Downing Out? Not Just Yet.

norbert-ninepin:

You're dead right! Stewart Downing has done his hometown club no favours at all by submitting a transfer request at this time. Only 8 matches ago, the same Stewart Downing was publicly targeting Europe. Since that target has clearly become fantasy due to poor team performances, to which he has contributed, he's looking to desert what he considers is a sinking ship.

The timing and the manner of his request have effectively shafted Boro. He's handed transfer negotiation advantage to potential suitors. Is that any way to repay your home town club for making you a millionnaire? He's no better than Woodgate who Boro brought back as a crock from Real Madrid and worked with him to improve his personal training regime and restore his potential only to have him turn round on Boro and move to a club that is our closest rival in the league.

When Downing took the second of his two missed penalties earlier this season, I stated on here that he did so for selfish reasons and that he was not acting in the best interests of his colleagues and of his club in doing so. I had suspicions about his motives then and I'm even more convinced now.

I'm disappointed, frankly. But perhaps I ought not to be surprised when money's is the loudest shout coming out of the swamp. If Spurs can find £15M for Defoe, they can find a lot more than their derisory £6M for Downing and if not, then let him "stew".

Nigel I have no doubts Downing and O'Neill will be professional, they are not the types to throw toys out of prams. The difficulty is, if it is niggling away at the back of their minds it may affect performances subconciously.

The one thing I cannot lay at Downings door is lack of feeling for the club no matter what the bitter, twisted and jealous may say. We tend as fans to want our footballers to adopt far different standards to the ones we set ourselves. We are quite happy to move jobs, even areas to better ourselves or provide for our families. We are even happy to take a sideways step for our health.

If one of the national newspapers offered AV a substantial salary increase to work for them as the North East correspondent none of us would blame him if he took it.
But a local lad who has made good, played at world cups, an England international who wants to get to the highest level possible is likelt to be cast as a villain.

We dont know what picture was painted for Stewart last year that encouraged him to stay. I suspect it isnt doing exactly what it states on the tin. In O'Neills case, we dont know what is going on in the background but he seems to give 100% on the pitch.

The ironic situation is Mido's brother saying he wants to play regular football. A good start would be turning up for the game.

AV, for once I'm glad that the software ate my last post because this says what was in there more fully and eloquently.

I have just three points to make:-

It wasn't football gravity that has dragged Boro down from the Carling Cup, Europe and Eindhoven - it was a series of decisions and choices made by MFC in the immediate aftermath and subsequently followed by more of the same.

The club have badly mishandled this Transfer Window - both in what has been done/not done and how and also (as Ian says in an earlier post) in what has been said publicly. I think, inevitably, that what we've heard from Stewie's Dad is only the tip of the 'frustration' iceberg for Stewie. And, in the circumstances, how do we (or the players) know that there won't be yet another change of tack and rhetoric before the end of January?

How do we know that this is going to stop at Stewie? There's already the O'Neil story and the Tuncay rumour. And who else? Those three were specifically mentioned by Gibbo but no-one else. Once the itchy feet and frustration get around, who knows.

I think Downing has finally come to the conclusion that most other Boro fans have reached - we can't compete anymore with the big pockets of the foreign-owned clubs.

Look at the facts:

Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Villa, Arsenal, Man City & Spurs all look like they are going to spend big to build teams - sorry I forgot Sunderland who spent big but only on second rate players.

The rest are either struggling financially or not able to spend big.

So if you are a decent player looking to win something or improve your game where would you go?

Boro have very little chance of qualifying for Europe and this chance will diminish each year - staying in the Premier League each season is now an acheivement for us.

I don't see the point in keeping players if they've made up their mind to leave it just gives the crowd another negative focus that will only rub off onto the team.

Unfortunately Boro have put their cards on the table and now we're only going to attract up-and-coming players from either the Championship or Europe who see us as a stepping stone to a bigger club.

I am at a complete loss to fathom what good could possibly have come from this transfer request. There will be no winners whatsoever from this situation.

For a start, Downing will now become the number one hate figure amongst the Riverside faithful. Although, a certain Mr A Alves might find a little relief with that particular situation.

From what I can see, Downing has helped neither himself nor the club. Financially, this was not the most wise move for him. Submission of this written request, means he forfeits the 10% signing on fee he would have earned upon any move.

By his actions, the club are likely to gain a lower transfer fee than they may possibly have gotten otherwise. He may have professed a love for the club in the past, but this could potentially cost the club millions of pounds they can ill afford to lose out on.

Surely this could all have been avoided with a little common sense? He requests a meeting with the Chairman & Manager, where he airs his concerns & desire to move. In the meantime, both parties deny any notion of a possible move & pedal the party line, that the player is deliriously happy at the club. The next club to inquire about his availability are told that a move may be a possibility, but would not happen cheaply. A sizeable fee is eventually agreed upon, where the player gets his signing on fee & the club have their valuation met.

Result: Everyone is happy !!

I have to agree with AV's sentiments about the possible destination here. What is the big attraction of the 2nd best club in North London? Downing may question the ambition of the club in not spending tens of millions on players, but I question his ambition in settling for a non Champions League team, sitting in the wrong half of the PL table ;-)

Sir Steve Gibson looks pretty angry to me at the moment, & Downing must be a brave young man to take him on in a battle of wills !!

As for O'Neil & Mido, I would let both leave if a decent fee can be agreed in the next few weeks. Mido is never fit to play, so I see no reason why his departure would affect the team. O'Neil has done very little in my eyes to warrant a permanent starting berth since his arrival. I have always had a sneaking suspicion the decimal place was accidentally moved on the documents for his transfer. It should have read 450K, not 4.5 Million.

Spurs must be loving this unrest! They are level on points with us and all this cobblers will rally upset our dressing room. Can't we put in some bids for Bent or Modric and reverse the polarity a bit.

We have important games ahead and selling our biggest creative force to spurs now is rubbish! People saying let him go should have a look at the table and see where we are and where spurs are.

They should remind themselves what Downing brings to this club. Without Downing's assists Alves wouldn't have scored and we would have lost against Barrow. We have a skeleton squad with too little experience in it and wishing away Downing or O'Neil now is just stupid!

I can understand how Downing is upset if when he signed a new contract in Feb investment was promised - O'Neil and Digard are the only 2 central midfielders good enough to start for Boro as Southgate let everybody go and didnt replace them. That wouldnt be so bad but one or the other is always injured so we cant get them both on at the same time.

If this area was stronger then Stewy would benefit and so would Boro. Its the same up front too weak, too many injuries no hold up play-If this area was stronger then Stewy would benefit and so would Boro. A few of us on here mentioned how good Stewy was for England backed up with a decent left back- If this area was stronger then Stewy would benefit and so would Boro too.

The answer is to keep Downing and loan the players we lack to bolster the squad .
Luke Young's sale sent out the wrong messages to the fans and especially to the players. He was a well liked leader and a great player and like for Villa now could have been playing left back for us now.

I know we are in financial trouble but to what cost would falling out of the prem be?

After following my beloved Boro for 36 years (or maybe more, it's scary) this is a perilous position that our clubs' policy has put us in.

The post Eindhoven days have been the key to Boro's present predicament. We gambled and - for now at least - are losing. Taking the decision to invest in an (another) untried and novice manager was folly.

We've spoken about it many times on this excellent blog, to which the most passionate and loyal Boro hearts beat. To expect to be able to change the transfer policy from one of symmetry to one of buying young and untried players, with little or no Premiership experience, to be cast alongside our admittedly productive academy but again by their very nature unproven, has produced a situation of us staring into the abyss of the Championship wilderness.

Pre-Christmas, our club, mouth engaged with all the speed of an overactive thyroid, determined that if a big offer came in for one of our "stars", then we would be hard pressed not to accept it. If that is not a come and try your luck in the January sales at Boro, then nothing is. Why, we might as well have sent the players out with cash amounts pinned to their shirts against Barrow, instead of squad numbers.

Stuart is correct of course. We haven't matched his ambitions. But he can't have been reading too closely at all the quotes coming out of the Riverside over the last 24 months, he certainly didn't have to read between any lines. Mr. Lamb had summed it up many moons ago with his infamous "the town will get the team it deserves" quote.

So where do we go from here? We don't have many saleable assets, but to sell Downing now seems like folly, especially for the money that Spurs have in mind, backed by press favourite 'Arry. They are chancing their arm, and who can blame them? They can read the quotes cheaply given away by Boro, with all the talk of debt. Credit crunch has come to Boro indeed.

To sell Downing now seems like waving the white flag. But to keep an unhappy player has never proved successful. Anthony has used a famous example of Gareth Barry to counter this, yet his is a one off. For Boro and Downing to stay together and remain happy, is naive thinking indeed. Things rarely work out at Boro that well.

We have a difficult struggle ahead, and I remain one of the most optimistic of Boro fans. Like many, I've seen it all before. But with no sign of any money to spend, even if we do sell Downing, and with a disharmonious squad, there is a very real threat to our survival. Start again with an academy squad in the Championship? I shiver at the thought.

We have to believe that Boro will get it right in the next few weeks of January. If that is sticking to our guns and no-one leaving, then so be it. If that is caving in and selling the prize jewels to the highest bidder, then again, we have to hope for our sanity that we can survive. But it's a huge gamble.

The price of Boro making another mistake now is certain oblivion. The trap door is creaking open. I hope Mr. Gibson can seal the gaps before we fall through.

**AV writes: Keith Lamb actually said "the team the town can afford" and as we know that figure is being gradually squeezed. The key is how that transition to the new model is managed and how it is sold to the public.

I cant believe there are some people who are actually defending Downing in all this.

I guess that is just the way professional football is these days!

He has completely disrespected his hometown club, the club who are currently in the middle of a relegation dog fight, the club who gave him his break in professional football, the club who helped him push on and into the national team, our club!

He helped get us into this relegation battle, so he should at least have the cajones to stay and help us try and get out.

What is it with Boro fans that they can't wait to put the boot it to their own?

Stewart Downing is the best home grown player of this generation. He is far better player than the limited second division players of the Rioch era who are idolised. He is probably the best since Clough.

Over the past three or four years he has been our only creative force. He has scored and got assists and produced countless crosses that led to important goals. Think about the UEFA Cup comebacks... who put the perfect balls in for Maccarone?

He has been brilliant for us and what does he get? Slagged off by idiots who think Johnson is a better bet, bad mouthed by fools on the Legends and the message boards and booed at the Riverside by halfwits who think because he doesn't launch throat high tackles that he isn't committed.

I would be gutted to see him go but to be honest I can see why he would want to leave a club where he is undervalued and jeered by some of our home grown ingrates.

In the Stewart Downing saga, I believe we're witnessing the resultant of two adverse effects.

Firstly, it appears that the speed of the onset of the credit crunch and the near collapse of the banking system has caused some serious re-thinking of the finances available to MFC, already in debt, albeit to Steve Gibson's other corporate interests, as I understand it, to the tune of several tens of millions.

Steve Gibson's other business interests themselves are likely also to be under new pressures, exacerbating an already difficult position. It's got to be a fairly sure bet that the developments at Rockcliffe - the Hotel, Conference & Leisure facilities and the golf course are all being developed on debt which has to be serviced and some restructuring may have been required as events unfolded in the financial world.

I'm guessing, but I suspect that the swift onset of the near collapse of the entire banking system with the resultant fallout and restricted access to credit may have impacted considerably on Steve Gibson's plans. This will include therefore, restrictions on money available for investing in new players. My guess is that this was NOT the case when Stewart Downing's contract was renewed last February and, at that time, it's quite possible that a genuinely rosier picture of intent was not only painted for Downing. Not lies, not spin, but genuine intent.

That the situation has altered dramatically is not of Boro’s doing. It’s external forces at play which have caught more than just MFC on the hop! Witness Woolworths and a whole raft of other insolvencies and daily administrations being announced.
We are witnessing exceptional economic times and Middlesbrough Football Club will not be isolated from or immune to its effects.

It’s my guess that there’s been an enforced change of heart in the boardroom and like everyone else in business, the first priority will be to protect the business for the longer term. Part of those considerations will be to do what is necessary, without spending money we don’t have, in protecting our Premier League status. That will not be enhanced by selling off our most experienced and best players - particularly to clubs with whom we are in the process of competing to remain in the top flight!

We’ve seen before what can happen (Leeds) when, in trying to buy success, it goes badly wrong and you are saddled with debt that still requires to be paid off even after you’ve sold off your previously prized playing assets in the subsequent relegation car boot sale.

Frankly, you would not expect Steve Gibson or any other businessman to publicly declare their own company’s trading or cash position to try to explain or justify to anyone, matters that are confidential and perhaps critical to the continued well-being of the commercial enterprise – unless required to do so by law, which I don’t believe Gibson is required to do, not being a PLC.

Secondly, the complete collapse of Boro's season since the Aston Villa away match has moved the club's prospects for the season from looking forwards and a European challenge to backwards, over-the-shoulder nervous glances at the now-adjacent relegation position.

This, unlike the recent economic cataclysmic trauma, this is one which has been generated internally.

It’s becoming clear that Downing’s own declarations of ambition to challenge for Europe, made back in September and for which some contributors to this blog castigated him and Pogatetz for openly declaring it and thus holding themselves, and the club, hostages to fortune, were at that time supported by the club and that they were happy enough at that time (as I was) to have Downing state it as his own personal ambition.

At that time, the mood was considerably more bullish. Now of course, with a desperately poor set of results from a series of 8 matches, many of which ought to have yielded considerably more points than is reality, then, in the absence of some unimaginable and unlikely miracle, the European dream is over for, at least, another year.

Downing’s take on this seems to be that the club has somehow reneged on it’s earlier declaration of ambitious intent and despite perhaps even making allowances for exceptional economic circumstances, Downing is seeing MFC under Steve Gibson’s ownership in a new light and realizing that with the financial structure and apparent debt gearing, the constraints on such ambitions are tighter than previously assessed.

I can understand that and I could even support a view from Downing that in those changed circumstances, he may wish to seek his fortune elsewhere – somewhere that he assesses may offer a more realistic opportunity of European football.

However, the manner in which it has been done, as reported, seems to me to be disloyal and unhelpful to his home town club at a time when the club is vulnerable and his existing employer needs all the help available to get out of a sticky position. And it has to be acknowledged that Downing himself has contributed to that position by being an ever-present member of the team that has put the club where it is!

There had to be a better, less clumsy and more mature way of resolving the matter – one that would have been considerably less potentially damaging to all parties.

It’s because of all of the above that I suspect sleight of hand and behind-the-scenes intervention by other parties in all of this and whilst I’m prepared to believe that Stewart Downing may feel that the club’s ability to fulfill his own ambitions are less likely, then in taking the step of submitting a formal transfer request, he is not fully in control of his own affairs, is unable to think matters through for himself and is being manipulated by others. To consider otherwise, effectively brands him as selfish, ungrateful, spiteful or that he just doesn’t care what the fallout is for MFC.

I do find it hard to accept that after all these years coming through the Academy and his experiences with the club that he just doesn’t care.

But then again, on reflection, from my own experience, disillusionment with changes in one’s own work environment brought about by unexpected divergence of corporate and personal values can lead to principled parting of the ways.

It’s a personal thing, but I’m completely behind whichever party is less personally ambitious and more collectively ambitious. And I therefore won't appreciate witnessing MFC being disadvantaged through an individual’s greedy tantrum aided and abetted by competitor motivations.

My hope is that he will stay and continue to contribute professionally with god grace until the end of the season and assist the club to remain in the Premier League. He should move on in the Summer.

None of the big four ever let home grown talents slip through their fingers when one becomes available. Where are they now? What does this say about the real quality of Downing?

Apart from his last England game he has been slated by the press and fans as he has failed to perform at the top level. He is yet to score for boro this season and this includes 2 penalties, if he was doing the business on the wing then why would GS start playing him in the middle?

I honestly believe spurs fans would like to see £10m plus spent elsewhere. I think the Boro fans will see that they are missing nothing when he leaves. He cant even raise his game when he has the armband! Lets get shot and get what we can for him. The guy is massivly overrated.

Apart from his transfer request the only other thing that Downing will give boro this season is a parting shot!!

Downing is just feeling the same great frustration we are all feeling at the moment.

So Boro are broke and unable to match Downing's ambitions. But if we hadn't wasted so much money in the transfer market then that money added to the sale of Downing would give our manager over £50m to build a decent team

£6m - Huth - Always injured
£6m - Mido - Bad attitude and always injured
£5.5m - O'Neil - Not the goal-scoring midfielder we required and wants out
£13m - Alves - Not the goal machine advertised
£3m - Hoyte - Another Injured early in his Boro career
£3m - Emnes - Bought to play on the right but never picked
£2m - Ali - Bought as a forward now plays on the right

BTW - Ken, I like your logic!

Being a Celtic fan, although born n bred in the Boro, I see myself as totally impartial on the Downing saga. Those who know me understand I'm brutall honest on my opinions on Celtic be they good or bad.

Downing is vastly over rated and if Boro value him at £15m . "YOU ARE DEFO AVIN A LARF" He does not perform consistently against big clubs and is overshadowed by opposing players. He shows promise against lower level premiership sides and has improved slightly over the years, but not to the extent he is a top flight player.
Steve McClaren got him an England game and again he is unproven at this level on a regular basis.

Now if Spurs or anyone else want to shell out big bucks for him, Bloody hell snap their hands off, as if the academy is as good as people say, in the near future there will be another Downing already in the wings awaiting a chance.

Stewy will not go down as a local hero but a penny pinching villain, leaving an already sinking ship, only to cause dressing room friction and squad dissatisfaction. But, what the hell, living in London and getting big bucks for old rope and infrequent performances he will not be bothered.

Loyaly exists at no club, be it the Boro and or Celtic. The only loyal people are us the punters who pay good money to see more often than not below par performances.

Bby the way, before you have a pop, on the loyalty I have followed the Celts since childhood. albeit I used to attend Boro games as way back then there were no Celtic Supporters Clubs outside of Scotland .

It's hard to disagree with the likes of Rob when they hypothesise that GS has lost the dressing room. To me he seems to be getting no enjoyment whatsoever out of the job. Has he ever looked enthused this season, as though he's relishing the challenge?

The body language of GS is one of a broken man. It's inevitable that this will be transmitted to the players resulting in limp performances and poor defeats. I'm seriously worried that GS does not have the required motivational skills to keep us up this season.

Which brings me on to Downing. Manipulated or not, he wouldn't be off to Spurs if we were in the top 8 now and them languishing where they are. Quite simply it wouldn't even be an issue. But, it seems that the club has taken a credit crunch mentality right the way through, including depressed performances on the pitch. I'm not surprised that he's thought about the grass being greener.

I've been a supporter of GS and the type of football we've been looking to play. I was excited by the arrivals of Emnes and Digard, even if it appears GS wasn't - especially in the case of Emnes. I was surprised when we let Young go (lack of ambition on our part?) and very surprised when we let Rocky leave on a free (terrible decision making there), but I stuck firm with GS.

However, now, I am thinking that perhaps an El Tel-Robbo type arrangement is needed for the back half of the season, to try and reduce the pressure on GS. And as Rob says, there is one notable, experienced, manager available who's record is better than most.

Curbishly-GS for 2009?

I think to do a Robbo El tel combo would not be a good move.Once you show a manager to be lacking and in need of help then he becomes a worthless comodity ala Robbo and will be gone within months anyway.

Gibson appears to have realised the situation we are in to a certain extent with his phrasing of todays statement "turn this club around". What worries me more was what he went onto say regarding Southgate having the same players in Feb as he does now.

This is a watershed moment: if we lose badly on saturday to Sunderland then the only way is down. It very much appears that the club have lost the dressing room and if we lose to sunderland on saturday I feel he will lose the fans as well.

There is no point saying we will turn the club around if no one knows how to fix the problem and leaving a man in charge who has lost the respect of the players and fans is not going to be the answer. If someone else is needed to motivate and demand an honest hardworking performance on the pitch then the only thing to do is make a clean break and bring in a man who has the tools to do it and a back ground in the top flight not a novice.

But this will not happen becouse we cannot afford the new background staff.....

I believe let Downing go, and Mido and O'Neil. Why have any player that does not want to play? I was expecting the championship and nothing else at the start of the season. And now it shows it's ugly head. See ya's at the City Ground, Ricoh Arena etc next season. We should have pushed on after Eindhoven. Simple as

I am not sure I recognise the overbloated praise of Downing 's qualities and performances as judged by AV.

Over the years I have watched a player who has not really fulfilled his potential. He has a sweet left foot, he can cross a ball. When the game is stopped, he like Beckham is a marvellous player at free kicks but apparently not penalties. He does not control or influence games enough and when he is up against a good full back he has struggled. He is a good player but not an outstanding one.

Keeping disgruntled/ dissatisfied players is a bad policy witness Man City problems.
I am not convinced by keeping him we will ensure our safety. If memory serves me correct, he has played every minute this season and has to shoulder some collective responsibility for where we are in the table. Why we are in this position has been eloquently written about many times on this blog. Let him go.

As Ian says three points on saturday (with the bonus of a couple of Alves goals) and we'll all be feeling a lot more positive.

The bottom line for our woes this season is a failure to stick to basic principles when defending and an inability to score from chances created. Against Sunderland we need a solid defence and concentration for the full 90 mins+ and to score goals from the chances created.

Perhaps Downing alongside Alves again is the way forward?

Lots of coments all very valid points. The bottom line - Downing stays till summer,the crowd get behind the team on Saturday including Downing. Get the result we need and go from there.

I think the fans have possably the most important role to play in this debacle. Lets face it there cant be any fan in the 20k plus crowd that wants us to go down, not one player in the squad either and add to that SG,GS and KL.

GUYS WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER - STEWY INCLUDED. Let's get behind them and then we can all be part of the revival.

I find part of this sorry state of affairs rather amusing. Those of us that have travelled away over the past three or four seasons to the Lane, know that for at least 30 out the 90 minutes the Spurs fans have ridiculed Stewart Downing with great satirical lines such as "You'll never play for England" and "One Stewart Drowning".

We all probably suspect he has had his head turned by his mate Woodgate.

Let's have a reality check here, if he was that good, neighbours Arsenal or god forbid, Chelski, would have been ahead of Spurs in the queue, regardless to has the deepest pockets.

They say that out of the ashes rises a phoenix.

I for one, have wanted to see Digard and Walker play as a midfield partnership all season; and I thought they played well on Saturday. I know it was Barrow we were playing, but good partnerships have to start somewhere.

I think it would be very remiss of GS to change it on Saturday. Walker dosen't run around like a headless dog (Arca) and has better vision than Mr. Magoo (O'Neil).

Anyway, it will go one way or the other against Sunderland, where nothing less than three points will be acceptable. Whether it will be the gutsy, spirited fight we all crave for, or they fold like a pack of cards remains to be seen. Only the players that are picked can answer that one.

Come on BORO.

Regarding the Stewart Downing transfer request, my feeling was, and still is despite Steve Gibson’s refusal, that the club should take a sizeable fee if offered.

The comments from his father, that the club do not share his ambitions, is to my way of thinking, utter garbage. His statement is taken from the football book of clichés to justify a move. I am an admirer of Stewart Downing but who does he think he is? Is this a case of the player thinking he is bigger than the club?

If we can obtain a good attacking left back, such as Bale or O’Hara as part of the deal if Stewy goes to Spurs, then we don’t need a left winger. Man U and Chelsea do not utilise a left winger because Evra and Cole do that job very effectively, allowing the midfield to be beefed up to support the attack and defensively close down space.

However if we keep Stewart Downing I hope that the fans do not get on his back, both from the Stewie’s personal point of view and the fact that this will have an bad impact on his performance, which defeats the objective of keeping him.

Generally, I read with dismay words such as "trapdoor", "doomed", "Championship" splattered all over this blog. The negativity amazes me. Yes we have been on a poor run of form, but we are hardly stranded at the bottom of the table. Everybody get a grip. There is still a lot of hope, plenty to play for.

The level of performance against Man U reminded me of the response from the team at Villa last season following the Cardiff debacle. Prior to that Villa game there was similar despondency suggesting we were certain to be relegated. Wait until we have completed the next four games before making judgements.

I am convinced there is more quality in the Boro squad than most of the other teams outside of the top six. If we perform, as Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson endorse, we are a very useful team. Against Hull, Fulham and Everton we did not perform. That is the cause of the recent demise, not the quality of the personnel, and that is what the management have to rectify, starting on Saturday. If we had a poor squad and were on a slide then I would share the despondency, but we are far from that.

Everyone should get behind our team, our club and stop the negative comments. As we see in the financial and economic world, negativity becomes a bandwagon and the force of it creates untold, and perhaps, exaggerated damage. Get off the bandwagon and start thinking positive.

Looking at the bigger picture Steve Gibson has two stark choices which would not involve him losing face.

1.He can stick with his current position keeping all players in the hope that results will turn and that things calm down after the closure of the window.

2.His only other option is to change the man at the helm in an attempt to galvanise a reaction from the players and give that person a license to do a bit of wheeler dealing in the window.That person must have PL experience be used to working on a shoestring and have enough knowledge to use the loan market.

I've always been behind Gareth Southgate. He is an honest man who is trying to do his level best for the club.There have been times this season where I've questioned his team selections and poor use of substitutes. His pre transfer window utterances did nothing to help the club.

Lets hope for a positive result and performance on Saturday.The club badly needs a lift.

For all our wistfully looking back at early season form there are only a couple of matches where we didnt get something we deserved when you look at the hard facts - Sunderland and West Brom.

For some unknown reason Liverpool having 70% possession and twice as many shots and corners translates into us being robbed.

We are where we are in the table because that is what our performances have deserved. Full stop. Not good enough.

But Saturday is the first match of the rest of the season. We are not in a relegation place so lets make sure we end saturday with more points than we start with, in fact make that three points more.

What we do know is that Kenwyn Jones has caused better defences than ours problems at set pieces. We have to do better at both ends of the pitch. If we bomb out in this match then we are in even more serious trouble than we are now.

Some will say we are not in trouble yet but the appearance of Gibson signals in the media generally means bad news. As John says above, Gate has gone to ground and Gibbo and Lamb are talking tough.

I'm with Pat Mc and Tim from SA - come on lads and lasses, whatever the rights and wrongs of the Downing situation, we need to get behind the team on Saturday.

We need to be the 12th Man and shout them on to a win against the Mackems. We know they're short of confidence, but moaning and whingeing at them won't help. So come on mates, let's get stuck in and create a hell of an atmosphere, and let's give Stewy great encouragement every time he gets the ball.

And please, let's stop all of this "Gate has lost the dressing-room stuff." What nonsense! My guess is the dressing room is still in exactly the same place as it was before, so I imagine he can find it very easily. And Curbishley??? Per-lease!! Absolute twaddle.

Come on Boro! Let's stuff the Mackems and condemn them to relegation!!

I agree with FD, this has been a miserable lunchtime read. You would think we were 15 points adrift at the bottom of the table. Some people need to get a grip.

My thoughts on the vast array of negativity pervading the blog:

On Downing...I don't think the club will budge and I think he will have a useful second half of the season, and then go in the summer, but probably not to Spurs.

On other transfer window activity...I expect not much action, with the possible exception of a Mido departure if Heskey leaves Wigan.

On Boro...I see no particular reason to panic. There are only five points seperating the bottom half of the table and only 10 points seperate the bottom 14, so there are plenty of other clubs with just as much to worry about. I expect us to stay up and finish 11th.

On Alves...Still think he will turn out to be a good buy. Some people need to realise that his recent barren patch was a mere 5 games between goals. Not particularly long, the Yak used to go longer than that regularly, and Rooney had a longer barren spell this year.

On Southgate...I'm happy with him. I like what he is doing, and I think we are making progress, and I don't believe he has lost the dressing room (unlike Curbishley for example, who gained a bit of a reputation for this...some people!!).

On Gibson and 'the Club'...No problems with Gibbo, and no problems with the way the club is being run.

On the credit crunch... Will be a positive thing for Boro, who are a well run club who are already dealing with it, and very bad for some clubs (West Ham, Spurs, Portsmouth spring to mind as obvious candidates). Will also be very good for the competition as it will drag the big clubs back to the rest and allow the Championship to catch up - already happening, witness this years much closer competition.

Finally a bit of fun, on Spurs...Looking into my crystal ball, I foresee another disappointing season, although they won't get relegated. They'll finish 10th. Probably Woodgate's last season there (not Harry's type and always injured) and will move to promoted Birmingham next year. Harry himself will survive this season but after another average start next year will leave in December citing differences with the Board.

Personally I'm enjoying the season. The only thing I've stopped enjoying is reading this blog as it seems to have been taken over by doomsayers. AV - can you try to encourage a bit more balance? I have noticed that your blogs on weeks we have lost have a lot more posts than your blogs when we win. You could say that the success of your blog is based on Boro under-performing... do you have KPI's for responses?

**AV writes: A don't get paid a penny per post or anything but as to misery being more productive, it was ever thus. No one ever writes to a newspaper to say that by and large, all things considered, they are generally satisfied.

14.5 MILLION turned down last night.....they are persistent..

**AV writes: Boro insist there was no third bid. More finely crafted disinformation calculated to turn the pressure up?

Got to agree with Dubai Jim.

Look at Steven Ireland. Last season he was a bit player until injuries meant that he was given a good run in the team and yet now he is one of the top players for Man C, despite the presence of illustrious Brazilians.

However it is a gamble of course - not all youngsters with potential turn out to be
effective PL players.

Given the opportunity, if Johnson doesn't come good then we could be playing with 10.5 men, and in the PL that will mean defeat. To counter that argument, I would have to ask, then what is the point of having him in the squad?

A rumoured £14.5M Spurs bid for Downing this morning is beginning to change the landscape but, if they can, Boro should hold firm. Should further offers materialise in the coming days though, the balance will tilt in favour of a Downing departure.

In purely economic terms, £14.5M is still simply not enough to persaude Boro to sell. Spurs paid £17M for David Bentley last summer, a player who cannot match the international exposure or European football record of Downing.

Bentley's poor showing for Spurs against Burnley last night may well the end for him in north London in any event, the financial bearing of which will not be lost on Steve Gibson et al.

Already this week Lassana Diarra, a player of average premier league achievement, has gone to Real Madrid for £20M. Yes, there is a world wide economic downturn but certain clubs remain happy to splash the cash. Backed by the billionaire Joe Lewis, and flushed with their summer income from Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov, Spurs are such a club.

It is very conceivable they could increase their money to the £18M mark when Boro will need to seriously re-evaluate. There is a lot to be said for Boro then spending £10M on a replacement with a downpayment on the club debt. Alternately, what about £12M from Spurs plus Bentley?

Spurs will not be relegated either, with or without Downing, so the argument of not selling to a rival does not stand up.

Downing has been a good player for the Boro, loyal and consistent, but as Gibson infers, his head has been turned.

The thought of Stewie and Woodgate teaming up in London is unpleasant for all Boro fans but ultimately money talks. I hope Boro do not sell him - we wouldn't have got to Eindhoven without him - but the point is fast approaching it seems when we cannot afford to keep him.

If so, we can argue that mentally he has been absent for much of the season anyway and Adam Johnson should be given his chance.

Gibson is right to say we have a lot of talented players, even minus Downing. Gareth Southgate has collected players well in general but they need to gel.

Something is missing, and a Boateng type midfielder aside, we may well have all the players in place anyway. It's a clarity of purpose, an 'all for one spirit' that appears lacking.

Maybe it is best for Stewie, and us, for him, to go if a bigger bid comes in, but don't berate him for it. He has been one of us, is one of us and remains a Boro lad and supporter.

Despite occasional mistakes, I wouldn't have anyone else running the club than Gibson and I trust him again here. The same goes for Southgate and I love the fact that in the midst of all the excessive money, hype and cheating that goes on in the wider professional game, we still have decent men in charge of a great, proper community club that ultimately gives us a sense of pride and being in Teeside and the north-east.

Let's all get behind Southgate and the team. Come on Boro.

JC,

Good argument, McGeady in for Downing. McGeady is a similar player, however he tends to hold onto the ball a bit to much for me. Stewy delivers a better final ball, where McGeady has far more skill. What do you want skill or the final ball?

McGeady will frustrate you as much as Stewy does again in my opinion, but hey I think it would be worth a dabble if Stewy flits. I think both players are average and need to knuckle down wherever they choose to play. They have the ability to improve as long as they listen and have the right people mentoring them. Both though will be seen as traitors in supporters eyes , again in my opinion.

"Good argument, McGeady in for Downing."

Why would Aidan McGeady leave a big club who regularly win things and play regular European football to sign for a small backwater club like Middlesborough?

So we have stories circulating and being rebutted about £14.5m for Downing. The figure seems to be getting dangerously close to something that may tempt the club.

One thing that could scupper the deal is the fact Gibson is one of us and as such is as stubborn as the rest of us. If he has made his mind up I think it unlikely he will change it. But money is money and business is business.

I must admit it is now getting tiresome and we should be concentrating on our friends up the road. Come Saturday I fear that whilst the Mackems get behind their team there will be an element amongst our fans who would rather boo Downing than cheer on the Boro.

Something was niggling away at the back of my mind and evetually it clicked.

Go and look at the pictures of the Boro players visiting kids in hospital. One of them shows Downing with a young lad in a Spurs away shirt.

Now that is spooky, was it a plant AV?

**AV writes: Yes, we noticed that. How we laughed. I did almost playful use that one in the blog yesterday. Although my favourite Stewie pic is the Downing-doppleganger that jumped out of the crowd at Spurs to chin Lampard. You can see it here:

http://anthonyvickers.boroblogs.co.uk/archives/2007/03/cup-ko-caption.html

peterboro angel - I agree entirely, the deal has got to be that Downing stays on the understanding he can leave in the Summer.

I also think its vital that the crowd supports Stewie from now until the end of the season. Booing him is in nobodys interests.

Finally, I expect his last match for Boro to be at Wembley in the FA Cup final...nice.

If I were Stewy I'd want to go too. Not to rubbish Spurs who aren't that much better than we are, if at all, but to a proper big club that is deffo in Europe most years and has chances to be in the Champions League.

I think it's normal for players to want to move on and experience new things and to want to win as much as possible.

Lets be honest here. We're not building for the future at the moment and we failed to build on Eindhoven, we have a totally rubbish and inept manager and number two and we're always a club that is more or less on the verge of a relegation battle. We've got no cash and so to expect people like Stewy to stay is a bit naive really.

The club have stated many times before that just to be in this league is a major accolade and achievement and so I really don't know why they expect the better players to stay. Fourth bottom and endless relegation battles says it all.

If we had built on Eindhoven, and if we really were building for the future with a proper manager, proper coach's and a fair bit more cash to splash, then I think that leaving the club, especially for the likes of Spurs, would be far, far less attractive as the club does offer many good things.

Big wages. Great accademy. A great stadium. Great fans. Very warm and friendly local people. A very good training ground surrounded by views to die for, and being able to live in spitting distance from some of the best countryside anywhere.

That said, I highly commend the club for saying repeatedly that none of the senior players are going anywhere and I would only sell Downing if the money was just too good to turn down.

Personally I value him higher than Defoe and think that a move would see him develop and sustain higher performances than he shows simply because of the new motivations that will come from a new move.

Fans need to clap him all the way as he's only ever tried his very best on the field and, contract negotiations aside, I think he's only ever been a positive influence at the club and always given his all in training.

If you want to blame someone blame the powers that be and the local journo's and radio pundits who are just happy to be in this league and fall back on the age old small town mentality and mantra in order to justify their clear and overwhelming lack of ambition.

TB

Judging by today's Gazette Pogi clearly has the same fears about the reaction of some boo-boys to Stewie on Saturday as are being voiced on here.

If it happened, that would be the worst form of 'cutting off nose to spite face'. The common enemy on Saturday is Mackem shaped and you can bet their travelling hordes will want to have their fun. Are the Boro boo-boys really going to take sides with The Mackems against Boro?

They should be ashamed if they even think about it.

Once they step over that white line in a red and white shirt they're 'one of our own'. Anything other considerations should be dealt with off the pitch. It really worked for the idiot Gooners with Eboue didn't it. A resounding win would be the best thing with Stewie to score and supply the service for others to net too.

McGeady? Forget it.

Sorry, Celtic fans various, Johnno's better than he is, never mind Stewie. It's all very fancy but, like Lennon (who gave another such display yesterday evening), it's all like a Jack Russell with a ball too big for its gob. Intricate patterns at high speed but no end result - other than to lose the ball. And the Scottish Prem - well....

If we have to go outside the club for a replacement for Stewie in the Summer, I'd rather relieve The Skunks of N'Zogbia who is ticked off at having to play left back all the time - let alone having to do it in black and white.

But, if there's a choice, I'd prefer to strengthen on the right wing and have a the central midfielder we need rather than spend a lot on a left winger no better than Johnno.

If anyone thinks Gareth Bale would be a good idea as some sort of makeweight in a deal for Stewie I would refer you to his form this season, exemplified by yesterday evening when he was embarrassed in his defending and nullified in attacking by workaday Championship players. His crossing was woeful. A faster version of Tayls.

I think that one other support for believing the resolve of Gibbo in relation to losing Stewie to Spurs is that I have reason to believe that there is only one Prem. club that he holds in worse regard (and it's close) and that's The Scousers.

I think he'd rather chew off his arm than give in to Levy et al.

Given the previous comments of Stewie Downing of wanting regular European football again with Boro, a parting of the ways sooner rather than later should be of no surprise to anyone, in light of Boro's current position, ie looking well short of the level of consistency needed to sustain a challenge for a European spot.

The club themselves have not helped themselves with the pre-transfer window comments of how every player has his price and that there is no money to bring anyone else in without selling first. An almost open invitation to other clubs that we are open to offers for any player at the club.

I hope the latest word from Keith Lamb and Steve Gibson that no senior player will be sold in January holds true, and also wish that some money can be found, even if only to fund loan deals for one or two players to add competition up front and a much needed blend of experience and creativity in the midfield.

I believe we are not that far away from having a decent side but also that the team could go the other way and slide into the Championship if the wrong decisions are made now.

The Downing situation is clouding the fact that the next four league games possibly hold the destiny of what the future holds for the Boro. Whilst the Chelsea game is a long shot, a decent points haul in the upcoming games against Sunderland, West Brom and Blackburn is essential.

With that in mind i hope the fans at the games concentrate on getting behind the team rather than attacking Stewie Downing, who I'm sure will continue to give 100% but would lose confidence and form if the fans get at him and that is something the Boro cannot afford to happen at this crucial stage of the season.

Greggs reported a 6.6% increase in sales in the second half of 2008. I wonder how it is broken down by region?

How about giving Stewie the same treatment as Wheater with a chorus of "he's one of our own" every time he gets the ball? Maybe, just maybe, he may forgive our "fans" for all the stick he's had over the past couple of years.

He's a quality player who hasn't had the back up he needs to function most effectively. With an attack minded left back who had excellent defensive skills as well he would be free to terrorise most defences in the PL.

All he needs then is a quality forward to get on the end of his crosses and he'll be a happy man! If my employers expected me to plough a lone furrow with no help from the rest of my team I might want to jump ship as well!

I'm a die hard Boro fan and i can see no problems with stewie wanting to experience another club etc - but his timing is not good..

Why not on Saturday make him feel really wanted by supporting him? Let's have 35000 boro fans singing "theres only one Stewart Downing" before kick off!!!!!!

As a Boro fan im sure that will make him think about things differently..

get behind him and boro on saturday

Oh my God!! Have just read this morning's press and it's said Alan Smith was very upset when he discovered that he was part of a swap deal involving Mido.

Say it aint so AV - why would we waste £6m on another average player who has already turned us down? If this is true no wonder Downing wants out as we have absolutely no chance of building a team with this hopeless transfer policy.

Talking of Downing, The Times has said that Southgate is prepared to sell him in order to finance rebuilding and he enquired about Gareth Bale as part of the deal but he wasn't interested in coming to Boro.

Why not go for a straight swap - the unhappy Bentley for the unhappy Downing? - OK it may be hard to sell the deal to Bentley.

But I see a pattern emerging here - Nobody wants to be at Boro!

This is from last night's Portsmouth News:-

"O'Neil Set For Pompey Return

Gary O'Neil is poised to rubber stamp his Pompey return by the end of the week.
The News understands moves to bring the ex-Fratton favourite have progressed significantly and the Blues are hoping to tie things up before their Manchester City clash.

This is despite Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb insisting O'Neil has not handed in a transfer request as previously thought and any offer for the midfielder would be rejected.

However, that is not going to deter Tony Adams, who is eager to bolster his side and spend a transfer kitty bolstered by Jermain Defoe's Spurs exit.

O'Neil is also known to be keen to return to the south coast and renew links with a club he had served for most of his adult life so far.

The 25-year-old and his young family have struggled to settle in the north-east since his August 2007 switch and are believed to yearn a move back down south.

On the pitch, however, O'Neil has been one of Middlesbrough's star performers this season. Restored to his preferred centre-midfield role, having spent most of last season out on the right, he has conjured up some impressive displays.

He recently suffered a hamstring injury, keeping him out of four league games, while he was apparently 'rested' for last weekend's FA Cup tie with Barrow.

His fee is likely to be priced at around £3m, although the precise figure will depend on issues over instalments from his previous transfer."

The News have persisted with this story for several weeks down here (no smoke without fire?) and suggested at the weekend that the deal would be done as soon as Boro had lined up a replacement, which their 'sources' understand to be Jimmy Bullard and/or Ben Watson of Crystal Palace.

All in all, this would appear to be genuine and contradicts the 'no sales' message that the upper echelons of the MFC administration are keen to impress on us.

Interesting...

Ian - Presumably, Greggs sales in Wigan will rocket if The Pharoah moves west!
The O'Neil stories are interesting, I wouldn't want to see him leave unless his replacement is Bullard.

As for the rumours about GS wanting to sell Stewie, I'm sure there is a grain of truth, but not until the Summer and on Boro's terms, that's very different to selling him 'cheap' to the north london barcodes in January.

Oh dear oh dear. As transfer rumours go we appear to be on a downward spiral! Watson? Harper? McGeady? ALAN SMITH!!! That last one nearly had me choking on me ridiculously overpriced imported hobnob this morning!

I look back fondly on the day that Jimmy Floyd turned up out of the blue at the Riverside, not long before/after Viduka arrived. That was a genuine transfer shock in these days of newspaper "exclusives" and "sources".

Go back further to when we signed Juninho, nearly signed Forlan, brought in Mendieta, Geremi etc. Those were exciting times. I know we're living in credit crunch times, but deep down we long to be excited again. Watson or Smith won't do that.

I hear Podolski is available for £10m - maybe we can do a swap deal for Mido - they might not be aware of his nomadic, parmo binging tendencies...

Alan Smith, James Harper, Ben Watson. If Carlsberg did a transfer window spoof...

One rumour I have heard is that another club is counter bidding for Downing as Boro and Spurs circle each other.

I also read that Appy Arry is concerned at the lack of balance in his side. Pleased with Lennon on the right but it is unfair playing Bentley on the left. Arca for £10m?

It is that time of week again and Lawro has us down for a 2-2 draw. I am going for a 2-1 win on the flimsiest of grounds that I am fed up of being fed up.

Let's have 35000 boro fans singing

Impossible, in more ways than one

I hope that Gareth Southgate's current relatively low media profile is an indication that he's concentrating on the right things - on the training ground, sorting out our weaknesses in conceding and defending dead-ball giveaways into the box - especially late on in matches - and getting those charged with scoring goals at the other end to hone their skills.

That, and doing whatever is necessary to get the players fired up for Saturday.
It seems to me that would be better use of his time than pandering to the unsettling media scrum.

If we were doing it on the pitch, none of the recent hullabaloo would have blown up!

We're not selling Downing, we're not selling O'Neil, we're not selling Mido blah blah blah.

Whats the point of keeping any of them if they want to be away. They will not give 100% on the field for a club that they are fed up of and want to leave, no matter how much money you throw at them.

Alan Smith??? this has to be a joke AV or someone in your office has been smoking an illegal substance, and to add even more "credence" to the article, a swap deal with Mido, ha, ha, ha!! Eeh where do they get this rubbish from. I can imagine the chants from the Gallowgate now.

To come back on a few points...

It is perfectly acceptable in any occupation to want to move on for a new challenge, a different role, an increase in salary or status or to experience life in another city or country without it being in any way a criticism of your current role, employers or colleagues. For footballers it is just a job and the normal rules of employment apply, albeit with bigger numbers and better hours.

There is a tendency among supporters to believe that any move must signal something dark and mysterious, if only because as fans who would sacrifice anything to play for the shirt can't conceive of a situation in which someone would voluntarily leave.

There is also a tendency to regard leaving the club as the ultimate crime, a move that makes a previously good servant somehow a legitimate target for bile. That is just willful ignorance and gross stupidity. As is any idea that booing him will do anything other than undermine the team and help the opposition.

It is also perfectly possible to signal a desire or intent to move without it in any way affecting levels of commitment, professionalism, work-rate or creativity.

I can't see why people would assume that Stewart Downing wouldn't produce the goods just because he has put a transfer request in. There is professional pride at stake, plus the chance to impress potential other employers and an England place up for grabs.

The important thing is that the situation now is managed in a way that suits both parties. It is unrealistic for the club to allow a key employee walk away during the middle of an project to join a rival.

There are plenty of jobs where that norm applies, especially high earning jobs. Investment bankers, Footsie 100 CEOs, those in charge of procurement and project management in specialist areas would all be denied moves within their fixed term contract and would be expected to see out that financial year, or their current contract or development or they would at least be sent on "gardening leave" to prevent them taking their expertise to a competitor. It is not some outrageous medieval bondage.

In Boro's history there have been plenty of players who indicated they wanted to leave who still played well. Wilf Mannion wanted away for his last few years but remained the crowd idol while Clough put a transfer request in every year, had it refused and still went on to be top scorer next year.

And, something which no-one seems to have even mentioned yet, Gareth Southgate was on the transfer list for his last year at Aston Villa yet still played at the top of his game week in, week out. In fact, Villa blocked him moving to Chelsea but there was no dummy-spitting, he just got on with it.

That may colour how Southgate sees the situation, how he treats and talks to Downing and what he expects from him.

Another factor is that Downing is basically a quiet lad and certainly not a stirrer. He is not the sort to agitate and provoke in order to make his position untenable. You can't see him pulling a sickie, refusing to train or ambling round the pitch as Yakubu did at Wigan to force the issue.

The situation doesn't need to fester. All parties know the other's point of view. A mutually accepatble compromise will be worked out. In the meantime he remains a key employee who has given excellent service and as long as he is doing the job he deserves respect and support.

100% on board with that AV (11.12pm).

I just hope that the fans give Stewy a break on Saturday, and accept he is STILL one of us, he hasn't gone yet, and he will know what's expected of him. He'll be nervous and maybe a little afraid of the reaction he might get, but regardless, he'll do his utmost to help turn the Mackems over I'm sure.

This whole episode could in fact help Boro (the team) to formulate a new feeling of togetherness in much the same way as they did after the infamous Season Ticket throwing incident that befell McClaren because in the middle of all the hype around the transfer request, things have been said that the players can hardly ignore and there should be some of them taking a long hard look a themselves.

I'm looking for a sustained reaction from the team, not a one off, that will see them galvanised into a true fighting unit showing the sort of spirit that will get us out of the drop zone and get the fans back on side.

C'mon Boro!!

Just double checked the injury situation on MFC. O'Neill's hamstring injury which kept him out of the Barrow match (as on the MFC Squad injuries section) has morphed into should be fit after chest infection.

Hmmmm! I know our 'state of the art' medics sometimes struggle to diagnose injuries but hamstring and chest infection must be the best yet.

Has anyone got a clue at MFC or did I misread the reports yesterday?

"I can't see why people would assume that Stewart Downing wouldn't produce the goods just because he has put a transfer request in."

I watched Graeme Souness " not give a toss for the Boro and the game is littered with so called superstar footballers who will do anything to get away from a club and that includes not trying 100%.

Anthony

I agree very much with your post. We should our team through thick and thin, because they are a major part of our daily lives.

Keith Lamb however, is getting to a stage where I firmly believe his position needs a new face. Steve Gibson can do better than Lamb to talk his corner by a long chalk. I know you cannot answer that but others can and no doubt will.

Look how the Yak & Viduka got out and there was no major growl.

Anthony,

Your coments on Stewy, are we talking about the same Stewy Downing? You really need to get out of the office a bit more my mate. Be honest open and transparent, most red blooded football fans including Boro fans know all what is going on with the players when not wearing the shirt. And please have the backbone to print this. We know because we pay the wages and we have the right to know of their antics, if they are that way inclined.

Anthony

I hope the Evening Gazette has some wonderful features to report on Monday.

Sunderland have very little to offer at the back which Tuncay will confirm I feel.

I’m sure Stewy and the rest of the lads will get a wonderful reception and so they should.

Losing at home to the mighty Mackems. Useless Downing booed off by the acres of empty seats. Season ticket hoying at the worst manager in the league. Slaven looking even more stupid than usual.... hey lads, I'm looking forward to the smoggie excuses and squirming on this blog on Monday.

Billog Black Cat

A.V.

Well fellow bloggers at last some really good news from the Riverside. No, not the Downing "clear the air" talks or Alan Smith putting pen to paper, but of course Brad Jones, committing himself for another three years. Great to hear our manager confirm that Brad is "up for the challenge" to wrest the jersey from Ross Turnbull

Naw A.V. O'Im aving a larf arn't I, just like Our 'Arry, he's a lad ain't he, putting in a derisory bid for Downing in order to unsettle a club involved in the relegation battle along with them. The Count fell straight intpo that trap didn't he?

These events howver may be cathartic, (Richard, is that the correct word mate?) it could be a watershed, the results in the rest of January will tell us.

However I feel we need a defining moment, a clean break, a purging or whatever, Mr. Gibson has got to remove that nice Mr. Southgate, it does not matter much who replaces him, his removal will be sufficient to energize the players into getting us up the league.

Sorry A.V. but I'm not 'aving a larf mate. I'm am convinced Southgate has got to go, otherwise Championship here we come, he has lost the dressing room, a lot of the fans and even, I think Mr. Gibson is coming to the end of his tether.

Having said all of the above, I will be getting up at daft o'clock tomorrow morning with my nine year old, I am expecting an emphatic victory from a galvanized set of players!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, AV has pricked our ears once again and most of us have given our feedback on this window. I myself have given some thought as to, even in these days of fiscal responsibily, does this squad need a real fillip in the sense of 'lets go for it and make a big signing'.

To me a Bellamy would really pick the guys up . His speed and attitude is invaluable. Or if not him there are others

Anthony

I think the word “Madness” in your above post on Stewart Downing is not only well chosen, it is also immensely underrated. We have the best crosser of a ball in Europe, yet we possess zero aerial threat up front to take maximum advantage of such quality which is madness gone mad to me.

If Stewy was sold he would actually leave without ever having been supplied with an out and out target man, so how on earth could one even price his unknown market? We saw the clinical execution of his crossing of a ball when he picked out John Terry in the England game with incredible precision.

Therefore, wouldn’t it be madness gone great to see the club at least buy a player who would rise to the occasion and turn some of his crosses into points.

We all want the best for our team, but I cannot understand why Gareth Southgate hasn’t capitalised and brought in a player who would give this combination its freedom. Every club in the Premiership is well aware of Stewy’s lethal threat, but they also know his crosses have no name on the ball.

We are weak up front, because we are all ground play and Mido doesn't seem up for the fight judging by his recent appearances. Stewart Downing needs a courageous player who can head a ball and put himself about, which in turn would open up the wider pack up.

That’s my findings of things and it sheds a fair reflection without any need for criticism, because we all want what is best for our Premiership club. West Brom will pump hopeful balls into our box on Saturday, but Stewy's are lethal and one header can make all the difference.