Players who never quite made it

[Oldgregg86]

Remember liking the look of Michael bridges. You ask any Leeds fan and they will say he would of been special before injury. Abit like jansen for us. Also Paul lake . The man city defender. He was superb

[Husky]

22 hours ago, Stuart said:

Didn’t seem to be a problem for John Barnes, Terry Butcher, Tony Dorigo, amongst others. Or, closer to home, even Rob Jones.

I was going to ask how that rapper celebrity TV guy managed to qualify for England if it is 'necessary to have an English parent or grandparent' as suggested here.

Imagine Giggs and Terry in the same team. For the first time ever players would have been pleading for the manager to ban the WAGS from travelling.

[Mattyblue]

In the Barnes era everything was a bit woolly due to the Commonwealth, passports etc. Even Barnes himself wasn’t sure he was eligible:

http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/thread/48873

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 hours ago, Oldgregg86 said:

Remember liking the look of Michael bridges. You ask any Leeds fan and they will say he would of been special before injury. Abit like jansen for us. Also Paul lake . The man city defender. He was superb

I remember Francis Lee talking about Paul Lake. He said " Bobby Moore with pace ". That's high praise indeed. Another one whose career was ruined by injury.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[jim mk2]

Lake was seen as a big star;  Gary Shaw was another whose dazzling career fizzled out because of injury.

Lots of other unfulfilled talent from the past - Duncan Mackenzie,  Alan Hudson, Bowles, Worthington, Currie. Fantastic players, better than anything we have now.

In the present era, Ross Barkley is in danger of losing what should have been.  Excellent player - but does he want it ? 

[JacknOry]

2 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

Lake was seen as a big star;  Gary Shaw was another whose dazzling career fizzled out because of injury.

Lots of other unfulfilled talent from the past - Duncan Mackenzie,  Alan Hudson, Bowles, Worthington, Currie. Fantastic players, better than anything we have now.

In the present era, Ross Barkley is in danger of losing what should have been.  Excellent player - but does he want it ? 

Too much money is the main reason these days. 

[JAL]

Ryan Nyambe Joe Nuttall and Sam Gallagher got to come into this thread as players that never made it. 

But then again they where never good enough to make it in the first place. 

[Butty]

Just now, JAL said:

Ryan Nyambe Joe Nuttall and Sam Gallagher got to come into this thread as players that never made it. 

But then again they where never good enough to make it in the first place. 

You really are a strange individual aren't you JAL  

[speeeeeeedie]

There are players that didn't make it and those that didn't crack on.

A few from Everton; Barkley, Rodwell, Jose Baxter, Billy Kenny spring to mind. The latter 2 moreso.

Man U; Ben Thornley, Chris Casper. Class of 92 members who were both derailed by injuries.

Lately Berahino, Luke Shaw - although he has a chance if he leaves Mourinho.

[Daremz]

Carlos VIllanueva was the only thing that sprang to mind when I saw the topic-subject.

[joey_big_nose]

The 2 players who in my lifetime should have been great players for England but were criminally underused/ misused were Scholes and Le Tissier. 

Both victims of being sidelined for supposedly better players who weren't actually better. 

[tomphil]

3 hours ago, Daremz said:

Carlos VIllanueva was the only thing that sprang to mind when I saw the topic-subject.

He made it on Youtube though ?

[Sparks Rover]

8 hours ago, speeeeeeedie said:

.

Man U; Ben Thornley, Chris Casper. Class of 92 members who were both derailed by injuries

Casper was never good enough. Would never have got signed schoolboys if his dad wasn't mates with the footballing world. I was better. Fact

[Dreyski]

John Curtis was a solid player for us and on the cusp of breaking through for England, but was replaced by Neill and disappeared from view (played for several more clubs, but never fulfilled early promise).

[47er]

Frankie di Santo.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

26 minutes ago, Dreyski said:

John Curtis was a solid player for us and on the cusp of breaking through for England, but was replaced by Neill and disappeared from view (played for several more clubs, but never fulfilled early promise).

I could never figure that one out. First time I saw him play for Utd I said to myself " Bloody hell, they're got another star in the making there ". When he came to Rovers I thought he looked a good player and when we got promoted I thought " Well we're OK at right back. ". Then he just faded out of the picture. I don't think he got injured. Strange.

[47er]

21 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I could never figure that one out. First time I saw him play for Utd I said to myself " Bloody hell, they're got another star in the making there ". When he came to Rovers I thought he looked a good player and when we got promoted I thought " Well we're OK at right back. ". Then he just faded out of the picture. I don't think he got injured. Strange.

Wasn't he an ever-present in the promoted side but never in the picture after that? Though I think he might have played one or two League Cup games.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

52 minutes ago, 47er said:

Wasn't he an ever-present in the promoted side but never in the picture after that? Though I think he might have played one or two League Cup games.

He played a few league games after that but seemed to lose interest in football. Didn't he go into investments ?

[Husky]

Darius Vassell

Porting one over from the World Cup thread. He seemed to be good at one point. I remember he scored an overhead kick goal for England back when friendlies meant a bit more. Then he missed that penalty in Euro 2004 and became another to vanish from the England team at a very young age.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I remember seeing Emile Heskey as a very young player at Leicester. He was awesome, pace and power in a young body. He was running through and over good centre halves. I thought I was looking at the next Shearer. The older he got the worse he got.

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

He played a few league games after that but seemed to lose interest in football. Didn't he go into investments ?

Curtis is heavily involved in coaching in the USA now I think.

Good steady right back of a certain level, he'd certainly be decent in this present team.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, tomphil said:

Curtis is heavily involved in coaching in the USA now I think.

Good steady right back of a certain level, he'd certainly be decent in this present team.

He'd walk Into this team at right back. 

 

Another Red Rat I thought was in for really big things was Wes Brown. I know he had a long career at a good level but when he first started out at Utd he had it all.

Edited June 12, 2018 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Norbert Rassragr]

16 minutes ago, Husky said:

Darius Vassell

Porting one over from the World Cup thread. He seemed to be good at one point. I remember he scored an overhead kick goal for England back when friendlies meant a bit more. Then he missed that penalty in Euro 2004 and became another to vanish from the England team at a very young age.

He was briefly good, but no way should he have played more than a couple of times for England. He had loads of pace, but it was like he didn't want to shoot, so he ran about until he was dispossessed. And Emile Heskey made you wish he never attempted to shoot.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Vassells goal scoring stats are really quite abysmal 

[Butty]

9 hours ago, Daremz said:

Carlos VIllanueva was the only thing that sprang to mind when I saw the topic-subject.

That free kick against Blyth Spartans. He did it on the biggest stage of all. Chilean messi.