While the Luis Suarez racism case has enveloped the club for the past couple of months, intense scrutiny on the performances of certain individuals on the pitch has become somewhat slacker. Summer signing Stewart Downing, who arrived from Aston Villa for the staggering amount of £20m, appears to be a player going through a serious crisis of confidence. The disparity between his performances on the pitch and his value off it are so great at the moment that it beggars belief that he ever cost that much in the first place. Is he Dalglish’s worst signing since returning back to the club?
The gigantic white elephant in the room is, of course, Andy Carroll. The £35m frontman does himself no favours, though. Arriving at the club as the ‘big man’ to Luis Suarez’s ‘little man’, the two have played very few games together. Carroll has either been in the process of returning to full fitness or has been out injured. It has been a never-ending cycle of disappointment.
The galling thing about Carroll is the misconception that Liverpool are not playing to his strengths. The club’s summer purchases of the likes of Downing, Henderson and Enrique were all geared towards getting the best out of Carroll and getting balls into the box. Liverpool, out of all the teams plying their trade in the top flight this term have had the most crosses.
Carroll has varied between lazy and disinterested. His work-rate is at times non-existent and he simply doesn’t look as strong as the bulldozing number nine of yesteryear at Newcastle. His hold up play resembles a man trying to control a balloon and more often than not, balls played up to him come straight back.
He’s not difficult to defend against for ninety per cent of the time, yet on that rare occasion when he does threaten, he can look a real handful. Carroll has been abysmal so far, let’s make no bones about it, but his one saving grace is that there is at least something to work with there. He has the potential to be a great number nine in the future, but only if he starts to believe in that himself and focus less on the price tag hanging around his neck and more on improving his performances on the pitch.
This brings us to Stewart Downing; a player whose reputation has always proved greater than the sum of his parts. Downing should be a byword for underperformance. The creeping suspicion is that he has always struggled when there has been any pressure placed upon him. Poor England performances against the likes of Andorra and Macedonia have become a hallmark of his international career.
Downing has never been blessed with pace and his strength is supposed to lay in his delivery from wide areas. In 20 Premier League games this season, Downing is without an assist. That is not to say, of course, that he has been complete and utter pony for the entire time, but more often than not his delivery leaves a lot to be desired. Frequently unable to beat the first man, too slow to take on a full back and with a worrying propensity to come in off the flank and narrow a midfield devoid of width in the first place even further – Downing has been a huge disappointment.
A lot of the disappointment originates due to the nature of his hefty price tag. Downing always performs well when he’s a big fish in a small pond. His final season at Villa, in a side little was expected of, Downing at times outshone Ashley Young – a player who himself started brightly at Man Utd but has since gone off the boil and faded terribly.
The relative size of the Downing fee appears to derive from two consequences. Firstly, the fact that Villa themselves appeared to have overpaid for him back in 2009 when he signed for £12m, which meant that even a modicum of success at Villa Park was bound to increase upon an already sizeable valuation due to the nature of his nationality, with English talent still acquiring a baffling premium.
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Lets be honest here….
The only two… Maybe three are Enrique, Bellamy and Adams (50/50)…
Carroll is the biggest…
Downing and Henderson and equal second…
Overall for the money spent at the time, we could have done much better!
Mata instead of Downing!
Lucas instead of Henderson!
Aguero instead of Carroll!
Imagine how we would be going then?!?!?!
1) Aguero wants a bandwagon of money and Champions League football
2) It doesn’t seems that Mata is so unstoppable this season… his performances just now don’t meet the expectations..
3) Obviously Hendo has a great touch of ball and He’s leading the assists rank of the Club. Patethic bullshits..
Sorry mate but it has to be Downing.. while Caroll hs obviously been a big disappointment and hasn’t done himself any favours, with his poor work rate, let alone his strike rate, at least there are some mitigating circumstances for Caroll as outlined above.
Downing however is a TURKEY .. plain and simple.. while you can minipulate stats at times to your advantage in any discussion about a club or player, Theres simply no minipulating of the fact that Downing has contributed nothing,nada, zilch, to Liverpool this season(in the league, Im not even going to count the goal in injury time against league one opposition). No goals and to his eternal shame no assists, which is the very reason we stumped up 20 million for him. He has started nearly every game,unlike Caroll, and he has yet to do diddly squat. seems the only thing he can beat this season is his ex girlfriend!!!
Typically inflated overated English player.. its no wonder managers are so slow to buy english and look abroad..except our policy now seems to be the exact opposite, There is no value for money to be had in buying english. But we have stumped up approx 60 million on 3 english players who are not only finding it hard to perform at the top level but are making an absolute mockery of ‘the new way’ . The two best signings of the summer , one spanish and one scottish, were also our cheapest and represent real value for money.
Henderson and Caroll may come good,to be fair henderson shows glimpses of real ability, they are young and will be given time. But For a player like Downing, a regular England international and seasoned pro in the premiership, there is no time , the time is now, and he’s not and shows no signs of delivering. That is why unquestionably he has been Kenny’s worst signing
i couldnt agree more hendo will become a fantastic player enrique already showing he is the best leftback in the country adam still adjusting but is getting better with every game carroll given time and proper service will settle and become the terror of every defence downing is in his prime and at 20 million couldnt beat an egg how kenny chose him ill never know
Liverpool worst ever pair signing awarded to Carroll and Downing.
100% sure with these players we will end the Premiership not better than six places.
Henderson equal second?
The hostility towards Hendo is really really unfair.
He’s brilliant, and He’s a pure talent.
His passes are good as well as He’s comfortable with the ball.
The guy is one for the future.
Carroll is a striker and I could understand if a striker is under intense scrutiny & criticism when He’s not able to score, but the heavy criticism towards a brilliant talent like Hendo is really patethic. The Guy is definitely a good sign: give him a break and get a life. The Guy needs time to improve his offensive skills but He’s a great touch of ball…
Seriously, the criticism towards Hendo is a disgrace…
Totally agree with this in respect to Hendo. Hendo is going to be a brilliant player. Against Newcastle, some of his passing was exceptional, almost Stevie G esq! Get off his back.
Enrique is a class signing. Adam as well, he will only get better.
I think Downing is being labelled a poor signing because of the money, as is Carroll. These are unfair, as they didn’t set the price. Downing has shown commitment and invention. He just hasn’t scored enough, but then noone has. He has dome his job though, which is provide, its just noone else has scored from them. Carroll has to come good some time, but I don’t know if he has the mental strength or workrate to come good. Only time will tell.
Downing came in looking like a great singing , he showed consistency through out his villa career . Kenny didnt know he would come to Liverpool and be a complete flop , though he should have left villa at around 25. HENDERSON was bought for 17-18 mill , has played almost every full 90 and has done NOTHING . He is good for a 5 foot pass and 4-5 giveaways a game . It should be Adam and Stevie in the middle with Downing , Bella , Maxi , Dirk and Hendo options for the wings . I cannot understand why he starts every match and why Adam is subbed before he is. Benitez did this with Lucas and he is the best holding midfielder in the Premier League . So maybe next season Henderson will shine , but this season we need the Champs League spot . If he was benched a few games im sure it would give him some rest and evaluate his game play . If the likes of Bella , Maxi or Kuyt started as much as him I bet majority of our draws would have been wins . Oh plus Carroll is shite , how did he miss that second minute chance against city ? YNWA
So I take it you’re getting your page views up to improve your google ads, as this utter drivel is not wayward and completely unfounded; it’s damaging to the players and actual fans of this great club. Luca Leiva is the cliche, but I guarantee you were one of those berating him…only to claim you always knew he had something. Do something decent with your writing and stop this scandalous tripe aimed at either improving your page views or causing a stir.
Andy carroll needs time and ‘love’ – not something you usually afford to a £35m man, but thats not his fault. Do you think this sort of journalism is going to help him, or help fans opinion of him?
…as for slating Henderson – well that just shows how little you know. Assists, touch, motivation and eye go a pass…and he’s a kid.
My word I hope our players don’t read this, and you can bet anyone with any clout at the club doesn’t – tha l god.
agreed carroll and hendo to come good but honestly believe downing a watse and i was one of those who slated lucas me and 90 percent of liverpool fans find it hard too believe you didnt when he played him instead of alonso
@ THENARK
So we should all go round in cloud cuckcoo land and pretend everything and everyone is just fine and dandy.. Just show people the love you say … How bout some of those guys show some love .. for our club.
Lets never criticise anybody or ask questions of players who are quite obvously under performing whilst being vastly overpaid. If I hear morons like you on these types of forums anymore I ll cover my screen in vomit. Masqerading as a REAL LFC supporter cause you don’t say jack shit about anybody. You’ve never criticsed a player ??? never disliked any signings ever made by LFC ??? Come down off your soap box and back to reality mate. The club has invested alot of money on players and it is only natural and right that we evaluate who is under performing and why. The team are goal shy.. are we not allowed ask who’s responible for that or have a view that a certain player isn’t quite up to scratch ??
Ive supported LFC for 30 years , make 3-4 trips to Anfield a year from Ireland.. Id go every week if I could afford to . I love LFC but that doen’t mean I can’t hold a view that a player isn’t performing or good enough for this club , and your view that anybody suggesting or saying otherwise isn’t a proper or loyal supporter is Bollix.
downing, adam, carroll are not LFC players and will eventually cost kenny his job(when he doesn’t get 4th place). Had rafa had that money to spend, we’d be challenging now.
its a big disappointment that kenny spend such sump of money in bringing carrol to lfc hoping that carrol will be a striker who will be hitting our oponent net but it turns to be a vero percent for the club,but truely i always blame kenny for him (kenny) failing to ascept swapping daniel sturridge plus cash with torres or using part of the money to sign KARIM BENZEMA from real madrid and this is january window kenny shows no sign of bringing top finisher.
dalglish didnt buy carroll he wasnt even our manager he was the caretaker, comolli bought him. dalglish doesnt even like playing him.
downing is very dissapointing but ive seren what he can do at villa, which isnt 20mill pounds worthy, but its alot more than he’s showing us he will be adequate in the future but not champions league quality. ive revised my view on hendo aswell i think he will be a good player for us in the future. i dont really rate adam but for his price tag he has delivered
Liverpool have put in more crosses than anyone but how many of those crosses were put in when Andy Carroll was actually on the field? Doh!
Hey, let’s get behind our team opposed to saying who’s the worst. They’ve all done well in patches, some more so than others, but give them some time for pity’s sake.
No Alan you are wrong mate!Downing and carroll have been terrible all season fact!henderson will have to improve greatly
only Adam has played good and bad,also i cannot believe the king saying that he is happy with the players and we wont be buying a forward in this window a blind man can see we need one.
So, the problem is that Downing and Carroll lack confidence in themselves as they’re being weighed down by thier price tags? And as a supporter you write an article asking people to vote on who the biggest flop is and highlighting thier shortfalls and price tags? What logical support.
Carroll, Downing are pure crap. For a combined £55mil fees, their contribution this season is next to nothing. Can’t imagine what Rafa would have done with those money.
Hope KD realises this & stop squandering money on overly rated ‘british talent’ crap. If he is gonna wash £24m on Bent as rumored, thats enough to make Shanks roll in his grave!
Rafa might have spent it on another class act like keane or aqua? If you watched tonights game Carroll had nothing to work with and the defense of stoke dragged him to the ground everytime he did get near it! We should have had 1-2 penalties as a direct result of Carroll just being on the pitch! As for people saying we should have signed ageuro or other world class strikers they won’t come unless we pay them 200k per week! If we are looking to move someone on it has to be kuyt! He has played his heart out for us but he is just not good enough! Move him while we still can! Get behind Carroll he will come good! Hendo- young will be a gun! Jury out on downing, Adam will be a solid squad player and Enrique class!
Kenny is the only manager on planet that can spend a whooping 35m, 20m, and 20m for a Carrol, Downing, and Hendo respectively. He has failed woefully in this aspect and since he has sworn not to fortify the team this January, we should not expect anything more than sixth in the EPL.
The policy should be “Buy British Last”. That’s what premier, Mahathir Mohamed of Malaysia said.
Many unfair comments on downing . He’s not gareth bale granted but it’s NOT his fault if he puts in the perfect cross but the striker fluffs it . He put one on carrolls head in the oldham game. Carroll was unmarked 5 yards out and missed . How is that dowmings fault someone please explain ? He has put in something like 60 crosses and at least 10 should have been easy goals but striker missed .
How about we stop criticising our players and start supporting them instead? and then maybe those players who are suffering from a “crisis of confidence” will start playing like they should be?
We should agree we have some worthless players in our first team, why should not try Adam Morgan instead of calamity Carrol and Sterling instead of Downing who has zero assist yet.
Downings performances haven’t exactly set the place on fire but them the team as a whole has been rather lackluster, its time for fans to just get behind our lads and stop making stupid comments like “who arrived from Aston Villa for the staggering amount of £20m” and “Downing however is a TURKEY .. plain and simple..”
Be ashamed of yourselves, this is our club and our players, how many of you were making remarks like this about Lucas 2 seasons ago? Eating your words now arn’t you?
We can not wait 2 years to see the best of Downing, that’s the thing.
Downing’s best was never too impressive, admirable yes, impressive never.
If you pay 20 mil. than you don’t want to wait for Downing to turn 30 to start playing his best games like in Aston Villa.
Downing the worst signing. 20 mil. could have bought younger, quicker and more agile winger.
Downing was portraid as sure thing, his constancy in PL as his main attribute of a player who does not need adjustment time.
In terms of money, Carroll seems as a more of a let down, but he is still very young, still can be a success and even if not in 5 years can still be sold for a decent amount of money.
Downing in five years is finished, has already proven to at least needs longer period of adjustment, club will not be getting nowhere close to 20 mil. when he leaves…
The transfer was misplaced more than any other Liverpool’s recent transfers, even Aquillani will recoup more than Downing could.
If you overpay younger player at least you tried to make a great player, but when you buy a player that supposedly already has all the ability’s that make him exactly what you need, and it turns out he is nowhere close, that for me is the biggest mistake you could make involving transfers.
If Downing was not payed 20 mil. and brought for free, like Jovanovic for example, he would never get as much chance as he gets.
Maxi plays much better than him, and still had to wait until Downing proves worthless to get back in the team.
huh! The problem we are highly having now is the coach because he doesn’t have much experience with that of Benitez. Imagine! why signing all these British Players which are not useful! and dropping the top players while using the half experience players! He should know Maxi, Kuyt are good in both wings! why not use these Players constantly? And one more thing, we need a tall, good goal keeper!
please MR DALGISH GO AWAY YOU ARE NOT A COACH ‘ IF COUNTINUED LIVERPOOL WILL BECOME BLACKPOOL KEEP THE PLACE FOR MR RAFA
Well said cheque book Kenny is yesterday’s man I reckon even hodgson would of spent money wiser. Dalglish out rafa or mourinho in.
please exchange carol for Ba he is not in reds form
It is evident that Kenny has no clue on what to do and who to buy to support his bad buys as he lacks the courage to sell them. I suggest he tows the path of honor by resigning
The damage has been done. I dont think the owners have money to spend.
It is confirm we are a joke, scoring less than Bolton, and Newcastle manage to hustle us to pay 35 mil for Andy. Thanks KD we are a joke nobody respect us with this kind of players. That is why the can get points when facing us.
The stupidity of KD meant we played 5 defenders against a team that never attacked us – sack KD!
I admire Kenny as much as any LFC fan, but I have to be true to my beliefs. DC and KD have spent a fortune on mainly British players. At this moment J Henderson is the only one that seems to show any promise (a bit like Lucas). Suarez and Enrique are very good signings. Carroll, Adam and especially Downing have yet to give me that feeling that they will come good. Maybe they need some more time, but for the £63 million spent on those three players alone, and because they are British, I really expected better. I also thought they were signed because they were ready to go and didn’t need time to settle. I’m prepared to be a little more patient though, but if Rafa had signed them he would have been ripped apart by former players, pundits and the media by now. I don’t here much criticism of Kenny about the players or the money spent, mind you he is British and so are the players. Ask yourselves a question, if Rafa was manager and he had spent £63 million on 3 foreign players that were not delivering. What would ex-players, pundits and the media be saying. I always believed that we will regret the loss of Rafa more and more as time goes by.