Mine are any what play for England plus, Kieran Dyer, Marco Van Basten (through no fault of his own), Lee Sharpe, Alan Shearer, Johnathen Woodgate,

Any Newcastle United player underachieving every season.

Mine are any what play for England plus, Kieran Dyer, Marco Van Basten (through no fault of his own), Lee Sharpe, Alan Shearer, Johnathen Woodgate,
Marco Van Basten?? He won more or less everything there is to win with AC Milan
- Italian titles, European Cups galore. And who could forget his hat-trick for Holland against England in the 1988 European Championships, where England finished up with zero points. And he went on to get a winners medal in that tournament, scoring a blinder of a goal from an acute angle in the final.

leeds team 2006-2007 :hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:

Marco Van Basten?? He won more or less everything there is to win with AC Milan
- Italian titles, European Cups galore. And who could forget his hat-trick for Holland against England in the 1988 European Championships, where England finished up with zero points. And he went on to get a winners medal in that tournament, scoring a blinder of a goal from an acute angle in the final.

My meaning was he could have won double the amount of honours he did if he wasn,t so unlucky, he would have been a proper football icon which no one would have gone near but got cut short big time he would have made pele look like vinnie jones.
No-one will talk about Van basten to there kids like they would pele beckanbaur linekar etc because of that career ending injury he had 6-7 years left in him.

Man Utd have had a couple of young players whose careers were tragically cut short. Duncan Edwards and Norman Whiteside spring to mind.

My meaning was he could have won double the amount of honours he did if he wasn,t so unlucky, he would have been a proper football icon which no one would have gone near but got cut short big time he would have made pele look like vinnie jones.
No-one will talk about Van basten to there kids like they would pele beckanbaur linekar etc because of that career ending injury he had 6-7 years left in him.

I wouldn't put Lineker in the same class as Van Basten, Van Basten had it all, great on either foot, great in the air, could run at people, could cross, could score some of the most spectacular goals every seen at the same time as playing in one of the hardest and dirtiest leagues in the world.
Have a look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5C_QiVVrQ0

Shevy's English Premiership career to date.:(

Paul Gasgione springs to mind

As an Irishman who was proud to see him represent my (and his) country, and a Blade who admired his loyalty to the Blades, Alan Kelly could have gone on to much greater things.

The entire 1982 Brazil World Cup squad. Zico, Eder, Falcao, Socrates .. the greatest team in my lifetime, and a host of medals (for some) elsewhere, but not the one which they should have had.

The most under achieving side of all time they were for me.

Steve Bull at Wolves, another whose loyalty probably cost him dearly.

Frans Thijssen and Arnold Muhren at Ipswich. Muhren got recognition when he went to Manure, but Thijssen was a class act.

Tony Daley didn't do so well at Man City ..

For being unlucky to under achieve, nobody could top the list other than the God who is Jimmy Hagan.

Jimmy Greaves must get close, and Derek Dooley; to be honest, for a player of his ability, Hoddle never got to the great heights ..

Dennis Rommedahl - Charlton, people at the club must tear their hair out!

No mention for Bestie? The greatest player I ever saw for real, always a joy to watch even when he had a poor game. Yet he never managed to fulfill his full potential and that always saddens me.

No mention for Bestie? The greatest player I ever saw for real, always a joy to watch even when he had a poor game. Yet he never managed to fulfill his full potential and that always saddens me.

"Mr Best, spending the night in a hotel room with Miss World and the winnings of a nights gambling, calls for room service. The waiter arrives, discovering Mr Best, the champagne, the cavorting Miss World and the huge amount pile of money both on the bed surveys the room and asks mournfully… “Where did it all go wrong, George?” "

Dare i say Chris Waddle?

Dare i say Chris Waddle?

You can for me, save for an 18-month "Purple Patch" at Hillsborough.

You can for me, save for an 18-month "Purple Patch" at Hillsborough.

Hang on, he was superb at Spurs for a couple of years. He didn't get to Hillsborough til he was in his 30s

Hang on, he was superb at Spurs for a couple of years. He didn't get to Hillsborough til he was in his 30s

"Tottenham Hotspur in July 1985 for a fee of £590,000. At Tottenham he established himself as a regular in the England team, playing in the side that reached the quarter finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico linking up again with Beardsley. After the World Cup he enjoyed his most productive season. He won an FA Cup runners-up medal in 1987 when Spurs were beaten by Coventry, while they also finished third in the League and got to the semi-finals of the League Cup. In the same year, Waddle found himself in the pop charts, with the single Diamond Lights making the UK Top 20 in a duet with Spurs and England team-mate Glenn Hoddle. In 1988, he was in the England side which lost all three group games in the European Championships."

Wikipedia extract. A lot of near misses.

I think Chris Waddle was brilliant, but he could have achieved much more than he did. Remember when he 'almost' scored one of the best goals ever for Marseille?

He took on most of the players on the pitch, then just fell over at the crucial moment! Haha!

I think he could have made more of his singing career as well.

I think he could have made more of his singing career as well.
lmao @ that

Frank Worthington always springs to mind. Skill of Cruyff, application of Proudlock.

"Tottenham Hotspur in July 1985 for a fee of £590,000. At Tottenham he established himself as a regular in the England team, playing in the side that reached the quarter finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico linking up again with Beardsley. After the World Cup he enjoyed his most productive season. He won an FA Cup runners-up medal in 1987 when Spurs were beaten by Coventry, while they also finished third in the League and got to the semi-finals of the League Cup. In the same year, Waddle found himself in the pop charts, with the single Diamond Lights making the UK Top 20 in a duet with Spurs and England team-mate Glenn Hoddle. In 1988, he was in the England side which lost all three group games in the European Championships."

Wikipedia extract. A lot of near misses.

I suppose it is a question of how you interpret the OP, for me Waddle did make the most of his talents and had a very long and productive career at the highest level. Therefore IMO he didn't underachieve, though the clubs he played for may well have done, though thinking about it, they all enjoyed their best seasons in recent memory while he was playing for them (except Newcastle).

For me underachievement is when a player has the pedigree and the natural talent to be a major star in the Premiership but it doesn't happen for them e.g. Reyes of Arsenal, Diouf for Liverpool, Mascherano for West Ham, anyone Steve Bruce has ever signed etc.

True enough Tricky although I didn't originally bring his name up. He just wasn't a player I could take to and I wouldn't have signed him. I never liked his body-language and other negatives were heading, closing-down and tackling. His strengths were his dribbling, threading passes and he could shoot. I agree there are many other more glaring examples and I never have a good word for that Blues except that Bruce has recruited some good on-loan signings viz: Bendtner, who is too good to be playing for Birmingham.
I'm all for doing-away with loan signings but better not digress.
I think Liverpool, Newcastle and the Villa will have several players who have under-achieved in the not-so distant past, and Sheffield Wednesday, a catalogue, Jonk to name one!

The pinnacle of Chris Waddles career
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ct5puqTSi0

Juan Sebastian Veron @ Man Utd and Chelsea

Paul Gascoigne

Francis Jeffers

Kieron Dyer

The pinnacle of Chris Waddles career
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ct5puqTSi0

Surely the pinnacle of Waddles career was a particular free kick in a particular semi final at a particular national stadium.

Now who were the oposition that day? :hihi:

Matt le Tissier - Enough talent to dominate on the international stage, but never managed to impress when it mattered- just 8 caps, a criminal waste.

Very true le tiss was one in a million some of those goals, oh my gosh lol........

Matt le Tissier - Enough talent to dominate on the international stage, but never managed to impress when it mattered- just 8 caps, a criminal waste.

Good call that one ....

Shearer should have joined us when he had the chance, who knows what he could have won in his career if he had.

Gascoigne - not sorry to say this, wasted his own career so I have no sympathy for him

Shevchenko joining chelsea - big BIG mistake for the bloke, he was one of the best players in the world at Milan and now - absolutely cack compared to what he was before.

"Tottenham Hotspur in July 1985 for a fee of £590,000. At Tottenham he established himself as a regular in the England team, playing in the side that reached the quarter finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico linking up again with Beardsley. After the World Cup he enjoyed his most productive season. He won an FA Cup runners-up medal in 1987 when Spurs were beaten by Coventry, while they also finished third in the League and got to the semi-finals of the League Cup. In the same year, Waddle found himself in the pop charts, with the single Diamond Lights making the UK Top 20 in a duet with Spurs and England team-mate Glenn Hoddle. In 1988, he was in the England side which lost all three group games in the European Championships."

Wikipedia extract. A lot of near misses.
And quite a few hits, he won 3 back to back league titles with Marseille (and got to a European Cup final with them) do you not count achievments overseas or something?

Anelka, bags of talent and has actually won a fair bit but thanks to his personality has spent many wasted years traipsing from club to club and been lowered to playing for the likes of City, Liverpool and Bolton when he should have been playing at the highest level.

Anelka, bags of talent and has actually won a fair bit but thanks to his personality has spent many wasted years traipsing from club to club and been lowered to playing for the likes of City, Liverpool and Bolton when he should have been playing at the highest level.

I thought he was overrated at Arsenal to be honest. Correct me if I'm wrong, but he had one good season with them. He was abysmal at Real Madrid, and hardly set the world on fire at Liverpool either. I can't see any big clubs touching him now, he's got a reputation for moaning and clears off as soon as anyone dangles a bag of cash in his face. I could probably get him to play for our local pub team if we had enough money.

Shearer should have joined us when he had the chance, who knows what he could have won in his career if he had.

Fair point. He could have won bucketloads if he joined Man Utd, and maybe scored more goals than at Newcastle. Still, can't knock him for wanting to play for his boyhood club.

Gascoigne - not sorry to say this, wasted his own career so I have no sympathy for him.

Such a shame. Could have been one of the greatest ever players. The fact he used to knock his wife about doesn't exactly endear him to the public either.

Matt Le Tissier is another one that perhaps should have achieved much more.

Shevchenko joining chelsea - big BIG mistake for the bloke, he was one of the best players in the world at Milan and now - absolutely cack compared to what he was before.

He's been very disappointing. You can see the look of despair on Mourinho's face sometimes when he misses a sitter.
He has improved a little in the second half of the season, but it feels like he's trying too hard to impress when he should just keep things simple.
If he stay next season, I have a feeling he'll come good.

Surprised nobody has mentioned Stan Collymore. If he worked half as much as he moaned, he could have been incredible. (see Anelka)

And some of the Leeds golden boys haven't done much either. Lee Bowyer, Harry Kewell, Johnathan Woodgate.....

Harry Kewell is a good shout too - possibly the best player in Europe as a 23 year old when Leeds got to the Champions League Semis but never came close to that form since.

Cherno Samba. Brilliant on Championship Manager, but what's he achieved in real life?

No-one will talk about Van basten to there kids like they would pele beckanbaur linekar etc.
Lineker :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:
He was good yes, but could never be mentioned in the same breath as the other's you have stated

Harry Kewell is a good shout too - possibly the best player in Europe as a 23 year old when Leeds got to the Champions League Semis but never came close to that form since.

Because he is allways friggin injured :(

Anelka, bags of talent and has actually won a fair bit but thanks to his personality has spent many wasted years traipsing from club to club and been lowered to playing for the likes of City, Liverpool and Bolton when he should have been playing at the highest level.

I think you will find that Liverpool past and present are playing at the highest level :loopy: