I disagree. He could have easily have said that Downing was part of the squad but would have to fight to be part of the main team. That is different to being told you are wanted.
He's not a teenager! He's near thirty so he's not that naive that he believes every word out of a managers mouth who will always have the interests of club first, individual players second. And based on last year it's not a lie its basically: We don't want you & will offload you if we can. If you're still here then you'll be used every week because you cost a lot to keep so in effect you WILL be part of our plans. Actually, I no longer give a stuff what BR is or is not telling players. Very few are nice honest chaps that will put club first. They're all money grabbing scroats that should be treated accordingly.
True, which is why I started of by saying "He claims to have been told he was wanted but then shoved out the door"
Who knows what was said? I'm not going to condemn BR on the say-so of a player who's a bit miffed at being dumped, tbh. Seems to be the way now that every player leaving a club feels the need to have a pop at the way they were treated. It's all a bit pathetic.
Absolutely, there was no need for Downing to come out with this, what difference has it made to anyone? Himself included? Sure, spit it out in ten years time in a book if you wish (good luck selling it ) but a few days after the incident is just an attempt to cause trouble!
Actually think Downing is a bit deluded about his own ability, it's fair enough to have self-belief but there's a point where you're just going to end up angry and confused and I think he's reached it. I would say he's a trier but a lot of the time on the pitch for us he didn't look interested. So what if he thinks he's been harshly dealt with, it's football, it's a fast paced, cut throat and ever-changing environment, he knows this and he should also know/have seen that LFC have renewed their expectations to a level much higher than when he was brought in. His comments just make him out as an excuse maker and that's why he'll never make it at a higher level, excuses that are designed so that he doesn't have to account for his performance level, excuses that allow himself to continue in his delusion. Think he should have realised his time would soon be up when BR rolled out the circus canon last year and pointed it in the general direction of London!
I don't think he has any self belief - if he did, he wouldn't be such a coward on the pitch but failing to attack players
if you do the maths here. 1. prob got a pay off for "loyalty" 2. 70k x 2 years v 40k on 4 years = net profit to downing.... 4 year for a 29 year old. 3. if he'd gone on a free at the end of the 2 years he''d prob only rate another 1/2 year deal at 20k or something in championship 4. got a signing on fee. in other words downing is quids in here...
Do you think West Ham believe they've bought a winger or a whinger? Did you see what I did there....? GKRK
When we was in the market to buy Ashley young or Stewart downing, I kept saying to my friends that he was the better player, he would knuckle down and give us what we have cried out for, ie a player to beat the first man then whip in a cross, u fortunately downing never gave us that, I think it's the right decision to move him on. It's just a shame about the massive loss we've taken
Young threw his career away with a desperate series of dives only to have Aguerooooooo make it all for nothing
