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Post by jeycov on Aug 7, 2013 7:52:02 GMT
As mentioned earlier would he fit into our wage structure? He's lost his way over the past few years imo, but could possibly find some form in a team where he makes their starting 11 on a regular basis.
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Post by robwahlmann on Aug 7, 2013 8:14:20 GMT
If we could choose among the wingers we've been linked with this is my choice! 1. Hoilett 2. Downing 3. Sinclair 4. Ince
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Post by scfcbiancorossi on Aug 7, 2013 8:48:20 GMT
I seriously can't believe that there is people on this board who wouldn't take a 29 year old England international with masses of proven Premiership experience and quality for £5M. I'm sorry but Downing would make a massive improvement to our side. Ex England and past his best. Woodgate, Crouch, Owen? Ring a bell?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2013 8:52:14 GMT
Downing's only 29, still has plenty to offer a club of our size. Not had the injury problems the likes of Woodgate and Owen (both of whom were 2-3 years older) had.
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Post by britsabroad on Aug 7, 2013 8:55:50 GMT
Downing is one of the most hilariously bad Premiership signings I've ever seen.
One of the many distinctly average players dragging Liverpool firmly into the mid table zone....why would we want that if we are aiming for higher things?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2013 8:57:30 GMT
Downing is one of the most hilariously bad Premiership signings I've ever seen. One of the many distinctly average players dragging Liverpool firmly into the mid table zone....why would we want that if we are aiming for higher things? He was excellent at Villa and good at Boro. Just because he's not good enough for Liverpool doesn't mean he's not good enough for us and as it stands I'd gladly take a few players who could 'drag us into mid-table'.
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Post by robwahlmann on Aug 7, 2013 8:58:21 GMT
People on here don't think Downing is good enough for Stoke!!!???
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Post by mrred on Aug 7, 2013 8:59:16 GMT
I wouldn't have thought it'd fit into our new transfer policy. I can't see us dishing out £5-6 a 29 year old Ex-England (not a very good one at that) player that has failed to reach his full potential.
Still, I struggle to believe we paid 5 million for Dean Whitehead.
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Post by droz on Aug 7, 2013 9:17:22 GMT
People on here don't think Downing is good enough for Stoke!!!??? It does amuse me. Not good enough for the very top but could do well for our team-direct replacement for Etherington. However, I do like the idea of a winger who can be more direct.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2013 9:25:22 GMT
Indeed although I think Kightly might do alright if he stays. Bayern never had reason to question your judgement until now :-) Kightly is utter gash and IMO one of the worst players I've seen in the past six years, awful player. But all about personal opinions I suppose. The same Kites that when played in a non Pulis team was rumoured for an England call up and tore us apart at the Brit. All before his injury.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2013 9:26:11 GMT
Also what's the Hoilett love in? He's done nothing in the top flight.
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Post by cheadlestokie on Aug 7, 2013 9:28:00 GMT
I think Downing is a very good Premier League player.Not England class,but then not many who get picked for England these days are,but certainly good enough for a mid table Premier League side.
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Post by mrred on Aug 7, 2013 9:29:46 GMT
I think if we're looking for a serious replacement then we need someone younger.
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assburgers
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Post by assburgers on Aug 7, 2013 9:29:51 GMT
As bad as Downing is, he would still be our best winger if he cam to the Brit. Wages would stop that though unless we paid over the odds like Crouch.
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Post by britsabroad on Aug 7, 2013 9:32:43 GMT
Downing is one of the most hilariously bad Premiership signings I've ever seen. One of the many distinctly average players dragging Liverpool firmly into the mid table zone....why would we want that if we are aiming for higher things? He was excellent at Villa and good at Boro. Just because he's not good enough for Liverpool doesn't mean he's not good enough for us and as it stands I'd gladly take a few players who could 'drag us into mid-table'. Take Suarez away (and MAYBE one or two others) and Liverpool are firmly mid-table, which is exactly where Stoke have been in the Premiership era. I thought the whole point of sacking Pulis was to push up towards to the top half of the table...and Downing isnt good enough for that.
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Post by robwahlmann on Aug 7, 2013 9:41:29 GMT
Also what's the Hoilett love in? He's done nothing in the top flight. You didn't see him at Blackburn then? Very impressive season in most people's opinion I think!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2013 9:47:49 GMT
He was excellent at Villa and good at Boro. Just because he's not good enough for Liverpool doesn't mean he's not good enough for us and as it stands I'd gladly take a few players who could 'drag us into mid-table'. Take Suarez away (and MAYBE one or two others) and Liverpool are firmly mid-table, which is exactly where Stoke have been in the Premiership era. I thought the whole point of sacking Pulis was to push up towards to the top half of the table...and Downing isnt good enough for that. Liverpool are building a very good side and the vast majority of their players would get into our team. They're on a different level to us. The point of sacking Pulis for me was that we were on a downward trajectory in terms of results and performances despite spending heavily. This season is a transitional one. Downing is streets ahead of what we currently have in that position.
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Post by Han Solo on Aug 7, 2013 9:57:29 GMT
Take Suarez away (and MAYBE one or two others) and Liverpool are firmly mid-table, which is exactly where Stoke have been in the Premiership era. I thought the whole point of sacking Pulis was to push up towards to the top half of the table...and Downing isnt good enough for that. Liverpool are building a very good side and the vast majority of their players would get into our team. They're on a different level to us. The point of sacking Pulis for me was that we were on a downward trajectory in terms of results and performances despite spending heavily. This season is a transitional one. Downing is streets ahead of what we currently have in that position. Spot on. He's far better than people give him credit for. Just because he's not full of fancy tricks or got electric pace it doesn't make him a bad player. Too hefty a price tag and the wrong club have set him back not his talent.
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Post by mickstupp on Aug 7, 2013 9:58:50 GMT
I'd take Downing in a heartbeat. He would give us an instant improvement on the left, and would be a far better signing than Hoilett, who did nothing to impress me last season at QPR and strikes me as being overweight and unfit.
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Post by sheikhmomo on Aug 7, 2013 10:07:30 GMT
This board has now reached farcical proportions. You have people creaming themselves over young players who two weeks they had never heard of and have never played a single Premier League game and slagging off proven performers like Downing. He would be a great signing, would massively improve us and would be able to go straight in to the side. It is just the sort of player we need to be looking at over the next three weeks to keep the spectre of relegation at bay.
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Post by geoff321 on Aug 7, 2013 10:10:19 GMT
" we were on a downward trajectory in terms of results"
Clubs like Stoke, West Brom, Swansea, Fulham, Sunderland etc, etc, will always have spells of bad results, some will even go down.
If Stoke were only ever to be on an upward trajectory in terms of results, they would be in the top six in a few years.
Stoke are a PL club and supporters will have to adjust to good and bad seasons. Regarding performances, I never watched a live match or highlights of Stoke games that bored me, but I watched plenty of other games that did.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2013 10:12:59 GMT
" we were on a downward trajectory in terms of results" Clubs like Stoke, West Brom, Swansea, Fulham, Sunderland etc, etc, will always have spells of bad results, some will even go down. If Stoke were only ever to be on an upward trajectory in terms of results, they would be in the top six in a few years. Stoke are a PL club and supporters will have to adjust to good and bad seasons. Regarding performances, I never watched a live match or highlights of Stoke games that bored me, but I watched plenty of other games that did. Which specific matches did you watch? Teams don't simply go on bad runs that last as long as our things for no reason. You don't just 'wait your turn' for one. 22% of our games since the start of last year were won Geoff. As long as you keep ignoring it, I'll keep repeating it.
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Post by salopstick on Aug 7, 2013 10:20:15 GMT
i wish players like downing would realise their level;
consistently good in smaller teams consistently average at bigger clubs because they are consistently in and out of the team or sat on the bench at bigger clubs
if players, their agents and the big clubs stopped buying everyone who has a decent season lower down just to put in the squad (sinclair etc etc) and players and agents didnt hawk themselves around football would be better and fairer
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2013 10:29:10 GMT
Amazing that some people think Downing is not good enough for Stoke....unbelieveable!
Who do some of you think we are??? Chelsea, Man Utd???
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Post by tcdobinghoff on Aug 7, 2013 10:36:41 GMT
The notion that TP was sacked because we weren't "top 10" and if Hughes doesn't achieve that then he has failed and the sacking was in vain is just plain ridiculous. We were very close to being relegated last year and if we stay up this season with any degree of comfort and have a better base for future progress that will be success for me.
On the subject of Downing he is clearly good enough for us but I'm not sure he is what we need right now. I always thought he had a few goals in him but having just looked at his goal record he doesn't get many at all. Unless we can unearth a prolific striker we need goal threats from all our forwards. One of our probs has been a lack of goals from our midfielders so I'm probably not convinced Downing would be right for us.
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Post by boskampsflaps on Aug 7, 2013 10:43:11 GMT
Bayern never had reason to question your judgement until now :-) Kightly is utter gash and IMO one of the worst players I've seen in the past six years, awful player. But all about personal opinions I suppose. The same Kites that when played in a non Pulis team was rumoured for an England call up and tore us apart at the Brit. All before his injury. Yeh the one with the touch of a rapist and never got a call up, injuries can bugger any player and as it stands, unfortunately, it looks like it may have happened to Kightly.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2013 10:46:29 GMT
This season I'll be happy to stay up, next season I hope we will be top 10 after Hughes puts his stamp on this squad and "overhauls" most of it. I think is our limit, sadly.
I expect 2-3 signings this window, 1-2 in January so that's 7 players in this season, the same next and then it's Mark Hughes squad as oppose to it currently being mainly Pulis'. That's when we'll see the best out of the team. Staying up is priority this year, with anything less being a bonus. Sometimes you have to stop/ go backwards to progress.
If after 2 seasons of struggling and we have invested in Hughes and the squad, then we can say it's a mistake to bring Hughes in.
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Post by stone6 on Aug 7, 2013 11:49:20 GMT
I seriously can't believe that there is people on this board who wouldn't take a 29 year old England international with masses of proven Premiership experience and quality for £5M. I'm sorry but Downing would make a massive improvement to our side. Ex England and past his best. Woodgate, Crouch, Owen? Ring a bell? At 29 Downing would still be more than good enough for us. Woodgate and Owen were poor signings but Crouch was being touted for an England call up not so long back and he was older when we paid £10M for him. If you don't think Downing is good enough for Stoke City then you are sadly deluded.
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Post by rogerjonesisgod on Aug 7, 2013 12:00:36 GMT
" we were on a downward trajectory in terms of results" Clubs like Stoke, West Brom, Swansea, Fulham, Sunderland etc, etc, will always have spells of bad results, some will even go down. If Stoke were only ever to be on an upward trajectory in terms of results, they would be in the top six in a few years. Stoke are a PL club and supporters will have to adjust to good and bad seasons. Regarding performances, I never watched a live match or highlights of Stoke games that bored me, but I watched plenty of other games that did. Good Afternoon Geoffrey, "I never watched a live match or highlights of Stoke games that bored me". Really? If not bored then what? Frustrated? Incensed? Or could you not see past your cap
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Post by Davef on Aug 7, 2013 12:08:28 GMT
I never watched a live match or highlights of Stoke games that bored me, but I watched plenty of other games that did.
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