Rewind to August 2011, Stewart Downing’s debut for Liverpool and one of those “what if?” moments that briefly gave the Anfield crowd hope that signing him for £20m was going to be an astute piece of business. Liverpool were beating Sunderland 1-0 when Downing collected the ball on the right flank, beat three defenders and unleashed a thunderous left-foot shot from 25 yards.
Simon Mignolet, the Sunderland goalkeeper at the time, was left grasping at thin air, yet the ball hit the bar, the match ended 1-1 and that was pretty much it as far as Downing and Liverpool were concerned. There were only seven goals during two fitful seasons on Merseyside and last year, his reputation in tatters, Downing was on his way to West Ham United for a cut-price £5m. Liverpool took the financial hit.
It is tempting, if a little pointless, to wonder if everything might have worked out differently if that shot had flown an inch or two lower, sparking a chain of events ending with a triumphant Downing saluting an adoring Kop on the final day of last season after scoring the goal that brought the title to Liverpool.
On the balance of probability, probably not. Back in the real world, Downing seemed destined to be a talented “almost” player, replaying “what if?” moments over and over in his head, the kind of player whose thunderous left-foot shots from 25 yards always hit the bar.
But that was the old Downing. This season he has been converted from a winger into a playmaking midfielder at the tip of West Ham’s diamond by Sam Allardyce and when Stewart Downing 2.0 – Stewart Downinho, even – shoots from 25 yards now, the ball goes in. His thrillingly decisive goal in the win over Leicester City was a beauty, a rocketing curler that fizzed past Ben Hamer and provided more evidence that Downing is playing the best football of his career.
“There’s a time when a player has been in a position so long and done so much in that position that maybe it freshens him up by trying to make a change,” Allardyce said. “Some players can, some players can’t. The responsibility for you as a manager is to say: ‘Look, try it. If it doesn’t work you can always revert back to the position that you love the most.’ In the main, now, it’s given him such a huge boost of confidence.
“And by the rest of the team playing well he’s probably playing his best football ever at the moment. Not only playing his best football and being one of our biggest assist [makers], he’s also scoring goals on a regular basis. It’s huge for him, because he loves his football, he’s a fantastic professional. It took a bit of persuading to get him here from Liverpool. [That] really was a dream move for him that didn’t work quite as well as he would’ve liked. He’s come here and started showing great class and great ability.”
West Ham’s first goal was scored by Andy Carroll, another whose time at Liverpool did not go as smoothly as he would have envisaged, and victory ensured that they will be fourth at Christmas for the first time since the 1985-86 season. But here comes the tricky part: West Ham travel to Chelsea on Boxing Day and host Arsenal two days later. “As difficult as it might be, I think the lads are confident enough to think they may have the capabilities of doing it,” Allardyce said.
Allardyce also confirmed that West Ham are hopeful of completing the signing of the Canada centre-back, Doneil Henry, soon. Henry, who is 21, is currently on loan at FC Toronto from Apollon Limassol.
“We’re looking at that, but that’s a tribunal and work-permit situation which will happen next week,” Allardyce said. “He’s recommended to me by my captain at Blackburn Rovers, who managed him at Toronto. When you get the recommendation of somebody you respect like Ryan Nelsen, it shows that he’s capable of playing at this level after a period of time settling in. You don’t ignore that advice – that’s the best advice you could get.”
As for Leicester, rock bottom after a 12th match without a win, they are counting on a Downing-esque turnaround.
Man of the match Alex Song (West Ham)
