Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:29 pm

Ok we've not got a game for two weeks now so I thought I'd come up with one of those pointless "what if" posts as something to talk about.

Now many of our players down the years have had the potential to be one of the best in the world in their time but for one reason or another just didn't make it or fell short. Usually it's cos they pi$$ed it up the wall but some players were just desperately unlucky.

My candidate for biggest waste of talent would be Stan Collymore. In my opinion there was no better striker in the world at times when Stan was firing. Crying shame he pi$$ed it all away. When he was on form he was unstopable. More so than Henry can be in my opinion. He also was one half of the best strike pairing i have ever seen live. Stan had it all. Pace, control, awareness, a great shot etc, but his head just wasn't in the right place. I think it was more down to him being an unstable character than down to the "spice boy" regime, although being surrounded by tw@ts like Ruddock couldn't have helped much.

Biggest hard luck story would have to be Rob Jones or Jamie Redknapp. Jones was a superb right back who's career was cut cruelly short by injury. He was the only player I've seen essentially keep Ryan Giggs in his pocket every time he played against him and if he'd stayed fit, Gary Neville would only have half the England caps he's accumulated. Jamie Redknapp may come as surprise to some but not to me. A model pro who had an unbvelievable range of passing, much like Alonso imo. If he'd have stayed fit for his whole career he could have been one of the best.

Rob Jones was absolute class. A hard luck story if one ever existed. Vegard Heggem as well. He was similar to Jones in so many ways.

Roy Evans should have won a premiership title with the players he had. Maybe the 95-96 season was the one that should have been. The mancs had a great team, but I still maintain that we should have brought home the title around that period.

Also Litmanen was the great talent that we never got to see fully.

Who would you "pi$$ed up the wall" and "just plain unlucky" players be?

by **dawson99** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:34 pm

Rob Jones, did he ever score? I lvoed that player, heggem as well now you mentioned it.
I feel worse for jamie redknapp. He was the england midfield hero, a beckham before beckham... but injury cut him short as well

by **Effes** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:51 pm

Redknapp was a bit like David Platt, he just pranced from one box to the other.

We shouldn't have got rid of Anelka.

by **puroresu** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:52 pm

Rob Jones was fantastic. Real quality and would of played for England for a very long time. Stan was awesome. Remember being at Anfield for his debut where he scored a cracker. So much ability and him and Fowler were awesome together. A huge waste of talent.

Not winning the title under Evans even though we were the most entertaining team in the league. The players let the boss down and they threw it away. Never forget being in a two horse race and finishing 4th.

More European Cups. King Kenny's side never got to play in Europe and I have no doubt we would of reached numerous finals if they could have. Rush, Barnes, Aldridge, Beardo would of lit up Europe.

by **stmichael** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:09 pm

dawson99 wrote:Rob Jones, did he ever score?

No but it wasn't for the want of trying. He hit the woodwork on several ocassions if I remember rightly.

Rob Jones was brilliant - when he came through he was my favourite player. So comfortable on the ball, great at winning the ball back, and got forward providing width.

If he had stayed fit he'd have turned into one of the all time great full backs and neville would never have got anywhere near the england team (not that i care).

by **redmikey** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:25 pm

it was a great team evans put together nut he wasn't given half the support by the board that GH was which is a shame

st mike , agree 100% on the rob jones front , when we played manure he stripped giggs for pace and had a good partner ship with macca

james( potential wasted)
jones (injury ravaged)
mark wright(only played well in his last two season)
ruddock (sh!te and slow)
dominic mateo ( never reached the heights expected)
phil babb( nail in evans coffin)

macca (sold sole but got half the stick owen did)
redknapp( pure class )
mike marsh ( short career)
don hutchingson ( couldn't keep his d!ck in his pants)

collymore ( mad as a badger)
robbie ( for me a legend that never reached the heights possible for his natural born talent could have taken him)

by **puroresu** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:29 pm

redmikey wrote:it was a great team evans put together nut he wasn't given half the support by the board that GH was which is a shame

st mike , agree 100% on the rob jones front , when we played manure he stripped giggs for pace and had a good partner ship with macca

james( potential wasted)
jones (injury ravaged)
mark wright(only played well in his last two season)
ruddock (sh!te and slow)
dominic mateo ( never reached the heights expected)
phil babb( nail in evans coffin)

macca (sold sole but got half the stick owen did)
redknapp( pure class )
mike marsh ( short career)
don hutchingson ( couldn't keep his d!ck in his pants)

collymore ( mad as a badger)
robbie ( for me a legend that never reached the heights possible for his natural born talent could have taken him)

Did Mcmanaman sell his soul? From what I remember the club tried to sell him to Barca 12 months before he went to Madrid. That was the nail in the coffin as they tried to get rid of him when he never said he wanted to leave. He couldnt agree terms and then saw out his contract to go and play for Real Madrid which I dont blame him.

by **ivor_the_injun** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:29 pm

Sad to think that Rob Jones is still only 35. He should still be playing in the Premiership. Looked capable of being a world-beater in that position.

by **stmichael** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:38 pm

Special mention has to go to Davey Thompson aswell. Total class player who seems to have lost all ambition now and is struggling with injuries. Damn shame really.

by **puroresu** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:43 pm

Anyone remember Lee Jones? He used to score plenty in the reserves just never managed to step up.

by **grayghost** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:50 pm

Robbie could have been the best striker the Prem ever saw. He had a terrible injury but still got back. Unluky for him bye time he got back it was no longer under the manger who trusted him it was under the era of GH .and.PT Who Ploted and scemed to have him thrown out the Club. Only under them 2 could a player score a hatrick and still be on the bench next game. Just imagine his scoring record if he would have stayed at liverpool and had a fair go in the team his scoring record would have been untouchible probley even beeter than Alan sheeria Rush Cole.

by **Ace Ventura** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:56 pm

Thommo is from by ours and was in the year above my in our school, a brilliant little player and treated poorly by the club, He was kept out of the team for Leonhardson most weeks even though anyone with half a brain could see he was a far better players.
I dont think he has lost ambition mate, he is 100% committed lad that still dreams of playing for England and for one of the big clubs. He has just had a nightmare with injuries the last few seasons.
If he can stay fit he could easily still be a top player.
I was gutted when we let him go.
Rob Jones is a sad story and absolute brilliant player that marked Giggs out of the game all of the time.
A real shame that one.

by **jkop** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:04 pm

Would have to agree with the talk of Rob Jones an excellent player in his time, what about John Scales ?

by **puroresu** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:09 pm

I liked Scales. I thought he was the best out of the 3 Centre Backs played.

by **peterc1992** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:09 pm

Markus Babbel,if he didnt get sick he would have had a few more good years with us.

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