Former Anfield favourite slams "diabolical" Torres
Torres branded "diabolical"
Fernando Torres was branded "diabolical" and accused of lacking interest in an amazing blast from TV pundit Jamie Redknapp.
As Liverpool's talisman struggled to regain his scoring touch in a dismal stalemate at St Andrews, former Anfield favourite Redknapp slammed Torres's performance in an astonishing onslaught.
Torres scored twice for World Cup holders Spain against the full might of Liechtenstein last week, but he boarded the team coach escorted by three security guards and with a face like thunder after drawing another blank for Liverpool yesterday.
Sky Sports analyst Redknapp panned Torres, who made little headway against Birmingham defenders Roger Johnson and Scott Dann, saying: "Fans will suffer to a certain extent when you give the ball away, but they won't suffer a lack of effort.
"Out there for 45 minutes today he (Torres) has been terrible. He hasn't got hold of the ball, he hasn't chased, he's got frustrated, he could have been booked, he's been diabolical.
"I'm his biggest fan, and of course you have to give Johnson and Dann credit, but he's shown no appetite for the game. He's looked frustrated, sloppy, lethargic. I know people talk about his rustiness, but he looked fed-up."
Redknapp went on to write off Liverpool's title chances, adding: "It's completely unrealistic to think Liverpool can win the title. They are in a difficult moment and they need a couple of stars."
Kop manager Roy Hodgson emphatically rejected Redknapp's criticism of Torres - who has scored once this season for Liverpool, the winner against West Bromwich Albion last month.
Hodgson hit back: "I don't share that opinion - Fernando is working hard for the team and, as we saw towards the end of the game, he is a constant thorn in the side of defenders.
"We must give Birmingham due credit for sticking close to him, but we know he missed matches at the end of last year, he missed matches at the World Cup and I'm not at all concerned about him.
"He will get better and better as the season goes on and I believe we should be discussing whether it's a good season in May, not at the beginning of September.
"The longer the game went on, the stronger he looked and the more likely he looked to score - having said that, it would have been harsh on Birmingham if we had stolen a 1-0 victory."
Only a couple of world-class saves from Pepe Reina denied the Blues all the points, but City manager Alex McLeish was proud of his team's display. He said: "All we lacked was the killer touch, but our performance level was fantastic.
"We restricted Liverpool to hardly any chances, and I would like to believe it was a case of Torres finding our defenders hard to play against."
Birmingham have now gone 17 matches unbeaten at home in the Premier League - and have not lost against Liverpool in their last seven meetings.
