Riera

[BillobShaisley]

Downing is ****ing ****e. He's even ****er whenever there's any pressure at all! Would be a huge failure and waste of our cash, steer well clear!

[danperkins]

your that gorgeous that you have to tell everyone you are

a tad insdecure?

we all were at your age boy .

dont worry when you get older you be a bit better

Thanks sweetheart

[Spanishfly]

Pires was free and he's only 37. Houlier got him though He'll earn a penalty or two late in the game.

[Cormack74]

when riera first arrived he stuck to stick to the touchline and offer good width. as time progressed he seemed to drift more and more inside and thus lost his effectiveness.

or thats how i remember it anyway

Me too, he definitely looked like he needed a bit of extra positional input from the manager as time went on.

I'd prefer it if he was still here though.

[saj]

Riera had massive feet.

[danperkins]

Riera had massive feet.

classic

[Icon]

BIG **** off shoes too..!

[Craig_H]

He's far better than Riera buddy.
Ok Downing's not world class, nowhere near it but proper wingers are a dying breed and Downing is one of the better ones.

As i say, i get the impression with Downing that he just needs more belief in himself but with a manager that really believes in him, you'd see Downing at his very best and when he's at his very best he'd be a great asset to any team.

He so isnt

[Rudo]

He so isnt

He's got more in it fella.

[Icon]

Did he play ice-hockey..?

And that's empty.

[CJ]

mrs b has riera feet then?

[Gibbo]

Difficult to say at this stage, as he hasnt yet tested himself outside of Le Championnat other than when he was a kid playing in Holland - but he's certainly an exciting player and he'd fetch big money if/when he leaves Lyon. He also has the added benefit of being a prolific goalscorer (for a winger), which (if he could reproduce it in a stronger league) would make him one of the top left wingers in the world.

Big if though. And you'd be forgiven for thinking he'd be more likely to 'make it' in La Liga, than he would in the PL.

If you were asking about transfer fee, i think he'd top £20m if he was to move.

From what I've seen of him he looks like a top talent, and I would be over the moon if we even looked at signing him, it does looks like a transfer to Madrid is written all over it if he decided to pack up and move though. I think he would be just the type of player we need to take us forward. Lyon paid 18m euro for him, and he has a couple of years left on his contract, so I agree with the fact we would be looking at big money to prise him away. But imo he is one of the best young wingers around, along with Mata
Reckon his left foot is better than Riise's too

[Lee]

I'd take him back instantly - good memories watching the clip below

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9W6DMIfHVA&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Albert Riera Compilation[/ame]

[Buzzo]

I'd take him back instantly - good memories watching the clip below

YouTube - Albert Riera Compilation

That last goal he scored against Villa... we were flying then. It was around the time we beat Real 4-0 and Utd 4-1. I was loving watching us... which I couldn't say I have said much over the last few years..!

[anfieldanfield]

Riera wasn't that bad. Better than the lumbering Eastern European bald bloke we brought in.