Why ’Pool have no right to cry betrayal
If any other club had signed Torres, it would have been perceived as a major coup, a signing of utmost significance, a statement of intent. But instead we are reading pieces littered with phrases such as a “desperate measure”, “betrayal”, “Torres’s true colours” and “classless”.
The hatred coming out of Merseyside, too, is just so utterly predictable, wholly pathetic and so totally Liverpool.
If Liverpool fans think that they should somehow be excused from the realities of the football market just because they are Liverpool, then they better wake up and quickly.
Torres was only at Liverpool just over three years — he was not a born-and-bred Scouser who was playing for his boyhood team; he never vowed to remain at the club forever. Like it or not, why would Liverpool’s over-exalted and fade to grey “history” mean anything to him?
The facts are that Liverpool haven’t won the league in 21 years and have gone through a difficult period recently. Fernando Torres felt he needed to move on. That is just football in the modern day I’m afraid. The fans have no right to feel betrayed. Steven Gerrard didn’t do it when he had the opportunity and his career has passed him by, fluke win in Istanbul notwithstanding.
So Liverpool fans have lost a player they adored — they’re bound to be upset — but is there any need for the hatred? I was gutted when Joe Cole joined Liverpool and although I couldn’t wish him well, nor did I infect every blog, forum and radio station with the kind of bile reserved for mass murderers — and for the record Chelsea was Cole’s boyhood club.
But enough of those wanting to diminish this signing. I’m delighted with the acquisition. Some will point to Torres’s recent injuries and claim he is a risky buy.
I will point you to his goal tally and state that as risks go, it’s not the flakiest one we’ve taken. All players are a risk. Will they settle in the city, will they get on with their team-mates, will the formation and style of play suit them, will they get injured? Players are a gamble and this is a good one.
Had the club invested modestly in the summer, then such major surgery may not have been needed, but really, who would ever turn down Torres?
City’s dalliance with the player had shown that there was a possibility of prising him away from Liverpool and £50m (€58m) was the price. Some may say that the cost was ridiculous, but transfer fees are ridiculous — you either accept it or not.
All this without even a mention of Luiz who is very highly regarded by a great many football aficionados. He is young and talented — the kind of player we need to be getting. Whether it’s all a little too late for this season I don’t know, but we must have improved our chances of fourth spot and possibly the Champions League.
One thing that was very evident as all the dealings were being completed on Monday night, was the high profile involvement of the likes of Ron Gourlay and Bruce Buck. Where were these two when things weren’t going so well? I saw Buck on Sky, Chelsea TV and heard him on Talk Sport and Radio 5 Live within half an hour of the Torres signing and Gourlay was the man in all the photos as Torres inked the deal. Where were they when Wilkins was sacked, or when Carlo was alienated? The fans have the measure of most people at Chelsea and they recognise Carlo as a humble and honest man. Hopefully these qualities will be evident to Torres and Luiz and will help them integrate quickly. Terry, Lampard, Drogba and the rest of the players will ensure that they are bought into the fold on a social level too as team spirit has been a pivotal element in successful Chelsea sides in recent years.
All in all a surprising and fruitful week for Chelsea and one that could be seminal in the rest of the season.
Never a dull moment in SW6. Stamford Bridge will be rocking on Sunday.
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