Stewart Downing - West Hahahaham player

[Oberon]

We bought from watching MOTD. Adams, Drowning and Carroll

Do you really believe that?

I know I've edited the rest of your quote but...

[Mostar]

Get Mostar in

[Mattshark]

I think Comolli bought Downing, Carroll, and Henderson..
Dalglish just agreed..

I serious doubt that

[Mostar]

I serious doubt that

Pretty sure Daglish acknowledged right after Comolli was sacked that he was responsible for those purchases.

[red g]

Do you really believe that?

I know I've edited the rest of your quote but...

Of course not or we would have bought Pederson as well
I am not sure what thought went into those purchases though other than 'they had a good season'

Adams and Downing had shown nothing but being bang average throughout there career and Carroll has hardly sparkled either.

[el matador]

i would not give up on downing just yet.

lets see how he adjusts in training and my guess is that once rodgers sees him he will want to keep him. works hard, gets back, gets balls into the box and technically very good. what he needs is a clearly defined role and a manager that will give him confidence.

[el matador]

Pretty sure Daglish acknowledged right after Comolli was sacked that he was responsible for those purchases.

yes he did.

[SB]

i would not give up on downing just yet.

lets see how he adjusts in training and my guess is that once rodgers sees him he will want to keep him. works hard, gets back, gets balls into the box and technically very good. what he needs is a clearly defined role and a manager that will give him confidence.

I have serious doubts about his chances of making it with us but I'd be happy if BR wants to give him a go instead of just accepting a big financial loss like we would take.

[dww]

i would not give up on downing just yet.

lets see how he adjusts in training and my guess is that once rodgers sees him he will want to keep him. works hard, gets back, gets balls into the box and technically very good. what he needs is a clearly defined role and a manager that will give him confidence.

I'm not sure about this - I generally agree he is not a bad player technically but he doesn't have the mental toughness or a single outstanding characteristic that might make it worth persevering.

I do wonder if someone at the club wants players from previous regime out - as seemed to happen when Purslow got rid of Insua and was looking to sell Lucas.

[kop-al-74]

Yep. It blows my mind. £20m for him FFS. An absolute ****ing calamity and can be ranked up there with Konchesky, Poulsen & Carroll as absolutely blatant calamities from the minute they were first linked. How someone like Kenny couldn't see this blows my mind.

Yea but to be fair to kenny,he had signed carroll and then looked for someone to provide him.....downing had a great season for villa with 8 goals and 9 assists.....downing let him down big time....everyone looked at carroll....until we signed him he was one of the hottest propertys with potential in world football. The critism is that torres put us in a very difficult position and we panicked by paying way over the odds for carroll.....if we had paid around 15m plus appearance and performance based add ons,that would have been good business.

Torres screwed us but there should have been people at the top able to take control....maybe even a loan signing until the end of the season and in the summer get someone top draw.

Ahhhhh,hindsight!

[red g]

I'm not sure about this - I generally agree he is not a bad player technically but he doesn't have the mental toughness or a single outstanding characteristic that might make it worth persevering.

I do wonder if someone at the club wants players from previous regime out - as seemed to happen when Purslow got rid of Insua and was looking to sell Lucas.

I dont rate Downing, but if you can endure 3mins of this, you see he does pop up all over the place and is a constant threat. Instead of the lily livered sheister who plays for us.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfH7OCYCXaM"]Stewart Downing - YouTube[/ame]

[Exiled_red]

I think the problem is that it's a very different game playing for one of the big clubs rather than one of the smaller clubs. Teams play against us in a solid way men behind the ball and denying us time and space on the ball. For someone like Downing who has played at Villa and Boro all his career playing this way takes alot of getting used to. We as a club need to take things like this into account when signing players rather than just thinking 'he's played in the Premiership before he'll be fine". The whole idea that signing players with Premiership experience who have done well elsewhere and they will come in and do well for us is a myth, but it doesn't seem to be something we've picked up on given our long list of failures in the transfer market in recent years.

[Mostar]

I'm not sure about this - I generally agree he is not a bad player technically but he doesn't have the mental toughness or a single outstanding characteristic that might make it worth persevering.

I do wonder if someone at the club wants players from previous regime out - as seemed to happen when Purslow got rid of Insua and was looking to sell Lucas.

By far Kenny's worst signing last year at so many different levels.

Him and Adam I'd sell without any hesitation and at a loss so be it.

[Tee]

By far Kenny's worst signing last year at so many different levels.

Him and Adam I'd sell without any hesitation and at a loss so be it.

Definitely. And I am glad you said Kennys signing because I do not believe for a second that he was a Comolli signing.

[peekay]

From ynwa.tv

Heard the one about Downing to Stoke for £9m, but they won't match his £80k pw wages, or QPR on loan who will match his wages?