Everyone's gonna pay ...
'Cuz the Million Dollar Man ...
ALWAYS gets his way ...
nahahahahaha." -- Ted DiBiase's "Million Dollar Man" entry music circa 1988.
Some things that the $56 million dollars for Andy Carroll would also buy/pay for:
* The production budgets of "True Grit" and "Black Swan" combined.
* (Probably) the player salaries for every MLS franchise.
* Derek Jeter's latest contract with the New York Yankees.
* Roughly the amount the Boston Red Sox -- the new owners of Liverpool FC -- paid John Lackey, J.D. Drew, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Mike Cameron and Marco Scutaro in 2010.
* Johnny Depp's paycheck for the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie.
* The amount the District of Columbia expected to save in May by putting low-income adults on medicare.
* A whole lot of pudding.
As we take a deep breath on one of the craziest days in Premier League history, ... a merry-go-round that saw Fernando Torres leave Liverpool for Chelsea and Carroll move from Newcastle United to replace him, it's worth noting these massive transfer figures certainly catch the eye and make headlines, but if in the instance of Liverpool, if Fenway Sports Group wants to shell out all that cash for Carroll that's their prerogative.
Crazy? Sure. What other reaction is there to seeing Carroll sandwiched betwixt Zinedine Zidane and David Villa on the all-time transfer fee records?
Did Liverpool overpay for Carroll being a British player despite a minimal pedigree? Probably.
That's the system though.
Don't forget, either, Liverpool did happen to snare about $80 million on Roman Abramovich's(*) money selling of Torres to Chelsea to finance the move, as well as for Luis Suarez from Ajax.
(*) Not even David Stern could rig it so Chelsea and Liverpool meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Without starting to scream like Don Draper at Peggy Olsen, but that's what the money is, indeed, for. The numbers get high insanely high, but those figures shouldn't be the be-all, end-all story for today. Though all those zeroes tend to distract us, shouldn't we be more concerned by the sporting aspects of this crazy transfer merry-go-round today?
Storyline No. 1, Torres is a Blue -- It's going to take some time getting used to Torres in a Chelsea blue shirt, a lot of time, though not as much time as my Internet amigo, Ace Cowboy, who had to change his Twitter icon away from the ex-Liverpool striker.
As a result of this move Chelsea probably vaults Real Madrid as the go-to team of 99.8 percent of people playing "FIFA 11" online, since the lure of playing with Torres next to Didier Drogba is too irresistible for most mouth-breathing, joystick jockeys who prefer the numbers, rather than their individual skill do the work for them. Alas.
Though the move might work seamlessly in a video game, on the actual turf of Stamford Bridge ... we will see.
When Carlo Ancelotti took over last season at Chelsea, he dabbled with a 4-3-1-2 system, pairing off Drogba and Nic Anelka, with Frank Lampard and or Flourent Malouda behind them. It worked well enough, but Chelsea didn't really find its groove until it switched to more of a 4-3-3 with Malouda and Anelka flanking Drogba on the forward line, though perhaps that groove should be attributed to Malouda playing out of his mind at the start of 2010.
Naturally good players make a good system, but it's hard to see Torres or Drogba drifting that far away from the front of goal. Nor does Chelsea dropping to a flat 4-4-2-ish system, since it doesn't have a ton of wide midfielders, aside from Malouda. Perhaps Ancelotti dusts off his old, preferred AC Milan "Christmas Tree" with a triangle of Drogba/Torres and Malouda, backed by Lampard, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel.
Bigger picture thinking, Chelsea is likely looking at the 26-year-old Torres as the immediate successor to the 32-year-old Drogba, locking him up through 2016. There's no rule both must play side-by-side every game, like the would-be video gamer will do 100 percent of the time online. Any way Chelsea can ease the burden on the big Ivorian, the better it should prove.
Chelsea, too, must hope that Torres' two-plus seasons of start-stop play because of nagging injuries is over and the Spanish ace can help them rebuild more rapidly than the now-scrapped plan of replacing from within. Signing David Luiz for big bucks from Benfica right before the window closed, fully confirms this.
There is still some risk in this deal for Chelsea. With the amount of money the Blues are shelling out, they best hope they're getting the Torres from 2007-08 who bagged 33 goals in 46 games, not the shell of that player he's been of late. Though a report surfaced that Chelsea's finances are improved, if this move doesn't work, with the outlay of cash they splashed coupled with an aging squad ... it could, repeat could backfire.
Above all, a healthy, motivated Torres is a force, even if -- to embrace the pro wrestling tone that started this post -- he "sold out" to the evil force known as the n.W.o., err, Chelsea.(*) Guess it explains going away from the blond hair at the start of the season, a classic heel maneuver. Like LeBron James, though, doubt Torres has it in him to embrace the villain persona, which he has now fallen into, completely dissing Liverpool on his way out the door.
(*) Hey, whaddaya know, new reasons to revive my hatred of the Blues. Awesome.
Re-filling the Pool -- Bear in mind that I actually thought the Roy Hodgson/Joe Cole moves were a good move at Anfield. That said, pulling in Carroll and Suarez, even for the massive amount of money they outlaid was close to a slam dunk for Liverpool, especially on the day they lost club icon Torres. As a fan of the club you should be over the moon, since Henry et al parlayed the Torres windfall into three useful players.
For whatever the reason, Torres soured on Anfield, so trying to get back to the Champions League with an unhappy player didn't make sense. Trying to put the genie back into the bottle wasn't happening.
Coincidentally, as Torres moves to Chelsea and -- on paper -- makes the Blues more suited for 4-4-2, Monday's signings by Liverpool signal Kenny Dalglish might use more of a 4-3-3/4-5-1-ish type lineup.
It's a gamble, sure, spending all that money on Carroll -- a 22-year-old forward with 31 professional goals to his name and a wrap sheet almost as long as his ponytail. At 6-foot-3 and as physical as it gets, Carroll creates so much versatility up top for Liverpool either as the point of a trident, flanked by Suarez and, say, Dirk Kuyt, or he can isolate alone with a packed midfield behind him.
What the Carroll signing still doesn't address the Twinkee-like softness of the Liverpool defense, which can be addressed in the summer. The only way this becomes more of a problem is if the continued short-comings of Martin Skrtel drive Pepe Reina to become the next Spaniard out the door at Anfield, following Xabi Alonso, Rafa Benitez, Torres, et al.
If Liverpool wants to maximize Carroll's productivity, its management ought to convince Steven Gerrard to allow the Geordie forward to live with him -- assuming Carroll fancies the music of Phil Collins. It worked wonders with Kevin Nolan. Hard to see a scenario where Carroll and Gerrard don't mesh on the field.
Suarez, today, seems like an afterthought, but let's not forget he did lead all of Europe in scoring last season at Ajax. Granted, that is the Dutch League where you or I could conceivably score 10 goals -- your leading Eredivisie scorer right now is Belgian Bjorn Vleminckx -- but Suarez displayed his world class ability during the World Cup with Uruguay. Okay he did have that handball against Ghana and later bite a player while at Ajax, still, Suarez is the kind of savvy, sneaky player Liverpool has lacked for some time in front of goal. Sorry, David Ngog doesn't count.
A couple weeks ago, Liverpool stared at the brink with the ineffective Hodgson rubbing his face on the touchline, three points above relegation and Torres with one foot out the door. Flash forward to today and the club has replaced Hodson with Dalglish and Torres with Carroll ... without being stuck with Nic Anelka, either.
All-and-all, not a bad turn of events.
Consider too, if Torres has wanted out as long as he apparently has, he could've been sold during the Hicks/Gillette era, who no doubt would have pocketed the cash themselves instead of speading it on Carroll and Suarez, much like Mike Ashley will likely do at Newcastle, no doubt, cackling as he does it. Henry(*) and the new Boston-based owners at least invested it in the team, even if it means they'll have to pay for it with a new line of pink Liverpool hats.
(*) One thing on Henry and the Red Sox, for all their complaining about the Yankees, Boston still has the No. 2 payroll in baseball. They will spend money, as evidenced today. It's not a quaint mom-and-pop operation.
Villa The Younger -- (Paging Debbie Downer) Okay, as a fan of the U.S. National Team, in theory, I'm supposed to go gaga over every single little move or goal or what have you by an American player. Sorry, but I'm not good at faking enthusiasm, so apply that to today's Michael Bradley move to Aston Villa, which personally is getting the wait-and-see treatment.
It's very hard to have a different reaction to the move, outside of the basic it's a move to a better league with a more prestigious team, using the observational evidence that Stuart Holden succeeded at Bolton, Clint Dempsey is integral Fulham at so naturally Bradley will fit in perfectly at Villa Park, a move that seems like a natural career progression.
My very curbed enthusiasm boils down to my lack of faith in Gerard Houllier, who all of a sudden is reworking the Villa team on the fly with an open check book from Randy Lerner, which is odd since Martin O'Neill left in August -- in part -- due to a lack of transfer funds.
The big question is Bradley going to play at Villa?
Logic would dictate Jean II Makoun is in the mix, since Houllier bought him from Lyon for a couple million. So for Bradley to have a spot in the starting XI it means Stiliyan Petrov is on his way out, which is possible since the Bulgarian was a Martin O'Neill stalwart. There's also Villa youngsters Barry Bannan and Jonathon Hogg in the mix for central midfield roles. GrTo be fair, Bradley does seems like a player who would respond to fighting for a spot.
Gabby Agbonlahor could also get the squeeze, with Ashley Young moving into a withdrawn striker positive, with the Villa midfield looking like this: Albrighton -- Makoun -- Bradley -- Downing.
One thing to watch would be if Houllier gives Bradley a more offensive role. Bradley does have that knack for getting forward to finish off plays. From what I've seen of him he's almost a better shooter/tackler/disruptor than as a distributor/passer.
So long as Bradley plays, he should be okay. Let's hope he doesn't get frozen out by Houllier like Eric Lichaj apparently has been, though.
* Jozy Altidore made a late loan from Villareal to Bursaspor. Not to sound like a defective mp3 or a iPhone stuck on repeat, but this move all matters about playing time. This is his third loan away from the Yellow Submarine, in his third different league. Until Altidore starts to produce, well, what is there to say?
Big winners -- Without making a move, it was a great day for Manchester United and Arsenal, your first and second place teams in the EPL table.
For one, though neither side reinforced their strong sides, they also aren't going to have to readjust tactics midway through the season like traditional rivals Chelsea and Liverpool are. Chelsea, even with Torres and Luiz in the mix, are 10 points back of United, which is a lot to make up over 15 matches.
More importantly, outside of adding Edin Dzeko, Manchester City didn't break the bank, or replace Adam Johnson, diminishing their title chances this season.
Big loser -- Tottenham, as we saw in that 4-0 demolition at the hands of Fulham in the FA Cup on Sunday, needs some sort of lively injection, especially at forward. Apparently Harry Redknapp dialed up every breathing striker in Spain -- Rossi, Fabiano, Llorente, Forlan, Aguero -- only to be denied, which left him with a last minute bid for -- bafflingly enough -- Blackpool's Charlie Adam.
Spurs could make a run in the Champions League, but with Torres joining Chelsea, it's hard to see them registering another Top Four finish this season. The team is running a little low on gas, and the magic of Rafael van der Vaart is wearing off. Spurs needed someone, with Jermain Defoe out-of-form and Peter Crouch and Roman Pavluychenko the definition of unreliable.
One more thing -- For all the talk of increased parity in the Premier League this season, the flurry of moves today might pave the way for a re-established "Big Four," which with City in the mix is a "Big Five + Spurs." Other clubs made some sound moves in January, but not enough to keep pace with the big boys, who consolidated their positions.
Round 25 Picks:
Yes, there are games this week. Wait, you wanted more gossip instead of actual balls being kicked?
Tuesday:
* Arsenal v. Everton -- (Live, FSC, 2:45 p.m.) Can't argue with this tweet from today from @thefarmerjones, "And Everton are starting to look like the fucking Pirates." ... Arsenal 3, Everton 1
* Sunderland v. Chelsea -- (Live, FSC+, 3 p.m.) Usually this space is reserved for praising the low-budget transfer/loan moves of Steve Bruce, that said, is Sulley Muntari what Sunderland needed at this point? Another less-than-pacey central midfield plodder to go with Lee Cattermole, Steed Malbranque and Bolo Zenden? From an actual sporting standpoint, Sunderland did end Chelsea's approximately 4,301-game winning streak at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, too bad for the Black Cats their best player that day -- Danny Welbeck -- is injured. No idea what kind of XI Carlo Ancelotti fields for this match. ... Sunderland 1, Chelsea 1
* Manchester United v. Aston Villa -- (Live, ESPN2, 3 p.m.) Seems like a match where Chicharito -- a roughly $10 million signing by Sir Alex -- scored with his eyes closed and the ball bouncing off his butt. ... Manchester United 2, Aston Villa 1
* West Bromwich Albion v. Wigan Athletic -- Carlos Vela packs his backs to West Brom. Seems about right. Can't see him every cracking the Arsenal first XI anytime soon. Applause for Wigan, too, a whopping one move in January -- loaning out Mauro Boselli. Great job, Roberto Martinez! ... West Brom 3, Wigan 1
Wednesday
* Birmingham City v. Manchester City -- Feels like I've watched, or at least had the chance to watch, Birmingham City about 20 times in the last two weeks, which is on par with waking up, turning out USA and finding yourself knee deep in a marathon of "Boston Common" reruns. And now, Alex McLeish wrested the corpse of Obafemi Martins away from Rubin Kazan. He's not that bad, and was decent enough at Newcastle United, as it got relegated. Eight goals over the last two years? Not the kind of player to hang your hat one, though if he and Nikola Zigic and team up like Master Blaster, well, then maybe you've got yourself a player. ... Massively overshadowed by all the other news, but City -- even with its largess -- will dearly miss Adam Johnson, who always brought a little bit to the table when Roberto Mancini allowed him on the field. He's bailed out the club more than you think. His crossing and danger on the edges of the penalty area won't be replaced by the manic dribbling of Shaun Wright-Philips. ... Birmingham City 0, Manchester City 1
* Blackburn Rovers v. Tottenham -- When bringing back Roque Santa Cruz actually improves your team ... yep ... you're a winner and a loser. ... Blackburn 1, Spurs 1
* Blackpool v. West Ham United -- Andy Reid? Assuming he doesn't weight over 200 pounds, should help Blackpool. Craig Beattie? Umm, we've seen this show before. Quintuple that for Robbie Keane going to West Ham, the last act of a desperate club. ... Blackpool 3, West Ham 1
* Bolton v. Wolves -- Next. ... Bolton 2, Wolves 0
* Fulham v. Newcastle United -- Stephen Ireland and Joey Barton in the same squad??? The Magpies vault to the top of the teams that need a "Hard Knocks/24/7" show following them around and documenting the season. ... Fulham 2, Newcastle 1
* Liverpool v. Stoke City -- (Live, FSC, 3 p.m.) Lest we forget ... Liverpool are still 19 points out of first place. Maybe rash, bold decisions weren't such a poor stratagem after all. ... Liverpool 2, Stoke City 0
Last round(s): 6-7
Season: 101-132
Labels: andy carroll, Chelsea, English Premier League, EPL, EPL picks, fernando torres, Liverpool
I wouldn't have a problem with mercenary teams if they fully embraced the nWo thing and actually got people to hate them. How awesome would it be if Torres scores a goal against Liverpool and pulls his jersey up to show a "Liverpool sucks" shirt or something similar? I'm sure there's a Spanish equivalent for jabronie
A) Liverpool and the Red Sox are two unrelated enterprises/balance sheets/P&L's, what-have you, but
B) don't pull the same tired trope of "Red sox are still #2 payroll" in MLB. #2 doesn't mean anything when #1 is 50% greater payroll than #2. Yankees aren't just a 'little" ahead, they are in their own league.
Am a little surprised Liverpool made such aggressive moves in Jan when there was very little "value" (cue SAF), and not waiting for summer... what was the point? Placate fans? It's not like it's a smart long-term move or Carroll wouldn't have been available in the summer...
I never understand this: Why is a player leaving one team for another so mercenary and unfathomable to fans who aren't completely drunk.. Presumably the player CAME to your team from a smaller club because he wanted to play in a bigger league and have a shot at the Champions League. If part of that has faded - relegation or no hope for CL games any time in the next couple of seasons - doesn't the very same ambition that led the player TO you, now lead him away, towards another opportunity?
If I was a Liverpool fan, I'd be more concerned with WHY my team isn't in a better league position than why mean old Fernando is so darn mean.
You can only shout 'money grubbing mercenary' at Torres as he leaves if you also shout the very same words at Carroll and Suarez as they hold up their shiny new Liverpool jerseys.
That Carroll price might make sense for a new striker if he keeps the team up, but it is hard to fathom he is worth that much money. I guess it's like the $11 stadium beer, given the right circumstances and timing, even the craziest price seems like a good deal.
I think that NESV has said lots of SABR/Moneyball things, but then splashed the cash like crazy for players that don't seem to match the stated goals. Not a shock to see the same thing happening in Liverpool. Honestly, most teams do a lot of talking about how they are looking for value, or about how money is tight - usually right before they make an expensive deal. A team that doesn't talk down the size of their pocketbook gets raked over the coals like has been happening to Man City.
Don't understand Liverpool spending everything they got for Torres at once (although they may have virtually unlimited funds). They won't finish meaningfully higher with both Carroll and Suarez than without, so what's the rush?
Bradley is only on loan (with option to buy) to Villa from 'gladbach, so if he doesn't get as much time as he wants, it isn't a disaster. As both a US and Villa fan, hopefully he will and it benefits all parties (always a funny situation, exciting though). As for the center midfield, it's at least as crowded as you said, and maybe more. There's also Fabian Delph, who was purchased last year for around 8 million and Nigel Reo-Coker, who is out of contract in the summer but has been better of late. On the other hand, I think Bannan and especially Hogg will have a bit longer to wait for regular first team action with the restrengthening this window.
I think the rift between O'Neill and Lerner was more about the wage bill than the transfer budget. I know that Carew and Sidwell earned more than Darren Bent and Makoun are getting. Martin apparently didn't want to "sell-to-buy" with the wage bill, even though there are some shockingly average (charitable) or out-of-favor players earning above the odds - Beye, Sidwell, Warnock, Carew, etc.
Not sure what's happened with Lichaj. I think there was an alleged radio comment that Houllier made about him having a "nightmare", but I don't think it ever got confirmed. It was at perhaps the height of fan pressure against Houllier during a bad run of form, so I think it needs a grain of salt. Still, he isn't getting games, but Cuellar has worked his way back into the lineup at RB some and Ged also brought in Kyle Walker on loan from Spurs. Could be a roadblock.
-30f
I don't have a problem with Torres wanting to leave Liverpool. I'm shocked he didn't force a move last summer. The biggest problem in my opinion is that he DIDN'T force the move then and instead, he moped around for a half a season and then came out to force a transfer with 2 days left in the window, which led to Liverpool having to overpay at the last hour. Apparently there had been talks for a couple of weeks but the formal transfer request coming so late seemed odd. As unfortunate for Liverpool as it was, at least Mascherano just flat out said peace out and forced his way out instead of dragging it on for so long.
The "mercenary" hatred is directed towards Chelsea moreso than the players going there, I think (well at least for me). Just look at their net spend in January - buying the best available, regardless of how their team plays and who fits in where, to try to cover up their inefficiencies everywhere else.
My one thing with Torres, no sense dissing Liverpool on the way out the door. Yeah, the Reds are down, but are still a legendary club. Chelsea has never won the Champions League/European Cup, have they? He wasn't leaving Crawley Town.
Adam, I heard on the Guardian podcast that Chelsea knew they were going to pursue Torres all along, but waited until late in the window - possibly until after ManCity had made all their moves - to make their intentions known. If all that is true, Torres didn't put in a transfer request earlier because there was no place for him to leave to. If a player puts in a transfer request without having that ready-to-go landing spot, he risks alienating the fans of his current team if no move actually happens. Maybe Torres and his agent were orchestrating the whole thing, but it's not like he could make a move without a club willing to shell out the cash. Who knows when (or IF) Torres will ever look world class again, so I bet it isn't that bad for Liverpool, at least in the short run.
Cardillo - I agree that Torres' comments were a bit un-necessary, but the main reason they are rankling Liverpool fans so much is that they, umm, are mostly the truth. Are you really ripping Chelsea for having never won the European Cup? Are you suddenly a 64-year old British guy? Who cares what team won silverware in 1960-whatever?!?
Throughout the history of the game, the richest teams have been the ones who won. The 'big' squads have always had the most seats to sell and thus the most cash to spend all because of their past success so they ended up winning more and reinforcing their position at the top. As long as soccer related revenue was the biggest part of it, the same teams would always be atop the list. But now, with money from outside the game - oil, loans, chicken ranching - being such a huge factor the former fans of 'team with the most money wins' suddenly don't like the idea that 'money wins.'
Tradition is great fun, but it is also a crutch. Fans of newly rich teams like Chelsea or ManCity didn't 'do' anything to get their team suddenly buying up top talent. But fans of United or Pool under the age of 85 weren't around when their teams 'got rich' back in the day either. Current players want to get paid and play Champs League - the 'legendary' status can't mean much to a 25 year old.
Wow. 64-year-old Brit? That hurt.
True, tradition is a crutch, especially in the case of Liverpool, but still not crazy about the way Torres left.
Then again, to believe their is loyalty, etc. in soccer is naive on my behalf.
Wouldn't 'loyalty' have Torres still playing for Atletico Madrid?
Teams wouldn't ship out poorly performing players if they were 'loyal' either.
Tradition is like the class system - my value is who I *am* rather that what I do. That is why Dukes and Barons were obviously superior to the working man. Weren't they? Aren't they still? Probably some Leeds fan thinks his team is better than Arsenal because of some 'tradition' reasoning.
I agree that Torres absolutely could have given a better quote to Chelsea TV - *BUT* players walk a very fine line with this stuff. In The Fiver they give Carroll a hard time because he is TOO nice to the team he just left: "I didn't want to leave at all," Carroll blubbed to the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, in an interview that is sure to endear him to Liverpool fans who have been left wondering how confused their pet dogs will be if they start addressing them as Fido instead of Nando. "Make sure they know I didn't want to leave. I wasn't wanted by [Newcastle] and they made it clear they wanted the money."
Let's be honest, if one of your better players leaves your team, you're gonna be mad. We can rearrange the emotional deck chairs and tell ourselves we'd like it better if the said this or didn't say that on their way out the door. We can be frustrated that they didn't ask for a transfer in the right way or at the right time - but the point is we're mad that they wanted out. And in Torres's case, he wanted out mostly because Liverpool has slipped and THAT is the real galling thing to Pool fans. But they can't admit THAT to themselves, now can they?
Sorry I'm late to the party, but...
Adam - I'm sure that Torres had said for some time he wanted out, at least behind the scenes. The official transfer request was probably similar to Carroll's. A face-saving move by the club - "you really want out? Put in a formal request so we don't look like assholes." And with respect to the summer move thing, come on. You mean to tell me that if he had said, "You missed out on the Champions League so I'm peacing out" that Liverpool fans wouldn't have blasted him for not sticking with them in tough times? He waited it out to see if they'd bounce back, they sunk lower, and he decided he'd had enough. Even if they're straightening things out, the side they currently have has major problems and he wanted out. Now, I'm not sure that Chelsea is a massive upgrade, especially in the next few years with everyone getting older, but I can certainly understand his desire to try to win a Champions League title now.
While Chelsea spent a shit ton of money, let's not go crazy here saying they just bought players who don't fit. Luiz and Torres conceivably could slot into the starting XI (likely at the expense of Ivanovic/Alex and Anelka). But at the minimum they provide a quick transition option. They're expensive as shit, and Chelsea likely overspent to get the deals done, but given the uncertainty of how big $$ moves in the summer impact the new Fair Play Rules, they had to get this done.
Cardillo - I've admittedly skimmed a lot, but the comments he made were terribly overblown. "This is the target for every footballer, to try and play in one of the top level clubs in the world and I can do it now." What's he supposed to do, kiss up to the people who have already started burning his jerseys? That wouldn't be well received by his new fans, who hate Liverpool.
As for actual analysis - ecstatic about the Chelsea moves. Awesome early birthday present for me. I had to talk myself out of the Torres deal over the summer, as I thought there was no way it was happening. As for Liverpool, I think Suarez and Carroll are good signings (maybe not at those prices) but they should help. My only concern (and I haven't seen anyone voice this yet) - do they have too much crazy on that team now? When Steve Gerrard is the level-headed one in your attack that is bad news bears, man.
But isn't a major reason for Liverpool "slipping" the fact that their main striker and goal scorer was in piss poor form the entire first half of the season?
If you want to blame the system and Hodgson's tactics for his lack of goals, be my guest. But Torres was aware of that in the summer when the leading candidate to replace Rafa was Roy, right?
Of course Liverpool fans would be pissed if Torres wanted to leave but they'd be pissed no matter what the circumstances. It's a cop out from Torres to do it in January because he's essentially blaming everybody but himself for their dip in form. Surely if Torres has 10-12 goals in the first half of the season, their record wouldn't have been so bad.
The loyalty thing goes both ways. I didn't see a fans' revolt or protest over Torres' apathetic play - they were still behind him 100% and he sort of just gave up on them in the middle of the season. While it's true a player doesn't "owe" anything to fans, it would have been nice to see him try to make amends in the rest of the season instead of bailing now. It's not like Chelsea are favorites in Champions League at this point anyways.
Again, I don't fault Torres for having higher ambitions than challenging for a Europa League spot but honestly, it could have waited until the summer in my opinion. I suspect it'll work out for all parties involved in the long-term, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth at this point.
Adam, I would say that the 'slipping' started last season when Liverpool finished 7th. Certainly some of the blame for that Europa-esque finish goes to Torres' injuries and/or lack of drive - but it definitely did not start just this year.
A couple years back there were at least five big Spanish speaking figures at Liverpool. But Xabi Alonso, Masherano and Benitez all departed and Torres is left with a team that is much less successful AND now much less familiar as well. It isn't hard to imagine why he wanted out. I guess Torres could have hung out with Reina - but goalies are always a bit odd. My point here is that the moves Liverpool has made - even the ones they had to make (firing Rafa) could almost be seen, especially by a young and egotistical athlete, as pushing Torres out the door.
I'm not sure Carroll will be worth all that money but I bet Suarez does VERY well for Liverpool. Too bad they couldn't have spent some of the Torres windfall on a defender.
Yeah, I agree with all that. My post was mostly directed towards:
"He waited it out to see if they'd bounce back, they sunk lower, and he decided he'd had enough."