://www.chelsea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=522055 What so many LFC "fans" seem to forget: 1. Torres was asked to stay during the summer to help the sale of the club. Everybody knew he added value to the club. Fernando could have left earlier but he stayed to help the club. 2. Torres was one of the few players to speak publicly saying there needed to be new owners and Hicks and Gillette were killing the club. I don't remember the two local boys stepping out and saying that or did I miss that? I love how LFC now wants to throw Torres under the bus and make this all about a greedy player with no loyalty. If he didn't care about the club he could have put in his transfer request last summer, in the beginning of January. He respected their wishes and waited and only when they left him no option did he turn in his request. Maybe if they'd been a little smarter they wouldn't have had to pay $35 million for Carroll. Go Chelsea!

I'm still looking. http://www.dailyindia.com/show/422339.php It appears LFC wanted the Suarez negotiations to finish before they addressed the Torres situation. So maybe it wasn't a last 3 day issue as portrayed by LFC. I'm still looking for the story.

Anybody else seen the stories that Torres was due a large loyalty bonus this summer and that CFC and LFC had been in discussions about a transfer for 2 weeks? twitter.com/bensmith_times (I know..... )

I think it will be a low-key celebration because of his relationship with Pepe and his respect for Liverpool (even if the LFC fans don't see it). After this game, all bets are off though. On the other hand, if they're kicking the you know what out of him all game, he might have to drop the ball at the feet of Carragher (if he plays). That alone makes me laugh because Carragher would lose it.

Thanks! A follower of Torres through AM and the Spanish team. Watched Liverpool when Torres played. Weird to see him in the blue but it's growing on me. A side comment - I understand why Liverpool fans are so angry he's gone because he is so great. If he wasn't it wouldn't matter. They realize what they're losing. I don't think they realize a window for a top striker (which Torres is!) doesn't last forever. He's not like Pepe who can play until his late thirties. His time is now and he can't wait forever for Liverpool to rebuild, reorganize, etc. He carried the load and expectations of AM on his young shoulders for a very long time. Then he did it again at Liverpool. At some point a winner wants to win, not just a big game or two, but champions. That's why they're winners.

That's probably the Liverpool team except maybe Carragher back in the lineup for Skrtel. If he is, except his helium voice to be yelling scouse nonsense at Fernando. Cole may be lucky to see the bench. He doesn't seem to figure in Dalglish's plans. Suarez is a good talent. Didn't think he was an out and out striker, unlike Fernando.