Dalglish: Stewart Downing is better than I thought

[Jairzinho]

He's an average player, playing appallingly, and keeping a much better player out of the side.

 

He'll be gone in the summer.

[PaulMcC]

Suppose he has to do something to try stop Downing being afraid of trying anything the ball.

[silverlining]

It's difficult to discern between Kenny trying to justify a laughably overpriced 20m winger having a fucking atrocious start to the season - has any attacking player got worse stats than him? - and a genuine attempt to bolster the player's confidence

 

Probably a bit of both, but even by his own average, decent, ok standards, he's been shite

[fin-bat]

Sounds to me like Kenny wants to put all the blame on Comolli for making this signing. "He is better than I thought, but I didn´t think he was very good anyway. Comolli signed him..."

[Mr T]

There is a narrative building that Kenny has lost the plot - that's what LFD is hinting at when he says Kenny will lose credibility. The Suarez stuff, rightly or wrongly, has severely dented Kenny's reputation.

 

The Carroll and Downing signings have the potential to finish him if they aren't handled properly. He can either take a gamble to boost the player's confidence but in the process look a bit deluded or just hang them out to dry. It seems he's chosen to further back Downing but not Carroll. Hopefully Downing will justify it with some actual performances, for Kenny's sake.

[BringbackBiscan]

There is a narrative building that Kenny has lost the plot - that's what LFD is hinting at when he says Kenny will lose credibility. The Suarez stuff, rightly or wrongly, has severely dented Kenny's reputation.

 

The Carroll and Downing signings have the potential to finish him if they aren't handled properly. He can either take a gamble to boost the player's confidence but in the process look a bit deluded or just hang them out to dry. It seems he's chosen to further back Downing but not Carroll. Hopefully Downing will justify it with some actual performances, for Kenny's sake.

 

 

And he's done this by benching Downing and Starting Carroll. Too many mongs reading into everything they read these days.

[Captain]

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

 

Take a bow.

[piscinin]

There is a narrative building that Kenny has lost the plot - that's what LFD is hinting at when he says Kenny will lose credibility. The Suarez stuff, rightly or wrongly, has severely dented Kenny's reputation.

 

The Carroll and Downing signings have the potential to finish him if they aren't handled properly. He can either take a gamble to boost the player's confidence but in the process look a bit deluded or just hang them out to dry. It seems he's chosen to further back Downing but not Carroll. Hopefully Downing will justify it with some actual performances, for Kenny's sake.

 

This is a fact. We saw it with benitez. And it's happening again, and we are making all the same mistakes. Again.

[BringbackBiscan]

This is a fact. We saw it with benitez. And it's happening again, and we are making all the same mistakes. Again.

 

Taking everything the media says as gospel and wanting everything now?

[jsjazz]

I can understand Kenny not wanting to slag him off in public and trying to increase his confidence- but for the life of me I dont understand why we buy a £35M big target man and then virtually never play a £20M winger, who presumably was bought to supply crosses for him, on the pitch at the same time?

How many games have they started together? How often does Carrol come when Downing comes on and vice versa? I just don't get it.

[thesouthafrican]

Nothing wrong about backing the player, just like KK saying Carroll was "unbelievable" after a game where he was unbelievably terrible (think it was Blackburn but take your pick). And in fact he has mentioned there that he's put in a lot of crosses (true), and "another part of his game is putting them into positions we can score from". So he is very gently criticising him as well.

 

As other have said though it does imply worryingly low expectations, "oh wow he's got 2 legs...and they're both the same size! what a bargain damien!"

[Mr T]

So is Kenny backing his £20M player or isn't he? He's better than he expected apparently so does that mean he should have paid £30M for Downing's services instead? Why not offer Villa an extra £5M as it's a bit unfair that we got such a steal.

 

I keep hearing that Kenny is one of the best man-managers in the game but I also heard he has a cracking eye for a player.

[Horus]

This isn't a go at Kenny, but it's completely understandable, that when in one breath, he is claiming that Downing is better than he expected, that in the second breath, he would have to complain that the players aren't respecting the clubs heritage.

[Allan the Red]

I just think Comolli is poison.

Even if we must have a Comolli figure, he has too large a profile, puts his nose in where it is not needed, and should be behind the scenes. He should be watching games/players and making suggestions to the manager, and thats it!

He should have no power! Every club he has been at he has caused no end of harm, he is turning us into Spurs or PSG. He undermines KK coz it's KK who has to justify Comolli's purchases. Who the fuck is Comolli and how the fuck did he manage to get a job with our club. While we have Comolli we are only going to have problems IMO.

[Horus]

I just think Comolli is poison.

Even if we must have a Comolli figure, he has too large a profile, puts his nose in where it is not needed, and should be behind the scenes. He should be watching games/players and making suggestions to the manager, and thats it!

He should have no power! Every club he has been at he has caused no end of harm, he is turning us into Spurs or PSG. He undermines KK coz it's KK who has to justify Comolli's purchases. Who the fuck is Comolli and how the fuck did he manage to get a job with our club. While we have Comolli we are only going to have problems IMO.

 

What is that based on? Not saying that you're wrong, necessarily, just not sure how you reached the conclusion that DC is to blame for our footballing ills.

 

I personally don't think KK would accept any players he didn't want at first team level.

[shouter]

I just think Comolli is poison.

Even if we must have a Comolli figure, he has too large a profile, puts his nose in where it is not needed, and should be behind the scenes. He should be watching games/players and making suggestions to the manager, and thats it!

He should have no power! Every club he has been at he has caused no end of harm, he is turning us into Spurs or PSG. He undermines KK coz it's KK who has to justify Comolli's purchases. Who the fuck is Comolli and how the fuck did he manage to get a job with our club. While we have Comolli we are only going to have problems IMO.

 

agree with every word. When he was appointed I was concerned. The problem is when things go wrong the finger can point in 2 different directions. If Kenny was in charge on his own the buck stops with.him and him alone. With dc here no one realy knows who was responsible for each player. Is it only a coincidence that spurs fortunes improved once he was shown the door? I agree with Kenny that he needs someone to look after the chief exc decisions Like transfer budgets and players contracts etc. Like peter Robinson old role, but he dosent need someone poking there nose in and having say about what players are signed and style of play etc. If he has them kind of responsibilities then I would be deeply concerned.

[xerxes]

I think we should go easy on Kenny.

 

He made a prat of himself, and is no doubt saying to himself, "Did I really say that?" it happens.Nothing lost.

 

Of greater concern is that when you pay £55m for a "Ping em across and the big man bangs em in duo" you should expect a greater return.

[satansmutt]

What is that based on? Not saying that you're wrong, necessarily, just not sure how you reached the conclusion that DC is to blame for our footballing ills.

 

I personally don't think KK would accept any players he didn't want at first team level.

 

That bit in bold is 100% correct

 

Kenny doesn't accept fools gladly and he is certainly no meek and mild mannered shrinking violet, there is no way he would accept the club spending all that money on those players unless he wanted them. It's Kenny's team and it's Kenny's tactics stop making excuses for him by blaming Comolli.

Are people going to say next that Kenny signed Suarez, Enrique and Bellamy but Comolli signed Carroll, Downing and Henderson?.

If Comolli gets out of line I think Kenny will soon let everybody know, these things never stay hidden for very long either Kenny or Comolli would be briefing the press by now if they couldn't work together.

The next 2 games will shape our season, problem is I can see us beating City but losing to Palace/Cardiff in the final it's been that sort of season.

[Phoenix]

I just think Comolli is poison.

Even if we must have a Comolli figure, he has too large a profile, puts his nose in where it is not needed, and should be behind the scenes. He should be watching games/players and making suggestions to the manager, and thats it!

He should have no power! Every club he has been at he has caused no end of harm, he is turning us into Spurs or PSG. He undermines KK coz it's KK who has to justify Comolli's purchases. Who the fuck is Comolli and how the fuck did he manage to get a job with our club. While we have Comolli we are only going to have problems IMO.

 

Any excuse. Seriously you really think Kenny took that job without having any say so over transfers.

[gingerhulk]

Why the fuck are people trying to shift the blame onto Comolli? Pathetic.

[Allan the Red]

Why the fuck are people defending Comolli? His track record speaks for itself.

I would be surprised if KK took the job without full control, but not 100% surprised.

This club means more to KK than it does to all of us put together and I think KK would do anything he could in any capacity to get it back on track.

I agree with 95% of the posts above, but I am suspicious of Comolli, and why shouldn't I be?

If he was worth his salt one of his previous clubs would not have sacked him unceremoniously and he would have been credited with turning them into a European superpower and there would be statues of him outside the stadium.

As it happens he is not credited with anything except creating divisiveness between the boardroom and manager. Oh, and spending shit loads of other peoples money on some god awful players.

Maybe I am out of line?

I am not looking to blame anyone, but if he is so good at spotting talent then he had better start showing us what he has!

[Dirk]

Stewart Downing. FML.

[Randy Marsh]

Downing does a hell of a lot without actually doing anything, if you know what I mean.

 

He sees plenty of the ball but very rarely does anything of any note with it. He gets it, runs a bit, then usually cuts back on himself and knocks it side wards. He fits in quite well here on current form as we have plenty of players who do the same job.

[the walsh]

to think sliva was around the same price as downing who really has done fuck all since been here

[Red Nick]

More importanly Mata was only 4m more and we could have got him just after the European u21 championships