Players with so much potential, who failed to deliver?

[albion534]

BBC Sport - David Bentley makes loan move to Russian side FC Rostov

He could have been amazing, just never lived up to the hype

Anyone else you can think of?

Jermaine pennant always failed and never lived up to his potential

 

[Ernest]

Too busy off the pitch to be any good on it, too much too soon for both of them

 

[shaolinpunk]

Leon Knight?

 

[larus]

Paul Gascoigne - he should have been an England legend (in the true sense of the word). He had so much class and ability, but lacked the discipline and England were, sadly, much worse off for that.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Whatever happened to...Kevin McGarrigle

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Leon Knight?

I think Leon Knight has sunk to his natural level

 

[Postman Pat]

Jake Robinson
Michael Standing (better than Gareth Barry according to people who played against him)
John Bostock
Freddy Adu
Stan Collymore - Should have done so much more
Lee Sharpe
Neil Mellor

I hope Grant Hall isn't added to this list in future.

 

[Munkfish]

BBC Sport - David Bentley makes loan move to Russian side FC Rostov

He could have been amazing, just never lived up to the hype

Anyone else you can think of?

Jermaine pennant always failed and never lived up to his potential

Both Ex Arsenal both got billy big bollocks and Wenger let them go, I wonder how there careers may of turned out if they had stayed?

 

[Butch Willykins]

Freddy Adu over in the USA.
Cherno Samaba at Millwall?

Finally does anyone remember Sonny Pike? He was often trotted out on TV doing keepy uppies when he was about 7 or 8 years old. Ajax signed him up and he was supposed to be amazing.....

Sonny Pike - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Was on here a while ago, but a pretty good example: Nothing big time about Michael Johnson's sorry descent | Football | The Observer

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Graeme Hick

 

[big nuts]

Russell Beardsmore - saw him destroy a great Liverpool team in the late eighties, but dropped down the leagues and spent most of his career at Bournemouth.

 

[Biscuit]

Certainly to me Freddy Adu stands out as the clear winner. He was touted as a 'wonderkid' aged 9 and was raved about for decade..

 

[big nuts]

Jonathan Woodgate and Chris Kirkland both due to injuries. Both would be approaching 100 international caps if there bodies weren't so brittle.

 

[CAPTAIN GREALISH]

kevin Mcload?

 

[Gritt23]

As soon as I saw teh thread title I thought "David Bentley."

It all unravelled when he'd played for a bit at Arsenal, got into the England side and thought he'd made it. The Michael Johnson story just shows that if you pay these players ridiculous money at a younger and younger age, then they are liable to unravel at a younger and younger age.

 

[Surrey_Albion]

What ever happened to Zeke Rowe?? I think that was his name. came on loan from Chelsea and if memory serves mye well had a cracking game against Swindon away and was tipped to go onto better things

 

[crabface]

David Bentley was at one point being billed by the press as the new Beckham, must have all gone to his head. I think this is often a case with footballers that they think they are better than they actually are.

 

[Triggaaar]

Paul Gascoigne - he should have been an England legend (in the true sense of the word). He had so much class and ability, but lacked the discipline and England were, sadly, much worse off for that.

To be fair, it wasn't that he lacked discipline, he has Tourette's and never got the help he needed. It's strange that even as recently as 1990 clubs were so incapable of looking after their valuable assets.

 

[BigGully]

As soon as I saw teh thread title I thought "David Bentley."

It all unravelled when he'd played for a bit at Arsenal, got into the England side and thought he'd made it. The Michael Johnson story just shows that if you pay these players ridiculous money at a younger and younger age, then they are liable to unravel at a younger and younger age.

But in reality most don't.

Whether you pay them exorbitant amounts of money early or not there still is a risk they don't fulfil any perceived potential.

Most go on to have a very good career, others a mediocre career it has always been that way whether money is there or not.

There are casualties and maybe money too early can be a problem, but when there was less money the constraints of discipline were less too and the players of yesteryear were maybe more likely to unravel.