I think you'd be very wrong about that.  He does features and comments for the Guardian and is a bit of a sarcie bar steward.  He is on the Football Weekly Pod from time to time.  I don't think I'd mention him in the same breath as Martin Samuel in terms of quality journalism!

 

He's pieces are entertaining rather than insightful... Always worth a read. 

I think you'd be very wrong about that. He does features and comments for the Guardian and is a bit of a sarcie bar steward. He is on the Football Weekly Pod from time to time. I don't think I'd mention him in the same breath as Martin Samuel in terms of quality journalism!

He's better than Samuel who is an awful sycophant.

Marina Hyde is good too.

They're all better than Henry winter who is seemingly in a loveless marriage with w**ky phrasing.

But then, at least he's not Oliver Holt.

Edited October 29, 201312 yr by g3.7

He's better than Samuel who is an awful sycophant.

Marina Hyde is good too.

They're all better than Henry winter who is seemingly in a loveless marriage with w**ky phrasing.

But then, at least he's not Oliver Holt.

Holts one man crusades to paint everything as racism is sickening at times.

So sick of this "will never be the center forward he was at liverpool" sh*t.

The striker he was at Liverpool had zero club medals, the striker he was at Liverpool failed to get CL football the season before he left.

Jfh used to score a sh*t load of goals and any one watching him on TV would go crazy about him but he was so flawed and to watch him live could be like pulling teeth.

i only care what he does in a blue shirt and medals he wins playing for us..

 

we could have won the champions league with jimmy if it wasn't for the tinkerman splitting up him and eidur

Holts one man crusades to paint everything as racism is sickening at times.

he's just a spineless populist with no wit, insight or conviction.

 

the hodgson thing the other week was awful- he immediately described it as racism, saw that no-one was with him and suddenly he's the author of a piece saying hodgson was not being racist!

 

how can anyone respect a person like that? he has no integrity whatsoever.

Michael Owen said on MOTD he thought Torres was now "angry" with "a point to prove". WRONG! He was angry before, now he's happy, and enjoying his football. JM makes people happy, that's his skill. Ask the tea ladies at Inter.

Michael Owen said on MOTD he thought Torres was now "angry" with "a point to prove". WRONG! He was angry before, now he's happy, and enjoying his football. JM makes people happy, that's his skill. Ask the tea ladies at Inter.

Huh?

I've been thinking a lot about Torres and Jose this week and have to post this.

 

WHAT A f**kING GREAT MANAGER WE'VE GOT!!!

 

Mourinho inherited a player that 99.9% of Chelsea fans thought had no future at the club, some were angry with him, most just resigned to the fact that it hadn't worked out for him with us and just wanting an end to the saga.

 

3 Months later and we have a player who has completely turned things on their head, a player who has been amongst our best performers this season, a player that the majority of fans want to be one of the first names on the team sheet.

 

Torres has to take massive credit for the way he has come back, lets be honest none of us thought he would become an average player again, let alone the player he is becoming! Let's hope that he can maintain this form.

 

Having said that Torres needs to take credit, so does Jose, what has Jose done that is so different to his predecessors? How has he motivated Torres? Only he knows, but whatever it was/is then it just goes to prove what we already know, he is not one from the bottle, he is  aspecial one!

Edited October 30, 201312 yr by shedpensioner

I've been thinking a lot about Torres and Jose this week and have to post this.

 

WHAT A f**kING GREAT MANAGER WE'VE GOT!!!

 

Mourinho inherited a player that 99.9% of Chelsea fans thought had no future at the club, some were angry with him, most just resigned to the fact that it hadn't worked out for him with us and just wanting an end to the saga.

 

3 Months later and we have a player who has completely turned things on their head, a player who has been amongst our best performers this season, a player that the majority of fans want to be one of the first names on the team sheet.

 

Torres has to take massive credit for the way he has come back, lets be honest none of us thought he would become an average player again, let alone the player he is becoming! Let's hope that he can maintain this form.

 

Having said that Torres needs to take credit, so does Jose, what has Jose done that is so different to his predecessors? How has he motivated Torres? Only he knows, but whatever it was/is then it just goes to prove what we already know, he is not one from the bottle, he is  aspecial one!

 

What will be truly impressive is if Torres can maintain the decent form over the course of the season.

 

If he manages around 15 goals in the league this season it will be comfortably his best season for us in the league. 

 

If he can manage that then whatever Jose is putting in his cereal, I want some of it.

Having said that Torres needs to take credit, so does Jose, what has Jose done that is so different to his predecessors? How has he motivated Torres? Only he knows, but whatever it was/is then it just goes to prove what we already know, he is not one from the bottle, he is  aspecial one!

First of all, and I know it's early in the season, but I can't believe how poorly Torres has looked from a physical point of view the last two years (also goes for Terry). I mean, that must be the effin' easiest thing in the world to make sure of. How can the club let a gobby turd like FSW come in and say that he's never seen Torres weaker physically? Bloody hell..

 

Secondly, as the article me and DB put out, maybe Torres needed to be asked not to play as "old Torres". Neither do we play as Dippersh*t (as Zola pointed out) nor hasn't Torres got that furious acceleration and pace anymore to play only on the shoulder of the defenders. Mourinho made it clear that Torres isn't a technically gifted player, so instead of trying to make him out to something he can't be, he went into the lab and created Fernando Torres v. 2 (much bulkier, a huge engine, more powerful and a very good acceleration over 5-10 meters). His new "role" is described here: http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/oct/28/chelsea-fernando-torres-jose-mourinho and here: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/28/premier-league-playback-headers-galore-torres-becomes-el-toro-avb-offends/

 

And lastly, as 54veteran pointed out, Nando doesn't seem to play with a massive chip on his shoulders anymore. He isn't extremely wasteful in possession (trying to run through five players just to prove himself) and he doesn't drift out to the flanks without purpose anymore. And it does seem like he's becoming a blue, at least he hates Tottenham :)

 

I know it's early, but Torres has now battled benching, injuries and suspensions and still made the same impact before and after, some of his performances truly dominant. Credit must go to Mourinho for being Super-Mourinho (getting Torres to play for him), the medical department who understands basic human physiology and training and of course Torres himself. I know Mou has been very praising of Nando's attitude towards training, and the only ones he has really praised for that (as far as I know) is Lampard and Cronaldo.

 

The signs are there, and whilst Fernando has had "false dawns", those have often come after poaching in a few goals, not completely running the show at the biggest stages over months. Long may it continue!

Edited October 30, 201312 yr by Ozztheboss

Huh?

 

It was a documentary I saw about JM's time at Inter. He apparently had time for everyone, right down to the canteen staff, who he would chat to on a regular basis. Not so much a messiah, more an all round good bloke.

What will be truly impressive is if Torres can maintain the decent form over the course of the season.

 

If he manages around 15 goals in the league this season it will be comfortably his best season for us in the league. 

 

If he can manage that then whatever Jose is putting in his cereal, I want some of it.

i had believe in JM in getting the best out of torres right from the start. backed el nino from 66/1 to be top score, he is now 33/1. i can really see him do it with so much of the season left and by what you have summarised.

This explains it!

Jose Mourinho is such a tactical master I get the feeling I could waltz into Cobham and he'd turn ME into a 20 goal a season striker.

 

*I'm a woman, by the way!

Jose Mourinho is such a tactical master I get the feeling I could waltz into Cobham and he'd turn ME into a 20 goal a season striker.

 

*I'm a woman, by the way!

 

 

I too would like to score with Jose! 

I too would like to score with Jose! 

Join the queue!

i had believe in JM in getting the best out of torres right from the start. backed el nino from 66/1 to be top score, he is now 33/1. i can really see him do it with so much of the season left and by what you have summarised.

That really would be something special! He is to far behind already. He would need a game where he got 4 or 5 goals to get back into it. I have got a tenner with my mate that he gets 15  prem goals though

He doesn't take take enough shots to be an EPL top scorer but he sure is a good shout for the club title.

That really would be something special! He is to far behind already. He would need a game where he got 4 or 5 goals to get back into it. I have got a tenner with my mate that he gets 15  prem goals though

Sadly I can't see him winning the Golden boot. He did score against City and it was a great goal but it was handed to him on a plate, and that was only his SECOND league goal of the entire year. Considering the league games he has played for Chelsea in the whole of 2013, that's actually pretty dire. It's a good job you can't fault his workrate. The only competition he seems to not be able to stop scoring goals in is in Europe. He had his best game in a blue shirt against both Spurs and City and were it not for that calamitious mistake from Hart, probably would not have scored one goal in either game.

 

Suarez, Sturridge, Van Persie, Rooney or Aguero will get the Golden Boot. Torres will get between 10-15 league goals though, for sure.

I too would like to score with Jose! 

He's a bit of alright, is our Portugese God.

He had his best game in a blue shirt against both Spurs and City and were it not for that calamitious mistake from Hart, probably would not have scored one goal in either game.

 

 

That's a slightly strange way to look at it.

In both games I would say there was a strong argument to say he was the most dangerous attacking player on the pitch for either team. The fact of the matter is he did score a goal and whilst it was a 'calamitous mistake' from heart it doesn't take away from the fact that he forced the errors and then more importantly still had the legs and composure to capitalise on them. It was exactly the sort of play you want to see from a striker for me.

 

On top of that he hit the bar in the same game after carving out a goal scoring oppertunity from nothing and his run past Cliche assisted Schurrle for our opening goal.

 

I personally don't think Torres will win the golden boot either however I wouldn't have used these two games as the basis of my argument; if he continues scoring 1 in 2 for the rest of the season turning in performances like that you won't find me complaining.

Put a tenner on Torres to score first tomorrow

Sadly I can't see him winning the Golden boot. He did score against City and it was a great goal but it was handed to him on a plate, and that was only his SECOND league goal of the entire year. Considering the league games he has played for Chelsea in the whole of 2013, that's actually pretty dire. It's a good job you can't fault his workrate. The only competition he seems to not be able to stop scoring goals in is in Europe. He had his best game in a blue shirt against both Spurs and City and were it not for that calamitious mistake from Hart, probably would not have scored one goal in either game.

 

Suarez, Sturridge, Van Persie, Rooney or Aguero will get the Golden Boot. Torres will get between 10-15 league goals though, for sure.

 

He has been playing well and helping the team for some time, but as a striker if you don't put in the goals in the league, critics will capitalise on that. Journos are good at cherry picking: ignore goals in Europe regardless of importance and quality of the opposition, talk in terms of goals/month when he has been injured or suspended, count games when he played few minutes or in the wing, etc.

 

Thankfully Mourinho has a strong personality and doesn't let journos make decisions for him or influence him.

 

He seems to have gained some pace and acceleration in comparison to his first season. He can actually beat defenders again. The team overall looks better physically, Terry especially.

Torres the Geordie slayer.

I hope.

That's a slightly strange way to look at it.

In both games I would say there was a strong argument to say he was the most dangerous attacking player on the pitch for either team. The fact of the matter is he did score a goal and whilst it was a 'calamitous mistake' from heart it doesn't take away from the fact that he forced the errors and then more importantly still had the legs and composure to capitalise on them. It was exactly the sort of play you want to see from a striker for me.

 

On top of that he hit the bar in the same game after carving out a goal scoring oppertunity from nothing and his run past Cliche assisted Schurrle for our opening goal.

 

I personally don't think Torres will win the golden boot either however I wouldn't have used these two games as the basis of my argument; if he continues scoring 1 in 2 for the rest of the season turning in performances like that you won't find me complaining.

Not really. I was just stating a fact. I'm not putting him down or belittling his performances in those games in any way whatsoever, he was outstanding in both games. However, were it not for that mistake by Hart, he would not have got a goal in either of those two games where he played out of his skin. I say this not because I have anything against him, I don't at all, I love the guy, I say it because it's true. He didn't force Hart to make that mistake at all. Hart is just an idiot. Thankfully though that worked in our favour that time around.