SSN: "Downing won't commit to Villa"

[WA Villan]

The trick is not to get wrapped up on the who is bigger than who game. When a new season starts I am always optimistic. As far as I'm concerned we've always been the best, even in the 3rd Division, to losing to ManUre in the league cup. It's a fact of life Win or Lose we are the best, because since I've been 7 I have supported Villa, and I'm now 50, and were still the best, always will be Win or Lose.

[eastie]

Trophies is one of many criteria Billy, arsenal and man utd in 1990 who still huge clubs as you know only too well , like I say this is 2011 , in 1911 we were the número UNO of English football but sadly no more.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Back on downing has anyone any idea about this inter Milan Kenyan winger we have been linked with as a replacement at £2.5m according to reports in Italy.

Managed to find this, i've translated it as best I can

Allan outsize Wanga (born November 26, 1985 in Kisumu) is a Kenyan footballer, currently playing for Inter Milan. He is making much goodness as a Winger. Oh how he dreams of playing in the Europa League for the Azerbaijani first division club Baku FC could it be we are aborted, dreams can come true say Gabrielle.
 
Tasting very sour after No, No, No, you don't love me and I know with a work permit. Now loaned to Vietnamese side Hoang Anh Gia Lai Love you long time for a season.

[LeeB]

I think eastie has been possessed by the evil retarded spirit of future dead Jim White.

That's just piss funny.

[Handsworth Wood Villa]

Stewart 'Mediocre' Downing

[Billy Walker]

All of those John, history of trophies, gates, finance , worldwide fan base, Recent success and being up there regularly over a long period of time, Chelsea and man city are rich successful clubs right now but I class man utd arsenal and Liverpool as bigger overall- each to their own view.

Does anyone here think we are a bigger club than any of those 3 out of interest?

Bigger than all five. We always have been, as a Villa fan you should know this, even if we don't win anything for the next 100 years we will be bigger than them. You forgot Barcelona and Real Madrid by the way.
[/quote]

All of those John, history of trophies, gates, finance , worldwide fan base, Recent success and being up there regularly over a long period of time, Chelsea and man city are rich successful clubs right now but I class man utd arsenal and Liverpool as bigger overall- each to their own view.

Does anyone here think we are a bigger club than any of those 3 out of interest?

Bigger than all five. We always have been, as a Villa fan you should know this, even if we don't win anything for the next 100 years we will be bigger than them. You forgot Barcelona and Real Madrid by the way.

Historically, we are to Liverpool (or any other plastic media club) what they are to Chelsea. Ergo, we are now, have been and always will be, number one.

"Big" is a horrible, vulgar term that reflects the awful direction football has been headed since, possibly, the 1950's/1960's.  It's values have steadily been eroding, the whole game becoming more shallow and tabloid-esque as the years have flowed by.  It's no surprise that the clubs you mention Eastie - Man Utd and Liverpool - have prospered in such an era because both of these clubs have played the media/money game better than anyone.  Where on earth were these two clubs before TV came on the scene?  They were nobodies.

Comparing these Johnny-Come-Lately clubs to the likes of Aston Villa is like comparing Tesco's to Harrod's.  Tesco's can keep expanding and making money but it won't make them, in my judgement, better or more historic than Harrod's.  Try explaining that to the average footballer, though.  I don't think the average player has the means to think things through for himself.  Like Redman (only joking, Redman) and many others, they will swallow the media version of the history of football and think Liverpool are a greater club than they actually are.

It's interesting.  I've read a similar thread to this on a Liverpool forum, the difference being that their equivalent to Eastie (in terms of the debate) is arguing that Man City are a bigger and more attractive club than Liverpool.

[eastie]

I think there's more to it than tv Billy- in fairness Liverpool were built up by shankly and busby did similar at united - they laid the foundations over numerous years, during the Saunders era we had the basis to really build on our title success and I wonder if Ron had stayed another few years what might have been - sadly it wasn't to be and our period of glory was all too fleeting.

[Louzie0]

Just a comment on the 'Downing to have a medical and stay at the L'pool hilton' ITK posted a couple of pages ago. I read the other day that, 'Downing joined Aston Villa in summer 2009 after passing a medical'. 

No idea where this was published - I've been reading so many stories here and there about transfers, recently (can't imagine why) but I suspect that the writer had used a formulaic description of a move between clubs having forgotten one aspect of the transfer in question.  Downing couldn't walk far without crutches at the time!   

That started me thinking about what it would take to fail a medical at a football club.

I suspect like many posters on here, a famous one I can remember was Asa Hartford's medical at Leeds. Then I found this. http://www.dragonlink.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php?t-13163.html

 So (if the ITK is true) it seems that Downing should sail through this medical in whatever shape he's in.

I'd like to keep him, but now think that the only thing that will keep Downing at Villa is either a surprise on the Hartford scale or more likely, Alex McLeish's determination to keep him, unless he manages to sign somebody who offers at least the same skill set.
Or hopefully even better! 

Bit of a sideways move on the thread but still about Downing!

[noodles_]

History doesn't really matter anymore. I doubt most of our players even knew we won the European Cup before they signed for us. The number of 'fans' a team has in Thailand or Kenya is what matters these days...

[KevinGage]

Most successful side in English football up until the late 60's

More trophies than Man U up until 1993.

Level with Arsenal on total trophies won up until Wenger took over in 1996.

But what does it matter if we don't add to it. You only have to look at the Anfield layout to see that they were traditionally a smallish club pre Shankly. All small/medium sized one tiered stands and the Kop was about half the size of the Holte. Historically Everton were the bigger club.

But the bulk of Liverpool's success ran parallel to the time when the game was getting more TV exposure from the 60's onwards. Since then, they've pretty much always been there or thereabouts. We've had decent spells;  mid -late 70's early 80's early-mid 90's but never a consistent period during that time of competing. And it that that ultimately sets the perception, both for pundits and plastics alike.

For me, the better sides target what they're going to win next. I value our history, but if we're content to wallow in it and simply reminisce (not levelling that at you, BW) we could easily go the way of Preston, Huddersfield and Wolves et.c.  They were a big deal at one time or another -and there fans will probably still tell you they are.

[TimTheVillain]

Seems a deal has been done ....

Aston Villa & Liverpool agree a fee over Stuart Downing, more than likely to be 'undisclosed' should develop a lot over the next day #LFC
web • 12/07/2011 05:11 PM

[hartman_1982]

That "reliable source" has spelt Stewart wrong.

[eastie]

Good post gagey and yes if we were having this discussion 50 yrs ago we would be up there but we are in 2011 now and the glory days were too long ago- I for one would love to see us win the fa cup under mcleish- that is my holy Grail having seen us win other trophies- let's hope it's a season to remember!

[TimTheVillain]

That "reliable source" has spelt Stewart wrong.

Yes, he changed that in another tweet.

[urs]

Does that mickey mouse town even have a Hilton?

He'd fail the medical anyway. They wont be able to find his spine.

there is one

http://www.hilton.co.uk/liverpool