The Daily Antoine: 30th Jan 2011 – Liverpool F.C. News update

If you missed it, I was on JuiceFM. This is what I had to say about the whole Torres saga.

Suarez talks about the Anfield allure more…
(Come on lad make yourself a hero)

Chelsea are preparing a new Torres bid more…
(NO)

And they will have to pay £50 million to get Torres more…
(They will not pay that)

Tommy Smith tells Chelsea where they can stick it  more…
(Good one Tommy)

And Ian St John tells Torres that Chelsea are going down more…
(Yep sinking ship)

Charlie Adam’s father calls Blackpool ‘cheap-skates’ for rejecting our bid more…
(YOU TELL THEM)

A Liverpool fan was stabbed on Wednesday night more…
(Get well soon)

Danny Murphy has signed a new contract with Fulham more…
(Good luck)

And finally according to the Mail Spurs are after Llorente more…
(We should get him if Torres leaves)

On Twitter @empireofthekop

How many goals will it take for Chelsea to forget the past?

I know the subject of Torres wanted move to Chelsea has been beat to death. It is so old now and there is so much said about it. Trust me; I would like nothing better than to write about Luis Suarez, new signings, games, and fans. Everything else has been over shadowed by Torres’ request to leave. That and the lack of any new news today has me dwelling over Nando’s change of heart.

This got me thinking, what do Chelsea fans think of the transfer talk? Torres has had multiple run-ins with Chelsea players in the past three years. The most memorable in my mind is at Torres’ Anfield debut. Fernando ran into Terry on two occasions prompting John Terry to confront the Spaniard. He was obviously not saying nice words to Torres, but he was fresh of the plane from Madrid and did not understand much English. Of course Torres got the jist of it and there were a few harsh words said on the field.

Torres has also not had a good history with Chelsea fans. He accidentally celebrated a goal in front of them, and from there it has been down hill. They have been almost worse than Manchester United fans at singing degrading songs about him and being openly critical of him.

There has been a lot of talk about if Liverpool fans can forgive Torres if he ends up staying. But if he does leave, can Chelsea fans forget the past he has had with them? Maybe if he gets enough goals they can forget anything.

So Torres wants to leave…

Fine. But he should leave on the club’s terms, not his.

I’d like him to stay and I think he should. But I’d prefer to talk about the players who want to be at Liverpool rather than the ones who are jumping ship.

First there’s Gerrard. He has run the show at Liverpool for ten years. Whenever we have gone through slumps in form he has took games by the scruff of the neck and changed things with his feet on the pitch, not by walking away.

Then there’s Carragher. For years he was treated as a utility player whilst others were preferred ahead of him. Did he complain? No. He played right back, left back, centre back; he probably would have taken on the role of goalkeeper had he been asked to.

And both players have had their loyalty rewarded with numerous medals including the Champion’s League.
But it’s not just players who have come through the ranks at the club who have shown loyalty. There are players who have joined more recently who have been just as loyal.

Reina, for example, hasn’t used our poor performances to sulk. When Stevie and Jamie eventually step down, he is the natural person to take over as captain. His leadership qualities have been demonstrated countless times. He has inspired team huddles, encouraged players to have confidence and generally played with the passion that any Liverpool player should.

And even Lucas. Although he’s not everyone’s cup of tea he has gradually improved and turned in many solid displays, particularly over the last year. Again, the lad has never complained about his position in the team, neither when he was starting games on the bench, nor when he was slated and his performances were being compared unfavourably with those of the excellent Alonso. He just kept working away, glad of the chance to be a part of the club, and slowly he’s started to win the fans over.

Even now, with only an outside chance of qualifying for next year’s Champion’s League, players are showing that they would love the opportunity to play for Liverpool.

Both Suarez and Adam pleaded with their clubs to let them join us.

This was particularly positive in the case of Suarez as he was already challenging for a league title with Ajax yet he was still excited by the prospect of playing for us.

No player should ever become bigger than Liverpool Football Club, no matter how good they are. Because for every player who runs around the pitch with a scowl on his face, for every player who isn’t happy and for every player who hands in a transfer request, there are many more who would give anything to be at our club.

We Are Liverpool FC and We Will Walk On

Like any fan of football/soccer the January transfer window is greatly feared and very much so exciting. We all fear that our favourite player is going to be sold or request a transfer to a new club. We are also excited for the fresh talents that will come to our clubs. Today was an emotional roller coaster for every Liverpool FC fan because of this. The day started out with Chelsea making a bid for £35 million for Fernando Torres. The club immediately shut this down saying ‘Torres is not for sale’. This was a breath of fresh air for every fan. They thought a nightmare had been avoided. Then the fantastic news that LFC had up-ed their bid for Luis Suarez and Ajax had accepted and talks with the player began. This again was great news for every Koppite. They had finally gotten a world class striker to partner with Torres up front. The rumours that Fernando wanted to leave continued throughout the day, but fans were too elated to can and just brushed them off as silly rumours. After all, not two weeks ago Torres stated that he was going to finish his contract with Liverpool FC and he was loyal to the club and fans. However, LFC later confirmed the news that Fernando Torres had put in a transfer request. When I saw this I immediately wanted to see what everyone else was saying about this. Being a lifelong fan of Liverpool, I personally felt gutted and went through a vast amount of emotions in a matter of minutes. The fan comments are about as diverse as my feelings.

The majority of comments were pure hurt and disappointment. Many fans stayed loyal to him and felt betrayed by this news:

“Fernando… you are not serious… haven’t believed a word of this all day. Guess it was true. What happened to him? Absolutely devastated.” Jellies

“This hurts, I think my heart is broken I was lucky enough to meet him when I was in Liverpool it was the happiest day of my life. I never thought that a day were we break our transfer record is a depressing day” Aidan91

“You have let us down Fernando. Well done for ruining a great day for all LFC fans…” WeNYaN

“TORRES YOU SAID “YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE” HOW COULD YOU DO THIS… HOW CAN WE PROGRESS WITHOUT YOU!!!” LFChampion

“Seriously Nando? Now? And to Chelsea?! This really hurts. Just a few weeks ago you said you always commit to your contracts? I feel betrayed. Lies all along I guess… :-( I can’t bear to see him in a blue shirt” jzkg123

Many supporters turned their hurt into anger at Torres for his disloyalty to the club:

“Come on Fernando honour your contract and us fans, we adore you more than any other club could ever, you want world class, well Suarez is world class, think of the way you, Gerrard and Suarez can play 2gether, wait till at least summer, if your still not happy then leave but not now, not 2 Chelsea either, if you really love LFC you wouldn’t move 2 Chelsea or united!!!!!!” craigtyper

“Rage is setting in. Absolutely SHOCKIN!!!! I can’t understand it. It must be another Rooney like move, agents no doubt behind it. This will be tough to accept and forgive” yzee                                                                       “so much for “honoring” your contract “squatman

Others questioned his motives or reasons for the transfer request:

“Could have waited until the summer, bad timing on his part. A) Just signed decent support for him, B) New manager, C) New owners. His best time here is to come, but see ya!” Brutality

“Why Nando why? We don’t deserve this. But there ain’t anyone bigger than the club.” releaze

I even found one brave commenter who is sticking by Torres though everything:

“Can’t believe how quickly some of you are turning on Torres, he is an absolute legend and a quality player.. would be gutting to see him go!” woodylfc94

There were also some who made harsh, but comical comments about Chelsea:

“hope Abromavich goes bankrupt” updareds9

“Hope John Terry enjoys your wife!!!!” boyle85

The most painful comments to read were the ones reminiscing about happier days with Torres:

“‘Again he proved he was a red Torres, Torres He put the transfer talks to bed Torres, Torres He told King Kenny where he stands, He loves the club and he loves the fans Fernando Torres Liverpool’s number 9.’ ;(” Sabia1
“Thanks for the memories Fernando…” kura2008

“What have you done with your armband, Fernando?” Offense

Through all these variety of comments there was a common theme: no one player is bigger than Liverpool. Although this news is gutting to many fans, including myself, we need to remember that Liverpool has a great history and great fans that are loyal beyond belief. It will be hard even if he is to stay at Liverpool because he has taken the thing that fan cherish most in a Red, loyalty to the club. But Fernando has not left yet, and we need to support him while he is still wearing our badge. Even after, we need to wish him luck in the future. If he does leave, don’t give up on the club. We need to keep in mind that Liverpool was Liverpool long before Fernando Torres and it will still be Liverpool long after he is gone. We have a fantastic new striker who will hopefully help us out, and we will always prevail through the hard times. Just listen to the lyrics of You’ll Never Walk Alone. ‘Walk on through wind Walk on through the rain And YOU’LL NEVER WALK  ALONE’.

With or without Unfairnando

Hello Reds,

Like you, since yesterday’s night, i’m plenty of feelings about the case “Torres”. Feelings which put us in trouble.

Quick back on early facts:
1.Thursday’s evening: we learned that Chelsea have made a bid on Torres. Immediatly refused by the club which has made an official statement “he’s not for sale”.
2.Yesterday’s evening: Torres made a request to leave to Chelsea. Request refused by the club the same night, and again a statement in which Torres is asking to honour his contract.

Now, since i started to write this article, i’m (and we are) waiting anxiously for what will happen. While we would have prefered to celebrate Suarez incoming…

Will Nando stay? Will he leave? Key answer is: does he WANT to stay?

We are Liverpool FC. With all that it means. WE (players, owners, manager, supporter) only need unity.
As supporters, we are absolutely unique. Because of our values, our way of supporting, our passion we love to share. We live, we remember, we feel and we make history of the club e-v-e-r-y day.
And we don’t deserved unfair way of Fernando Torres.
We always backed him, as we loved him since his first steps on the pitch. In hard moments, we always supported him, and sometimes more than any other player.

Now two simple solutions:

1.He decides to leave, finally.
I say “finally” because, only words we read has been made by his agent. Except his request, Fernando didn’t speak. In hours coming, Kenny will see Fernando and speak with him. This moment is surely (for us) the key moment of Nando’s future. He will surely see officials of the club too.
So if he wants to leave, then, we must sell him immediatly.

Any supporters would understand his choice: Chelsea has nothing more than us. And it’s true to say that they are attractive only because of the money.

2.He stays:
What a strange feeling after his request. It would mean that Kenny has had right words to convinced him that now, the club is on the right way. That Roy is past, that Hicks and Gillets are past. That we have new owners, who seem to be determinate to bring back glory days. That we have a manager who is big part of Liverpool history’s of success. That, even if the season as badly started, we have still something to do: fight for top 4 position finish and winning Europa Ligue.
And that, a new story has now really started with Kenny as manager.

Only Torres will choose. Only Kenny, supporters, team mates and direction of the clubs can convince him to stay.

But for my part i want to say one thing about the nando’s case.
He wants to leave, fact. But not anywhere: to Chelsea !
And if he does, it will break my admiration for this player. When you play for LFC, you know that it’s an emotionnal atmosphere around you. LFC is a family. You can’t go anywhere when you leave. Man Utd and Everton are absolutely prohibited destinations. For my part, I add Chelsea: because of it’s a big rival. And not a family too. It’s club of rich mercenaries.
As an ex-Atletico player, he can’t go to Real. But in fact, if he leaves us, i would prefer he leaves england.

But if he stays, we will surely need time to apologize Torres. And it’s not sure that we will. We can, maybe we could: everybody can make mistake. If he recognize it and ask for us to apologize, we could apologize. But after that, he has to show an extraordinary comitment to the club. An extraordinary wish to be a part of our future. And an extraordinary fighting spirit…

Have we apologized Gerrard? Not really sure: as supporter i appreciate clean players like Carragher, Reina, Kuyt, and their wonderful commitment.

So Nando, if you stay, you’ll to be really Red after. Because supporters will never forget. And nothing is bigger than the club.

POLL : If Torres has a change of heart & stays, will you forgive him?

As rumours float around that Stevie and Kenny are trying to convince Nando to change his mind, how do you feel about it? Will you forgive him if he stays?