Dalglish: Stewart Downing is better than I thought

[razor]

I still back Downing. He is an ace player who has not performed as badly as people are making out. To bracket him with Carroll is unfair. I would bracket him with Henderson on performances: glimpses of good things, working hard, just needs to back himself more.

 

I know he is more experienced, but just because a player needs confidence doesn't make him soft. Houllier got the best out of Emile Heskey by backing him, and he was as big and powerful a player as there was around.

 

It is great to read Kenny there. Good stuff. To call Kenny's words cringeworthy and embarrassing is pathetic. This is exactly what good managers do: publicly back players who they feel are listening to the unfair criticism they are receiving.

 

 

To me that headline is trying to make out that Kenny didnt want him.

I have not read that article I only read the headline.

 

The American Constitution is absurd. It's not worth the paper it is written on, is unintelligible and is full of grammatical errors and legal holes.

 

I have not read it.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

Pit him behind the front one/two.

[piscinin]

I know he gets asked questions and he has to answer them, but he shouldn't say things which just haven't been true. He hasn't been fantastic, as he says - 1 goal and 0 assists from a £20 million player is not fantastic.

 

You've misread that and then jumped off into the deep-end. He didn't say downing has been fantastic. He said downing's a fantastic player who is having trouble adpating to a big club.

[Captain]

What does that add to anything that has been written here today?

Absolutely nothing' date=' I myself find that I totally disagree with anything anyone says when they try to back the Hodgson.

Because to me quite simply if you back the Hodgson you really have no right to support Liverpool fc.

The Hodgson is the antithesis of what Liverpool are trying to achieve as a club and what humanity is striving to get away from.

Fucking cocksucking anyone but me I am alright Jack bastard cunt.[/quote']

 

The Woyalists might disagree.

[Iceman]

[neopulian]

 

That's lotta pies

[Razoray]

Anyone else notice that Kenny usually drops someone after he bigs them up in the press conference?

[FrenchEyeGlass]

Who cares about what he says to the papers. He probably is just talking him up to help his confidence.

 

I just hope he doesnt believe that absolute bollocks and I doubt he does.

 

Downing is fucking shit and though its no reflection of him as a person, it infuriates me when I see him putting on our shit.

 

How could the powers-that-be not see, before his signature, how fucking mediocre he was? He hasn't disappointed me since being here, he has done exactly what I would have expected him to do. Nothing.

 

Can't believe we wasted so much money. Fucks sake. Even the biggest retards (such as me) on here wouldn't have put it to such shit use.

[smicer07]

He's not shit though, he's under performing. There's a difference.

[razor]

Who cares about what he says to the papers. He probably is just talking him up to help his confidence.

 

I just hope he doesnt believe that absolute bollocks and I doubt he does.

 

Downing is fucking shit and though its no reflection of him as a person, it infuriates me when I see him putting on our shit.

 

How could the powers-that-be not see, before his signature, how fucking mediocre he was? He hasn't disappointed me since being here, he has done exactly what I would have expected him to do. Nothing.

 

Can't believe we wasted so much money. Fucks sake. Even the biggest retards (such as me) on here wouldn't have put it to such shit use.

 

I just can't be having it. He isn't.

 

If you were to watch all the games again you'd see plenty of good stuff. Stuff that harsh critics like yourself conveniently ignore.

 

Admittedly his run/stop/pass back inside rather than keep running is frustrating, but that has been in games when the momentum has turned against us. He is a confidence player, hence Kenny's strategy.

 

I often read posts yearning for the days of Albert Riera. Now THERE was an overrated player. Downing will prove himself, I have every faith. He is just too good not to.

[razor]

He's not shit though, he's under performing. There's a difference.

 

I agree.

 

It's a poor snap judgement.

 

Too many people go for the jugular at the drop of a hat.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Downing clearly isn't 'shit'. I've likely been the most vocal poster against the signing of Downing, before, during and after his signing, but I've said time and time again that he isn't shit. He's average. Sometimes he plays a bit better than average, like he did at times last season for Villa, and sometimes he plays a bit worse than average, like he has for us. He has been like this his entire career, and the main problem is the price. For £20m, you expect a really good player, or a world class prospect.

 

As for Kenny's comments... they don't really matter. I doubt Downing will suddenly start playing like a £20m player, although I'd love it if he did. Man management isn't about bigging players up to the press when they're quite clearly under-performing and not justifying their price-tag. It's about helping them through the bad spells and getting them into the good spells.

[Unrighteous]

He's not shit though, he's under performing. There's a difference.

 

Truth.

[Super Ken]

Stewart Downings only weakness is Stewart Downing.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Stewart Downings only weakness is Stewart Downing.

 

That's some deep shit, man.

[Guest The Big Green Bastard]

Stuart Ripley springs to my mind.

 

I would've regarded him as a half-decent mid-table winger until Kenny came along.

[satansmutt]

If Kenny's comments are to try and boost Downings confidence and if as people say he is a player who lacks confidence then quite clearly he is at the wrong club because he will be constantly scrutinized and criticised after every performance.

This is a club where a home draw against Man U is seen as a minor disaster and not something to celebrate like at Middlesboro or Villa. Liverpool is a club where the pressure is aways on and what use is a £20m winger without the confidence to take on his fullback.

 

Having said all of that Kenny's comments are no surprise he paid £20m for him so he has to back him and if he can stand in front of the worlds media and back Carroll while keeping a straight face he can back anyone.

[Tyler Durden]

To be honest Downing looks a bit thick so hopefully he will swallow this and bring his performances up to the level Kenny obviously thinks he can reach.

[Section_31]

If Kenny's comments are to try and boost Downings confidence and if as people say he is a player who lacks confidence then quite clearly he is at the wrong club because he will be constantly scrutinized and criticised after every performance.

This is a club where a home draw against Man U is seen as a minor disaster and not something to celebrate like at Middlesboro or Villa. Liverpool is a club where the pressure is aways on and what use is a £20m winger without the confidence to take on his fullback.Having said all of that Kenny's comments are no surprise he paid £20m for him so he has to back him and if he can stand in front of the worlds media and back Carroll while keeping a straight face he can back anyone.

 

Why should any of that be the case though? We haven't had a winger that would take on a fullback since McManaman, and even then not nearly as much as his skills demanded he should, and we haven't had one that could stay on the flanks since Barnes.

 

Why would a draw with the mancs, the champions, be greeted with disappointment when we have in fact been stripped of all of our top players over the last three years, by loss, injury or age?

 

When you say Liverpool is a club where the pressure is always on, what you mean is many of its fans are now moaning bastards, who seem to have forgotten we're not very good - for a variety of reasons, and have been in steady decline for more than two decades - nearly became extinct a year ago, and are now in the midst of the biggest rebuilding job on and off the pitch since Shanks arrived.

 

Pressure for success, to be the best again, should come from inside. It should be players and managers that demand success, not someone on a football forum or someone who only buys a ticket so they can go and have a fucking good scream, cry and moan.

[Juan Galonso]

I just can't be having it. He isn't.

 

If you were to watch all the games again you'd see plenty of good stuff. Stuff that harsh critics like yourself conveniently ignore.

 

Admittedly his run/stop/pass back inside rather than keep running is frustrating, but that has been in games when the momentum has turned against us. He is a confidence player, hence Kenny's strategy.

 

I often read posts yearning for the days of Albert Riera. Now THERE was an overrated player. Downing will prove himself, I have every faith. He is just too good not to.

 

Albert Riera has been a far better player than Stewart Downing has been for Liverpool so far. Which says a lot about Stewart Downing.

 

I thought we went down the British route so players wouldn't need time to adjust and could just settle straight in last summer. Obviously hasn't worked in some cases.

 

Downing has gone even below the low expectations I had for him. I don't know what it is about us wanting to sign average throughout their career players for 20m odd who have a couple of half decent seasons at Aston Villa once they get to their mid 20s.

[MLB]

Prentice wrote a decent piece about Downing in the Echo yesterday. He's has had a bit of a dip in form recently but I don't think he has been nearly as bad as people are making out.

[FrenchEyeGlass]

I just can't be having it. He isn't.

 

If you were to watch all the games again you'd see plenty of good stuff. Stuff that harsh critics like yourself conveniently ignore.

 

Admittedly his run/stop/pass back inside rather than keep running is frustrating, but that has been in games when the momentum has turned against us. He is a confidence player, hence Kenny's strategy.

 

I often read posts yearning for the days of Albert Riera. Now THERE was an overrated player. Downing will prove himself, I have every faith. He is just too good not to.

 

When I call him 'shit', I do it in response to a) Kenny making him sound like a world-beater, b) the fact that he cost us £20m & c) people on here think that he is good.

 

He is not shit. But he's definitely not bloody good. And he's not better than Albert Riera (who was average). He is average. Tepid. Mediocre. He is a yawn with football boots.

 

This is not a "snap-judgement" on his time here. Its a reasoned, thought out judgement from somebody who has watched him play since his time at Middlesborough.

 

I religiously watched him in his last two appearances for us and I honestly couldn't believe how often he did nothing. He would literally get the ball, run a few steps forward, shit himself, turn around, pass it back. It was like I was watching a video clip played over and over again.

 

I'm sick of people justifying shit players (by shit I mean distinctly average, bordering on shit) as "confidence players", players who "just need time to adjust", and the lark. I've been guilty of it in the past. I've seen the light. Stop being happy with mediocrity and then complaining at ending up 6th.

 

Im glad you lot are happy with Downing. But you better look forward to the Europa League next year.

 

Edit: I just wanted to add this in response to your last sentence.

 

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[ngogswilly]

Downing clearly isn't 'shit'. I've likely been the most vocal poster against the signing of Downing, before, during and after his signing, but I've said time and time again that he isn't shit. He's average. Sometimes he plays a bit better than average, like he did at times last season for Villa, and sometimes he plays a bit worse than average, like he has for us. He has been like this his entire career, and the main problem is the price. For £20m, you expect a really good player, or a world class prospect.

 

As for Kenny's comments... they don't really matter. I doubt Downing will suddenly start playing like a £20m player, although I'd love it if he did. Man management isn't about bigging players up to the press when they're quite clearly under-performing and not justifying their price-tag. It's about helping them through the bad spells and getting them into the good spells.

 

Exactly my thoughts on the matter.

[King Emlyn]

If Kenny's comments are to try and boost Downings confidence and if as people say he is a player who lacks confidence then quite clearly he is at the wrong club because he will be constantly scrutinized and criticised after every performance.

This is a club where a home draw against Man U is seen as a minor disaster and not something to celebrate like at Middlesboro or Villa. Liverpool is a club where the pressure is aways on and what use is a £20m winger without the confidence to take on his fullback.

 

Having said all of that Kenny's comments are no surprise he paid £20m for him so he has to back him and if he can stand in front of the worlds media and back Carroll while keeping a straight face he can back anyone.

Hard to disagree with any of that.

[xerxes]

Downing clearly isn't 'shit'. I've likely been the most vocal poster against the signing of Downing, before, during and after his signing, but I've said time and time again that he isn't shit. He's average. Sometimes he plays a bit better than average, like he did at times last season for Villa, and sometimes he plays a bit worse than average, like he has for us. He has been like this his entire career, and the main problem is the price. For £20m, you expect a really good player, or a world class prospect.

 

As for Kenny's comments... they don't really matter. I doubt Downing will suddenly start playing like a £20m player, although I'd love it if he did. Man management isn't about bigging players up to the press when they're quite clearly under-performing and not justifying their price-tag. It's about helping them through the bad spells and getting them into the good spells.

 

A very good post.

 

I haven’t posted much on Downing because there is not much to say. I always kept an eye open for him at Boro and Villa and have seen him play a few times in the flesh for England before he came under the microscope with us.

 

He is a good player, and a popular team player. His UEFA Cup experience with Boro and his England experiences suggest that he would also hold his own in a Europa Cup run. The latter is the standard to which we have recently been buying.

 

On the one hand I have a lot of sympathy for managers. Mid week press conferences, pre match, post match with the players in the dressing room and Monday post match interviews, the law of averages say that anyone is going to spout some dodgy stuff from time to time, who wouldn’t?

 

On the other, its part of the game. If you do say that a player is better than what you already thought was worth paying £20m for, you will be judged by that statement, and it will soon be forgotten.

 

The biggest problem for our recent signings is that they are playing at a club and in front of fans that have recently dined out on genuine world class players like Torres, Masch and Alonso, that is a standard that they could not possibly live up to.