SSN: "Downing won't commit to Villa"

[Phil from the upper holte]

The game we lost was Stoke away

Statto statto

[Dr Butler]

The game we lost was Stoke away

Statto statto

should of won that game too, you anorak

[Rigadon]

The media has now decided that we've 'set the price at £19m'.  I really don't think they know how much we're willing to sell for, but it won't be less than Henderson.  If I'm wrong and we sell for anything less than £20m - £25m I will have serious doubts as to whether Randy Lerner has anything but quickly recouping his investment in mind.

Liverpool fans claiming that the Henderson deal is ok because he's young and has potential are deluded.  They have paid well over the odds for a totally unproven kid and another as yet untested to any great degree centre forward.  If you go on proven ability, Downing should be worth more than Carroll.  If potential and re-sale value are so important, would a 27 year old world class player like Tevez be worth less than Henderson because he's only 20?  Would he bollocks.  One-eyed nonsense.  Common sense tells you that Downing isn't worth £25 million, but in the current premier league market he IS worth that at least. 

Agree with the other posters, some good news is long over due. 

[Rick_avfc]

Liverpool fans are really starting to do my head in!  How can they say that £15m for downing is a fair price?  They're the ones who started the high spending on "potentials" like Henderson and Carroll.  Downing, IMO, is proven in the PL - not the best but definately worth £20m in todays transfer market.  Also, rumour has it that they agreed a £9m fee for Adam and he is in the last yr of his contract.  Downing still has 2 years left and they valur him at £15m?  Pathetic!
Hope Henderson and Carroll flop.  it will be interesting to see what the fans will say about King Kenny!

Also just want to reiterate that Downing is a wanker! The end!

[john e]

Liverpool are my tip for a bad season, by that i mean outside the top four,
if they sign Downing for anything over 15 mill i will laugh my bollocks of and get down the bookies to lump on.
never in nearly 40 years of watching Villa have i seen a more overated player than Downing, he will be a total flop up at Anfield, and i will enjoy every minuet of it

for what its worth , i do rate Carroll though, even though he's young and unproven i just get a good feeling about him becoming a quality centre forward, injuries permiting

[Rick_avfc]

for what its worth , i do rate Carroll though, even though he's young and unproven i just get a good feeling about him becoming a quality centre forward, injuries permiting

And if he can stay out of jail the big thug!

[john e]

for what its worth , i do rate Carroll though, even though he's young and unproven i just get a good feeling about him becoming a quality centre forward, injuries permiting

And if he can stay out of jail the big thug!

True

[JJ-AV]

Joe Cole is shite.

Then again so is McLeish.

[timeoutbigbar]

The media has now decided that we've 'set the price at £19m'.  I really don't think they know how much we're willing to sell for, but it won't be less than Henderson.  If I'm wrong and we sell for anything less than £20m - £25m I will have serious doubts as to whether Randy Lerner has anything but quickly recouping his investment in mind.

Liverpool fans claiming that the Henderson deal is ok because he's young and has potential are deluded.  They have paid well over the odds for a totally unproven kid and another as yet untested to any great degree centre forward.  If you go on proven ability, Downing should be worth more than Carroll.  If potential and re-sale value are so important, would a 27 year old world class player like Tevez be worth less than Henderson because he's only 20?  Would he bollocks.  One-eyed nonsense.  Common sense tells you that Downing isn't worth £25 million, but in the current premier league market he IS worth that at least. 

Agree with the other posters, some good news is long over due. 

Agree.  If Henderson is worth £20m and he's only 20, and they first offered £12m for Downing at 27, Messi is 24, so why don't they put in a cheeky £15m bid for him aswell.  All this Downing nonsense has just reminded me how much I hate those fecking scousers. 

[Clampy]

Regarding Downing, after thinking about it today and reading on here, i've got one foot in Greg's 'let's get as much as we can and get rid' camp and the other foot in Paulie's 'we need to stop selling our best players' argument. There's a case for both.

Like i said last night, we should only sell if the money is right and if we get a decent enough replacement in. If we don't get both, then he goes nowhere. 

[themossman]

Probably been stuck on elsewhere but this is on the end of the Adam story on BBC website:

Liverpool had a £15m bid for England winger Stewart Downing rejected by Premier League rivals Aston Villa on Tuesday.

And while reports suggest Villa are holding out for £20m, BBC Sport understands the club do not want to lose Downing at any price.

Seems the most likely scenario to me. McLeish and the club want to hang onto him, unless stupid money is offered, and SSN are making shit up (again). Liverpool know he wants away so are taking the piss with offers to test our nerve. If you look at it from McLeish's perspective this is either a nice PR "win" early doors or will pile further shit on him, so I'd be surprised if he wasn't strongly resisting this.

[Rigadon]

Another thing about Downing, would, after a lengthy and public flirtation with Liverpool, Downing be booed at the first opportunity?  I think he would and I don't think he'd have the character to overcome it

[themossman]

He became our player of the season after getting called a poofter by most of his own fans in the early days so I don't think his resilience is in doubt. Just his loyalty.

Also - bearing in mind his age and the fact that his next move will be the last big one, plus his position on the fringes of England, he would be taking one huge gamble if he loses interest on the pitch because he doesn't get the move he wants.

[mal]

We never do decent business. When we sold Yorke to the Redscum the press was full of 'overvalued at £12M' when it was clear he was worth £20M. They would never have won their treble without him. Milosevic went for peanuts and then was traded on at a huge profit. Hitlesperger went for nothing, Barry for small change to the richest club in the world, Young at well below half his market value. At least we got something for Milner. Downing will probably go for less than any rational valuation. Mind you I think he's violently overrated and blunts us as an attacking force, but what do I know. Providing he isn't replaced with Joe Cole I shan't be sorry to see him go.

[pauliewalnuts]

Another thing about Downing, would, after a lengthy and public flirtation with Liverpool, Downing be booed at the first opportunity?  I think he would and I don't think he'd have the character to overcome it

Has he flirted with them openly, though?

He's hardly sunk to the levels that shit heap Barry did with that cringemaking "please let me achieve my dreams" front page Evening Mail article.