Summer 2011

[WaltonRed]

Supposed to be in for that Niang off Cannes.

 

If he's 16 i'm 21

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

You might want him to do well but you'll probably be saying 'told you so' after about 3 matches if he takes time to bed in.

 

Yeah, but by then you'll 'probably' be out anally raping choirboys. Probably.

 

Fine on the 2nd point, we all know you dont want him and you dont think he's worth what we'll sign him for but one post will do on the subject. No need for one every single day, thats not just you mate, there's others at it too.

 

I'll say it as many times as I fucking well like, especially in the face of people saying he's like John Barnes and Ryan fucking Giggs, as well as saying that even at 25m we'd be getting one over on Villa.

[moof]

I'll say it as many times as I fucking well like, especially in the face of people saying he's like John Barnes and Ryan fucking Giggs, as well as saying that even at 25m we'd be getting one over on Villa.

 

Who the fuck has said any of those things?

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Who the fuck has said any of those things?

 

The later two were said on this forum (in this or the Downing thread), and the former was from another.

[Breckside]

I think the money being talked about for Downing is too much but if he's one of Kenny's top targets and the owners are prepared to stump up the cash then sound. If it all turns to shit then at least there wont be any excuses. I remember before we signed Barnes in the summer of '87 that lots of people weren't keen but if there is one man to place our trust in then surely it's Kenny. I'm not trying to put Downing into Barnes' category by the way but Kenny knows what's required.

[WaltonRed]

Yeah, but by then you'll 'probably' be out anally raping choirboys. Probably.

 

 

 

I'll say it as many times as I fucking well like, especially in the face of people saying he's like John Barnes and Ryan fucking Giggs, as well as saying that even at 25m we'd be getting one over on Villa.

 

Knickers in a twist eh?

 

Blert

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

What do people expect from a £20m signing. I expect somebody around the same level as Torres (of the potential when he joined, not the played he became in the following season) and Suarez.

[Whelan]

In 1987' you could win the league with a squad of 14! So the margins for error were not anyway comparable to having to build a squad of 20-25.

 

Kenny has bought a lot of shite whilst at Blackburn and Newcastle, so this argument that he is infallible is ridiculous. You can be 100% supportive of players, but surely it is not ridiculous to suggest that Henderson, Adam and Downing are risks!

[James]

Konchesky almost off to Leceister? Thanks, Sven.

[Horus]

You might want him to do well but you'll probably be saying 'told you so' after about 3 matches if he takes time to bed in.

 

Fine on the 2nd point, we all know you dont want him and you dont think he's worth what we'll sign him for but one post will do on the subject. No need for one every single day, thats not just you mate, there's others at it too.

 

That really is wanting your cake and eating it though. People who don't want downing have been accused of throwing tantrums, called a load of cunts and a wide variety of other things that stem from not having a herd mentality. Then you claim that we're all waiting for him to fail, so we can say "I told you so." What complete fucking bunkum.

 

People on your side of the argument have acted, on the whole like a bunch of twats in this thread. You may not want a post everyday about Downing explaining why we don't think it's going to be a valuable signing, but you feel it's OK for everyone else to discuss how awesome he is, how many assists he has, how he'll make Carroll top goalscorer in the history of the world. Ever.

 

If you only allow one side of a debate, then this isn't a forum, it's a propaganda machine, and that's the last thing in the world you could say about TLW.

 

People need to accept that there are 2 sides to this argument, not only Kenny's side. I love Kenny to bits, I'd trust him with my life, but he's not infallible, and nobody would want a Kenny signing to fail, to say otherwise, or to claim we are waiting to gloat, is fucking bizarre, and based on nothing other than your skewed view of the argument.

[moof]

The later two were said on this forum (in this or the Downing thread), and the former was from another.

 

Mental. I mean, I like Downing. But comparing him to Barnes? Embarrassing.

[nAz]

Being strongly linked with young Caen's striker M’Baye Niang. Here is an interesting article on him

 

Ligue 1’s final match-day saw seven teams including Caen on the verge of relegation. Hoping to avoid defeat they would play host to 2nd place Marseille in what was always going to be a tough end to the season.

 

Against the odds it was Franck Dumas’ side that took a surprise early lead through Yohan Mollo’s 7th minute strike. With half time approaching the home fans were hoping to go into the break with their slender lead intact.

 

Midfield maestro Benjamin Nivet received the ball inside the centre circle and with a lovely ball out wide he found 16-year old striker M’Baye Niang racing through on goal. The youngster charged into the box and then with the composure of a veteran finisher he calmly stroked the ball past Steve Mandanda giving his team an unlikely 2-0 lead. Marseille would come back to level the game late on, but Caen were safe and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind, M’Baye Niang was the real deal.

 

Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have all been linked Caen’s teenage sensation this week for a price of around €8m being mentioned. His three goals in only four starts towards the end of last season seems to have caught the attention of Europe’s top clubs, it’s no surprise though. Europe’s elite have been apparently interested long before he even made his debut for the first-team.

 

Caen’s youth team scouts David Lasry and Laurent Blaize travelled to Meulan a little town less than an hour from Paris. After receiving a tip off about a 13 year old with outstanding ability and physical stature, they were instantly impressed. A short trial at Caen followed and the club acted quickly to put Niang in contract with the side from Normandy. They knew they had a special talent on their hands.

 

Two years in the youth team followed and Niang’s developement continued to impress the coaching staff. Once he turned 15 he was promoted to the reserve team. Caen II play in France’s fourth tier and the step up didn’t seem to faze him in any way. Playing alongside France U17 international Lenny Nangis, the young striker managed an impressive record of 5 goals in 16 games, for any player of his age in the fourth tier this is virtually unheard of.

 

Speaking to OuestFrance.fr Caen U19 coach Phillippe Tranchant was full of praise:

 

“M’Baye has huge potential; we’ve never seen a player like him at the club before.”

 

His impressive performances didn’t go unnoticed and Niang was called up to the France U16 squad, three goals later and he was called up for the U17s. There was some surprise that Niang didn’t make the squad for the U17 World Cup in Mexico. Patrick Gonfalone deciding in the end to go with exciting winger and team-mate Lenny Nangis.

 

It was back in April during Caen’s 1-1 draw against Toulouse when Ligue 1 fans would get their first glimpse of the young striker. To little fanfare Niang replaced Kandia Traore with 13 minutes to go. The small cameo led to a starting role in the 4-0 away win over Nice. With most of the attention on Youssef El-Arabi and Romain Hamouma it went virtually unnoticed that Niang had become the youngest ever player in Caen’s history.

 

Back at the Stade Michel d’Ornano coach Franck Dumas kept faith in Niang leaving him in the starting XI for the visit of Lens. Instantly he paid back his manager’s faith. Only two minutes into the match Niang received the ball on the left-hand side of the box, his shot was weak but on target and it was left to ‘keeper Vedran Runje to fumble the ball into his own net. There was no doubt Niang would go on to score better goals, but you always remember your first.

 

The opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Lens saw Niang become the 2nd youngest scorer in Ligue 1, St-Etienne’s Laurent Roussey still hold the record from back in 1978. In Caen’s next game against Rennes he came off the bench just after half-time and again made an instant impact. Yohan Mollo released El-Arabi down the left and a perfect first time pass found Niang in the box to apply the finish. The goal earned Caen a valuable away point.

 

Dumas seems to be purposely limiting Niang’s minutes which is smart move with a kid of only 16 years old. M’Baye has yet to play a full 90 minutes at Caen and with the likes of Tottenham, and with both Manchester United and Manchester City showing interest there is a chance that he never will.

 

In his short time on the big stage Niang has shown tremendous ability and potential. Physically big and strong, he times his movement well to lose defenders and get in-behind opposition defences. The goal against Marseille showed excellent composure when one-on-one against one of the best goalkeepers in France. It also seems as if he has his head in the right place and a move to England at this stage would be a surprise.

 

“I do not forget where I come. I want to keep my feet on the ground. I am developing at Caen, I want to impose myself at this club, and I do not know what I would do abroad at 15 and a half! “

 

With Youssef El-Arabi on the verge of a move away from Normandy next season could provide Niang with plenty of opportunities to show more of his excellent potential and become a very important player for Caen. The club seem to have his best interests at heart and they hope he could follow in the footsteps of William Gallas and Yoann Gouffran in becoming another of Caen’s impressive graduates.

 

Whether he could make the same developments at a Premier League club remain to be seen. Fans of Ligue 1 and Caen should keep their fingers crossed that he will continue his journey on French shores next season.

 

[YOUTUBE]aT6_2Svaac8[/YOUTUBE]

[silverlining]

That really is wanting your cake and eating it though. People who don't want downing have been accused of throwing tantrums, called a load of cunts and a wide variety of other things that stem from not having a herd mentality. Then you claim that we're all waiting for him to fail, so we can say "I told you so." What complete fucking bunkum.

 

People on your side of the argument have acted, on the whole like a bunch of twats in this thread. You may not want a post everyday about Downing explaining why we don't think it's going to be a valuable signing, but you feel it's OK for everyone else to discuss how awesome he is, how many assists he has, how he'll make Carroll top goalscorer in the history of the world. Ever.

 

If you only allow one side of a debate, then this isn't a forum, it's a propaganda machine, and that's the last thing in the world you could say about TLW.

 

People need to accept that there are 2 sides to this argument, not only Kenny's side. I love Kenny to bits, I'd trust him with my life, but he's not infallible, and nobody would want a Kenny signing to fail, to say otherwise, or to claim we are waiting to gloat, is fucking bizarre, and based on nothing other than your skewed view of the argument.

 

Can't argue with this post. Or maybe I can. Is that the point?

[moof]

That really is wanting your cake and eating it though. People who don't want downing have been accused of throwing tantrums, called a load of cunts and a wide variety of other things that stem from not having a herd mentality. Then you claim that we're all waiting for him to fail, so we can say "I told you so." What complete fucking bunkum.

 

People on your side of the argument have acted, on the whole like a bunch of twats in this thread. You may not want a post everyday about Downing explaining why we don't think it's going to be a valuable signing, but you feel it's OK for everyone else to discuss how awesome he is, how many assists he has, how he'll make Carroll top goalscorer in the history of the world. Ever.

 

If you only allow one side of a debate, then this isn't a forum, it's a propaganda machine, and that's the last thing in the world you could say about TLW.

 

People need to accept that there are 2 sides to this argument, not only Kenny's side. I love Kenny to bits, I'd trust him with my life, but he's not infallible, and nobody would want a Kenny signing to fail, to say otherwise, or to claim we are waiting to gloat, is fucking bizarre, and based on nothing other than your skewed view of the argument.

 

 

"stop telling me what to do!"

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Mental. I mean, I like Downing. But comparing him to Barnes? Embarrassing.

 

The same with Giggs. As much as he likes to fuck his brother's wife, he was an amazing footballer and a brilliant winger.

 

Being strongly linked with young Caen's striker M’Baye Niang. Here is an interesting article on him

 

Two things: Firstly, does ElPistelero work for the NotW. He has footage of every fucker. Secondly, Niang is black. Proper black. None of this namby-pamby brown-black shit. That fucker is bona-fide black. I've long since said we need somebody black, somebody German, somebody Scottish and somebody fucking mental.

 

Can't argue with this post. Or maybe I can. Is that the point?

 

I reckon I could give it a go, despite agreeing with everything he says.

[shaunstrudwick]

No it isn't. It's fairly clear. His crossing accuracy is among the highest in the league, and he completed the most crosses in the league (despite not attempting the most).

 

That says that he's consistently looking to cross, and he usually hits his target.

 

their stats look quite similar for last season:

 

Downing

Games 38

Goals 7

Assists 9

 

Young

Games 34

Goals 7

Assists 11

 

however the 4 games that Young didn't play in Villa only managed 1 win or something

[Gym Beglin]

You can be 100% supportive of players, but surely it is not ridiculous to suggest that Henderson, Adam and Downing are risks!

 

But it's highly tedious to say they are risks and yet suggest De Gea, Young and Jones are not.

 

Every signing carries a risk, it's just our supporters have a morbid fascination with failure.

[James]

[YOUTUBE]YbxxBpPAoBg[/YOUTUBE]

 

Fail.

[satansmutt]

Im not sure any one player has ever polarized opinion like Downing infact I would say he divides the fan base in the same way Rafa does, and we haven't even signed him yet

[silverlining]

But it's highly tedious to say they are risks and yet suggest De Gea, Young and Jones are not.

 

Every signing carries a risk, it's just our supporters have a morbid fascination with failure.

 

You'd think we'd be inured to failure and transfer disappointments after 20 years of it.

 

Of course De Gea, Young and Jones are risks. Of course every signing carries a risk.

 

But Baconface and United have taken more risks, and seen them pay off, more than any other club, which is why their signings and subsequent expectations of them being successful are higher.

 

We have had so many laughable "last piece of the jigsaw/ I trust Ged/ Rafa/ Kenny/ this could be our year/ The Mancs/ Chelsea/ Arsenal/ Shitty will struggle this year" moments in the last two decades that one can be understanding if there are some people who aren't quite so optimistic about who we buy and how good they will be.

 

Support does not equal blind optimism in every case.

[WaltonRed]

That really is wanting your cake and eating it though. People who don't want downing have been accused of throwing tantrums, called a load of cunts and a wide variety of other things that stem from not having a herd mentality. Then you claim that we're all waiting for him to fail, so we can say "I told you so." What complete fucking bunkum.

 

People on your side of the argument have acted, on the whole like a bunch of twats in this thread. You may not want a post everyday about Downing explaining why we don't think it's going to be a valuable signing, but you feel it's OK for everyone else to discuss how awesome he is, how many assists he has, how he'll make Carroll top goalscorer in the history of the world. Ever.

 

If you only allow one side of a debate, then this isn't a forum, it's a propaganda machine, and that's the last thing in the world you could say about TLW.

 

People need to accept that there are 2 sides to this argument, not only Kenny's side. I love Kenny to bits, I'd trust him with my life, but he's not infallible, and nobody would want a Kenny signing to fail, to say otherwise, or to claim we are waiting to gloat, is fucking bizarre, and based on nothing other than your skewed view of the argument.

 

I'm not trying to stifle debate i'm just saying once you've said something dont fucking rabbit on about it over and over. thats not debating either.

 

and Numero, bringing stuff up from other forums to back your arguement up is soft, I could go on a proper full on wools forum and get some right mongy views but I dont.

 

I'm getting off this now.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Numero, bringing stuff up from other forums to back your arguement up is soft, I could go on a proper full on wools forum and get some right mongy views but I dont.

 

As I said, he has been likened to Giggs here. He has been called 'top class' here. It has been said that we'd be getting on over Villa, even at 25m, on this forum. Forget about Barnes, if you want.

[SlugTrail]

Would the opinion of Downing Still be the same if it was Rafa signing him instead of the King??

[shaunstrudwick]

part of the Downing thing (for me at least) is this: i could accept the signing of Downing easier if i knew we were getting Mata (or someone who really is top class) for the other wing

 

the Mancs have got Villa's best player and we have got (arguably) their next best player - however these 2nd tier players aren't going to get us challenging for the title any time soon

[paulmacca10]

I think it's fair to say that we're paying a lot of money for Downing, if we do get him. But I think it's a pretty sure thing that he'll improve our team/squad. And that is the key point when signing any player at any time of any age for any money - does he improve us.

 

Does anybody actually think this isn't the case? Does anybody seriously think that buying him will make us worse?

 

If we get him, I think he'll do well. Clearly he isn't as good as others around the world who play in the same position, but he is good and £20 million is the going rate.

 

Who are our other options on the left - Maxi, Cole, Kuyt, Suarez (at a push). I think Downing gives you something different from all of those players and, in some games this season, we'll need something different and if Downing gives us it, it'll add points to our total.

 

I think he'll prove a lot of people wrong if we get him.