Well the first transfer out of the club in this January window was Ryan Babel who went to Hoffenheim in Germany for a fee of about €6million. Babel was always a frustrating player at Liverpool, when he was on the bench we all called for his introduction as the unknown quantity full to the brim with Speed, Skill and a ferocious drive, but more often than not his impact made little difference. In his first season he put in some mouth watering displays that had everybody thoroughly believing we had a superstar in our hands but unfortunately he never kicked on from there. In fact you could make the argument that he actually regressed as a footballer following this purple patch rather than building on it. I still think Ryan is a quality footballer and he still has the potential to be a very good player, it’s just that he needs to be treated a certain way. He needs to be given top billing and play every week. He might just get that at Hoffenheim but he never would at Liverpool where rotation is now accepted as a necessity, as it is by most clubs who play so many games each season
Ryan was also famous for being a twit-ter, the Howard Webb in the Utd shirt shenanigans ensured this, and although this gained him a lot of bad press it was never anything more than a bit of fun. It was naive and silly of course but I think a lot of Liverpool fans enjoyed it, I know I certainly did mainly because it was just good to see a player react in a similar way to how fans do. Another (less publicised) result of Ryan’s Twitter antics, was this goodbye message he posted just as the details of Torres’ duplicity began to emerge:
“Yeah the football world is sometimes a very strange world !!!
A player who don't play a lot complains and wanna leave but the club don't let the player go
A player who plays every game and is important and very loved at the club wants to leave and get the permission to leave
But that's why we love football,
There is no other club then Liverpool with the anthem " YNWA " !!! #Beautiful
But hey I'm gonna dedicate a few tweets to some lfc fans
Wanna thank ALL of you fans but the ones in particular who believed in me and supported me all those years..
Its definitely a shame it didn't worked out for me and the club, but that's how it is sometimes..
I was blessed to work with one of the greatest football players and I learned a lot
I learn to love the lfc way, the city, the people and I made lots of friends in Liverpool
I learn to love the lfc way, the city, the people and I made lots of friends in Liverpool
And thanks for still following me on here .. #YNWA”
I thought I would print it here for anyone who isn't on twitter as it was a good reminder after witnessing Torres’ actions that it is possible to leave a club on good terms and wish your old club well without getting on the wrong side of your new fore this transfer window opened I never thought there would be a point when I would be wishing Torres could be more like Ryan Babel but there you go.
Then came a transfer which we had feared happening but never truly believed that it would. Our hero, the player we put our faith in, the player we loved and understood like no other and who said he loved us back suddenly let it be known that he wanted to leave. Not only that though he wanted to go to Chelsea, a club with values and history which are the very opposite to what Liverpool hold dear. Over the next few days the level of Torres’ deceit became clear, he had been discussing the move since July and his heart had left Anfield then, as evidenced by his performances on the pitch. When it happened it was so hard to take, I found myself going through the 5 stages of grief, something people usually associate with having their heart broken:
1. Denial – “No way it’s just paper talk, the anti-Liverpool media trying to destabilise us.”
2. Anger – “Well if he wants to go F*CK him”
3. Bargaining – “Well he could still change his mind, it would just take an apology”
4. Depression – “That’s it, were finished. We may as well just write the season off”
5. Acceptance – “Actually, maybe we’ll be alright these new lads could work out even better than he did.
The thing about it is it wasn’t even just the fact that we were losing Torres the player, the very fact that he wanted to leave hurt in itself. Upon signing for Chelsea he threw a few thinly veiled insults at the Liverpool supporters, which were simply uncalled for and was the final act in the dismantling of his reputation. It ensured that he will never be remembered at Liverpool for his phenomenal skill, blistering speed, outstanding goal ratio or beautiful goals. He will be revered amongst Liverpool fans for the pain he caused, as a comedy villain. Closer in reputation to El Hadji Diouf than Robbie Fowler.
Once emotions are put to the side, and the mask has been removed we can stop remembering Torres as the player he was two years ago and suddenly see him as he has the player he really has been for the last year or more, the sulking, injury prone, lazy version of a world class player. Sure he has shown his quality at certain points but never anything to compare to that first season. It’s with that in mind that we must be pleased to have received €50million. I still feel he could come to regret his decision but of course I am biased. It’s still a gamble though, he has ruined his reputation and tainted his character in the eyes of many. If it turns out that he does not win the medals he so desires it will all have been for nothing.
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