Off Topic Euro 2012

[Jayze]

Worst possible result for Ireland. Really need to win now.

[samhardy]

Beauty of a start for Ireland.

Dylan and Patrick: HOW DO YOU FEEL?

[Dec]

Croatia are showing how class they are, they is a massive gulf in quality and the way Croatia are playing shows this. It is tactical or anything but just down to the players on the pitch.

[Ollie]

Poor poor keeping from Given. COYC!!!

[Ashez]

I love the Croatia, they've got some right classy players

[Chelsea8]

YEAH! 1-1, ST LEDGER!

[Dec]

Well worked free kick from Ireland and that has always been their strength. Unsure if that whistle put off a defender though, but I can see Croatia still winning this if the game pans out.

[Ollie]

Was debatable free-kick tbh.

Although Croatia are getting there defence sorted now breaking down Irelands attacks easily

[Dec]

Very surprised that Ireland were so poor in discipline at that free kick and is has cost them.

[Lewiitom]

2 - 1 Croatia - was it a good goal? I'm just listening on the radio?

[Ollie]

Jelavic!!! Classy striker and a classy goal. He is too good to be Croatian and at Everton.

[Lewiitom]

3-1

[samhardy]

[Kier Brook]

3-1 now to Croatia. Header bounces off post and hits Given and rolls into the Ireland goal. Unlucky

[United58]

Poor game for us, massive mistake not to bring McLean on, mission impossible it seems to qualify. Long and Walters were much better than keane and Doyle.

[Ashez]

Do you think any players have caught the eyes of Premier league teams as yet?

[United58]

Don't think so, maybe lewandowski?

[Chelsea8]

I'm not ruling Ireland out yet, I think they can still do it...

[United58]

We need a gargantuan effort to even get a point off the others, who are better than Croatia

I thought pavlyochenko was decent as well

[Ollie]

Considering the performances of both teams, Croatia's third goal was a Given.

The only teams that I have seen comfortable playing so far have been Russia and Croatia

[United58]

Torres was useless today, hope the "romance is dead" line haunts him until he retires. It's not all about the money, you know, you could be making history with Spain if you left England like you said you would

:L

[Ollie]

TBH Patrick, I would like to see you play football in one of the best leagues in the world and for probably the best footballing country in the world.

[United58]

Torres said he'd leave England if he ever left Liverpool as his body was struggling in the PL. Then he joined Chelsea and said the romance is dead in football. Now injuries have caught up with him and he'll never be the same again.

Also, if I had the training he had and I was on £200,000 a week I'd probably be doing better, as most people would

[Ollie]

His body was struggling in the PL because he was a lone striker 95% of the time for Liverpool and they relied heavily on him to get the goals. So being the only striker to get the goals would have a huge toll on your body. That is why he said if he left Liverpool he would leave England.

Since his move to Chelsea he is having to change from one style of play to another to adapt to not being used as often. Be it he hasn't had the best of seasons but since RDM took to managing Chelsea he gave Torres the support he needed and since then his style of play is going back to what it once was.

If that is the case, I challenge to make your way up to playing Premier League standard football and do what he is doing. You can say you can do better if you had the training and wage. But will you really be better?

[United58]

He was born with a lot of natural talent that 99% of us simply don't have, if we had it and his resources those of us who are willing to work hard would do much better than him - he doesn't work as much as other players.

If he wanted to do well he'd have joined yoga or something.

The stats don't lie; at Liverpool he scored in 63% of games, at Chelsea 15%. His performances also dipped in 2010 for Liverpool and Spain - the beginning of the end. He's 28 now and I simply can't see him ever justifying the £50m pricetag. Some people can handle the pressure of a big move - Wayne, Drogba - others can't

[Ollie]

I highly doubt he was born with 'natural talent'. Im pretty sure he would have worked at his talent from when he was able to walk and take an interest in football. And if anything if you watch him play, he works just as much as any other player especially in recent months for Chelsea when his work rate and ball play has offered more to the team than most others.

Yes he has a higher scoring percentage for Liverpool than for Chelsea but that might be because he was at Liverpool for 3 and a half years compared to a year and a half at Chelsea. So a difference in games played and time spent at a club may have an affect on the stats.

Footballers usually reach there peak late 20s early 30s so at 28 once he has found his form again he will be back to his old self scoring for fun.

As for the comment of a big move. He seemingly handled it from At. Madrid to Liverpool for a fee of £20million at the age of 23, 24. Or is that not a big move to you?

[United58]

Not to a club as big as Chelsea. Im probably wrong in saying that a big move is his problem at chelsea. He's simply getting older. Think of Michael Owen, adriano or robbie fowler; he peaks early, then injuries kick in in mid twenties and he's never the same.

Also he was the fastest foreigner to ever reach 50 goals in the pl, so saying that the games for Chelsea are at the start mattered makes no sense. In fact, he'd be used to the pl and playing for a better team so he should be scoring more!

I'm pretty sure it would have been harder for him to adapt from Madrid to Liverpool, moving leagues as well, than from Liverpool to Chelsea, so it actually makes sense that he should find it easier at Chelsea than Liverpool.

He admitted himself that the injuries were getting worse as he was in England and he said he would leave if he did move, although money turned out to be a greater attraction to him than football. Good night.

[Ashez]

I've seen Torres play countless times and part of me thinks he'll come back to the Anfield Torres but i just don't see that sparkle anymore which makes me doubt it.

He went down hill fast at Liverpool and we didn't sell you the Torres we signed, by the time he moved to you he was partly washed up, struggling for form due to injuries etc.

Since his move he has nose dived though and i feel its down to Gerrards absence, Gerrard made Torres what he was and Chelsea playing a different system isn't showing the Torres you hoped to sign.

You've tried to use Mata in the Gerrard role of the partnership but it didn't really click, his performances off the ball have been good especially once AVB left and in time he could adjust his style to suit Chelsea.

If he turns it around it'll be a massive struggle since he's had many false dawns in a Chelsea shirt (and in a Liverpool shirt in his final season) that its going to take alot for him to come back.

His career is on a knife edge atm, unless he hits the ground running i could see him leaving for Spain in January or this summer if another big name striker joins (asuming Hulk happens).

I love Torres and i hope he turns it around as much as i hope he fails (if that makes sense lol)

[rayjayokocha]

I knew this would happen after watching Panorama Clicky link.

Hope Russia get punished for it!

[United58]

Welbecks been good, young played a world class ball to Milner. Harts been poor, lescott got a fine goal