If he improves our team I'm all for it English player knows the premier league im sick of buying the likes of Buckley,Bridcutt 7m deal for Alvarez loan deal we can't get out of for Vergini let's pay for the future Ba Mavrias Mandron whickam FFS lets go and get some players who can play now and if Downing costs 5 or 6m and we finish a comfortable 10th its money well spent because I've had enough of the ****e over the last 3 years.
Nobody worried how unbelievably inconsistent the lad is? I mean it's been a trait of his for his whole career, one that saw him fail at Liverpool. Take last season, great form up till Christmas than absolutely dire from then on.
Compared to us the last few seasons, he's an upgrade at most mate.. A Man Utd mate of mine made a comment to me during the week and it makes complete sense. Sadly, cause of our location, we have to 'feed off the scraps' call us pigs blah blah but if we're fighting pigs scraping into the top 10 this season then I'm one happy pig in s h I t !
I know the whole team was but we're not linked with the West Ham team, when we're linked with them then I'll worry about their consistency, which is why I highlighted it's been a problem for Downing his whole career. No actually that's a myth. He was rotated between RW and CAM all season with the odd appearance at LW, including the second half of the season where he was ****e. A 30 year old who only turns up for half a season for 5+ million. No thanks from me.
So your idea for improvement is adding inconsistency to inconsistency. That's demented fella, I'd rather go for consistant myself.
Not at all fella, he might well be inconsistent to you.. I reckon he's a little more consistent then what we have. A slight upgrade that is all!
So what is consistent to you? Keeping in mind we need more goals and creators desperately. He is incredibly inconsistent. Not sure how much you've seen of him over there but he's ****e to watch. Here's his league form. 11/12- 36 Apps(2473 minutes)= 0 goals, 2 assists 12/13- 29 Apps(2191 minutes)= 2 goals, 5 assists 13/14- 32 Apps(2507 minutes)= 1 goal, 2 assists 14/15- 37 Apps(3312 minutes)= 6 goal, 8 assists. (4 goals and 6 assists in the first half of the season) Total 9 goals & 17 Assists from 10483 minutes Inconsistent isn't the word actually. 6 months of form in 4 years is rubbish. Without that 6 months he'd have delivered 5 goals and 11 Assists in 4 and a half years. Better than we have now? lets compare and you can make what you want of it but bare in mind Downing takes free kicks and has had a stint taking penalties. In the last 4 Seasons Gomez 11/12- 28 Apps(1789 minutes)= 5 goals 1 Assists 12/13- 32 Apps(1525 minutes)= 3 goals 1 Assists 13/14- 31 Apps=(1999 minutes)7 goals 7 Assists (Champ) 14/15- 29 Apps=(1941 minutes) 4 goals 3 Assists Total 19 goals & 12 Assists from 7254 minutes Larsson 11/12- 32 Apps(2696 minutes)= 7 goals 3 Assists 12/13- 38 Apps(2980 minutes)= 1 goals 5 Assists 13/14- 31 Apps(2214 minutes)= 1 goals 3 Assists 14/15- 36 Apps(3051 minutes)= 3 goals 3 Assists Total 12 goals & 14 Assists from 10941 minutes AJ 11/12- 26 Apps(1146 minutes)= 6 goals 6 Assists 12/13- 35 Apps(2924 minutes)= 5 goals 9 Assists 13/14- 36 Apps(2438 minutes)= 8 goals 6 Assists 14/15- 32 Apps(2079 minutes)= 4 goals 2 Assists Total 24 goals & 23 Assists from 8587 minutes Giacc 11/12- 23 Apps(1210 minutes)= 1 goals 3 Assists 12/13- 17 Apps(950 minutes)= 3 goals 3 Assists 13/14- 24 Apps(1354 minutes)= 4 goals 4 Assists 14/15- 8 Apps(308 minutes)= 0 goals 0 Assists Total 8 goals & 10 Assists from 3822 minutes
Exactly. You just never know what the new season may bring.. So many doom merchant sad Kents on here you'd think we were signing humpty dumpty..
who though? I see people saying "7m is a lot" and I agree to a point but how many premier league experienced players can you get for 7m these days?
I don't get it. You're saying "he could have a great season" despite the facts - yeah he could, so could Fletch, so should we give him a payrise? Weird logic imo... I've never rated the lad but the stats Funk has just posted up show him to be even worse than I thought. This would be terrible, terrible business imo. Why spunk £7m on someone who has been ****e for 3 and a half years out of the last 4, and is more than likely past his best? Yeah, he could come good, but I'd rather we take a risk on someone who has done consistently well for the last 2 or 3 years (even if in a slightly lesser league) rather than consistently crap with a 4 month purple patch. Premier League experience isn't a necessity though. Look at Cabaye, Sigurdsson, Michu, Tadic, Sakho, etc etc. All players who have come in to teams around our level in the last few years and excelled. I don't know who we could get in, but that's not my job. We are paying a team of scouts hundreds of thousands of pounds a year purely to find these players - and the best they can do is a 30-year-old plodder from West Ham? It's a joke mate.
Whatever you think about Downing I'll say this. Is he better than Wickham at left wing? Totally. If he signs a 3 or 4 year deal, plays 150 odd games and scores 1 in 5 games for £7m is it a good deal? Totally Is he a signing we can realistically bring to the club, as opposed to son pie in the sky target we can't afford or attract? Totally Will he need time to settle into the area? No Will he improved us? Totally Then in my eyes he's a very good signing and should be afforded as cracking welcome if he does not moaned about before he kicks a ball. That's my tenpenneth anyhow.
What are you basing 1 in 5 on? Over the last four years he's averaged 1 in 13, add to the fact he's going into his twilight years and that average is only likely to get worse. I'd answer your questions slightly differently... Is he better than Wickham at left wing? Maybe, although in the last 2 years Wickham scored 10 in 46 in the PL whereas Downing has scored 7 in 68 - so possibly not. Add to the fact Connor has age on his side and I'd argue he's barely an upgrade on an out-of-position Connor Wickham. [Bonus question] Is he better than Giaccherini at left wing? Absolutely not imo. If he signs a 3 or 4 year deal, plays 150 odd games and scores 1 in 5 games for £7m is it a good deal? Abolutely. [Bonus question] The odds of this happening? Maybe 0.000001%? Is he a signing we can realistically bring to the club, as opposed to son pie in the sky target we can't afford or attract? Yes, but there must be options out there - see my post above. Will he need time to settle into the area? No Will he improved us? Not if Giaccherini can stay fit imo.
I'll guess your in the no camp then? Which is fine but you should also be realistic who you think will sign for us. BTW I meant 1\10 which is roughly his record not1\5 so apologies for the slip. As for Downing, hes played nearly 200 games in the last 7 years for established premiership clubs and has a wealth if experience, recently winning back a place in the national team. Hes a step above anything wide we currently have as Wickham got his goalks playing through the middle not out wide and Giacherinni isn't and never will be a winger mate. Hes a classic number 10 IMO. Downing would be a very, very good fit for us, even at £7m. Hes only 30 and at the top of his game after a cracking season last year. He wants to return north for his last hurrah and I'd welcome him.
Not really that concerned about the transfer fee, but his wages will be a big drain on resources and is he really worth that?
