Just an observation...
I'm also in the camp that believes you can't go from superstar to has-been in half a season. When Stevie played with Robbie, they had an almost uncanny understanding. Stevie made runs, Robbie picked him out, and vice-versa, resulting in defence splitting passes and good looking goals for both.
I noticed that when Robbie left, (and Stevie was picked) Stevie was still making those intelligent runs, but in the main we chose to pass sideways or backwards nullifying his run, whereas in the past Robbie would have picked him out. If this happens consistently, it can make you look a tit, rather than the player who didn't spot the run! You don't see this on the telly, but from the stands, if you are looking for it, it's obvious.
His natural game is to push forward, but he doesn't seem to have the telepathy he had with Robbie with anyone else, and he looks a little lost, to be honest. Maybe he has been told to hold, and this is not natural to him, so is taking time to adapt, but its obvious his confidence is shot to pieces.
He had a chance last night on the edge of the box, and the old Stevie would have snaffled it with a cheeky lob or a perfectly placed curler, but he seemed to be looking to offload, rather than shoot (afraid to make a mistake?)
Maybe someone who knows him on here (I believe there are a couple..?) can clarify this, because he is a fantastic player going through a bad spell, but we would be mugs to let him go.
We should support our talent during bad spells, not offload to be replaced with the flavour of the week from Serie a or La Liga.
And anyone who knows anything about football knows Stevie is a talent. Precocious, maybe, but a talent nonetheless.
