I read in the BBC "Friday gossip column" this tiny bit of news/gossip:

Francis Jeffers faces being shown the exit door at Sheffield Wednesday unless he can prove his fitness before the end of the season. (Daily Mirror)

My my my, what high expectations people had of him back when he was 18 years old. Nowadays, a Google search is needed for the growing list of his clubs after his promising start for Everton and his subsequent transfer to Arsenal.

Would anybody like to add other players for the list of "so much promise, so little came of it"?

good thread idea.

jody morris.

sam dalla bona.

QueQue De Lucas

Mikel Forssell

Jermaine Pennant

Michael Owen to a (small) degree. After THAT goal in World Cup 98, I thought he'd completely set the world on fire - had wonderful pace, an eye for goal, timed runs to perfection, composed 1 on 1, could even head the ball well... But injuries have hampered him quite a bit. Still is one of the best on his day, but after losing his pace, he lost quite a bit of his threat.

yeah but he's better at other things now- can pass, movement IMO is second only to crespo, his heading is hugely improved. he's not as fast as he was, but I'd stay he's still mobile enough and certainly still has the agility.

a fit owen playing for arsenal, say, wouldn't bear thinking about.

some people might argue ivan de la pena, though I think he's been a quality player.

john os'hea's first year at man united suggested he could be the best attacking fullback in the country. he isn't.

harold kewell. great player with the yorkshire c*nts, now a poor man's zenden. has made two champions league finals, a fact which gives us all hope.

lee sharpe. ha ha ha.

michael ricketts. where is he now? oldham? played for england.

malcolm christie. scored a lot for derby. got loads of injuries. when he met his wife she didn't believe he was a professional footballer (true story).

ambrosetti. the new ryan giggs. scored in the 0-5 win over galatasaray and had a fringe (I think).

baba... expensive for a teenager at the time, never fulfilled his promise.

massimo maccarone. £8m. steve mcclaren. say no more.

What about old Stan "the man" Collymore, he could've been soooo good but just didn't have his head screwed on right.

Robbie Fowler

Winston Bogarde

Heskey

Carlton Cole

Leon Knight

Forrsell

Harley

Sonny Pike http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Pike

Nii Lamptey

Joe Kennan

Neil Mellor

Seba Veron

Cherno Samba

Sergio Makofo

Charlie Nicholas , ended up at Aberdeen.

Stuart Robson, Arsenals golden boy in the late 70's , then disappeared.

Dunchan McKenzie , should have gone down as a footballing legend , great talent but never made the most of it.

Lee Martin , Man Yooo.

Gary Birtles.

Peter Davenport.

from a chelsea prospect

jon harly

jody morris

sam dala bona

forsell

others

denilson who was the world record transfer fee

Sonny Pike http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Pike

My, how tragic

Add Michael Duberry to the list of Chelsea could 'ave beens.

Peter Marinello - who was going to be the Scottish George Best.

I don't think you can include players like Veron in a thread like this. He had a great career up until he moved to England and he wasn't too bad when he went back to Italy either. It's not like he was a promising youngster who never fulfilled the promise as he actually was a world class player for a large part of his career.

Phil Priest: Supposedly a Chelsea star of the future when a youngster, but never made it and disappeared without trace (unless anyone knows different).

any number of houllier signings?

le tallec, sinama-pongolle, bruno cheyrou, igor biscan, traore etc...

david dunn and chris kirkland are nowhere near what they might've been if they avoided injuries.

javier saviola is an idiot for choosing to go to madrid. was screwed about by barcelona, and has terrific talent.

juan roman riquelme is as talented as any footballer playing today you could care to mention. went to barcelona after the club went crazy trying to placate their fans in the wake of figo's move to madrid. bad timing for a man known to need a lot of man management.

martin palermo. apparently once a great player. missed a hatrick of penalties in one game.

gazza a controversial one- but if he went to man united his career would've been very different. in the same vein, and also a sufferer of career changing injuries, ronaldo. again, probably not for this thread, but he could've been even better than what he was/ is.

p.s. jimbo, neil mellor was never a player of the future IMO. but if you want to mention cm/fm heroes, what about tonton zola mokokou?

ivanovic?

ivanovic?

any number of houllier signings?

le tallec, sinama-pongolle, bruno cheyrou, igor biscan, traore etc...

I think every single player that Houlier ever signed during his entire 4 or so years at Liverpool falls into this category.

Djimi Traore

Dwight Yorke (never got going after the treble season)

Eidur Gudjohnsen (career seems to have gone flat the last 2.5 seasons)

Chris Sutton

@gullit4

I stand by Neil Mellor. I recall that he scored the winner against Man Ure, and suddenly every phone-in and internet forum was full of Scally's saying how he was going to be huge/had scored a ton of goals in the reserves, and the classic///will be the next Fowler!

Talking of scored a bunch in the reserves...Neil Shipperley. I think he is still the record reserves scorer at Chelsea...what a waste.

Neil Shipperly

Thierry Henry?

SOLOMAN KALOU???

ROBERT HUTH???

JOHN OBI MIKEL???

SCOTT SINCLAIR???

BEN SAHAR???

I don't agree with any of those, and can't seriously believe you think they belong on this list.

I don't agree with any of those, and can't seriously believe you think they belong on this list.

with an email address (copied from facebook thread) [email protected] makes you wonder who he supports really