The Curious Case of Dele Alli | Emotional Overlap interview (p 19)

As previous replies....I see no comparison with any of the players mentioned and the thread topic.

Alli just appears to be a player who has fallen out of love with the game or just can't be arsed.....he may or may not have a shitty attitude/chip on his shoulder.

The others mentioned have various health and injury issue....their short careers were out of their control.
 
Dele Alli seems to have a permanent chip on his shoulder. Sometimes it's good to vent your anger at people but the skill is saving it for those that deserve it.
 
Mad Eyed Screamer said:
You mean see out his legally binding contract that the club offered him? If it was you, would you say to your boss, ''OK, let's call it quits, I'll terminate my contract as of today and walk away"?

You are correct. I really haven't grasped the intent of this thread. In your OP you list Lakey alongside Steven Ireland and Freddie Adu. I fail to see any connection between Lakey and the other two. The latter two could still be playing today / recently hung up their boots. Lakey didn't have that option. There is no curiosity about that.
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…did you read the rest of my post (that you’ve edited out for some reason) where I quite literally say I wouldn’t have done that and can’t blame Rodwell for seeing out his contract (even though there were reports that Sunderland were attempting to get him off it or transfer him)?

Here is the rest of the post you quoted:

“And, to be honest, given how most clubs treat players (especially young and/or injury-ridden players), I can’t say I necessarily blame him for taking that course. Who knows if how previous clubs handled his injuries contributed the sudden collapse in ability (thinking of Fernando Torres’ downfall, though, he was partly to blame there).”

I am not sure I understand your ire here and seeming intentional misrepresentation of my posts here, MES.
 
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FantasyIreland said:
As previous replies....I see no comparison with any of the players mentioned and the thread topic.

Alli just appears to be a player who has fallen out of love with the game or just can't be arsed.....he may or may not have a shitty attitude/chip on his shoulder.

The others mentioned have various health and injury issue....their short careers were out of their control.
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Again, the thread was intended to be about promising players (some that may have briefly achieved some measure of recognised success, as in the case of Johnson, Ireland, Rodwell, and especially Alli) that never quite reached their perceived potential or their careers fizzles out, be it because of the onset of early injuries, poor attitude, controversies, external events, overhype or some combination of all of that, hence the connections among them.

That’s what I thought was clear from the OP but I suppose I was wrong there and mentioning Johnson in the first sentence confused the matter (I only meant to say his is a story that youth should be aware of, like Alli’s, though for different reasons). And apparently my including Lake due to his very unlucky injuries shortening his career.

Surprised a few have seemingly taken offence to the premise in general, though.
 
MichaelBBack said:
Dele is a truly fascinating case. He's one of those players whose Wikipedia pages I always return to, just to remind myself of how good he was and how shockingly far he fell.

That one season when he scored almost 20 Prem goals, he looked extraordinary. And he was. He was a very, very good player for a few seasons and then it all just fell apart. I don't take any particular pleasure in seeing a young athlete fail to reach their potential, but there's something so curious about it.

I can think of a few other players who had those little flash in the pan moments or "one season wonders", but there aren't many examples quite like Dele who looked so good and then dropped off so dramatically.
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Ali was never the same after he grew those shitty dreadlocks that made him look like Jack Sparrow.
 
Keeper! said:
What?

Sanchez had a magnificent career, but he was done when he left Arsenal, his legs had simply gone.
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Don't think you read the second line of my post.

His career effectively ended when he left Arsenal. At that point his legs had not gone considering the wages he commanded from the rags.

Something was not quite right there and we dodged a bullet!
 
Similar trajectory to our own Stephen Ireland.

Great while few expectations and in a team built to get the most out of him. Then gets found out when expectations become higher, or even better players come in. Career fades away.
 
I did like what his manager said (I'm paraphrasing) "We gave him a bit of leave and he was meant to come back but it's raining so......"

Dele is a guy I fully expect to be on talksport within the next 10 years which is an absolute shame as he looked at one point like he was going to be a star.

Robinho is one of the biggest waste of talents I've seen. Also it probably saved the club but SWP's move to Chelsea seemed to put the brakes on his career. Imagine him at right back in this team (playing on the left)
 
KentBlue said:
I always thought he was born to be a rag. A snidey coward who acts the big man when surrounded by his teammates, yet as timid as a field mouse when on his own.
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Just imagining Springsteen (or a convincing AI hologram of him) doing a “Born to be a rag” benefit concert to save them when they inevitably go in to admin.
 
ysmsa said:
Don't think you read the second line of my post.

His career effectively ended when he left Arsenal. At that point his legs had not gone considering the wages he commanded from the rags.

Something was not quite right there and we dodged a bullet!
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We did but that was simply a case of a player way past his peak but to compare him with Ali is insulting to a once wonderful player.
 
Dave Ewing's Back 'eader said:
Probably just got the mental strength to order a BigMac. Nowhere near enough to be able to cope with the pressures of a PL side, let alone go the long hard path of improvement.
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Yes, it is easy to forget that we are watching la crème de la crème. These guys are rarities who keep their motivation from childhood to the end of their careers, always striving to be better. Big rewards, but big sacrifices too.
 
MichaelBBack said:
Dele is a truly fascinating case. He's one of those players whose Wikipedia pages I always return to, just to remind myself of how good he was and how shockingly far he fell.

That one season when he scored almost 20 Prem goals, he looked extraordinary. And he was. He was a very, very good player for a few seasons and then it all just fell apart. I don't take any particular pleasure in seeing a young athlete fail to reach their potential, but there's something so curious about it.

I can think of a few other players who had those little flash in the pan moments or "one season wonders", but there aren't many examples quite like Dele who looked so good and then dropped off so dramatically.

I'll just mention Oscar. I thought he looked like such a fantastic player at Chelsea, especially in the first couple of seasons. Looked like the next Kaka, someone who could drive Brazil to a World Cup win and have a fantastic career.

Instead, for one reason ($$$) or another, the lad decided at 25 to leave the exciting and competitive European leagues to cash cheques in China. Never played for Brazil again. I'm sure he's earnt plenty over there and that's what counts for some players, but he could easily have earnt millions while winning trophies and potentially playing at a Real or a Barca if he'd stuck it out and knuckled down, not to mention what he could have achieved with his country. Real waste of talent, that.
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joe-hart-thumbs-up.ashx


Fell of a cliff, no finer example, ego, money, lazy, gambling, women, drugs , you take your choice.

To get to the top is hard, to stay at the top is incredibly difficult even for the most talented.
 
Talented kid who let all go to waste. Probably the worst part of Dele's case is it wasn't about injuries, but more to do with his attitude. He will probably serve as a case study for the younger footballing generation of not losing your focus while at the top. Of course he is not the only example in football but probably one of the most significant in recent years.
 
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