Date: 6th June 2011 at 12:15pm
Written by:

We have just about reached June and it seems that Liverpool have been linked with almost every winger in Europe. Some of the reported targets are realistic and well within Liverpool’s reach while some of the others are of course pure fantasy. Of the wing targets, two in particular stand out as more realistic and therefore more likely to happen. Stewart Downing has capped an impressive campaign for Aston Villa by being awarded their player of the year while Charles N’Zogbia has been instrumental in keeping Wigan Athletic in top flight football.

Both men would no doubt add some much needed width to our squad but if it came down to a straight choice between the two, who would Liverpool be better off with? When Stewart Downing first burst onto the scene years ago, he was being touted as a real contender to make the left side of England’s midfield his own. He hasn’t quite established himself as a first XI for The Three Lions but what he has done is show that he can be counted on to work hard for the team while maintaining a good level of consistency. His reward for his resurgence has been a place in the current England squad where he doesn’t at all seem out of his depth.

Charles N’Zogbia has always been regarded as a young player with great potential and year after year he has improved his all round play which culminated in him being capped by the French national team in August 2010. His ability in the wide areas is exciting to say the least and his pace would be greatly appreciated in a Liverpool team which quite frankly, aren’t the quickest group of players around. Some would question whether he would affect Liverpool’s team spirit due to a few controversial incidents from his past, but I personally could see him raising his game to much higher level under the guidance of Kenny Dalglish.

Continue to next page

Which winger would you want, Downing or N'Zogbia?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

26 responses to “Which winger would you want, Downing or N’Zogbia?”

  1. Bill Shankly says:

    N’Zogbia ?!!!!!
    Why not just bring back Ryan Babel if its an inconsistent wide man with no end product that we need ?
    Babel is easily twice the player N’Zogbia is in terms of technical ability & physical presence .
    Stewart Downing is light years ahead of N’Zogbia .
    In terms of final ball , tactical awareness , leadership quality , game intelligence , discipline , temperament & consistency .
    Besides all that whats this nonsense about so called “Realistic” signings ?
    You dont seem to realize we are Englands most successful club & are one of the top 10 richest clubs in the world with a the only manager alive to have won the League with two different clubs & ambitious American Owners eager to invest heavily in top quality players to obtain League & Champions League success .
    There isnt a top class player on the planet who wouldn’t want to play for us in those circumstances .
    The only question is who do we need right now to mount an immediate League Title Challenge & a return to Champions League Football .
    Charles N’Zogbia is a long way down the list in terms of of credentials & you may need to start asking yourself who would fit in better with Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool better ?…
    Stewart Downing OR Gareth Bale .
    That is realistic .
    Another realistic Question is
    Would Arjen Robben be willing to return to England ?
    Because there’s absolutely no doubt he would love to play for Kenny in an attacking side containing Gerrard , Saurez & Carroll .

  2. Steve says:

    Couldn’t agree more. We keep being told we will only buy if the player is better than we gave – N’Zogbia is an ok player for Wigan. Will be very average at best for a far bigger side.

    The only reason we are being linked with him is because he is a PL player. If he was playing in France or anywhere else, no one would have heard of him because he’s so average.

  3. Urawally says:

    IMHO I would rather have neither.

    There are a few rumours going round that we are interested in Adam Johnson who’s currently plying his trade at Man Shitty!

    I think that this would be an immense signing, but at the end of the day I can’t see them selling to LFC.

    Arda Turan is only 24, has bags of talent and has voiced his desires to play for Liverpool. Why we haven’t considered buying him is beyond me.

    We need players like Turan who have an affinity with the club and a desire to win trophies with LFC. Not some mercs that are willing to make a move to heighten their international career prospects or are just in it for the cash.

    It’s early days in respect of which signings we make for next season, but for Christ sake I do hope we get it right.

    YNWA

  4. Bill Shankly says:

    Well of course you agree with me Steve , I am Gods Right Hand Man , The one , the only Mr. Bill Shankly or didnt you realize it was me posting from my seat in on the board up in Football Heaven ?
    That aside ,
    Its good to hear from another man with a good head on his shoulders that can tell the difference in media hype & a genuine good player .
    My personal opinion is that players of N’Zogbias & Carlton Coles ability get linked to us by a devious mischevious British Media who in general hate Liverpool Football Club because of our classy , consistent dignified manner which gives them very little scandal to report about so instead to get their revenge on us they try to sway public opinion by trying to persuade us average players are actually what we want & need .
    Thank God Kenny is back in charge , he is as tough as they come & skillful enough to turn media opinion on its head .
    Another thing about Kenny is he isnt afraid to do the obvious thing if the obvious thing is the right thing to do at the time .
    He isnt afraid to break a transfer record but equally he isnt afraid to sign an unfashionable player that will do a week in week out bread n butter job within the squad .
    But all in all with Dalglish in charge of Liverpool you should expect these things …
    1: Big News out of the blue
    2: Top Class Signings
    3: League Titles
    4: Great team work
    5: A rock solid defense
    6: Devastating displays of Attacking Football , particularly his forward line .
    We couldnt be in better hands than Kenny Dalglish’s .

  5. Charles says:

    N’Zogbia would walk into the current Liverpool team at both left wing AND left back. Wake up guys!

  6. Bill Shankly says:

    Charles N’Zogbia could barely manage to walk into a shop & buy a bag of sweets in Liverpool let alone play for Liverpool .

  7. Bill Shankly says:

    Charles N’Zogbia could barely manage to walk into a shop & buy a bag of sweets in Liverpool let alone play for in a League winning Liverpool Team .

  8. Burt says:

    @Bill Shankly

    Would Arjen Robben be willing to return to England ?

    Yeah, in a wheel chair that has a built in physio table.

  9. Bill Shankly says:

    Charles ,
    Are you honestly trying to tell us that N’Zogbia is a better player at Left Back & Left Midfield than Gareth Bale is ?
    If you are then its as clear as Waterford Crystal that you are basing your judgment on something other than footballing ability .
    *COUGH!* POLITICS ! *COUGH!*
    AHEM !

  10. Charles says:

    Why would you think that that was what i was trying to say? I made no mention of Gareth Bale (he plays for Spurs)

  11. Bill Shankly says:

    Hi Burt
    http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/38491-love_bert_related_him.jpg
    I take it you now spend yer time making stupid comments online since Seasame Street got Canceled ?
    That aside I’m sure you’re the very same Muppet that wants to keep the ever injured Aurelio at the club & he isnt half the quality Robben is .
    Fact is we have quality replacements for the wing positions in Kuyt & Maxi to offset any risk of injury to the fantastically talented genuine match winner Robben .
    We can afford a risk like that but we cant afford to be penny pinching trophy less cheapskates like your beloved Arsenal .
    Now Get Outa My Sight !

  12. Bill Shankly says:

    Charles ,
    Thats my point entirely , you made no mention of the best player for those positions & you left me no option but to reason why ?
    I’m not saying N’Zogbia couldnt fill a role in a Liverpool squad after we are back on top & winning Leagues , I’m saying he isnt good enough to get us back there next season .
    Liverpool only want the best players for Liverpool not the best players for anyone else & Spurs is a very small club compared to Liverpool & they know it & their creditors know it .
    Gareth Bale , an honest ambitious Welsh Boy who grew up on legends of Ian Rush and is now managed at international level by a Dalglish disciple , Welsh Legend Gary Speed , would walk in bare feet on broken glass all the way from London to Merseyside to Play in Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool team.
    And its genuine top quality players like Bale we need to be investing in if we want to win the League next season , not hit & hope bargain bucket players like N’Zogbia .

  13. Jebend says:

    Don’t use the great mans name you clown. N’zogbia is a bargain his stats are as good as Downing yet he would be £10 mil cheaper.

  14. David says:

    N’Zogbia will form a deadly partnership with Ngog and Ngoo.

  15. Bill Shankly says:

    Jebend,
    And your mother is even cheaper again .
    So wheres the stats on his character to suggest he could handle the pressure under the microscope here at Anfield ?
    I personally scouted N’Zogbia at Anfield in Febuary & he wasn’t even Wigans best player let alone better than anything we had on display that day & we were awful by our home standards , he had one moment where he mugged the still inexperienced Martin Kelly but then when it came to delivering a quality ball into the box he actually literally fell flat on his face , he was disastrous over the 90 minutes apart from that .
    So how many Premiership Clubs has he captained to prove his stats match up to Downing ?
    Downing has been under the intense microscope of media attention in the Premier League since he was 17 & has captained his home town club which is a thankless task even for a veteran homegrown player & he has captained a European cup winning club .
    So where are your stats to even suggest a low level operator like N’Zogbia playing abroad of his homeland in low pressure , low expectation clubs even comes close to having the character to shine through the pressure Downing has shined through in his over critical homeland ?
    Downing is a much more valuable character than N’Zogbia could ever hope to be .
    But the main difference is Downing would instantly settle & make valuable contributions & give us quality leadership in a league winning campaign where as N’Zogbias inconsistency throughout his years in England has seen his form rise & fall more often that your Mammys knickers & render him nothing more than another gutless foreign passenger in a Liverpool side with no soul when the chips are down & we need to battle for a result .
    Now get outa my sight wee boy & never again let me hear you trying to tell a man of my quality how to represent Bill Shankly or to listen to your ignorant clueless opinions about the Game of Soccer of the quality of players within it .

  16. Bill Shankly says:

    David ,
    Dont even joke about shit like that coz next thing you kno you will have 50 political activists in here mouthing off in agreement with ya under the pretense they are LFC supporters .
    Sad but True .

  17. Jebend says:

    What is this game “soccer” you speak of?

    The stats that matter are, N’zogbia has scored more goals and got more prem assists in the last three seasons than downing.

    Your knowledge is explained by

    “Babel is easily twice the player N’Zogbia is in terms of technical ability & physical presence”

    physical presence means dick all when he has no end product, as for technical ability you clearly didn’t scout Babels 1st touch.

    Stick to pant sniffing retard.

  18. Bill Shankly says:

    Ryan Babel had one of the very best first touches at our Club , the problem with Babel was his concentration & inability to play alongside quick thinkers like Gerrard & Torres.
    His physical game was outstanding .
    He was the quickest player at the club & I never seen a forward that made defenders bounce off him like he did when he shielded the ball since Mark Hughes retired .
    But obviously if you say there’s more pressure playing for Newcastle & Wigan than there is playing for Liverpool then I have no choice but to agree that N’Zogbia is the best player of all time & the fact he hit , was it 8 or 9 goals this season ? , proves as much & we should all beg him to join us & plead with him to sleep with our wives .

  19. Burt says:

    @Wankly (u’ll never be a shanks)

    The problem with Nzogbia and Babel is the’re a different colour to you aren’t they lad. With all that brown skin, makes your skin crawl doesn’t it. You gona come back and talk about my mommy too? about her knickers? not bothered mate, I deal with internet ninjas like you all the time.

  20. Bill Shankly says:

    My only problem with N’Zogbia & Babel is that neither one of them are good enough to play for Liverpool .
    Nor is N’Gog & he is “Brown” Skinned too .
    So tell me Mystic Meg why dont I want to sign Jordan Henderson & he is white & English ?
    Why have I slagged off Joe Cole & he is white & English ?
    Why have I slagged off Poulsen ?
    Why do I want rid of Jovanovich , Kyrgiakos & Aurellio ?
    Wheres yer race card now Bert ?
    My guess is that its up yer arse along with yer fingers.

  21. Jebend says:

    If Babel had one of the best 1st toouches at the club we would of been relegated.

  22. Bill Shankly says:

    If Kenny hadnt returned when he did what you are saying could very nearly have came true .
    But that aside Babel had some technically excellent moments for us even this season before he left , his strike against Villa stands out as a fantastic first time strike under pressure so dont talk shit about him.
    He wasnt good enough to hold down a regular place in our team or squad but the boy certainly has talent & who knows , maybe at a less demanding club he might one day fulfill his potential , which is near to being as good as Henry was at his very best for Arsenal all those years ago . Babel has all the tools in his locker for that job but he needs to get his head right & concentrate on his game .

  23. Burt says:

    @cyber ninja

    Yeah, my comment was as irrational and unprovoked as your response to my original post. Now you have gargled that taste, readjust your attitude. There’s a new Daddy round here.

  24. Burt says:

    If Kenny hadnt returned when he did what you are saying could very nearly have came true .
    But that aside Babel had some technically excellent moments for us even this season before he left , his strike against Villa stands out as a fantastic first time strike under pressure so dont talk shit about him.
    He wasnt good enough to hold down a regular place in our team or squad but the boy certainly has talent & who knows , maybe at a less demanding club he might one day fulfill his potential , which is near to being as good as Henry was at his very best for Arsenal all those years ago . Babel has all the tools in his locker for that job but he needs to get his head right & concentrate on his game .

    A good post and not an insult in sight.

  25. Bill Shankly says:

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LohnQpCm18/TPVMx9lM7TI/AAAAAAAABxU/UDYTny0cdXU/s400/BertEnErnie.gif
    All my posts are Good Burt , I am after all the one & only Bill Shankly .
    I’d guess that as soon as you get over yer Luvers tiff with Ernie & drop the butch Prison queer attitude you wont be long in seeing I am the best thing to ever happen in your football comments life , coz apart from being a man of the people , ever notice that statue of me outside Anfield ? Not to many people have one , but like I was saying …apart from being a man of the people I am Liverpool Football Club through & through , when I speak I speak from the footballing heavens with the thoughts & hopes of every true LFC supporter .