Wasted it......?

[alan'82]

Do you think there are players who have wasted their God given talents.........?

Maybe for a variety of reasons.......?

For example,do you think older players like Frank Worthington & our own Alan Hudson, wasted their talents for the love of the good life?.

Did George Best become more of a legend because of it?.

Has Rooney blown it?.(we know he likes to get 'blown',by old ladies).

Did the very talented Joe Cole waste his talents by allowing Jose to 'coach' it out of him,for the good of the team?

Did Matt Le Tisser waste his chances of medals because of loyalty to Southampton?.

Does it matter now? or is it best to regret what you've done rather than what you haven't?.

Have I used to many question marks??.

[BlueBeard]

For example,do you think older players like Frank Worthington & our own Alan Hudson, wasted their talents for the love of the good life?.

No, like Peter Osgood, they were exceptional players despite their off field activities. If anyone wasted their talents it was Alf Ramsey.

Did George Best become more of a legend because of it?.

Not really, George was a footballing legend long before he started enjoying his life to the full

Has Rooney blown it?.(we know he likes to get 'blown',by old ladies).

Rooney doesn't belong in the same thread as Best, Hudson or Worthington, let alone the same post. He's a ridiculously over-rated player who believes his own publicity and behaves like a spoilt child. I'm only sorry he didn't have his leg sliced off yesterday.

Did the very talented Joe Cole waste his talents by allowing Jose to 'coach' it out of him,for the good of the team?

Joey was very talented, but didn't quite know when to use that talent - he'd try tricks when we were losing with minutes to go, which drove me mad!

Did Matt Le Tisser waste his chances of medals because of loyalty to Southampton?

Yes, he could and should have come to Chelsea - a marvellous player.

Have I used to many question marks??

Possibly

[Phillip]

Mutu wasted his talents.

[The Moos]

Cassano. Not that he's bad now - in fact I'd say he's really good - but I feel he could have become a big star and also perhaps be good on a regular basis instead of having big dips in his performances. Also, he could have reached a high level sooner than he did.

Adriano. The guy was brilliant, but couldn't cope. Seems to have had lots of problems that really ruined what could have been a glorious career.

Mutu. Chose drugs over becoming a real star. We had some bad luck there. Does he still owe us money?

Appiah. I guess few know about him, but he played for Juventus many years ago. People underestimated him a bit, but I thought he was a really solid player. Unfortunately he didn't have the mentality to reach high and I think he had problems with a bad injury as well as some psychological problems.

Mikel? I think he's a great DM, but let's not forget that he was once a very talented attacking midfielder who was mentioned alongside Messi when he was young. But here José made him play deeper and in the end he turned into a defensive midfielder.

[Valerie]

Jody Morris. Francis Jeffers.

[Hitsu]

Adriano

ronaldinho, as good as he was he could've been a legend of the game

mark vodka, while a great player(for an Australian), get thefeeling he fell out of love with the game and was more about going through the motions then trying to be the best he could be

Edited August 27, 2012 by Hitsu

[DaRick]

Adriano

ronaldinho, as good as he was he could've been a legend of the game

mark vodka, while a great player(for an Australian), get thefeeling he fell out of love with the game and was more about going through the motions then trying to be the best he could be

Viduka...I should know, he's one of my countrymen.

Yeah, he was non-committal to the national team after he left Newcastle as well. Not that he often performed well for Australia in the first place. I think part of the problem was that he hated the stardom and the pressure that was heaped upon him - you couldn't rely on him on the really big occasions. He also had a difficult time with other teammates like Harry Kewell.

Speaking of Kewell, he was also very talented, but his career was severely undermined by his constant injuries. He never really performed at Liverpool the way he did at Leeds or even Galatasaray.

El-Hadji Diouf - talented but also a complete prick.

Ricardo Quaresma - thought to be as talented as Cristiano, but too temperamental and unprofessional.

Robinho/Diego - Two ex-Santos players who could have been superstars, but it hardly happened for either for different reasons.

Emre Belozoglu - Injury + questionable temperament.

There are those who think the likes of Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola could have done more.

Edited August 27, 2012 by DaRick

[DaRick]

Cassano. Not that he's bad now - in fact I'd say he's really good - but I feel he could have become a big star and also perhaps be good on a regular basis instead of having big dips in his performances. Also, he could have reached a high level sooner than he did.

Adriano. The guy was brilliant, but couldn't cope. Seems to have had lots of problems that really ruined what could have been a glorious career.

Mutu. Chose drugs over becoming a real star. We had some bad luck there. Does he still owe us money?

Appiah. I guess few know about him, but he played for Juventus many years ago. People underestimated him a bit, but I thought he was a really solid player. Unfortunately he didn't have the mentality to reach high and I think he had problems with a bad injury as well as some psychological problems.

Mikel? I think he's a great DM, but let's not forget that he was once a very talented attacking midfielder who was mentioned alongside Messi when he was young. But here José made him play deeper and in the end he turned into a defensive midfielder.

Stephan Appiah? I didn't think he was really that great (usurped by Essien), but he had serious problems with injury and had problems with Fenerbahce.

Speaking of wasted talents, I have another one: Mateja Kezman. He ripped it up in Holland, but he bombed with us and was never the same afterwards.

Edited August 27, 2012 by DaRick

[Phillip]

Kezman got all those goals in an inferior league (sorry, Val). You could tell that his skills were average at best, and so, to me, he did not waste his talents, but probably over-achieved.

[Barn]

One that always got me as wasted talent was Collymore. He should have been the best striker of his generation but he was too much of nob to realise his talents.

[Hitsu]

Viduka...I should know, he's one of my countrymen.

Yeah, he was non-committal to the national team after he left Newcastle as well. Not that he often performed well for Australia in the first place. I think part of the problem was that he hated the stardom and the pressure that was heaped upon him - you couldn't rely on him on the really big occasions. He also had a difficult time with other teammates like Harry Kewell.

Speaking of Kewell, he was also very talented, but his career was severely undermined by his constant injuries. He never really performed at Liverpool the way he did at Leeds or even Galatasaray.

El-Hadji Diouf - talented but also a complete prick.

Ricardo Quaresma - thought to be as talented as Cristiano, but too temperamental and unprofessional.

Robinho/Diego - Two ex-Santos players who could have been superstars, but it hardly happened for either for different reasons.

Emre Belozoglu - Injury + questionable temperament.

There are those who think the likes of Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola could have done more.

ahh curse you autocorrect! Teach me for half paying attention when typing on my phone

[Valerie]

Kezman got all those goals in an inferior league (sorry, Val). You could tell that his skills were average at best, and so, to me, he did not waste his talents, but probably over-achieved.

It is a Mickey Mouse league over here, Phillip, you're absolutely right. And probably right about Kezman overachieving as well, even in a Mickey Mouse league .

Thought of another former Chelsea player: Leon Knight. Words fail me on this prick.

[Ozztheboss]

even luiz suarez could look like a goal scoring machine in holland.

the definition of "wasted" can be stretched pretty far. ronaldinho certainly wasted some of his talent, but when he was on form he was by far the best player in the world and probably one of the players ever to have the highest maximum level. adriano was also a prolific goal scorer in italy, but failed to cope with the spot light. hell, even lee f**king prick bowyer could dominate matches both domestically and in the premiership.

there are certainly players who could have done better, but if you're looking at "wasted" talents then i would suggest reading into stories about extremely talented juniors who failed to even get professional. a guy like ravel morrison, that nasty f**ker from manchester that knocked the sh*t out of his mom, that's imo a lost case. a bit shame for the sport in general, because he is really talented.

football is the most popular sport on the planet, and the media is equally nasty. and yes, professional sports are nasty. it's selective and extremely competitive, some might say overly competitive. it doesn't take much to whip a player off his game, weather it's a situation going on in the family or just the thought of having missed what regular teenagers do.

Edited August 27, 2012 by Ozztheboss

[erskblue]

Always felt Lee Sharpe wasted his talent. He was in Man Utds first team at just 17.

[Lane]

adriano couldve been the worlds best striker if he had the drive and work ethic

[erskblue]

Charlie Nicholas (don't laugh) when he was Britains most wanted player back in 1983 made wrong choice moving to Arsenal.

He'd also choice of Man Utd or Liverpool (who were at their peak in 1983ish)

Charlie George early 1970s,

[Backbiter]

Surprised noone's mentioned Gascoigne. A very natural, skilled and unusual footballer who peaked in his early 20s. Injuries, alcohol and (not being unkind or exaggerating) severe mental problems saw his career decline after that absurd FA Cup final 'tackle' in 1991.

Robbie Fowler was another who had a phenomenal start to his career but just spiralled downhill after a few good years. I'm not sure exactly what happened but I've heard all the rumours. Also suffered from being a complete t*sser.

Charlie Nicholas is a good shout. He was superb for Celtic but seriously sh*te for Arsenal. Had - or rather has - the same tosser-like symptoms as Fowler.

Best and Hudson's careers were effectively over by their mid 20s. Both were probably at their best as teenagers, so I agree they did not achieve all they should have given their ability. Drink played a huge part in that. It's too early to say for definite if Rooney will go the same way and decline in his mid/late 20s. It seems safe to say he won't be able to play on till his mid 30s like Lamps. But - despite his garbage displays in major tournaments for England - Rooney has still achieved a hell of a lot in his club career.

Worthington and Le Tissier both had great careers in my book.Yes, they didn't win any medals or many caps but deserve their highly respected, legendary status at their clubs as talented entertainers. They were a joy to watch.

[ethicalstrategy]

One that always got me as wasted talent was Collymore. He should have been the best striker of his generation but he was too much of nob to realise his talents.

In the same vein, Dalian Atkinson could be awesome when he was interested.

[BelgradeCFC]

Adriano. Freddy Adu

[DELBY]

Michael Owen. He was superb for Liverpool & England when he was 17/18.

Scored that wonder goal for England against Argentina in the '98 World Cup. Couldn't get a start for Real Madrid when he left Liverpool & his career went down hill from there. Was unlucky with injuries but then seemed to just lose the hunger & desire & now just seems more interested in his horses. Shame really.

Everyone thought he was on course to beat Bobby Charlton's all time England scoring record at one stage.

[Peckham Blue]

It's not the first nasty gash Rooney has had.

[Chippy]

I thought Bosnich could have been a very decent keeper...

[DaRick]

I thought Bosnich could have been a very decent keeper...

Well he was decent with Aston Villa for a long time, but his countryman Mark Schwarzer has probably had the better career. Bosnich's persistent rejection of NT duties probably didn't help.

[DaRick]

Kezman got all those goals in an inferior league (sorry, Val). You could tell that his skills were average at best, and so, to me, he did not waste his talents, but probably over-achieved.

Hmmm...maybe, but he had a decent record for the NT up until 2005 as well. In Holland, he also had an absolutely lethal eye for goal. It doesn't quite explain why he persistently struggled to score in England when he was always a reliable goal scorer in Holland.

It is true that the Dutch league is a bit of a crapshoot though. Some will perform well in England, like Park Ji-Sung, others will turn out like Afonso Alves.

[Ozztheboss]

It doesn't quite explain why he persistently struggled to score in England when he was always a reliable goal scorer in Holland.

i think it does. kezman had the worst room orientation i've ever seen in a player. he would run with the ball with his eyes glued to it. in holland, he could stop, take a second or so and look around, but the tempo in england caught him off guard. i also think that our system, ie. isolate the striker, didn't do him any favors.

he didn't waste his talents, he probably just didn't cope with the increase in level. that's not a shame, it happens to most of the athletes who tries to make it.