Stewart Downing: From zero to hero and back again

First he dropped his shoulder and took all the Villa fans with him by declaring he would be open to the idea of signing a new contract.

Then he dropped his other shoulder and sent supporters the other way by not only stalling on the deal, but strongly hinting he would not be a Villa player next season.

I was lucky enough to get an exclusive interview with Downing at Villa's annual awards dinner on May 9 when he picked up the fans', players' and sponsors' best player gongs.

This was his position back then: "I think there's been a couple of conversations already with my agent. I've already spoken to the manager who has said he'd like to keep me.

"I'm enjoying my stay here. I've enjoyed it since the first day I came. It's a terrific football club. It's fantastic they want me.

"There's terrific players. I'm confident, despite this season, we're going in the right direction and if we get the right players in then I'm happy.

"The important thing in football is, if you're happy, then why change it?

"I know it's been a disappointing season, but I can see the bigger picture."

By May 26, in an interview given to a newspaper in his native north east, the 'bigger picture' was becoming blurred.

"I am 26 and at a major crossroads in my career so I won't be committing to a new deal at the moment."

A month later on June 30, on England duty ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifying draw with Switzerland, Downing was now freezing Villa out of the 'bigger picture' completely by discussing how fans would react to his likely departure.

"You hope they do understand, but normal fans will want you to stay at their club for the rest of your life.

"If you do leave there's obviously a bit of bitterness there.

"You hope they do understand because, it's like any job, if there's a better job on hand, or a better level to do it, then people do it."

It was particularly galling as Downing had always seemed like one of the good guys. As far removed from the mercenary money-grabbing monster as you could possibly imagine.

From the first occasion I met him - chatting to him on the ground floor of Bodymoor Heath to save him struggling up the stairs on crutches - he struck me as a decent lad.

He went up even further in my estimation when discussing the emotive subject of the death of a sibling months later.

Luke Young was nearing a return to action after his half brother Andre tragically passed away during a holiday accident and Young's close pal and former Boro team-mate Downing spoke with real empathy, having lost his own baby sister Vicki to leukemia years earlier.

Stew would always be the one prepared to face the press, win lose or draw after matches, and I can recall him, in Anfield of all places, huddled in a cubbyhole, honestly explaining Villa's dreadful 3-0 defeat to Liverpool last December and patiently answering increasingly probing questions where other players would have excused themselves and left.

On the face of it, £20 million at this given time, seems a fair price with the chance the England winger could struggle to eclipse his fine personal form of last season.

I could be wrong and he could blossom with Liverpool, the club his father purports to support, apparently.

Either way his value would obviously decrease 12 months from now if he entered the final year of his contract at Villa and the extra time to recruit a replacement is probably more important to Alex McLeish that the extra few million pounds he could have potentially held out for.

Fortunately for Downing, Kenny Dalglish's willingness to pay the going rate has spared him running the gauntlet of hate at Walsall, which Gareth Barry was subjected to three summers ago.

And remember, Barry, who didn't get his move to Merseyside, boasted a decade's loyal service, rather than one special season and half a steady one.

Instead of next Thursday's pre-season friendly at the Banks's Stadium, Downing will have to wait until Saturday December 17, when Liverpool visit Villa Park in the Premier League, to find out first hand precisely what the claret and blue faithful think of him.

No need to bring the pin, Stewart, there's guaranteed to be plenty of needle.