Downing

[Rudy Can't Fail]

If Redknapp is after a winger, Stewart's his man.

Thanks Mark  for a constructive suggestion. I am little bit annoyed that you are trying to "improve" our opposition but  may be you are a very kind hearted soul!

Well if you consider that the winger Redknapp is most interested in happens to be Ashley Young, the penny may drop. If you'd read the remaining part of my post, you would have seen it included a Downing - Keane swap and even though I am not keen on signing a 30 year old striker, his contribution to our cause over a season may be to our advantage. I would say that was pretty constructive.

Since losing Milner and with little to no chance of strengthening the midfield this window, we're going to have to have a team of lion hearts out there. The Newcastle game was the clearest example that our midfield are too soft and easily bullied. The are plenty of teams below us that will try and intimidate us in midfield, so the thought of a team containing Downing, Albrighton, Young and Ireland against the likes of Stoke, Bolton, Blackburn, the Rags etc sets the alarm bells ringing. We, like every other successful team, need to win the midfield battle first to allow our more talented players the opportunity to shine. At the moment, Downing is too much of a luxury and the only alternative is a return to hoof football, where we bypass the midfield completely and I think my opinion on that score are well documented on here.

Oh and yes, I am very much a kind hearted soul.. provided the Villa win.

[Clampy]

He was covering his full back well I thought. Didn't offer much going forward, but then we didn't as a side full stop really.

Am i right in thinking that the full back he was covering yesterday was Warnock, who gets caught out of position far too many times for my liking. Maybe that's the reson Kmac left him on.

[Risso]

Got it, he's the official pick on player for this season.

Cleary I'm off message but I thought had a reasonably good game today given the context that we were mostly giving a rearguard action.

Go on Chris, admit it, you wanted to say "scapegoat" didn't you?

It's nonsense, he's just poor.   You were one of the people bleating on about the benefit of a "full pre-season".  Well he's had one, and he's still a £12m waste of money.  Have you considered that one of the reasons it was such a rearguard action is that Downing may as well have not been on the pitch?

[Chris Smith]

Got it, he's the official pick on player for this season.

Cleary I'm off message but I thought had a reasonably good game today given the context that we were mostly giving a rearguard action.

Go on Chris, admit it, you wanted to say "scapegoat" didn't you?

It's nonsense, he's just poor.   You were one of the people bleating on about the benefit of a "full pre-season".  Well he's had one, and he's still a £12m waste of money.  Have you considered that one of the reasons it was such a rearguard action is that Downing may as well have not been on the pitch?

No he isn't poor and no I wasn't bleating.

[TimTheVillain]

One thing is true, no more blaming the lack of pre season as Risso said.

I didn't buy into that last season either mind.

I would have preferred Johnson to Downing.

[Irish villain]

Yesterday was a day when we needed players who are good when the other team have a lot of the ball. That's why Downing had a poor game, when we have lots of the ball he can play but he just isn't good in the tackle or in tracking back or even in providing an outlet to relieve pressure the way Ash, Albrighton and Carew did.

[supertom]

He always seems to be holding something back. Never seems to have the confidence to do what he should be doing with full conviction. In some ways like Heskey.

He's also a fanny, so defensively offers nothing.

He can't play in the middle, that's certain. We could carry him with two defensive midfielders but we don't have that. I also don't believe he'll ever be good enough to be a talisman for us. Where-as Ash or Ireland could run a game for us, Downing couldn't. That's why I can't see him in that 2nd striker role.

He is, has always been, and will only ever be, an okay winger. He's gonna have his uses, but the problem is, Martin O Neill went and foolishly paid 12 million pounds for him, whilst he still had a broken leg (if he'd been fit at the time, christ knows how much more he'd have cost).

[eastie]

Needs to be in the reserves a few games to get his form back- use reocoker and petrov with Ireland as attacking midfielder behind gabby , and ask and marc out wide.

A spell in the sticks might be just the best thing for downing right now.

[Russ aka Big Nose]

OK, the general consensus is that he can't tackle - so why do some then suggest he should get a game in the middle where that fundamental flaw would be even more exposed?

I might, just, be able to cope with his inability to tackle if when in possession he took people on, made a telling pass or managed to maintain the momentum in an attack or period of possession - but he can't do any of those things.

I don't like it when players get to be scapegoats, but way to often he is a passenger.

As a team we need to keep the ball better, win the ball back quickly in midfield when not in possession, and add invention and a few goals from midfield. Downing does none of those things for us (effectively) so must surely make way for someone who can.

Wrong thread, but being lazy - new captain should be Collins (my opinion before Everton game) and Carlos needs to be alongside him at centre-half until Dunne re-discovers the form he showed in the first half of last season.

[mozza]

Downing is clearly everyon'e least favourite player at the moment (understating the obvious)
apart from Davies&Beye

He's had a full pre-season under his belt and is presumably match fit-

His injury when O'Neill paid over the odds for him was not career threatening -

So where does that leave Stewart ?

Is he a confidence player - he scored on the opening day of the season and
hit the woodwork -

When things are going well for the team and we are winning Downing is
half decent, but when the chips are down and we need to battle he is a
passenger-

Squad player maybe but not in my starting line up 

[TheSandman]

His problem is inconsistency. No one says 'he is shit' when he has a good game rather oddly and he's had a few so he doesn't deserve to be called shit.

If he increases his confidence and consistency then he should play. As things stand he should not be as much of a guaranteed starter. For me Albrighton deserves a starting role ahead of him with Ash playing on the left.

[john e]

didnt think he was any good before we signed him, he's done nothing to change me of that oppinion,

i would say he is the worst of all MON signinings, for the money we payed, the money he's payed, and the value we will get back.

[Ger Regan]

i would say he is the worst of all MON signinings, for the money we payed, the money he's payed, and the value we will get back.

Curtis Davies? At least Downing has a bit of a reputation within the game, which would mean a reasonable offer being likely for him, rather than 2 / 3 million for davies.

[barrysleftfoot]

  Nice pass on him,good vision, good shot....lacks bottle i'm afaraid.

  Should be in the England set up, needs to grow a pair tbh.

[Phil from the upper holte]

I wasn't at the game yesterday nor did I watch as I was in Wales but I listened on radio 5 live and they hammered him, said he was completely useless. Kept calling him the anonymous Stewart Downing