Transfer Thoughts

I've been meaning to write about the transfer window for a little while but my cold got in the way, but nevermind I'm getting there now so (semi) regularity can resume. Obviously the main stories were Chelsea and Liverpool. I'll start with Chelsea. I think they've been ripped off. This is not just on the evidence of Sunday's less than stellar debut. Being ruthlessly honest Fernando Torres has been average for a long time. Very little in the past couple of years has indicated he is worth anywhere near £50m. When he first came to the Premier League granted he was good but he's stagnated in a big way. And we can't just blame this on the situation at Liverpool. The evidence is there elsewhere for all to see but people don't want to see it. The last two major tournaments he's played for Spain, he's been woeful. But Ruth, I hear you say what about scoring the winning goal in the final of the euros? That was literally the only useful thing he did the entire tournament so it really can't be taken as any sort of realistic sign. On top of being off the pace, he's really really sulky and petulant. Not someone I would be willing to gamble a large sum of money on. Speaking of which...Andy Carroll. Once again I hear you say but Ruth what about the hat tricks? the goal against Arsenal? They are all well and good but this is his first proper season in the premier league. And he's been injured for some it. And he's injured again. His fee is not justified either. There is simply not enough proof that he can produce the right kind of form consistently to justify the amount of money. And there's the questionable temparament question once again. He's a powder keg and the odds are on for him to cause trouble. One of the main reasons for the large fee is apparent though, he's english. Therefore he costs more. Thats how it works in our domestic game these days. How elese do you explain why he cost more than David Villa, an infinitely more skilfull player.
Another interesting issue was thrown up by the transfer window. What happens when a player you like from another team (not the one you support but one you like nonetheless) moves to a team you can't stand? This happened to me. I have a lot of affection for Everton. I like their squad and their plucky spirit. One of my favourite players at Everton was Steven Pienaar. I'm obsessed with the man. But the unthinkable happened. He went to Spurs. I'm gutted. And very confused. Obviously I still like him but I can't like the team he plays for under any circumstances. This is very difficult, I want to see him do good things but I don't want his team to do well. Ever.
And to finish just to say thank you to all the people everywhere who read this blog, especially those overseas (like the Japanese google users who linked to me through Stephane Lambiel!) I love checking my stats and seeing where my audience is from, so thanks everyone. If you have questions, comments or anything feel free to tweet me! There's a link on the main page and its moleyontheline.