Tortilla9

I'll defer to those of you who know Chelse and McEachran more. I know this isn't Arsenal and Carlo isn't Wegner but didn't Cesc start playing first team at about the same age? Reading the match reports and googling, he seems to be quite a talent and it's not as if the middle is getting any younger. Maybe not every game but couldn't he play here or there? Could he do any worse than what happened Sunday?

Don't have to worry about Bieber fever although his hair looks like it's going that way. Supposedly he's a big rap fan. Torres needs to go back to blond, longer hair, and that band thing. That'll get the best out of him on the pitch.

Scousers were complaining when he was out hurt and wanting to know when he'd be back. Don't remember hearing anybody saying "let's keep him out a little longer so he can actually get healthy". There was no long term vision. Knee surgery in Jan then again in April. Rumors that Torres was very unhappy with the way LFC handled his injuries with H&G wanting him back out ASAP. He kept playing until CL finish wasn't possible. Supposedly Rafa wanted to give him a little more time so he would be healthy for the WC once CL qualification was out. The second half of last season was a disaster for LFC and all the players.

If you google Torres you come up with pages and pages of stories. From his press conference Friday you can tell he's not an ass and he'll answer questions. He's going to generate interest and eventually this will die down. Being in Spain right now they want their spin on it from him. If you read RAWK (I know) they're in meltdown right now because of what Pepe said in a radio interview in Spain about possibly leaving.

You guys are the English experts so I'll ask why does that happen? Shrek has 20 apps and 5 goals this season. Until this week he only had 3 goals and I think 2 were pks. Why is he given a pass? If that was Torres he'd be flogged by the media, psychoanalyzed by every two-bit pundit out there.... oh nvm, that's already happened. If a player is stinking they're stinking. I don't get why one gets a pass and another the firing squad. Is it because Torres is prettier than Shrek? Maybe there's a hidden jealousy of Torres use of hair products. The media is currently in a Kenny love-fest so until they lose again it'll be a Torres is a flop, Kenny is a genius spin. I have to laugh because if Rafa had sent a team out yesterday like Kenny did, even with a win, the press and fans would have been screaming for Rafa's head because that's not the Liverpool way. Supposedly it's not just about winning but playing a certain way. The hypocrisy of the media and LFC fans is something to behold.

Like watching him play, quick as can be, great with the ball at his feet.

Running like a headless chicken = work rate = effort = goals in the mind of many. Typical Torres game against Aston Villa last season. Played 90+ minutes, wasn't a real threat, 90+ minute, Benny squeezes the ball into him, he runs onto it, clinical finish, win 1-0. When will Benny be back?

I agree but I'm not even sure he knew where to offer himself to be honest. 3 days of practice with a new team with a manager trying to figure were to put him. I don't want to kiss the feet of Kenny but maybe he was right to keep the biter out of this game until he got his feet wet with the team more.

He's never been a major workhorse. You're not going to see him pressure pressure pressure. That's not usually his game. That's why Kuyt was good for him because he did a lot of the dirty work. Yes he was too respectful. Normally that elbow would have pissed him off, he would have been raging at the ref. TBF Liverpool closed him down immediately but they weren't too dirty about it. The game is over, he can now completely move on from Liverpool and look forward.

My daughter watched the game separately. She's a youth national team player and she watches every League out there and she knows more football than I ever will. She said the game was hard to watch with Liverpool packing 5 in the middle. She said it was boring football and she can't below that's how they played. She also said Torres looked lost like he didn't know where he was supposed to be or his teammates. Sounds about right.

One positive from the game, I won't be on the internet googling Chelsea, Torres, Drogba, or anything similar for a few days until the media hype dies down. I'll actually be productive for a few days. Somebody else said it - the result stinks but this game is out of the way. Torres can now move on from LFC, assimilate into CFC (minus the days away for Spain), and Carlo can figure out what to do with him and the middle. He is better than he showed today. That formation today will make him look like Sheva II.

Why is a LFC fan allowed to post on here? I only ask because a CFC fan would be drawn and quartered and never allowed to post on RAWK. Or any other non-koolaid drinking team for that matter.

I don't know the Chelsea team as well as most of you but my two cents for what it's worth: LFC had a lot of players behind the ball and were quick to counter-attack when given the opportunity and they're not a quick team to begin with. Steve Clarke's effect on the defense and Carragher's presence today were key to their organization in the back. Torres is not a wide player, he is a play at the top of the attack player. That is where he is most successful. Half the time I couldn't even tell where he was. Whenever he did have the ball he was quickly surrounded by red shirts. I think his first shot attempt might have been better served dropping it off to Drogba in hindsight. That's probably being aware of each other. I thought Lampard was non-existent for most of the game. The Chelsea middle seemed to be missing but maybe that's just me. The ball seemed to die at the midfield line without any forward momentum. I also didn't think Drogba played particularly well and I'm a big fan of his. Maybe it's too much to expect him and Torres to click right away. Like most of you I like Luiz a lot. He seems quick and very comfortable defending and bringing the ball forward. Think he's going to be huge.

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.