As all West Ham fans would have been made aware of by now, Stewart Downing was last week recalled to the England national side. Since the the unwanted consequences of joining Liverpool on the back of an extremely inflated big money move saw the West Ham man drift into international obscurity in 2012, Stewart Downing has since revitalized his career at Upton Park with his consistently good league performances this season. Such form seemingly didn’t go unnoticed by Roy Hodgson, who felt fit to recall Downing into the national set-up.
Hodgson can’t have fancied him wholeheartedly however, as the Hammers’ midfielder played no part in Saturday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia, and only lasted 45 minutes against Scotland in Tuesday night’s international friendly. It has since come to light that Downing picked up a knock and was subsequently taken off as a result, but that doesn’t ease complaints as to why he wasn’t played at the tip of a midfield diamond, as he has done so successfully this season, and left isolated on the wing. West Ham fans learnt from last season’s misfortunes as to how a more central, creative role for Downing is what suits him best.
Regardless of what really goes on behind close doors in the England set up, and what really goes through the selector’s heads, seeing a West Ham player represent the Three Lions was certainly a moment to behold. It hasn’t happened too often in recent years, so let’s hope the recognition of Downing’s good form has helped the club turn the corner in that respect.
hammersnewsblog 