Ireland. Has there ever been a less committed player?

[ROBBO]

I am probably the only Villa fan who feels a bit sorry for him.

He's been shunted out of a club he loved to join a club he didn't want to join, only to end up playing for a Manager he wasn't aware he would be playing for who then says he's a lazy bastard.

Motivationally inept that comment from Houllier.

He's the type of player who'll join Fulham for £6 million and come back to haunt us.

Agree with this, how quick we are to rubbish players, how many wanted Downing sold las year? he was Citys best player for many years so we know he can play, why not give him enough time to get used to the change and settle in at Villa Park before writing him off.

[VillaAlways]

Yeah sorry what's this about a bailout?

I think he means Ireland the country

[Toronto Villa]

I'm struggling to feel sorry for him to be honest. He's in a good situation at a very good football club with a good management team, fellow players and one of the best owners around. He's getting paid very well, and it's not like Birmingham is on the other side of the planet as it relates geographically to Manchester. He can still go back home once in a while to see friends and family.

He has a job to do. He is a professional football player and in life things don't always go your way. Many of us "regular folk" change jobs, lose jobs or get relocated. It's quite common. He needs to find a way to fight through his personal difficulties because the dark cloud hanging over him isn't going anywhere. It's down to him to return to the form that made him one of the best young PL players just 2 years ago. People can help him get to the door, but only he can step through it. If he wants to.

[Nirog72]

I'm concerned that he has never recovered from the death and then resurrection of his grandmothers. Such a shock would put most people off their game.

[PaulWinch again]

Yeah sorry what's this about a bailout?

I think he means Ireland the country

Ah of course!

[AV82EC]

I was at the game today and it was probably his best game for us and he was still completely ineffectual.  Where are the lug burstinmg box to box runs we used to see at Citeh? All we got todasy was few fancy flicks some nice touches with bugger all end prodcut.  If he'd actually bothered to get beyond Gabby, he may have pulled Nelson and Samba out of position who probably had the easiest game they've had all season.

[TimTheVillain]

Too early to write him off.

GH / GM - get his mind right, motivate him, make him feel part of the club - get him playing like he can, liek we all want him to play.

I get the impression he's getting crap treatment by the club at the moment.

[hawkeye]

He played virtually no football last season, he didnt want to come to Villa, he is a bit strange aparently;-(i) the problem now is that he is only playing because we have no one else and you cant expect the manager to trust him again any time soon.

[pauliewalnuts]

Too early to write him off.

GH / GM - get his mind right, motivate him, make him feel part of the club - get him playing like he can, liek we all want him to play.

I get the impression he's getting crap treatment by the club at the moment.

Based on what, though? Houllier's whinge about him the other week?

I'm sure he didn't enjoy reading it, but he's a professional footballer picking up 4 million pounds or so a year for doing what he does. I don't think we should be writing him off just yet, and it is early days, but it'd be nice to think a salary outlay of that level at least gets you a pair of bollocks.

[hawkeye]

The article about how GH dealt with Paul Ince gives you a clue as to how he will deal with Ireland,

[TheSandman]

No way was Downing that bad last season.

I'd say he deserves time but it's not quite like Downing's problem (fitness, settling down) it's metal and it doesn't seem rectifiable.

[Bald Eagle]

No way was Downing that bad last season.

I'd say he deserves time but it's not quite like Downing's problem (fitness, settling down) it's metal and it doesn't seem rectifiable.

I blame AC/DC.

[Bald Eagle]

I'd say he deserves time but it's not quite like Downing's problem (fitness, settling down) it's metal and it doesn't seem rectifiable.

He's certainly not worth his weight in gold at the moment, he needs to show a lot more steel or he'll zinc like a stone.

Or a lead balloon.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'd say he deserves time but it's not quite like Downing's problem (fitness, settling down) it's metal and it doesn't seem rectifiable.

He's certainly not worth his weight in gold at the moment, he needs to show a lot more steel or he'll zinc like a stone.

Or a lead balloon.

*applause*

[Karl Bridges]

The whole dead gran story was because his partner suffered a miscarriage and he didn't handle the situation very well but it must have been tough on him to make him do that. It seemed like Ashley Young  wouldn't pass to him in the game today even when he was in loads of space. I hope he can get his shit together but he needs to do it quickly because it seems like he has lost a lot of support.