Stewart Downing has been banging his West Ham drum again!
The Middlesbrough player has been impressive for his new club in the opening weeks of the Championship campaign but seems unable to get the Irons off his mind.
He has now repeated his reasons for leaving the club to the BBC claiming these included not getting the right assurances from manager Slaven Bilic to stay at the Boleyn.
He declares he really wanted something to play for at a club he believes could realistically have finished “ninth or tenth” and that Middlesbrough was a good challenge for him with the “big thing” of playing for promotion at the end of the season.
He admits things were “hard for Slaven” in his first week in the job saying: “But he didn’t convince me enough to stay.”
“That was one thing – the other was I was playing 10 in a free role last season and I really enjoyed it, but he didn’t really give me a guarantee and he had players coming in like Dimitri Payet, who was his first-choice number 10. ”
It’s a little difficult to understand why Stewart should keep repeating the same script which we’ve read at least three times now.
Things move on and so should he. After all as a non Premier League player he does have promotion to play for as he explains.
I’m all for players talking to the media when they have something interesting to say but this one is beginning to grow a few whiskers now.
In the meantime and probably unwittingly he opens an interesting debate:
Downing or Payet? Leave your thoughts below!
The trouble there was that he knew that was no contest to keep his place, and that hippo would always pick him!! So really chewyalldyce being like he was, relied on him to much,and turned him into a tart.
Payet over Downing,not even close.Never rated Downing,though i know many did.He was all a bit wishy washy for me.Bit of a tart actually 😉
Downing looked a diamond because of the poor players around him,I think we were very lucky last year to get the start we had and that brought us time and survival,
We know now that we have so much skill in our squad that once we find the right style to play home and away we can be a top 6 club,
Now for our season to start
Got to be honest,never really rated Downing.I thought he was pretty poor over the full two seasons he was with us.Had some highs but many,many indifferent performances.Think people only rated him highly as a creative,attacking option for us because he was the best of a bad bunch of options we had available under hippo 😉
Nothing really left to add, Payet in just these few games has shown more than Downing did over two seasons.
Downing doesnt strike me as a man willing to fight for a place,he is a runner not a fighter.
Clearly too early to judge Payet (some good but poor-like others- against Bournemouth) but what we can be sure of is Downing’s lack of consistency. He played well for half a season, upped his goals but faded badly in the last half (or lacked motiovation). The best for WHU would probably be to have both with competition for the place! Then we would see what Downing was all about, but I suspect he woudnt be up for it, would complain and want to leave.
I think the better question is for Downing: Championship or Premiership? His answer to that answers everything else.
Downing comes across again as a person with a grudge to bare !!!
He was 31 / 2 years old , we got 5 mill for a player not only getting on but was quite
frankly s** t !!!!
Great buisness anyway you look at it, lol,
Couldn’t tackle , couldn’t head a ball , more cold than hot , quite a pansy really !!!
Payet literally trounses him all over the park !
All this is self PR as he knew he would not be able to compete with the new signings.
I really don’t know what people saw in this bloke at all !!!
Just compare him to the M/F of old and present ( the ones that stood out ) where does he come ? No where !!!!! Completely overrated !!!
I never ever rated this bloke at all !!
What Downing is really saying is that West Ham wouldn’t give him the extension to his Contract that he wanted – I always liked him when he played for us but these continual outbursts are making me see him in a completely different light – shame!
And here’s the loan eleven. Players ready for loans to championship includes amafitano and Collins.
http://www.london24.com/sport/football/loan_xi_the_premier_league_stars_ready_for_championship_loan_moves_1_4225852
Downing wasn’t even good in the free role after the first few weeks, instead of passing to players in better positions he shot at will often resulting in saves or misses, he let the good publicity go to his head imo and got carried away putting himself before the team for most of the rest of the season, when he played out wide right he was anonymous in most games. Payet would indeed have been correctly first choice in that position and Downing made the right decision in leaving, he will be first choice in the position he wants at Middlesborough plus he loves that club so good luck to him, just wish he would stop spouting b0ll0cks about not feeling loved etc..
And Chekhov kouyate has been having himself some more fanny.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3226285/West-Ham-star-Cheikhou-Kouyate-enjoys-day-Milan-Mario-Balotelli-s-former-girlfriend-Fanny-Neguesha.html
Who can blame him 😉
Talking about money spent on transfers etc. Sky sports produced a best free transfers 11 with both Kevin Nolan and Carlton Cole in it.
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11096/9984418/best-free-transfer-xi-featuring-ron-vlaar-wilson-palacios-carlton-cole
Hi Hugh Given Karen Brady’s recent comments on Manchester City and Financial Fair Play rules I came across the attached article which I think is an excellent description of their status and educational piece on FFP http://swissramble.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/manchester-city-i-threw-brick-through.html
I would have preferred payet and Downing. Don’t think it was ever a case of one or the other. Slav wanted both in his team. However with Moses Antonio and lanzini we no longer need Downing.
Hugh – this is not even a serious question is it?? Payat is totally different class to Downing.
Payet,no contest,1st round KO in this fight.Time Stewie got over his ‘Slav didnt love me’ moments & got on with playing in a lower league 😉
Downing did okay in the “free” role, but he’s not in Payets league……literally now!
Payet bargain of the year.
Payet definately.Even if we still had Downing & Payet was still at Marseille i would still say Payet.Aint even a competition imo.
Payet all day long over that powder puff Downing.