Downing

[Fox]

Kuyt scored 15 goals, Benayoun 9 goals.
How many has good enough Downing scored throughout his LFC career?

Kuyt was not an out and out winger that season he scored 12 league goals whilst playing every single PL game

Suarez has already scored more PL goals this season than anyone all season in 2008. We are not sharing them around so much this season

Babel scored 3, riera 3 and pennant 0

Yossi scored 8 in 32 games his role was often coming inside off the wing

I agree stu should score more. Lets see how he does for rest of the season he has only started 13 games this season anyway.

I still think he has a role in our team. I agree with John Barnes.

 

[dmishra]

I'm sorry fox but fuck no. Just NO.

That is just pure bollox, im sorry but... pure fucking bollox.... the fact that you think he is "good enough for our team" says it all really cos we have been mid table all season long.

I read that many saw his last performance as top notch, personally I didnt, maybe i'm blinkered hate by now I dont know. One reasonable game in a blue moon does not in any fucking way what so fucking ever make him "good enough". Use your eyes. He is at best, at his very fucking best mind you, a boring average player who doesnt score and doesnt lay on chances, he isnt fast particularly doesnt have much in the way of trickery or flair doesnt "read" the game like a psychic or beat players with his mind and superior thinking, he doesnt lead or bring unquenchable desire to the squad... Just how fucking low is your expectation of a Liverpool player??...

For fucks sake.... 2 years we've had that cunt Fox... TWO YEARS... he plays OK against city in one match, one match where he didnt suck big time and now he is "good enough".

When I played footy at school once I pinged in two volleys in the same match both from around 25 to 30 yards fucking whistled in, vicious unstoppable both in of the bar, one of them I caught so sweetly the bar sounded like it was going to break. It was 1 game in many. I was a centreback and I was pure shat, really really awful at playing footy.

SELL THE USELESS AVERAGE NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN FUCKING BOUGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE WASTE OF 20 MILLION QUID CUNT NOW PLEASE.

Ha, I love this hatred filled post.

 

[Modo]

I'm sorry fox but fuck no. Just NO.

That is just pure bollox, im sorry but... pure fucking bollox.... the fact that you think he is "good enough for our team" says it all really cos we have been mid table all season long.

I read that many saw his last performance as top notch, personally I didnt, maybe i'm blinkered hate by now I dont know. One reasonable game in a blue moon does not in any fucking way what so fucking ever make him "good enough". Use your eyes. He is at best, at his very fucking best mind you, a boring average player who doesnt score and doesnt lay on chances, he isnt fast particularly doesnt have much in the way of trickery or flair doesnt "read" the game like a psychic or beat players with his mind and superior thinking, he doesnt lead or bring unquenchable desire to the squad... Just how fucking low is your expectation of a Liverpool player??...

For fucks sake.... 2 years we've had that cunt Fox... TWO YEARS... he plays OK against city in one match, one match where he didnt suck big time and now he is "good enough".

When I played footy at school once I pinged in two volleys in the same match both from around 25 to 30 yards fucking whistled in, vicious unstoppable both in of the bar, one of them I caught so sweetly the bar sounded like it was going to break. It was 1 game in many. I was a centreback and I was pure shat, really really awful at playing footy.

SELL THE USELESS AVERAGE NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN FUCKING BOUGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE WASTE OF 20 MILLION QUID CUNT NOW PLEASE.

I think I just came...

 

[localny]

Downing is a total legend!

 

[Squiggles]

Downings fucking shit.

This thread didn't need four pages to reach that conclusion.

 

[Modo]

Downings fucking shit.

This thread didn't need four pages to reach that conclusion.

Exactly.

 

[gkmacca]

I'm going to tell Barnes about you!!

 

[Modo]

I'm going to tell Barnes about you!!

NOOOOOO!
Might ask him about it myself in March when I'm at Anfield.

 

[StevieM]

Playing attacking players who aren't very good at attacking kinda fits nicely with our practice of playing defenders that aren't very good at defending.

 

[Ryan]

So the assist against Norwich disnt happen?

Oh shit, the assist against Norwich. I'd forgotten about that. My point about the 20 million pound Stewart Downing providing no goals, assists or attacking threat in 2 years was clearly wrong. He's got the assist against Norwich. Oops!

My point is now completely redundant I guess.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Oh shit, the assist against Norwich. I'd forgotten about that. My point about the 20 million pound Stewart Downing providing no goals, assists or attacking threat in 2 years was clearly wrong. He's got the assist against Norwich. Oops!

My point is now completely redundant I guess.

Actually he's scored 5 goals and had 7 assists including 3 and 6 this year.

 

[dmishra]

Actually he's scored 5 goals and had 7 assists including 3 and 6 this year.

It's actually 3 goals and 3 assists this season. Added to his 2 goals and 2 assists last season.

That's 5 goals and 5 assists. In 76 games.

 

[Modo]

It's actually 3 goals and 3 assists this season. Added to his 2 goals and 2 assists last season.

That's 5 goals and 5 assists. In 76 games.

Worth every penny.

 

[mark1975]

He's performed well of late but is never going to live up to or justify the outlay. Credit where it's due though, he's played a part in our recent form.

Not that I expect any of you sanctimonious bellends to acknowledge it though.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

You're very angry these days Mark.

 

[Insignificance]

He is performing well these days. He take some responsibility, and seem comfortable both on and off the ball. He plays a bit like Riera used to these days, and Riera was never more than a 7-8 mill player on a good day. Hence I agree, he will never justify the outlay.

On the other hand, the outlay has been made, and it is better to have that 7-8 mill player than the joke of a freebie he has played like over the first season.

 

[localny]

Downing is the man, he's an alpha dog waiting to pounce. Norwich was just a sample in store whenever the championship comes to town

 

[Modo]

He's improving, but he's still not doing nearly enough. Henderson's doing more than he is.
He's a winger FFS.

 

[themn]

You're very angry these days Mark.

He is, isn't he ?

Didn't used to be.

Curious.

 

[DHSC]

He's here now. If we can't get rid of him at a good price just stick with him, he can provide depth.

 

[nealmac]

It's actually 3 goals and 3 assists this season. Added to his 2 goals and 2 assists last season.

That's 5 goals and 5 assists. In 76 games.

Downing played in 76 games last year? Yeah.

Not sticking up for him or anything. I'm just trying to be fair. Don't get me wrong, Downing sickens my arse as much as he does to everyone else, but as Mark said, credit where it's due. He's made a huge improvement as of late. Ok, he still needs to get a lot of his shit together, but people need to acknowledge that he's not being the useless cunt he was last season.

The problem with Downing is, that it's "cool" to hate him, and people just can't get their heads around the fact that they just may have been slightly wrong about him. after the first half of last season, I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. I thought he needed a bit more time to settle, and I was sure he would eventually improve, (a bit like Joe Allen). As it turned out, he got fucking worse, and by the end of the season I had given up all hope. Now, this season he has shown a big improvement, I'm prepared to give him a second chance. People need to cut him a bit of slack. Yes, he's never going to be the next Messi or Ronaldo, but if he can take it up a notch, and score a few more goals, what's the problem?

As for the whole "assists" statistic, I've explained my opinion on this many times before, and I think it's a complete fucking bollocks of an entry, that someone with too much time on their hands invented just to make the post-match statistics look a bit sexier. An assist is a two-way thing. It needs a provider and a finisher. Downing has been a provider many many times this season. It's not his fault our finishing has been largely shit at times. The "assist" statistic should be replaced with "chances created" or something similar. I bet you compared that statistic with others, you'd see a notable difference.

That's not to say, if we get a good offer for him in the summer, I think we should sell him. But I wouldn't let him go for little money.

 

[mark1975]

Bang on.

 

[Fox]

we are talking this seasons form not previous.

he was not worth £20 million but was Anderson, Hargreaves, Veron ETC ETC worth what UTD paid for them in midfield NO !!!

judge him on this season and especially the last 8 weeks and he is worth a place in our team ,that's all I am saying.

Lets see how he is at the end of the season

 

[Insignificance]

Good post Nealmac, and I agree.

I never hated him either, I was just total uninspired by him signing, and I felt I was proven right on all occacions. Still I can't stop wondering, if that of the rib in his first game had gone in, would he have taken that confidence with him and built a totla different career? He seemed to loose the confidence more and more for each game, and bu october he stopped take poeple on one and one even. He never handled the pressure built up on him, if it was the pricetag or unimpressed fans I don't know, and it turned him into a ghost more than a wing. I must say I have never seen it so obvious that someone underperforming to such degree, and he was in an age were he could have made good progress instead. To me itlook like most of it was down to his mental weakness.

 

[keniget]

I give credit where it's due but make no apologies for the fact that I don't like Downing.

It's got nothing to do with any desire to be "cool", I just don't like the guy and last time I checked I'm under no obligation to be "fair" about who I like and who I don't.

 

[mark1975]

I give credit where it's due but make no apologies for the fact that I don't like Downing.

It's got nothing to do with any desire to be "cool", I just don't like the guy and last time I checked I'm under no obligation to be "fair" about who I like and who I don't.

Oh come on Keni, you're deliberately shirking the point. No one's saying people can't like him or still continue to say they want rid at the end of the season, it's people pulling stats out of their arse and judging him on their already formed views to dismiss out of hand any improvement that I find a touch stubborn and biased.

And say what you like but it IS seemingly cool to hate the guy, after all he's Mr beige from the North East, as opposed to a more exotic breed, which is ultimately what many of us have been chasing in our fantasy footballing ideals for YEARS.

 

[keniget]

Oh come on Keni, you're deliberately shirking the point. No one's saying people can't like him or still continue to say they want rid at the end of the season, it's people pulling stats out of their arse and judging him on their already formed views to dismiss out of hand any improvement that I find a touch stubborn and biased.

And say what you like but it IS seemingly cool to hate the guy, after all he's Mr beige from the North East, as opposed to a more exotic breed, which is ultimately what many of us have been chasing in our fantasy footballing ideals for YEARS.

I think you guys are arguing the point for nothing though because when all is said and done even those wanting to be fair to the guy would happily sell him. Bar Modo, is anyone really giving Downing that much of a hard time? As far as I can tell he's been given due credit for improving over the last few months.

I get my enjoyment out of watching us play well and with that in mind I'd much rather see Downing play well than be able to call him shit after the game. I think most of us are the same in that respect so not sure what we're really arguing about here.

 

[Rosco]

The frail temperament argument is nonsense, if he was half as frail as Macca thinks he'd have never made it as a Premiership footballer.
A move from one mid table club to another didnt change anything.

Similar arguments were made about Keane, the reality is we bought two average players who had just gone beyond their peak.

 

[Fox]

I would love to see a stat of how many crosses Downing has put across the face of the goal that no striker gambled on, or how many times he has crossed the ball and put one on a plate that Caroll, Kuyt or Suarez fluffed.

Pure assists stat means fuck all.

This last few months he has simply been good, may it continue

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

I would love to see a stat of how many crosses Downing has put across the face of the goal that no striker gambled on, or how many times he has crossed the ball and put one on a plate that Caroll, Kuyt or Suarez fluffed.

17 times last season. 7 times this season.