The 2011/12 Gary Speed Memorial Thread

[Christain#1]

Such a shame on Spurs. The champions League places are always hyped up and to achieve it and not get champions league football will sting. Hope that doesnt mean that Bale will bail so to speak.

[Cuthman]

I can see Torres returning to Spain for a couple of years. I think that will be very beneficial to him and he might be able to return to England refreshed and in much better form.

[Jimmy]

I'd have Torres at Spurs. Would never happen, but hey.

[EddieG]

I'll have him at Malaga.

[Dingle]

He played shit when he came on, kept giving the ball away. He was a great striker but he seems to be doing a Michael Owen with his career at the moment.

He isn't starting regularly so what do you expect? The only thing similar to the Owen situation is how drastic the goalscoring change was after his injury. Torres still has the perfect touch when he runs at defenders but just can't finish it off. Give him first team football with a good supporting cast and you'd continue to see his rise back to grace.

[Plubby]

I didn't think Torres had been all bad this season. Sure, when he was bad he was horrid - but he was usually at least a menace up front when he was on. Compare: Yaku-I DIDNT MEAN IT IM SORRY I MEANT CARROLL

[stokeriño]

As usual, any footballer's interview can only be interpreted by the papers as being said WITH INTENSE RAGE or WITH INTENSE WHINING. He hasn't had the season he would have liked, for all manner of reasons. We don't even have a manager confirmed for next season and with all the paper talk about us being interested in other strikers like Falcao it's only natural that Torres is feeling a bit uncertain and would like to discuss things with Buck (the only person he can really talk to in the absence of an appropriate manager) so that he doesn't have the doubt hanging over him all the way through Euro 2012. I would probably do the same in his position.

And I haven't heard/read the original Spanish (not that I even could ), but given past record on these translations it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of it was twisted around with the obvious agenda in mind.

In any case, Chelsea fans heart Torres and I doubt this will do anything to change that.

[Baddar]

I'll have him at Malaga.

This.

[Steeb]

Someone on the BBC comments actually made a good point, that with the players you are/potentially bringing in, you seem to be building more to a grounded game, which would suit Torres more as an incumbent for Drogba, with Marin, Mata, Ramires and potentially Hazard floating around in a three behind him. As great as Drogba is, he wants 2 years, and who knows if he can keep up at 35/36. He'd e brilliant to have as a bench weapon, but it's clearly not where he wants his career to go.

[therockbox]

Torres was always at his best for us when we had a team that pressed high up the pitch, and as a result turn over possession in the opponent's final third quite frequently. I think that's why he was so poor under Hodgson; we sat back and let teams come onto to us, so when Torres got the ball he was normally isolated and outnumbered by defenders. When Kenny came in Torres started to score goals again, and that coincided with the change back to more of what we'd done under Rafa which was to press and attack quickly and in numbers.

I think that ties in with the problems he's had at Chelsea, and partly why AVB failed as well, because he was trying to play the first style of football with a squad that had largely been built to defend deep and hit balls up to Drogba, who could then hold it up for the midfield runners.

[Crybaby Bunting]

Regarding the Liverpool managers job, surely it makes no sense to do the interview process with managers under contract.

Yes, it's great for reviewing unemployed applicants, but why risk fucking things up with your board? It doesn't matter if you manage Swansea or Real Madrid, if you try and get an interview with the hope of securing another job then you're going to lose a great deal of respect.

[therockbox]

It doesn't make a great deal of sense, but then FSG have managed to make a bollocks out of every appointment they've made so far so it wouldn't surprise me if this turns into a Wolves-esque farce as well.

[Colly]

But surely no one would turn down the opportunity to manage Liverpool, whatever the risk?

[therockbox]

Kieron Dyer has signed a new 1-year deal at QPR.

His agent is a genius.

[Matt]

His contract is going to be heavily based on a pay-as-you-play deal, I wouldn't have kept him on personally but I doubt he's going to be making a fortune out of this deal.

[Colly]

Wonder what four minutes gets you on a pay as you play deal?

[Matt]

One match fee

[Christain#1]

Kieron Dyer has signed a new 1-year deal at QPR.

His agent is a genius.

How does dyer keep getting these chances.

[Lineker]

Frank de Boer turns down the chancxe to talk to Liverpool.

[therockbox]

Most managers currently in jobs will (except Martinez, obviously, as Whelan will see it like a badge of honour). If they talk to us and don't get the job it puts them on completely the wrong foot with their own club.