Footballers / Athletes who failed to fulfill their potential

[Devon Malcolm]

You've another three seamers to do line and length, let the dangerman do his stuff. Fuck, I hate English Cricket in the 90s so much, but I'm a sad bastard for talking about it because it's fucking interesting. Ray Illingworth was a mong.

 

He was a fucking plonker. Remember all that bollocks about not letting the players wear sunglasses like Shane Warne's? Total idiot, completely out of touch with the modern game.

 

It even took its toll on Robin Smith in the end. When he debuted, and for a few years after, he was fantastic. He scored runs off everyone. Then Warne came along and he struggled against him, yet because he was our best batsman, his problems against him were magnified even though the rest of the useless tossers we had in there had done no better.

 

He just got weighed down by carrying the batting line-up and not getting enough protection from the captains and coaches from the media scrutinising his play against spin. It was no coincidence that Graham Thorpe really started to thrive once David Lloyd and then Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain came in.

[Sergio Mendacious]

Martin Phillips was a real letdown - I remember 4-4-2 Magazine having him as a star of the future, and then he proceeded to do fuck all forever in his career. Similar with Graeme Tomlinson - exciting to see someone on YTS forms, as I recall, make the move to Man U. Might as well've stayed at Bradford and carried on learning his trade.

 

Not a failure by any means, but Chris Bart-Williams would have benefitted from a move to a team that wasn't a big rolling pile of fuckery (Forest) - I think he'd have had England caps if he'd have gone to a Spurs or Newcastle at that time, instead of being out of English football by his early 30s.

[Devon Malcolm]

Martin Phillips was a real letdown - I remember 4-4-2 Magazine having him as a star of the future, and then he proceeded to do fuck all forever in his career. Similar with Graeme Tomlinson - exciting to see someone on YTS forms, as I recall, make the move to Man U. Might as well've stayed at Bradford and carried on learning his trade.

 

On Buster Philips, that was more to do with Alan Ball talking him up and trying to persuade City fans they had found their Ryan Giggs rather than some rank average winger who had some pace but nothing else.

 

Tomlinson was one of a clutch of forwards that United looked at around the time they got Cantona in. They also gave a trial to Adam Ndlovu at the same time. I don't think much was ever expected of him, to be honest.

[PowerButchi]

Smith's average was still strong when he was dropped. I think a lot of it had to do with people like him and Hick not playing in the traditional way. If they came about 10 years later with great run rates under Vaughan they'd not be a KP because he wouldn't get in.

 

But Ray Illingworth was there. The man responsible for ruining the greatest cricketing talent of all time in Hick. Hick's head wasn't the best, he needed someone like Alec Stewart to tell him he was the best, rather than Athers declaring and a week later Illingworth telling Hick "You've got no fucking bottle".

 

Now, I love Athers. His Rourkes Drift against the Bokkers is my favourite innings ever. But his declaration when Hick was a shot from a century was bullshit and contributed hugely to Hick's waste. He would have got that century. An ASHES century, while the papers were on his back. Why not play another over? It'd have been worth it in the long run.

 

Also, how can that play on your mind? Have a bad innings, we'll get fucking LATHWELL in! Fuck, I'm a tailender, but I'd fancy me more than Lathwell.

[Scott Malbranque]

Forgot about Cadamarteri. I must post the pic of my old Everton jersey with Cadamarteri 29 on the back. I keep all my old shirts.

I got it over in Liverpool after the 2-0 Merseyside Derby in 1997. Paid top dollar coz the cunts name was so long and had two numbers on the back - and me on a schoolboy wage and all - then he went to pox after he cut his dreadlocks.

Branch and Tony Grant were another two! Tony Grant was the image of Rodney Trotter with the finesse of Cantona for about 6 matches...

 

Eric Djemba Djemba for Man U and Bruno Cheyrou (the next Zidane) for the redshite were another two that spring to mind.

[PowerButchi]

[Sergio Mendacious]

I always used to think that Richie Humphreys was a disappointment, but is it really disappointing when you slip from a career at Shitfield Wednesday to being Hartlepool's legend of legends?

[Devon Malcolm]

Smith's average was still strong when he was dropped. I think a lot of it had to do with people like him and Hick not playing in the traditional way. If they came about 10 years later with great run rates under Vaughan they'd not be a KP because he wouldn't get in.

 

But Ray Illingworth was there. The man responsible for ruining the greatest cricketing talent of all time in Hick. Hick's head wasn't the best, he needed someone like Alec Stewart to tell him he was the best, rather than Athers declaring and a week later Illingworth telling Hick "You've got no fucking bottle".

 

Now, I love Athers. His Rourkes Drift against the Bokkers is my favourite innings ever. But his declaration when Hick was a shot from a century was bullshit and contributed hugely to Hick's waste. He would have got that century. An ASHES century, while the papers were on his back. Why not play another over? It'd have been worth it in the long run.

 

Also, how can that play on your mind? Have a bad innings, we'll get fucking LATHWELL in! Fuck, I'm a tailender, but I'd fancy me more than Lathwell.

 

Lathwell never had the technique for tests. As soon as he walked out to bat and faced a couple of balls I wondered why the fuck they chose him. These days players are chosen more on technique and mental strength - Lathwell would never have got chosen in this era.

 

I reckon if Hick had stayed in Zimbabwe he would have had a fantastic record. They had a decent batting line-up for a while - Grant Flower, Andy Flower (who was a fantastic player), Murray Goodwin, Alistair Campbell. He would have had less pressure playing for Zimbabwe. If Flower had played for England, his average would have been at least 15 runs lower. Hick would have averaged over 50 for Zimbabwe. Wonder if he regrets playing for England now?

[Guy Bifkin]

 

[Scott Malbranque]

I wish cricket were popular in Ireland.

[John Matrix]

I always used to think that Richie Humphreys was a disappointment, but is it really disappointing when you slip from a career at Shitfield Wednesday to being Hartlepool's legend of legends?

 

There's another one. Was supposde to be Wayne Rooney esque at the time as i recall? 18 year old super striker. Jon Stead is another that springs to mind in a similar vain. He's playing lower leagues now too right?

 

What happened to Alan Smith once he left Man Utd?

[Sergio Mendacious]

 

"If I ever get bored with golf, I'm going to start over and play lefthanded".

[Sergio Mendacious]

I always used to think that Richie Humphreys was a disappointment, but is it really disappointing when you slip from a career at Shitfield Wednesday to being Hartlepool's legend of legends?

 

There's another one. Was supposde to be Wayne Rooney esque at the time as i recall? 18 year old super striker. Jon Stead is another that springs to mind in a similar vain. He's playing lower leagues now too right?

 

What happened to Alan Smith once he left Man Utd?

 

Smith is with MK Dons now.

 

Franny Jeffers has had a mention earlier, but I wanted to point out my dad's immense hate for him, referring to him gleefully on his slide as "the pox in the box".

[PowerButchi]

Smith's average was still strong when he was dropped. I think a lot of it had to do with people like him and Hick not playing in the traditional way. If they came about 10 years later with great run rates under Vaughan they'd not be a KP because he wouldn't get in.

 

But Ray Illingworth was there. The man responsible for ruining the greatest cricketing talent of all time in Hick. Hick's head wasn't the best, he needed someone like Alec Stewart to tell him he was the best, rather than Athers declaring and a week later Illingworth telling Hick "You've got no fucking bottle".

 

Now, I love Athers. His Rourkes Drift against the Bokkers is my favourite innings ever. But his declaration when Hick was a shot from a century was bullshit and contributed hugely to Hick's waste. He would have got that century. An ASHES century, while the papers were on his back. Why not play another over? It'd have been worth it in the long run.

 

Also, how can that play on your mind? Have a bad innings, we'll get fucking LATHWELL in! Fuck, I'm a tailender, but I'd fancy me more than Lathwell.

 

Lathwell never had the technique for tests. As soon as he walked out to bat and faced a couple of balls I wondered why the fuck they chose him. These days players are chosen more on technique and mental strength - Lathwell would never have got chosen in this era.

 

I reckon if Hick had stayed in Zimbabwe he would have had a fantastic record. They had a decent batting line-up for a while - Grant Flower, Andy Flower (who was a fantastic player), Murray Goodwin, Alistair Campbell. He would have had less pressure playing for Zimbabwe. If Flower had played for England, his average would have been at least 15 runs lower. Hick would have averaged over 50 for Zimbabwe. Wonder if he regrets playing for England now?

 

He should have gone to South Africa. He wouldn't have had that huge pressure (front page of the Radio Times on the ever of your first test?), wouldn't have been seen as a savour. Or gone to Oz to play his cricket, they all respected him hugely, and he would have been nurtured there brilliantly. David Boon who can bowl fantastic off breaks. Might even have become a more aggressive Border. Just imagine Twenty/20 in Hick's day though, in his prime. Same for Robin Smith.

 

 

 

 

He spanked Younis several times though in English grounds. Hick's Hughes' bunny, or a (any) black man from 1994.

 

Actually, no. Hick's Illingworth's bunny. And English cricket suffered for it.

[DCW]

Paul McGrath.

 

Combination of dodgy knees,psychological problems and alcoholism stopped him from being one of the all time great centre backs of the modern game.Man of his talents should have won a lot more then a FA Cup and 2 League Cups.