Players that you think are rubbish

[VillaChris]

On 24/05/2020 at 12:18, Xela said:

The title game was poor as both teams were edgy. Not reflective of football over the season! 

Overall I'd say football was more enjoyable back then for a myriad of reasons. Rose tinted spectacles may be one of them! 

International tournaments were certainly of a higher quality. World cups in 80s were all time classics and so was 98 imo, haven't had a world cup of that standard since imo. Euro 2000 was also of a very high standard when you look at likes of Zidane and Figo at their peak.

Considering the next one is in Qatar and the one after that will have 48 teams it's not going to get better.

Euro 96 was about the same quality as euro 2016 but 16 is simply a better number for overall smooth nature of tournament.

Edited May 25, 2020 by VillaChris

[wedge]

I always thought Michael Ballack was a useless cheat but I only really saw him at Chelsea. I know I'm in the minority there.

 

Jack Wilshere, even when he's not injured doesn't score, doesn't get many assists, rubbish!

[villa4europe]

ballack - he was good, I think you'd say midfield general, he controlled games, imagine Lampard but with the influence on the pace of the game of barry, I would say at Chelsea his role diminished so his ability to control games was as needed or apparent

wilshere - the quote that I still remember about wilshere was the media here getting all excited about him and trying to flog him to barca and pep saying they don't need him because they have 10 of him in their reserves, that's hyperbolic but not that far from the truth, the thing with wilshere was he came as the crash bang wallop styles of gerrard, Lampard and scholes came to an end, the hundred mile an hour 70 yard passes and 30 yard screamer roy of the rovers style of gerrard in particular was the epitome IMO of English football which was in the gutter following 2008 - 10 tournaments as we're all watching the Spanish dominate with passing and moving in a way that we simply couldn't...and this kid could! we got excited because he could play 10 yard weighted slide rule passes and had a great touch, he was good he was just overhyped because he could do what others couldn't at a time when it was flavour of the month, if he'd stayed fit he'd have stayed at arsenal and he'd be pushing for 100 caps by now, we've had some right dross in englands midfield since he fell apart

[VillaChris]

Wilshere was good in 10/11 imo but after that he's lost about four years to injury so can never get back in stride and lost a bit of intensity.

When you look at the emerging players after 2010 world cup it's amazing the amount of injuries they've all had. Yes some were overhype but if you add up Phil Jones, Welbeck, Sturridge, Wishere and Andy Caroll and the length of time they've all spent injured you've come up to well over 20 seasons combined they've all missed. Add in Adam Johnson's incarceration....

[useless]

I actually thought Wilshere was okay in his final season at Arsenal whenever I saw them then he looked one of their better players, I think they actually tried to keep him. As a teenager he was hailed in the  press as the future of England's midfield alongside Gary Gardner and Josh McEachran, strange to think the latter two are at small heath now.

[Zatman]

Quote

Teenage Kicks: Four English midfield maestros - Wilshere, Gardner, Bostock and Shelvey - with dreams to take on the world

JACK WILSHERE (above)

CLUB: Arsenal
BORN: January 1, 1992
POSITION: Midfield
ASSETS: Quick feet, explosive speed, balance
PLAYS A BIT LIKE: Paul Gascoigne

GARY GARDNER

CLUB: Aston Villa
BORN: June 26, 1992
POSITION: Holding midfield
ASSETS: Composed, reads game, two good feet
PLAYS A BIT LIKE: Gareth Barry

JOHN BOSTOCK

CLUB: Tottenham
BORN: January 15, 1992
POSITION: Midfield
ASSETS: Good left foot, vision, strength
PLAYS A BIT LIKE: Joe Cole

JONJO SHELVEY

CLUB: Charlton
BORN: February 21, 1992
POSITION: Attacking midfield/second striker
ASSETS: Energy, power, passing range
PLAYS A BIT LIKE: Steven Gerrard

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1181388/Teenage-Kicks-Four-English-midfield-maestros--Wilshere-Gardner-Bostock-Shelvey--dreams-world.html

 

Think Shelvey had the best career of the 4 

[VillaChris]

The thing with Shelvey is I actually think he's a talented player who with a better mentality could be a decent squad option for England.

He was in good form ages ago for Swansea but Monk was going on about him needing to improve his discipline (think he go over 10 bookings in his regular season and sent off a few times) then his form dipped and he went to Newcastle where he's been in and out.

Bostock moved too early, should've stayed at Palace. Had an interesting career abroad at least.

Gary Gardner, again another who had a couple of serious injuries so lost 2-3 years of his career just when he was breaking through.

McEachran, never saw the hype tbh. I actually think because he came through a year after Wilshere and had a similar style Chelsea just tried to big him up to make him seem like he was going to be better of the two.

Guess you could put Delph as part of that group given he was only 19 when we signed him in 2009.

[Zatman]

McEachran was extremely bland player, he seemed a Westwood type player

[Keyblade]

Delph easily the best player of the lot. 2014 Delph is funnily enough the best English midfielder I can think of in the last 4-6 years apart from maybe the current Jordan Henderson. Shows how much dross England has had in there.

[mikeyp102]

3 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

Delph easily the best player of the lot. 2014 Delph is funnily enough the best English midfielder I can think of in the last 4-6 years apart from maybe the current Jordan Henderson. Shows how much dross England has had in there.

Since moving to Liverpool Oxlaide Chamberlain was looking very good in Cm, that injury was a big blow.

[rodders0223]

Danny Webber, Jon Stead, Kazim Richards.

Watched a Sheff U game from back in the day. Not one of them could actually control a football. No hyperbole.

[Zatman]

not a player but David Wagner has again brought his anti-football into action and people used to bang on here that he would take us places. 0 wins in 10 games and just 3 goals in that time

Did well to get Huddersfield up but if he was called Bruce or Pulis he would have been slaughtered and not praised so much

[rodders0223]

Phil Neville. I thought he was crap at the time but I was a young lad then, I was wrong about a lot of things. Particularily good solid do the dirty work salt of the earth defenders and midfielders

Saying that, watching all these old games has confirmed I was correct about Phil Neville. Garbage footballer with all the on the ball ability of a pub player. Carved out a career at Everton as some faux hardman despite again not being able to pass wind.

[Zatman]

24 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Phil Neville. I thought he was crap at the time but I was a young lad then, I was wrong about a lot of things. Particularily good solid do the dirty work salt of the earth defenders and midfielders

Saying that, watching all these old games has confirmed I was correct about Phil Neville. Garbage footballer with all the on the ball ability of a pub player. Carved out a career at Everton as some faux hardman despite again not being able to pass wind.

Yeah a dreadful full back, Fergie sold him in his prime yet kept average players like OShea on for a lot longer

[Xela]

Phil Neville, Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Darren Fletcher, Quinten Fortune et al. 

Just goes to show it isn't always about ability. Its about effort and a winning mentality. Sir Alex was a genius. 

[mikeyp102]

41 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Phil Neville. I thought he was crap at the time but I was a young lad then, I was wrong about a lot of things. Particularily good solid do the dirty work salt of the earth defenders and midfielders

Saying that, watching all these old games has confirmed I was correct about Phil Neville. Garbage footballer with all the on the ball ability of a pub player. Carved out a career at Everton as some faux hardman despite again not being able to pass wind.

Was he ever perceived as a hard man though? Yes he played dm, but I don’t think he was the hard man type. What he did do well was good positionally and reading the game. Now clearly I’m not saying he was a good footballer. But for a mid table Everton side, he certainly played his part in making them hard to break down. Sometimes need those type of players. Our midfield at the moment could do with someone with those attributes 

[PaulC]

23 hours ago, rodders0223 said:

Phil Neville. I thought he was crap at the time but I was a young lad then, I was wrong about a lot of things. Particularily good solid do the dirty work salt of the earth defenders and midfielders

Saying that, watching all these old games has confirmed I was correct about Phil Neville. Garbage footballer with all the on the ball ability of a pub player. Carved out a career at Everton as some faux hardman despite again not being able to pass wind.

Garbage manager too. Took England women backwards. 

[Villaphan04]

On 27/05/2020 at 16:30, Zatman said:

not a player but David Wagner has again brought his anti-football into action and people used to bang on here that he would take us places. 0 wins in 10 games and just 3 goals in that time

Did well to get Huddersfield up but if he was called Bruce or Pulis he would have been slaughtered and not praised so much

It's crazy to see how much one game impacted his(and Staam's) managerial trajectory. Beating Reading on penalties in the final got them up (Staam didn't last through the next season) and he kept Huddersfield up. And got the Schalke job while Staam is over here stateside now . 

[Xela]

On 01/06/2020 at 17:50, PaulC said:

Took England women backwards. 

[Zatman]

If Juventus win Serie A this season then Ronaldo will be joined in the exclusive club of winning Premier League, La Liga and Serie A by Danilo. 

Shit player great agent