[quote author=Ryan link=topic=39651.msg1082679#msg1082679 date=1270512585]
[quote author=ibromurph link=topic=39651.msg1082676#msg1082676 date=1270512224]
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=39651.msg1082670#msg1082670 date=1270512005]
[quote author=ibromurph link=topic=39651.msg1082667#msg1082667 date=1270511863]
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=39651.msg1082662#msg1082662 date=1270511328]
I'll ask it again - why is his 'performance' being ignored by everyone?
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Torres is a player that can play poorly for 89minutes, and then last minute, explode into action and win the game. You know this. But you're trying to justify Rafa's substitution of him as a warranted substitution because he was playing poorly, which in my opinion is desperate.
I've seen enough of Torres to know, he would have had a far better chance of scoring a goal if he was on the pitch than N'Gog. It may have been totally different chances that fell his way, but i'd put more money on him scoring from them, that's for sure.
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Hahaha, so tell me - why did all the chances fall to N'Gog when he was on the pithc, but none to Torres when he was there for twice as long?
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Simple. Not only were Birmingham tired and stretched, but because, we did what we ALWAYS do under Rafa. Attack in the final 20minutes of a game when we're desperate for a goal. It just so happened that N'Gog was on the pitch in those 20minutes. Maxi had a couple of chances late on, as did Babel.. we created nothing as a team in the first half.. not just Fernando.
You know this already Ryan but you're just trying to defend the indefensible here.
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DEFEND THE INDEFENSIBLE.
I'll tell you what fucks me off here Murph. It's people using hypotheticals and "he would have's" to 'prove' their point.
"If Torres was on, he'd have scored one of those chances" - Fucking arse. Pure hypotheitcal.
Here's one for ten - Why didn't any chances fall to him? I'll tell you why.
Because he did fuck all. Absolutely fuck all. He didn't work, didn't hold the ball up, didn'ty show for it, gave up every single time he lost it, and mopped around for 60 minutes. At some point, enough is enough. That sort of bullshit offering cannot be excused by a fucking hypothetical.
N'gog comes on works his arse off and creates or gets into space for a handful of chances. Soemthing Torres couldn't be arsed doing for the previous hour. Fuck. That.
This has got nothing to do with being pro or anit-Rafa, my disgust is aimed purely at the 'effort' the Spanirad put in, and people seemingly now making excuses for him. Do you think Mourinho would have stood for that? Cos he didn't when Joe Cole offered up similar shit on the pitch. He dragged him at half-time at home to Spurs in a match they were winning and destroyed his lack of effort in the post-game press conference.
This has nothing to do with Rafa, and everything to do with a primadonna performance from someone who sould know better.
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I don't agree with the "would have's" either. It's not as simple as that, clearly.
But I just don't think hooking him off was the right decision given his history of putting sh*te 80minute performances, only to explode and win us the game late on. I've seen it time and again with Torres and whilst I'd agree that something needs to be done about it (look on a previous Nando thread, i've mentioned his whinging and diving before), I just don't thinking yesterday was the game to make an example of his poor performance.
If Rafa had been doing that from the start of the season (and had a better forward to sub Torres for) then I doubt we'd have seen such a poor 1st half display against the Brum. But if we're being honest, most of our attacking players were poor in the first half anyway, so why take off Nando? and why do you single out his poor performance? Why not Kuyt? or Yossi? I don't remember either doing much of note. But to take off our best goalscorer (by a distance) in a favour of a rookie forward was a poor decision in the end.
Whilst I don't rate N'Gog yet, admittedly, he did do well when he came on. He got into the positions to score but just didn't have enough quality to finish the chances that fell his way.