Downing Completes Liverpool Transfer

[MoetVillan]

In Villa's defence, I would have been disappointed if we had conducted ourselves like Liverpool to prise Downing away.  The first I want to hear about a signing is that its done and dusted (pretty much like Bent), not dragged out over weeks, seeing the price pushed up, talked up, hyped up.  I think Dowing is a very very good player, but 20million?, I know the market is skewed, but thats a lot of money for him.  Have faith in what Villa are up to

[JUAN PABLO]

Liverpool fans saying downing is better than ash young ..fook off ..

[kippaxvilla2]

Anyone who things is a good sign from the club is kidding themselves.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Liverpool fans saying downing is better than ash young ..fook off ..

Downing is a good player who will be sorely missed, but he doesn't have the work rate of Ashley.

[midnite]

The bit that really upsets me is the down right lies from players thinking we're stupid. I don't have a problem with players moving on. They always will do. But it's the way they conduct themselves.

Young. Gives us 4 years. Worked bloody hard. Gave everything. But moved on. He wanted to move to a bigger club to test himself on the champions league stage, so he moved to Manchester united. Fair play to you. Good luck with everything and thanks for the memories.

Downing, only a few months ago said he isn't going anywhere. Happy here and can see the bigger picture. He didn't have to say that. If he really had no intention of staying he should of kept his mouth shut. He has had ONE good season with us and now thinks he is Billy big bollocks.
The bit that really, really upsets me is the old "I want to play champions league football" line. Knowing it's the get out clause with clubs like us as it's something we can't offer. Ok off you go. Play for Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City or Arsenal.
Wait, you want to go and join Liverpool???
Cockhead.
Don't treat us like idiots, admit you're nothing more than a prostitute. I'm glad he handed in a transfer request as to pay him a loyalty bonus otherwise would of been an insult.

Sorry. Rant over, I feel a bit better now.

[Duncan Shaw]

I read the quotes on the Beeb, haven't seen the OS yet and my initial reaction from reading them was that we had a replacement lined up.  Reading this thread now has given me my doubts, but I really don't think AM would allow the deal to be tied up without having an agreement in pace for someone.  He's on a hiding to nothing anyway, he would be committing suicide otherwise!  We all hope and assume it's N'zogbia, let's hope so because that would be good business for half downing's price.
It is a very very important couple of weeks for AVFC and Mr Lerner now.  Play it wrong and he'll lose any good faith he has built up in the space of a couple of months.
Faulkner does seem to have the touch of a rapist on everything he deals with mind!

[andyh]

Downing is an ungrateful c unt.
He is a rat approaching Hodge proportions.

[pauliewalnuts]

Anyone who things is a good sign from the club is kidding themselves.

It is amazing how so many people seem to think selling our best player of last season is a good thing.

20m may or may not be good money, but I can't beliieve how many seem to think we are going to spend that plus the Ashley money on six or seven players. The club have made it clear as day they are reining in the spending  even in that daft "we are looking for a manager" statement they mentioned the need for the candidate to run the club in a "sustainable" way.

Look at who we ended up with as manager. There is a big reason it was him and not some of the more convincing candidates. Or even the manager of Wigan.

We have also constantly been told we need to reduce the wage bill. Selling two players and buying seven increases it, it doesn't bring it down.

Wake up and smell the coffee.

[PaulWinch again]

Utter shambles at the moment, we need a statement of intent very quick.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

One of the General's rallying posts would calm us all down.

[JJ-AV]

Positives -

N'Zogbia is better, cheaper and chases the money (so if we can throw a shedload at him we'll get him tied down for longer).

We've been left with a young, hungry squad and a massive profit for the new man to build his own team around them.

Number 6 on a winger was an annoyance anyway.

With the money for Downing alone we may be able to get Given, Parker and N'Zogbia.

Like with Milner, Barry and Ashley it's the biggest money they'll ever go for.

Negatives -

Makes us look even more of a selling Club.

For a year it feels like we've been unable to maintain any momentum.

We've got a tag of a stepping-stone Club.

[Karl Bridges]

I don't see how SD asking for a transfer can be used as a rock to beat the board with.

[JJ-AV]

The only big player that we've actively sold was Milner. The rest we had no option, and the opportunity presented by the Milner transfer was too good to turn down.

[Villanation]

@Paul: In a nutshell....................Its all very well people saying Downing is this and Downing is that, fact is he wanted to go and despite AM's machinations that he's going nowhere just a couple of days ago only says to me that was a rouse to up the price, depending on what that is.

Few things that concern me, there seems to be a drip feed of misinformation coming out of the club at this time with the club saying one thing and meaning something entirely different, the other thing is we have now lost some very prolific players, Ash Young, Stuart Downing, Brad Friedal, and of course at this time last year James Milner, the MON squad is being dismantled.

Question is what effect will this have and the bigger question who could be next that simply says this club is going in the wrong direction, the next few days are crucial, we need to show real intent and we need to make our move in the transfer market, its being rumoured that AM is going to make a move for Scott Parker, lets do the business now.

[Risso]

I don't see how SD asking for a transfer can be used as a rock to beat the board with.

Becuase if the board had shown a single bit of ambition, maybe our best players wouldn't be forming a queue out of B6.  It's not like Liverpool are in the Champions League, therefore Downing must see them as a better bet than us, which in truth, they are.