Downing left with no regrets

STEWART DOWNING was accused of being just another football mercenary when he quit Aston Villa in the summer, held up as another painful example of how little loyalty remains in the modern game.

But Downing will undoubtedly feel vindicated in his decision after returning to his former club and viewing just how far Villa have fallen since he was branded a rat for deserting a sinking ship.

There was an air of ambivalence around the sparsely populated stands of Villa Park last night as Kenny Dalglish secured his first ever managerial victory at a venue that is nowadays resembling a flimsy wendy-house, as opposed to a fortress.