andykeenan Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 Stewart Downing has kicked off his first full pre-season as a Villa player by declaring: "My best is yet to come." Although the winger signed early last summer, he spent pre-season on crutches as he recovered from a broken foot, which ruled him out until November. ... See more But, this time around, the former Middlesbrough man has been able to get straight into the thick of preparations with his team-mates. With a proper pre-season under his belt, Downing hopes to be firing on all cylinders when Villa kick off their Barclays Premier League campaign against West Ham on August 14. Martin O'Neill's team have been back in training since Thursday and Downing is relishing every moment. "It has been good," he said. "They have been a couple of hard days and we'll start again this week. "But it is just good to get the start of a good pre-season under my belt because last season I missed six or seven months, including the whole of pre-season. "It is nice being among the lads from the off. I think it helps to get a pre-season under your belt because if you miss a lot of the football and the running, you are playing catch-up, which I was when I came back. "But the pleasing thing was I came through the injury and didn't get any setbacks. "This time I have joined the lads from day one, I'm feeling quite fit and started quite well with the running. "So I'm quite pleased up until now. Hopefully I'll have a good pre-season, get a few games under my belt and then it is my first full season at Aston Villa, which I am looking forward to. "This season I will have a full pre-season under my belt and hopefully you will see the best of me in a full season." Downing began his Villa career with a flourish after making his debut as a substitute in the 1-1 draw at Burnley in November. The 25-year-old held down a starting spot for the remainder of the season. It was a big test for Downing, having spent so long on the sidelines, but he says getting so much game time in a winning side was a massive boost. "The good thing for me was I got loads of games under my belt which was good," he added. "There were some incredible games all the way to the end, getting to the final and the semi-final. I was in the team and that is what I wanted to do - get fit and get back in the team. "It was still hard coming back from the injury, but I enjoyed it and it was good. I came back from that and, more or less, went straight into the team. "The good thing was I was playing in a winning team, which helped a lot." http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/FootballNewsDetail/0,,10265~2089619,00.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 better be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villan-scott Posted July 12, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted July 12, 2010 I agree with what he's saying here, we are definately yet to see the best of Downing, and by all accounts he will be a very important player for us this season. I'm confident he will come good, and will have a few people eating their words, hopefully we can see more of that awesome left foot of his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancharlie Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 he'll be this years milner...next years downing will be fabian delph! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 His attitude in the Man City game still annoys the tits off me and I am still very unhappy about it. Especially when he stood across the line and watched City score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knoppy1987 Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I expect him to be a lot better and I personally believe he will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I think he will be great, I like him alot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir_gary_cahill Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I believe he has the ability, he just glides past players at times but I also think he lacks confidence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 he lacks cojones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted July 12, 2010 Moderator Share Posted July 12, 2010 I think he will prove a lot of people wrong this season and will show his ability, I think he will still lack a bit of bottle though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannedfromHandV Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 he lacks cojones I was saying this and took a friend to the everton game toward the end of the season, spent most of the journey to VP berating Downing for being a bit of a pussy, he then proceeded to put in a solid display of tackling and marking!! Egg on face! However, in general I do think he bottles a challenge every now and again, guess lots of players do tho.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted July 12, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted July 12, 2010 I completely agree with him that a solid pre-season sets you up for the campaign, and dont doubt that he will be far better off for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverPeacock Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I'll be quite simply amazed if he becomes the new Milner, I've never seen anything in him that suggests he will perform better than he managed to last year. Which wasn't good enough to merit a regular starting spot. Still, we live in hope... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I think he was playing scared last season, trying not to get hurt again. But this year I think we'll get a good return from him. I can see him scoring 10+ goals, and probably be the primary penalty taker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 At his best Downing is devastating. I can't wait to see the best from him this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanky Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 He's a good player. He seems not to have the mind for it at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted July 12, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted July 12, 2010 He could easily be the man to replace milner in the middle, if he leaves us. Is this the beginnings of us being softened to the idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 The guy jumps out of tackles all the time and constantly chickens out. He has zero confidence. How could he possibly play in the middle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beasley14 Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 Lets hope he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted July 12, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted July 12, 2010 The guy jumps out of tackles all the time and constantly chickens out. He has zero confidence. How could he possibly play in the middle? Downing has played like that in parts of some games for half a season, after coming back from a serious injury. Watch him in the game against us (when he got injured) for borough, then you may see why. Agreed, his confidence is low, the guys had season after season of not, "chickening out" Anyway, time will tell. :winkold: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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