Liverpool FC Forum

andy_g wrote:

metalhead wrote:Well there is still time for Downing to up his performance in the 2nd half of the season. I don't think he is that BAD as many on here make him to be. He is a good winger but not in the value we paid for. Furthermore, everytime he starts on the left hand side of midfield he does look generally lively and looking to contribute a lot, but when for some reason he gets switched to the right he loses all his natural game and looks pretty average. I hope Kenny just sticks to him on the left he looks better in his natural position.

he just played v blackburn on the right though, and had one of his better games for us.

i think he's playing at his level. he's capable of a few magic moments, which are probably what catch peoples' eye in general - but now we are watching him week in week out we are seeing that the majority of the time he's fairly ordinary. i'm expecting him to grab a couple of goals and a few assists before the season is out but i don't expect a huge improvement in overall performance.

Dundalk wrote:In the 2003/2004 Season, Arsenal finished the league season unbeaten


In the 2011/2012 Season, this man aims to finish the league season with no goals and no assists


This man is Stewart Downing




GAMES - 20

GOALS - NONE

ASSISTS - NONE

kartiek wrote:Hi guys, I've been reading these forums for the past 2 years now, and I thought I'd finally start actually writing on here as well!

Here's my 2 cents - I think it's a tad unfair to call Downing mediocre at this stage. I think he's shown that he has the basic tools to be a good footabller - some pace, good footwork. He's been a bit unlucky on the assists and goals sheet, he's hit the woodwork a few times, and his crosses haven't been converted sometimes despite being excellent ones.

The problem though is that the way we're playing will make ANY winger look mediocre. How do you expect a winger to get assists when there's only one person to aim at in the box every single run? Even when he doesn't cross, he does need a rampaging attacking midfielder in the box to pass the ball to! I think it's simple to see that we've missed SG and Meireles sorely. Our offensive tactics are weak. Henderson needs to learn how to participate more in the attack (he has the talent, but somehow not the right training). Adam is too slow and unfit to burst into the box regularly. Our whole attacking play lacks any cohesion. One more thing that I'd like to say is that I think the reason we saw so much of Downing running and then stopping to pass it back is down to him realizing that there's just no one pacey enough for him to just whip in the cross first time. If he has to hold it up till everyone arrives, it has to be by passing it back for a bit.

I don't want to say that Downing is/will be for sure brilliant. I just want to say that I think there's something much more worrisome about our formation/playing style and training. I think that more than a striker this transfer window, we need someone with speed and good skills to play behind the main striker because I'm not sure if Gerrard can do that job anymore or if we can rely on his fitness. A striker with actual pace and some skill would also do us no harm. We need to have our wingers learn to run into the box when the other winger is going to cross.

Dundalk wrote:Stewart Downing stats against City

Not ONE ball into the box!!

Hardly a ball played forward!!!

Sorry but i think thats because i saw a number of crosses put in from Downing from both sides .

Dundalk wrote:You got that on youtube?

This is from FourFourTwo magazine

Why would they lie?

Dundalk wrote:Either way, going by that he plays a lot of balls sideways and back behind him.

Not exactly very offensive

i think the phrase you're seaching for is "he's cr@p"