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Downing is better than Dalglish thought.
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Kenny Dalglish: Stewart Downing is better than I thought
• Kenny Dalglish admits position changes have made not helped
• Stewart Downing still searching for first Liverpool goal or assist
Kenny Dalglish has defended Stewart Downing, describing him as a better player than he envisaged when paying £20m to sign the England international from Aston Villa, despite the winger's subdued start to his Liverpool career.
Downing has yet to score or create one league goal for Liverpool since his big money move from the Midlands, although he did register his first goal for the club in the FA Cup third-round win over Oldham Athletic, and growing criticism of the 27-year-old's performances has prompted Dalglish to defend his summer signing. The Liverpool manager, who has been offered the Serbian striker Milos Krasic by Juventus, believes Downing is still adjusting to life at a higher-profile club and that it has been unfair to play the former Middlesbrough winger in several positions during his debut season at Anfield.
"Stewart is a better player than I thought he was going to be," the Liverpool manager claimed. "I don't think it has been too comfortable for him either because we have played him in three or four positions, so maybe we need to look at ourselves and say we have to be fair to him as well. He is better than what I thought he was. He is quicker than what I thought he was and he is quicker than Carra [Jamie Carragher] thought he was as well."
Downing was replaced by Andy Carroll during Liverpool's dour goalless draw against Stoke City last weekend as Dalglish persisted with three central defenders against Peter Crouch and withdrew a supply line to the £35m forward. The pair have started only 11 games together for Liverpool this season. Dalglish added: "You have to be patient with every new player who comes in. You have to be patient with the older ones at times as well, like we did with Stevie [Gerrard] coming back. Patience is important but the most important thing is having the ability to play and everyone in our squad has the ability to play."
The woodwork has denied Downing a first league goal for Liverpool on four occasions this season while poor finishing from team-mates also accounts for his lack of assists. Dalglish does admit the £20m midfielder has still to adapt to the transition from Villa Park to Anfield.
"Stewart is a fantastic footballer," he added. "He is an England international, he made a big move in the summer to come here, as a few of them did, and with all due respect to the other clubs that he's been at, it is a massive club. He is going to need a little bit of time to get used to his new surroundings, which is only natural. He's put more crosses in than anybody else according to the stats and it is part of his job to put crosses in. It is another part of his job to put them in somewhere where we are going to score goals and it is another job for the team to get in there and put them in the back of the net."
Liverpool face Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok on Saturday evening and Dalglish has questioned the wisdom of Bolton's decision to sell Gary Cahill for £7m to Chelsea as they fight to stay in the Premier League. The Liverpool manager said: "It has been difficult for Owen Coyle and Bolton this year but I am sure they will buckle down and get themselves out of the mire. Although financially it might have been a good deal for Gary Cahill, I don't know whether it was the best one as a football decision for Owen, unless he has got someone lined up to replace him."
By the same token Dalglish does accept that Cahill's contractual position, with only six months remaining on his deal at the Reebok before he moved to Stamford Bridge, left Bolton in an unenviable situation. He added: "It is pretty obvious that the players are the ones with the strength nowadays, far more so than the clubs, but then there was a long time when the clubs had all the strength. I think it would be better for everyone if it was shared out more evenly.
"Everybody knows what the position is though if a player is running out of contract and if you cannot afford to keep them, you cannot afford to keep them. I think you would be more in the wrong if you tried to keep a player who you couldn't afford. A football club does not belong to any one individual, it is for the people and the community and no one wants to see it go to the wall. If you dig your heels in and don't allow a player to leave until his contract is up then, for me, I don't think that's the right approach."
Obviously can't come out and say he's been shit, but Kenny's ripping the piss a touch there. Downing's been our worst summer by quite some distance.
• Kenny Dalglish admits position changes have made not helped
• Stewart Downing still searching for first Liverpool goal or assist
Kenny Dalglish has defended Stewart Downing, describing him as a better player than he envisaged when paying £20m to sign the England international from Aston Villa, despite the winger's subdued start to his Liverpool career.
Downing has yet to score or create one league goal for Liverpool since his big money move from the Midlands, although he did register his first goal for the club in the FA Cup third-round win over Oldham Athletic, and growing criticism of the 27-year-old's performances has prompted Dalglish to defend his summer signing. The Liverpool manager, who has been offered the Serbian striker Milos Krasic by Juventus, believes Downing is still adjusting to life at a higher-profile club and that it has been unfair to play the former Middlesbrough winger in several positions during his debut season at Anfield.
"Stewart is a better player than I thought he was going to be," the Liverpool manager claimed. "I don't think it has been too comfortable for him either because we have played him in three or four positions, so maybe we need to look at ourselves and say we have to be fair to him as well. He is better than what I thought he was. He is quicker than what I thought he was and he is quicker than Carra [Jamie Carragher] thought he was as well."
Downing was replaced by Andy Carroll during Liverpool's dour goalless draw against Stoke City last weekend as Dalglish persisted with three central defenders against Peter Crouch and withdrew a supply line to the £35m forward. The pair have started only 11 games together for Liverpool this season. Dalglish added: "You have to be patient with every new player who comes in. You have to be patient with the older ones at times as well, like we did with Stevie [Gerrard] coming back. Patience is important but the most important thing is having the ability to play and everyone in our squad has the ability to play."
The woodwork has denied Downing a first league goal for Liverpool on four occasions this season while poor finishing from team-mates also accounts for his lack of assists. Dalglish does admit the £20m midfielder has still to adapt to the transition from Villa Park to Anfield.
"Stewart is a fantastic footballer," he added. "He is an England international, he made a big move in the summer to come here, as a few of them did, and with all due respect to the other clubs that he's been at, it is a massive club. He is going to need a little bit of time to get used to his new surroundings, which is only natural. He's put more crosses in than anybody else according to the stats and it is part of his job to put crosses in. It is another part of his job to put them in somewhere where we are going to score goals and it is another job for the team to get in there and put them in the back of the net."
Liverpool face Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok on Saturday evening and Dalglish has questioned the wisdom of Bolton's decision to sell Gary Cahill for £7m to Chelsea as they fight to stay in the Premier League. The Liverpool manager said: "It has been difficult for Owen Coyle and Bolton this year but I am sure they will buckle down and get themselves out of the mire. Although financially it might have been a good deal for Gary Cahill, I don't know whether it was the best one as a football decision for Owen, unless he has got someone lined up to replace him."
By the same token Dalglish does accept that Cahill's contractual position, with only six months remaining on his deal at the Reebok before he moved to Stamford Bridge, left Bolton in an unenviable situation. He added: "It is pretty obvious that the players are the ones with the strength nowadays, far more so than the clubs, but then there was a long time when the clubs had all the strength. I think it would be better for everyone if it was shared out more evenly.
"Everybody knows what the position is though if a player is running out of contract and if you cannot afford to keep them, you cannot afford to keep them. I think you would be more in the wrong if you tried to keep a player who you couldn't afford. A football club does not belong to any one individual, it is for the people and the community and no one wants to see it go to the wall. If you dig your heels in and don't allow a player to leave until his contract is up then, for me, I don't think that's the right approach."
Obviously can't come out and say he's been shit, but Kenny's ripping the piss a touch there. Downing's been our worst summer by quite some distance.
Re: Kenny Dalglish: Stewart Downing is better than I thought
off with his head.
off with his head.
What's Carra's opinion got to do with anything?
Reminds me of Amir Khan after he lost to Peterson. "All my friends said they thought I won". Great.
Reminds me of Amir Khan after he lost to Peterson. "All my friends said they thought I won". Great.
it's what he should be saying as the manager but it's fucking laughable.
S
Squiggles
Guest
I love how our club cannot accurately assess a footballer who has played in the Premier League for eight years.
We may as well give up now.
We may as well give up now.
[quote author=Skullflower link=topic=48375.msg1467348#msg1467348 date=1327103562]
it's what he should be saying as the manager but it's fucking laughable.
[/quote]
Mancini and Fergie don't have any problem in being critical of their players(when they feel it's deserved obv)
Understandable that a football manager wants to back his players, but at least be realistic as to how they're performing.
it's what he should be saying as the manager but it's fucking laughable.
[/quote]
Mancini and Fergie don't have any problem in being critical of their players(when they feel it's deserved obv)
Understandable that a football manager wants to back his players, but at least be realistic as to how they're performing.
Hahaha...
Doesn't surprise me one bit....the fact that he's backing Downing that is.
I mean come on how realistic would it be for him tell the press that he's been shite.
Kenny even praised Aquilani before booting him. Fuck me....Aquilani first time I've mentioned him for a while.
Doesn't surprise me one bit....the fact that he's backing Downing that is.
I mean come on how realistic would it be for him tell the press that he's been shite.
Kenny even praised Aquilani before booting him. Fuck me....Aquilani first time I've mentioned him for a while.
[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=48375.msg1467350#msg1467350 date=1327103681]
We may as well give up now.
[/quote]
I thought it had.
We may as well give up now.
[/quote]
I thought it had.
and so it starts...
at first the manager's every word is praised and then later people go over what the managers says with a fine tooth comb
at first the manager's every word is praised and then later people go over what the managers says with a fine tooth comb
R
RedZeppelin
Guest
Considering downing was a big money Kenny signing he obviously has to back him for all sorts of reasons . But there is only so long he can do this and not look stupid or start to piss fans off . He's got to be careful in this or people could turn on him if he continues to go way over the top in praising players who have obviously been poor . People will quickly lose faith in his abilities .
And i'll be honest , kenny's dismissive stance to anything that irritates him can be a little annoying. Yeah it's good to control the media but sometimes he needs to comment on things properly as it's the main way fans get to hear his views .
And i'll be honest , kenny's dismissive stance to anything that irritates him can be a little annoying. Yeah it's good to control the media but sometimes he needs to comment on things properly as it's the main way fans get to hear his views .
...or maybe Jamies just getting slower.
He's been poor, no question, but he has looked overawed aswell. He performed really well last year for Villa and scored goals. He's not worth £20m but he's not as bad as we've seen him play for us, he played on the right for Villa alot last season to accommodate Young on the left while helping them play their counter-attacking football. This season he's played all over for us in a patient build up approach. He's a good player, he's never going to justify the fee, but at this rate with the way we're playing, he's not going to get the chance to do what he does well.
Surely we read the exact opposite into all this football blurting - Kenny must think "I thought Downing was better than he is", or at least "what he has shown".
Just like votes of confidence mean the exact opposite.
It means Downing has been shite and everyone has picked up on it.
He need to grow a pair of bollocks, Downing that is, I think there is a better player in there than we have seen, outside the first couple of weeks when he looked great.
regards
Just like votes of confidence mean the exact opposite.
It means Downing has been shite and everyone has picked up on it.
He need to grow a pair of bollocks, Downing that is, I think there is a better player in there than we have seen, outside the first couple of weeks when he looked great.
regards
At least he's better than Joanovic.
Go on, walk around it.
What a fucking pitiful embarrassment.
If you'd list out the pros and cons of having Dalglish as manager right now, the negatives would win by a fucking street. Not even Stewart and his super fast legs could catch up with the cons.
Like Oncy and Ken, for the most part I'm just nonplussed with the goings on, and not really that fucking arsed anymore. But then you get subjected to this stream of patronising bullshit like the supporters are clueless to the 'real' Stewart Downing, and I just think - fuck right off Dalglish.
If you'd list out the pros and cons of having Dalglish as manager right now, the negatives would win by a fucking street. Not even Stewart and his super fast legs could catch up with the cons.
Like Oncy and Ken, for the most part I'm just nonplussed with the goings on, and not really that fucking arsed anymore. But then you get subjected to this stream of patronising bullshit like the supporters are clueless to the 'real' Stewart Downing, and I just think - fuck right off Dalglish.
Re: Re: Downing is better than Dalglish thought.
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=48375.msg1#msg1 date=1327123785]
What a fucking pitiful embarrassment.
If you'd list out the pros and cons of having Dalglish as manager right now, the negatives would win by a fucking street. Not even Stewart and his super fast legs could catch up with the cons.
Like Oncy and Ken, for the most part I'm just nonplussed with the goings on, and not really that fucking arsed anymore. But then you get subjected to this stream of patronising bullshit like the supporters are clueless to the 'real' Stewart Downing, and I just think - fuck right off Dalglish.
[/quote]
I agree
And I actually like downing.
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=48375.msg1#msg1 date=1327123785]
What a fucking pitiful embarrassment.
If you'd list out the pros and cons of having Dalglish as manager right now, the negatives would win by a fucking street. Not even Stewart and his super fast legs could catch up with the cons.
Like Oncy and Ken, for the most part I'm just nonplussed with the goings on, and not really that fucking arsed anymore. But then you get subjected to this stream of patronising bullshit like the supporters are clueless to the 'real' Stewart Downing, and I just think - fuck right off Dalglish.
[/quote]
I agree
And I actually like downing.
T
the_khl
Guest
A bit of a strange comment perhaps but I guess Kenny's just trying to put some confidence back into the young man. Hardly an 'embarrassment' that our manager is trying to ease the pressure a bit?
Downing has been one of our better players of late albeit he so obvious lacks confidence.
I'm still hopeful he'd come good and he's certainly worth every single penny paid comapred to Jovanovic (who wasn't that cheap mind with regards to his monster paycheck), who was one of the poorest players I've seen in a Liverpool shirt in years. We're talking Nunez-class here. Or that Spanish right-back which nane I've luckily forgot.
Downing has been one of our better players of late albeit he so obvious lacks confidence.
I'm still hopeful he'd come good and he's certainly worth every single penny paid comapred to Jovanovic (who wasn't that cheap mind with regards to his monster paycheck), who was one of the poorest players I've seen in a Liverpool shirt in years. We're talking Nunez-class here. Or that Spanish right-back which nane I've luckily forgot.
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=48375.msg1467378#msg1467378 date=1327123785]
What a fucking pitiful embarrassment.
If you'd list out the pros and cons of having Dalglish as manager right now, the negatives would win by a fucking street. Not even Stewart and his super fast legs could catch up with the cons.
Like Oncy and Ken, for the most part I'm just nonplussed with the goings on, and not really that fucking arsed anymore. But then you get subjected to this stream of patronising bullshit like the supporters are clueless to the 'real' Stewart Downing, and I just think - fuck right off Dalglish.
[/quote]
I agree, but when he's asked about his players what else can he do? When the press and fans are already on a players back, the last thing most managers would do is come out and say, "yeah, he's been shit". He needs a rocket up his arse, but maybe Kenny feels that the best way to do that is to back him. I never really read too much into the press malarkey anyway, it's a game. It's what goes on behind closed doors that counts.
What a fucking pitiful embarrassment.
If you'd list out the pros and cons of having Dalglish as manager right now, the negatives would win by a fucking street. Not even Stewart and his super fast legs could catch up with the cons.
Like Oncy and Ken, for the most part I'm just nonplussed with the goings on, and not really that fucking arsed anymore. But then you get subjected to this stream of patronising bullshit like the supporters are clueless to the 'real' Stewart Downing, and I just think - fuck right off Dalglish.
[/quote]
I agree, but when he's asked about his players what else can he do? When the press and fans are already on a players back, the last thing most managers would do is come out and say, "yeah, he's been shit". He needs a rocket up his arse, but maybe Kenny feels that the best way to do that is to back him. I never really read too much into the press malarkey anyway, it's a game. It's what goes on behind closed doors that counts.
managers should always back their players. if they (the player) are low on confidence where can they find their confidence again? certainly not the fans.
I'm of the opinion that if player isn't pulling up trees then manager shouldn't talk about the player at all publicly instead talk him man to man and prove you are a good man manager but if asked a specific question then of course the manager should talk up the player as best he can.
press - 'so kenny, what do you think of downing's season so far'
kenny - 'he's rubbish, what the fuck was I thinking'
I'm of the opinion that if player isn't pulling up trees then manager shouldn't talk about the player at all publicly instead talk him man to man and prove you are a good man manager but if asked a specific question then of course the manager should talk up the player as best he can.
press - 'so kenny, what do you think of downing's season so far'
kenny - 'he's rubbish, what the fuck was I thinking'
[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=48375.msg1467420#msg1467420 date=1327141801]
managers should always back their players. if they (the player) are low on confidence where can they find their confidence again? certainly not the fans.
I'm of the opinion that if player isn't pulling up trees then manager shouldn't talk about the player at all publicly instead talk him man to man and prove you are a good man manager but if asked a specific question then of course the manager should talk up the player as best he can.
press - 'so kenny, what do you think of downing's season so far'
kenny - 'he's rubbish, what the fuck was I thinking'
[/quote] i bet thats what he really thinks ;D
managers should always back their players. if they (the player) are low on confidence where can they find their confidence again? certainly not the fans.
I'm of the opinion that if player isn't pulling up trees then manager shouldn't talk about the player at all publicly instead talk him man to man and prove you are a good man manager but if asked a specific question then of course the manager should talk up the player as best he can.
press - 'so kenny, what do you think of downing's season so far'
kenny - 'he's rubbish, what the fuck was I thinking'
[/quote] i bet thats what he really thinks ;D
[quote author=SaintGeorge67 link=topic=48375.msg1467347#msg1467347 date=1327103457]
What's Carra's opinion got to do with anything?
Reminds me of Amir Khan after he lost to Peterson. "All my friends said they thought I won". Great.
[/quote]
He could be our next manager.
What's Carra's opinion got to do with anything?
Reminds me of Amir Khan after he lost to Peterson. "All my friends said they thought I won". Great.
[/quote]
He could be our next manager.
[quote author=SaintGeorge67 link=topic=48375.msg1467347#msg1467347 date=1327103457]
What's Carra's opinion got to do with anything?
Reminds me of Amir Khan after he lost to Peterson. "All my friends said they thought I won". Great.
[/quote]
That ranks alongside "My mother says I'm good looking"
What's Carra's opinion got to do with anything?
Reminds me of Amir Khan after he lost to Peterson. "All my friends said they thought I won". Great.
[/quote]
That ranks alongside "My mother says I'm good looking"
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