Duff Showed Downing For What He Really Is - A Nobody!
Last updated : 12 May 2009 By Footy Mad - Editor
Gareth Southgate put his star player down our left to nail the left-back position that has been our Achille's Heel for five years.
But Duff ate him up and spat him out!
We all know Downing got his England caps through the "jobs for the boys" reign of Steve McClaren - but God only knows how he's still involved in the England set up.
Duff never flackered all evening, and Downing looked the player he has all season ... over-rated!
Alan Shearer: "Mark Viduka was brilliant. Everything we put into him stuck.
"Even with ten minutes left he had the energy to cause them problems. A fit Mark Viduka can produce performances like that - that's why the medical staff have worked so hard with him and why we've made such an effort.
"Can he play against Fulham? It shouldn't be a problem playing two games in five days. We'll do little bits and pieces with him this week now but I don't see why not.
"It's a magnificent feeling.
"The players were brilliant. I asked them to show me courage and determination and they showed me that. I say courage and I'll repeat it because it would have been easy for them to feel sorry for themselves after going one down. But there were some big performances from some big men out there. I thought we fully deserved the win. I thought we were very, very good.
"I said to them in the dressing room afterwards - enjoy the feeling, enjoy the feeling of being out of the bottom three because we've been in there a long time. And then I told them to make sure we don't go back in the bottom three now.
"They showed me what they've been showing me on the training ground, that is why I've always had belief in the players to get out of it. I really believe we will get out of it. But we've won one game tonight - there is still a long way to go.
"Will we need another two wins? Your guess is as good as mine, I don't know. But I've asked the players for three massive performances and they've given me one.
"There is another big performance needed by the players against Fulham.
"But the good thing for us now is that it's in their hands again and that is great. With the way things went and the results went it's been a great weekend - but now there are two more big weekends to come for us.
"The fans were brilliant. I said to the players 'What a great arena it is to get a result in'.
"They stuck with us when we went one down. It would have been easy for them to turn on us at one down, but they didn't.
"It will give us confidence and belief now. We've been in a rut for a while - now we've got a chance to kick on and with the ability and belief they've got now they should be capable of kicking on."