There is little more frustrating to fans and managers than a player who consistently fails to live up to his potential. Whether they be young or old, many men have fleetingly displayed the level of talent that has earned them a spot in, arguably, one the world’s finest leagues, before shying away from the limelight for a period of time.
Quite often ‘the next big thing’ fails to live up to the hype, with the pressure of the media, fans, and managers hampering their all round-game, and placing the magnifying glass over each mistake made. Although to some extent this is forgivable, with some players suffering injuries, it can still be one of the most annoying aspects of following football.
This list looks at 15 players who consistently flatter to deceive, failing to deliver the potential they so clearly possess, frustrating managers, coaches, fans, and indeed, themselves.
Click on Stephen Ireland to unveil the 15 players who flattered to deceive
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Every now and again the world of technology coughs up something that will change the lives of millions, altering the way in which we engage as a society. The latest in terms of these innovations is the social media tool of Twitter which, since its launch in 2006, has perforated society, gaining the interest of many.
One of the attractive aspects of Twitter is the ability to follow famous figures, who openly tweet about their lives, building an image beyond that we see in magazines and on the television screen. This medium has been adopted my numerous stars of the footballing world over the past few years, enticing the interest of fans across the globe, keen to ‘get to know’ their idols. Although this appears, on the surface, to be a great idea, certain players to make use of the tool have become figures of annoyance, rather than respect.
Achieving a ‘retweet’ or reply from a performer whom you frequently watch can be an exciting and almost surreal experience, bridging the gap between normality and the parallel world of professional football. But, this novelty soon wears off, with their ramblings eventually becoming irritating or a little mundane. Players such as Joey Barton and Jack Wilshere have become what’s known as ‘serial tweeters’ offering their vast followings a looking glass into their lives, whether that be related to the game or not. Barton in particular has become a figure of ridicule for his use of the site, with vast arrays of literary references and controversial statements being made on an almost daily basis. It can be amusing to see various players arguing with others, particularly public figures, but the whole trend of Twitter among footballers is actually having a negative impact on the game.
Mobile phone ‘apps’ have made the act of tweeting an effortless task, with the ability to have your say on the move. So long as your smartphone has the required level of signal, a tweet can be posted often leading to cases of tweet first, think later’. Clubs are attempting to crack down on their players using the site, with some openly criticising decisions made by the manager or the actions of rival players during the match, bringing unwanted attention, but this is ultimately hard to control. It’s sometimes nice to read a player’s immediate reaction to incidents, but if this response shifts blame, it can be frustrating to fans and lose said player a little credibility.
The influence of Twitter is unlikely to disappear for quite some time, with control over players use of the site difficult to maintain. Mexican top-tier outfit Jaguares recently made use of the medium, with players Twitter names, aswell as the accounts of sponsors, being printed on to the shirts, showing a progressive marketing technique. If this catches on the influence of the site may become further tied to the game, and eventually woven into the fabric. It can be refreshing to read the thoughts of star performers, yet as the saying goes, never meet your heroes, and Twitter’s unique interaction ability is slowly proving this to be true.
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Manchester United made sure not to hand the Premier League title over to rivals Manchester City and take the battle down to the last day with a 2-0 win over Swansea on Sunday.
With the Red Devils level on points but behind on goal difference with their cross-town rivals the emphasis was on an emphatic victory, with Paul Scholes and Ashley Young scoring in the first half.
However, the champions could not add to their tally in the second 45, and are now dependent on QPR getting something from their game against City at the Etihad Stadium on the last day.
Despite being underdogs to lift the crown, Sir Alex Ferguson is refusing to give up hope.
“We have to go there with the right spirit to win the match. You never know,” he told Sky Sports.
“Our responsibility next week is to win the game.
“We’ve got next week. QPR need a point, so you never know. I just wish Sparky (QPR boss Mark Hughes) was playing,” he stated.
In regards to the victory over Swansea, the Scottish trainer felt his team played well and were good value for their win.
“We did what had to do. We won the match. We had a lot of chances. I thought we played very, very well.
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England crashed out of Euro 2012 as their penalty shoot-out misery continued against Italy in Kyiv setting up a semi-final date with Germany.
It’s the sixth time the Three Lions have exited a major tournament in such fashion and the fourth time at the quarter final stage as Ashley Young and Ashley Cole missed the decisive spot-kicks after holding Cesare Prandelli’s men over 120 minutes.
The Azzurri dominated much of the game and on the balance of play deserved to win in normal time squandering a host of chances with Daniele De Rossi setting the tone early on with a rasping drive from 25-yards that smacked off Joe Hart’s right hand post.
Roy Hodgson’s men were starved of possession in a frenetic opening but soon settled as Glen Johnson’s scooped effort forcing Gianluigi Buffon into a smart save. Wayne Rooney then sent a diving header over the bar before John Terry bailed out his side with a last ditch challenge on Mario Balotelli after he beat the offside trap to latch onto Andrea Pirlo’s lofted pass.
Balotelli then volleyed straight at Manchester City teammate Hart after being found by Riccardo Montolivo’s disguised loop pass before a neat interchange between Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney saw the former screw wide from 18-yards. After the break Italy took over and should have been in front within four minutes as Claudio Marchisio found De Rossi four yards from goal but mis-hit his volley despite having time and space to take a touch.
Hart then palmed a De Rossi drive straight into the patch of Balotelli who was also denied by the keeper before Montolivio fired the second rebound over the bar. Pirlo continued to dictate from a deep lying midfield position as England struggled to get anywhere near the 35-year-old but it was substitute Alessandro Diamanti who came closest to breaking the deadlock clipping the post with a cross-cum-shot. Antonio Nocerino then thought he’d won it six minutes from time after heading into the roof of the net but was correctly denied hero status by the offside flag.
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Extra time passed without incident as the inevitable penalty shoot out loomed for both teams. England looked to be on course for an unlikely victory after taking the lead after the first two rounds but Young rattled the bar before Cole’s tame spot kick was saved by Buffon allowing Diamanti to strike the critical blow to send Italy into the semi finals.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has stated that he was happy with his side’s 1-0 win over Croatia on Monday, and does not mind who La Roja come up against in the next stage.
Substitute Jesus Navas netted late in the game to seal a victory for the holders, which also means that Spain top Group C.
With the world champions’ opponents in the next round set to be decided in Tuesday’s Group D fixtures, Del Bosque has admitted that his team are playing well.
“It was a difficult game for us, we had a high percentage of ball possession and we proved we can control the game,” he told reporters, published by Sky Sports.
“We were fighting for a victory, not a draw and we have taken a step forward here by qualifying, this is motivation for the quarter-finals.
“The team played well, even though things didn’t go according to plan.
“It was a very tense match, very tough. They closed ranks at the back very well and didn’t give us much space.
“We threw on Cesc (Fabregas) because we needed not only possession of the ball but someone to get forward into goal scoring situations.
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“We have no preference whether it is France, England or Ukraine, we have to be ready to take whatever comes,” he concluded.
Barcelona are eyeing up a surprise swoop for Newcastle United and France international midfielder Yohan Cabaye, reports The Sun.
The Catalan giants are debating whether to make an £8m move for Cabaye or his compatriot, and long-running Arsenal target, Yann M’Vila.
However, according to The Sun, sources at Barca say that the club is favouring the option of a bid for the Magpies’ midfielder.
Cabaye joined Newcastle from Lille for just £4.3m last summer and impressed greatly during his debut season in the Premier League.
But following the departure of Seydou Keita from Camp Nou, the Spanish club are looking for another midfielder in order to bolster their ranks in the middle of the park.
Having qualified for the Europa League this season Alan Pardew will be unwilling to let his most integral players depart the club, but the temptation of Barcelona could prove too much.
Cabaye displayed his ability to perform at the highest level as he represented France at Euro 2012, making three appearances and scoring one goal in the 2-0 win over Ukraine.
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Newcastle will also have been hit by a bitter blow in the news that striker Luuk de Jong looks set to pick Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach over a Premier League move.
Manchester United go into the new Premier League season bidding to topple bitter rivals Manchester City and wrestle back control of the title. To my knowledge at least, this current side assembled by manager Sir Alex Ferguson is far removed from the vintages of yesteryear, and you have to really question his transfer record over the last five years.
This isn’t going to be an in-depth analysis of the heavily-criticised and quite rightly vilified ownership of the club by the Glazer family – everyone knows the constraints and leveraged debt that the club have to work with these days, more of a closer look at Ferguson’s transfer choices given the resources at his disposal.
Since 2007-8, the club have spent in the region of £198m on 26 players, while Paul Scholes came out of retirement for a hugely successful second spell during the latter part of last season. The club recouped roughly £151m from the sale of 29 players not including those released by the club. That’s a net spend of £47m, but which was boosted significantly by the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80m in 2009-10, all of which was paid as one huge lump sum up front in what represents an excellent piece of negotiating on the club’s behalf.
They can hardly plead poverty, as the money has clearly been there to spend, perhaps not quite as freely as prior to the Glazer takeover, but their net spend is somewhat distorted by the Cristiano Ronaldo departure. But have the deals been the right ones that the club have needed to compete?
The 2007-8 side was the last genuinely world-class side that Manchester United had; balanced, destructive and tactically aware, they went on to clinch both the Champions League and the Premier League titles, pipping an expensively-assembled Chelsea side to both in the process. That side would walk the league this year.
This also marked the final season during which Owen Hargreaves was a regular and he’s never been properly replaced at the club, and the squad still require a recognised holding man of continental quality a full five years on. Hargreaves’ abilities reached almost mythical status in his long-term absence and there was certainly a point where he was being hugely overrated from an individual perspective by many observers, but that doesn’t take away how important he was to the collective.
Anderson also arrived the same summer as the England midfielder for £17m from Porto and five years on, he’s done little of note at Old Trafford, the odd six-game run of good form aside. Much in the same way as Liverpool fans are mocked for saying ‘next year will be our year’, so are Anderson fans for their continued support of an unfulfilled talent. Seemingly incapable of staying fit for longer than two minutes, he will undoubtedly go down as a flop and it’s somewhat bizarre that more attention isn’t paid to his subsequent lack of success.
Dimitar Berbatov is another that will ultimately go down as something of a failure, and another expensive one at that, moving to the club from Tottenham on transfer deadline day back in 2008-9 for £30.75m, becoming Ferguson’s most expensive purchase ever. In footballing terms, he’s flickered but never like was initially hoped and routinely failed in big games and in Europe as the club slowly but surely slipped from the pinnacle of the European game.
Ashley Young was signed last summer despite the club already having two more than capable wingers at the club in Antonio Valencia and Nani. It seemed like a purchase brought on by sheer indulgence rather than one motivated at addressing the team’s needs. I can’t think of a single United fan that was thrilled by his £17m switch from Aston Villa, and despite a bright start to last season, he faded terribly and he’s far from a fan favourite.
Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were bought over the course of six months for a combined fee of £27m. Long gone has the era of the club producing their own talent, instead they source in expensively the best of what the top flight has to offer. Smalling is an exceptional player already and Jones could potentially one day match his already lofty reputation, but both were bought to stop their rivals having them as opposed to any overriding need for them in the squad at the time.
The departures of Wes Brown and John O’Shea and the injury struggles of Rafael, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have afforded them more first-team opportunities than they may otherwise have been given. When the squad is at full strength, both would struggle to get in the starting eleven.
Then there is of course Bebe, signed on the recommendation of former assistant Carlos Queiroz, the ludicrous fee of £7.4m paid just a few months after having touted around from a fraction of that means it has to be placed in the annuls of history alongside the sheer lunacy of the £35m forked out for Andy Carroll and £50 paid for Fernando Torres considering the context surroudning the deal. They’d be lucky to get even half that for him now. Gabriel Obertan, Mame Diouf and Manucho will all go down as missteps too.
In the interests of fairness, though, it’s worth pointing out that the club did decent business in securing the signatures of Javier Hernandez, Antonio Valencia, Nani and David De Gea during that period. So far this summer too, the signings of Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell both bode well for the future.
The problems and imbalances within the squad are bordering on the systemic now – the need for replacements for each of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Owen Hargreaves are still to be sufficiently addressed. The club have lacked a first-choice right back since Wes Brown in 2009 and Scholes coming out of retirement may have been a success in the short-term, but it only served to highlight the club’s continued reliance on a 37 year-old and it’s bordering on the embarrassing now.
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The trappings of success has seen them win three league titles, one Champions League and one League Cup in the period since 2007-8, but it’s also seen the squad become nowhere near as strong as in years gone by. Taped together by a mixture of experienced players and youngsters, it folded under the pressure last term without their hugely-missed skipper Vidic marshalling the side from the heart of defence.
Ferguson’s purchases in the last five years have by and large been expensive failures, needless indulgences or panic buys. This summer’s business is a step in the right direction, but the club still lack a driving presence from midfield massively. Winning trophies means you essentially ‘earn’ the benefit of the doubt and until now, they haven’t been closely scrutinised, but the best manager in the top flight’s history needs to stop ignoring the problems before his very eyes otherwise the club’s fans may have to get used to seeing their noisy neighbours pip them to the post.
You get the impression that Roberto Mancini isn’t a particularly happy man up at Eastlands at the moments. After a summer in which his Premier League rivals have invested well in their squad, making some astute summer signings, Manchester City have had a relatively dormant window, bar the acquisition of Jack Rodwell.
Some have said that Mancini is less than happy about a perceived lack of activity at Manchester City last week. Indeed, it was even reported in some quarters that Mancini would be unlikely to see out the remainder of his recently signed contract, if he was likely to be kept ‘high and dry in the transfer market’, as the Daily Mail put it a few days ago.
Indeed, a source claimed to the paper:
“We will see what happens in the next few days.
“He feels there is no one at the club doing the transfer dealing for him and he has been left with just 19 players for the new season.
“He is angry, as you can imagine.”
Now while you can spend a lifetime casting some serious doubt over the validity of that source, probably to the point of ridicule, you do get the impression that Mancini is cutting a frustrated figure at the moment.
All at City have watched as United, a team that they only beat on goal difference last season, have made some seriously eye-catching moves in the transfer market this summer. The signing of Robin van Persie for £24million was a real signal of intent and snapping up the gifted Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund, already looks like a masterstroke. Throw in the highly rated Nick Powell, Alexander Buttner and Angelo Henriquez and the Old Trafford club certainly haven’t been shy in backing Fergie in his attempts to snap the title back from the noisy neighbours.
They say money can’t buy you happiness, but you would have thought Mancini might be a little less miserable after the outlays of the previous few seasons. It seems difficult to buy into this notion that the club hasn’t backed the Italian after spending near on £220million on acquiring players in the past few years. Every manager has frustrations in the transfer window and there’s no doubt that Mancini must have his. Although the fact that he only craves a couple of players to tweak the team, is testament to the backing he’s received since he’s been at the club.
However, Manchester City can’t stand still if they want to retain the Premier League title. They might not need to make any wholesale changes to the team, but Mancini isn’t wrong in his desire to bring a couple of more faces in. The likes of Daniele de Rossi, Edison Cavani and Stevan Jovetic have been on the manager’s hit list. You imagine his face was a picture when Brian Marwood purchased him Richard Wright as cover for Joe Hart, then.
But putting the tongue back in cheek, Mancini shouldn’t be lampooned for craving some fresh faces. The battle lines for next season are set to be drawn over several fronts as the club look to make inroads into European competition. Defending the league title while chasing Champions League glory is something of an art and it’s one that requires a strong and versatile squad if they’re to have a real crack at both competitions.
Although perhaps the nature and profile of some of Mancini’s targets are perhaps out of balance with the reasoning for investment in the first place. There is always room for improvement, but Manchester City’s first choice teams are a pretty frightening prospect as it is. A spruce up of the squad doesn’t perhaps necessitate investing £30million plus on the likes of Daniele de Rossi. The Italian is a really quite wonderful footballer and as league champions, why shouldn’t they go out and try and buy the best, to stay the best?
The answer to that may perhaps lie in the realities of Financial Fair Play. City have the money of course, but the club have to start acting more prudent in the transfer market. Many will point to another summer of investment at Stamford Bridge as evidence that the club need to keep spending. But Chelsea had/have far more work to do to their squad than Mancini’s. The club has to worry about their own priorities.
An inflating wage bill is perhaps just as much of a pressing issue as the astronomical transfer fees paid for the players in the first place. For example, if Mancini wants another striker, he has to part with one of his four. That in all likeliness would look to be Edin Dzeko. But you can’t have Dzeko, Tevez, Aguero and Balotelli all existing on massive wages and bring in a fifth. You can’t have your cake and eat it.
We’ve already seen with Emmanuel Adebayor’s departure, the massive sacrifices that have already been made to lower the wage bill. The fact the club is still having to play a player that has left the club as an act of damage limitation, suggests this culture of sustainability is no joke at Eastlands. How they get rid of Roque Santa Cruz, however, remains to be seen.
Mancini craves a more direct outlet of pace and a signing in the mould of Scott Sinclair represents the perfect bit of business for City. For his age and ability, he would represent a cheaper option on both wages and transfer fees than a more luxurious European counterpart. We will have to wait and see whether the ex-Chelsea youngster can cut it at a higher level, but he certainly has all the tools too. He’d be a good, sensible signing to boost the squad.
Unfortunately, City aren’t very likely to be able to pick players up on the cheap anymore. Clubs know they have the money, even if they can’t necessarily spend it and clubs like Swansea are well within their right to charge as much as they can for Sinclair. It’s unlikely, but if he becomes more expensive than Adam Johnson, then maybe the logic of such a deal decreases.
It is likely that we will see a smattering of late transfer activity from Manchester City but any claims that the manager isn’t being backed must ring hollow. The team doesn’t need a radical overhaul and the nature of signings he wishes to make demand sensibility- in both a financial sense and a footballing one. It’s not easy seeing your closest rivals indulge big money in one of the finest strikers in the land, but it’s not like Mancini has a bad set of frontmen himself.
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City need another option or two and perhaps a bit more defensive cover. That doesn’t demand, £30million worth plus, of investment. In an ideal world, Mancini would be correct. But fiscal demands play a part at every club and Manchester City aren’t any different.
Is Mancini living in a fantasy world with his transfer demands or is the Italian right to demand more financial backing from the owners? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus
As well as the failure to sign Joao Moutinho from Porto, with a fee thought to be around £24 million, The Metro have revealed that Tottenham also failed to sign Sevilla forward Alvaro Negredo.
The transfer offer was a club record fee of £20 million, however both the club and the player rejected the deal on deadline day due to the forward enjoying life in La Liga.
According to the Metro, Tottenham have identified Negredo as the best forward in Europe and tried to land the 27 year old, as well as putting in an offer for Lyon forward Bafetembi Gomis.
The striker has scored 40 goals in 64 appearances for the the Spanish club but pledged his future to the club by signing a four year contract at the club last summer.
‘A club from England went to £20 million on deadline day for Negredo,’ the chairman Jose Maria del Nido stated.
‘Negredo was not interested in the offer. That was not a day to do business.’
Tottenham looked to have resolved the striking situation by signing Clint Dempsey, however the club is expected to invest in the market again when the window opens in January.
As well as concluding a deal for Joao Moutinho, the club are looking in to the possibility of signing long-term targets Loic Remy, Fernando Llorente or Leandro Damiao.
All four players have been subject to bids by the North London club but with Llorente refusing to sign a new contract, Tottenham could wait until next summer to sign the player on a free, or in January when he would be sold for a rock-bottom price.
Leandro Damiao has also stated that he got offered a sizeable offered from abroad – yet again thought to be Tottenham.
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With Spurs making £10 million profit from the transfer window, but reports suggesting that Villas-Boas was given a £50 million transfer budget as well as the money made from sales, Spurs could have a chest of £60 million to splurge in January with Moutinho, Damiao and possibly another striker being labelled as the main targets.
Former Portsmouth and West Ham manager Harry Redknapp has gone back to where it all began as he takes up an advisory role at League One Bournemouth.
Redknapp was sacked at the end of last season by Tottenham Hotspur but he hasn’t taken long to find a route back into football after re-joining Bournemouth whom he played for and managed in the 70’s and 80’s.
Chairman Eddie Mitchell was delighted to be able to bring Redknapp back and hopes he can help manager Paul Groves in his new advisory role.
“I met Harry for a chat this morning and he offered to come in on a voluntary basis,” said Mitchell.
“He still has a passion for the club and for football, and he’s got too much to offer for us to let him slip through our fingers.”
“It’s been in my mind for quite some time to get him involved, and the timing seems to be perfect for us to tap into his knowledge.”
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Redknapp is set to travel with the squad to Yeovil for their League One clash and hopes to help turn the Cherries fortunes around in he league this season.