[Archived] Players Who Never Fulfilled Their Potential

[oldjamfan1]

It's really hard to judge how young players will develop. A pal of mine used to play for Rochdale. When he was just starting out he played for their reserve team against Rovers " A " team at Spotland. I went along to watch him. He was a right winger and our left back was a tubby little kid who needed to lose a pound or two even at 17. My pal gave the kid a bit of a chasing and afterwards we both agreed the left back would never make a pro footballer as long as he lived. My pal said " Tyrone, you're a better full back than he is ".

A bit more than a year later the tubby kid had slimmed down and was playing in Rovers first team. He gave us years of good service and developed into a really good full back. That was Billy Wilson.

Our star player in that game was a lad called Roy Wilford. He was amazing, a box to box midfielder who just ran the show for us. Imagine a David Dunn who could tackle and run for 90 minutes.

Both of us again agreed on the player. We thought he couldn't fail, he had it all.

Again about a year later I opened my Saturday football paper and I read that Roy Wilford had just signed from Blackburn Rovers for Winsford Utd in the old Northern Premier League. What went wrong there I don't know but what a contrast in outcomes. He played at that level for years but never got any higher that semi pro.

My younger brother is a fine example of what you are talking about there Tyrone. Nobody has ever played more representative games for Blackburn & Darwen schoolboys than him (over 100, astonishingly!) and he was playing for Rovers reserves from the age of 15. He was a child in a man's body as a teenager - akin to Norman Whiteside, for those of you who remember him. Our kid played against Whiteside many times as a youth and they were comparable players at that age. Whiteside broke into Man United's first team as a 16 year old.

However, my brother stopped growing once he got to 16 and all the other lads/blokes caught him up size-wise and he ended up playing no higher than amateur level as an adult.

I'm sure there are thousands with similar 'I could have been the champ' stories.

[rigger]

One that got away. http://www.ozwhitelufc.net.au/players_profiles/P/ParkerN.php

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

You've got to be knocking on a bit to remember this guy but David Helliwell was another who had it all skill wise but never kicked on. I remember him standing in for Bryan Douglas on his debut and being man of the match. He was a slim, pretty slight guy and he never managed to put on a pound throughout his career. He was knocked off the ball a bit too easily.

Eamon Rogers and Malcolm Darling from that era were two others who had it all but never made it to the top.

[oldjamfan1]

You've got to be knocking on a bit to remember this guy but David Helliwell was another who had it all skill wise but never kicked on. I remember him standing in for Bryan Douglas on his debut and being man of the match. He was a slim, pretty slight guy and he never managed to put on a pound throughout his career. He was knocked off the ball a bit too easily.

Eamon Rogers and Malcolm Darling from that era were two others who had it all but never made it to the top.

I only knew Malcolm from being at Darwen but he was a terrific player even then and a smashing bloke as well.

[47er]

Remember Malcolm Darling from the pubs in Blackburn! He'd chat away to anyone about the game he'd just played in.

Players lived in the same world we did then!

[jim mk2]

You've got to be knocking on a bit to remember this guy but David Helliwell was another who had it all skill wise but never kicked on. I remember him standing in for Bryan Douglas on his debut and being man of the match. He was a slim, pretty slight guy and he never managed to put on a pound throughout his career. He was knocked off the ball a bit too easily.

Eamon Rogers and Malcolm Darling from that era were two others who had it all but never made it to the top.

Remember Ian Kendall in the 1960s? Brilliant Blackburn schoolboy footballer tipped for an outstanding pro career but never got past Rovers reserves. Last saw him at Ewood as a spectator.

Remember Malcolm Darling from the pubs in Blackburn! He'd chat away to anyone about the game he'd just played in.

Players lived in the same world we did then!

Malcolm Darling was a drinker, unfortunately. Very good player on his day.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Darling had everything apart from physical size. He was quick,clever, had two great feet and a really good spring for a guy only about 5' 9". I thought he could have gone all the way but for some reason he never did. He was a bit like Matt Jansen in playing style. Towards the end the crowd got on his back but I don't really know why. I remember an incident in a table top clash with Birmingham. We were losing 2-1. Really near the end Darling got free and was bearing down on goal. Just as he went to strike the ball he got a bad bounce off a foot mark in the pitch. Consequently the ball went into row Z and the crowd started booing ! 90% of them wouldn't have seen the bad bounce. I was right behind the goals and saw it clearly. Things seem to go down hill for him after that. He left in exchange for Bryan Conlon I think. Conlon was garbage, a really poor swap.

Rogers was another poor swap. Barry Endean and a bit of cash for a truly gifted footballer. Charlton saw us coming there. Endean was another one I didn't rate. That was when we were moving from employing real footballers to signing grafters to get us out of the old Div 3. At first it had to be done but after watching the great players of the sixties the early seventies were pretty grim times.

[jim mk2]

That was a horrible period, talented players gradually leaving one by one to be replaced by a player who was worse. A bit like the past 5 years in fact.

[rigger]

Darling had everything apart from physical size. He was quick,clever, had two great feet and a really good spring for a guy only about 5' 9". I thought he could have gone all the way but for some reason he never did. He was a bit like Matt Jansen in playing style. Towards the end the crowd got on his back but I don't really know why. I remember an incident in a table top clash with Birmingham. We were losing 2-1. Really near the end Darling got free and was bearing down on goal. Just as he went to strike the ball he got a bad bounce off a foot mark in the pitch. Consequently the ball went into row Z and the crowd started booing ! 90% of them wouldn't have seen the bad bounce. I was right behind the goals and saw it clearly. Things seem to go down hill for him after that. He left in exchange for Bryan Conlon I think. Conlon was garbage, a really poor swap.

Rogers was another poor swap. Barry Endean and a bit of cash for a truly gifted footballer. Charlton saw us coming there. Endean was another one I didn't rate. That was when we were moving from employing real footballers to signing grafters to get us out of the old Div 3. At first it had to be done but after watching the great players of the sixties the early seventies were pretty grim times.

But he could drive a dumper truck!

[Rover_Shaun]

Its all a crap shoot. At the turn of the 90's who would have thought Handbag and Super Atko would turn into indespensible players in an English Title Winning Team?

[rigger]

Its all a crap shoot.

I thought that was Ken Beamish

[tomphil]

Darling had everything apart from physical size. He was quick,clever, had two great feet and a really good spring for a guy only about 5' 9". I thought he could have gone all the way but for some reason he never did. He was a bit like Matt Jansen in playing style. Towards the end the crowd got on his back but I don't really know why. I remember an incident in a table top clash with Birmingham. We were losing 2-1. Really near the end Darling got free and was bearing down on goal. Just as he went to strike the ball he got a bad bounce off a foot mark in the pitch. Consequently the ball went into row Z and the crowd started booing ! 90% of them wouldn't have seen the bad bounce. I was right behind the goals and saw it clearly. Things seem to go down hill for him after that. He left in exchange for Bryan Conlon I think. Conlon was garbage, a really poor swap.

Rogers was another poor swap. Barry Endean and a bit of cash for a truly gifted footballer. Charlton saw us coming there. Endean was another one I didn't rate. That was when we were moving from employing real footballers to signing grafters to get us out of the old Div 3. At first it had to be done but after watching the great players of the sixties the early seventies were pretty grim times.

Rovers fans getting on a players back even then ? Surely not

[Amo]

Success is certainly subjective but potential isn't. Potential is about ability, not reputation. Plenty of world class players have won sod all, and Franck Lebeouf won a World Cup.

Shearer fulfilled his potential. I'd find it entirely unfair to suggest otherwise, did he win everything he could? Probably not - but football is a team game ultimately and his decision to play for his boyhood club likely cost him more titles.

Actually, 'potential' can be defined as any latent quality or ability that leads to future success.

Don't tell me that Shearer doesn't have massive regrets at not having won more silverware.

[rigger]

Actually, 'potential' can be defined as any latent quality or ability that leads to future success.

Don't tell me that Shearer doesn't have massive regrets at not having won more silverware.

The only person that can answer that question is Shearer, but maybe he will be so embarrassed by his lack of success that he will not answer you!

[Mike E]

Just out of interest (and i may well regret this) but why do you have a picture of Phil Jones (and Alex Ferguson) as your profile picture? Seems like you have a few issues with the lad

It's the moment they realised City won the title vs QPR

[Amo]

The only person that can answer that question is Shearer, but maybe he will be so embarrassed by his lack of success that he will not answer you!

Irregardless. Should a player of Shearer's ability have won more trophies?

If the answer is yes, then he didn't live up to his potential.

[rigger]

Irregardless. Should a player of Shearer's ability have won more trophies?

If the answer is yes, then he didn't live up to his potential.

If you are talking a single person sport then yes . If you are talking a team sport, it also depends on the quality of your team-mates.

[patrickvalery]

Another one who has massively under achieved is Adam Johnson. And it seems quite likely that it's going to be irretrievable now too.

If he gets a prison sentence (which I imagine looks extremely likely), and comes out early enough to resume his career, then it'll be interesting to see if any desperate clubs stoop low enough to give him another chance. It'll potentially dwarf the Lee Hughes debate. Although I wouldn't wish to imply the poor sod who lost their life at his hands is any less important.

[Amo]

If you are talking a single person sport then yes . If you are talking a team sport, it also depends on the quality of your team-mates.

Which comes down to your career choices. Shearer didn't make the right move.

Surprised no one has mentioned Gazza... until I just did it.

[rigger]

Which comes down to your career choices. Shearer didn't make the right move.

Surprised no one has mentioned Gazza... until I just did it.

Perhaps because people might think that Gazza did fulfill his potential, as a football player. As that was the original topic. Following your logic George Best was in the same category.

[roverandout]

Stan collymoore was the biggest waste of talent, could and should have been a world beater, him and Bryan Roy at Forrest destroyed the old division one (championship)

[Amo]

Perhaps because people might think that Gazza did fulfill his potential, as a football player. As that was the original topic. Following your logic George Best was in the same category.

Gazza had the talent to be a world-class player, but he pished it all away.

Yes, I would include Best in that category.

[JBiz]

Irregardless. Should a player of Shearer's ability have won more trophies?

If the answer is yes, then he didn't live up to his potential.

Irregardless?

Winning trophies is a team game.

World class players don't always win lots of trophies - I'm sure you'd agree that trophies don't define ability. If the title of the thread was "players who never fulfilled their potential to win trophies", I'd agree Shearer could've won more.

However, the discussion seems to be centred around whether players wasted potential ability - Shearer is certainly not guilty of that IMO, injuries may have restricted his pace but he still endeavoured.

To add - Matt le Tissier is a player of similar era that, who(IMO) didn't fulfil his potential ability or chances to win trophies. He never seemed fully fit but could do amazing things. I'm sure I'm not being presumptuous about his attitude towards training, he had ability beyond that level.

Gazza had the talent to be a world-class player, but he pished it all away.

Yes, I would include Best in that category.

Two great examples.

[rigger]

Gazza had the talent to be a world-class player, but he pished it all away.

Yes, I would include Best in that category.

I personally would class both of them as world class footballers

[VinjayV4]

Which comes down to your career choices. Shearer didn't make the right move.

Surprised no one has mentioned Gazza... until I just did it.

I'm surprised more people haven't questioned his desire to stay in England. Before and after Jack refused to sell him to Manchester United most top footballers wanted to play in Serie A. Shearer was one of the best strikers in Europe certainly before his 1997 injury and wasn't exactly terrible afterwards. There's no doubt the original (and best at his peak) Ronaldo was better and ironically both declined after injuries but still adapted exceptionally well.