Fergie's the best Premiership manager but across world football during the same time we've had Ancelotti, Capello, Mancini, Conte, Sacchi, Lippi and loads more I'll have missed. They produce an absurd amount of top managers tbh.
This
The grief Ritchie gets, he's a f*** load better than Stuart Downing.
Downing plays LW so would be competing with Gouffran immediatley, of who he's far better than. A 6 month loan and letting him compete with Atsu/Ritchie/Gouff for the out wide slot would be more positive than negative IMO.
If it's him or no-one for whatever reason I'd take him. I'm maybe overthinking it anyway - I just want a left winger who is clearly above almost everyone else in the division on the level of Knockaert 'cos I'm greedy. We could do that imo, but a 6-month loan of someone like Downing is probably more in line with our thinking, I agree.
Just keep extra time for the final (and semi-final if on neutral ground - although I'd scrap that) and go straight to pennas for the rest. Replays are a stupid idea for a lot of reasons.
That Silva dude got some Portuguese team promoted and then finished 4th the following season, seems a fairly decent albeit risky choice. Would far prefer him over Steve Bruce (or Phelan) if I was a Hull fan.