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

[halfcenturyup]

Some players have a 2 year meteoric rise then fade away just as quick. Got to be dedicated to play at top level and highly motivated to keep your place.

Arnautovic from Stoke and West Ham.

Wilfred Bony was scoring goals for fun at Swansea and went down hill fast after leaving us.

After leaving?

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

A list of players that never realised their potential, for varying reasons?

I can’t imagine Lake is that self-obsessed.

I think you are making a different list to the intention of this thread, perhaps because of your dislike for Dele Alli?

This isn’t meant to be a discussion of terrible people that were also footballers that never reached their potential (I think that is fairly plain from my OP).

By the way, I never compared Lake to Morrison!

Dislike for Dele Ali?
I have never really given him a minute of my time before this thread. He is way down and then even further still on my list of folk to dislike

 

[SebastianBlue]

Dislike for Dele Ali?
I have never really given him a minute of my time before this thread. He is way down and then even further still on my list of folk to dislike

I stand corrected. Then it’s just the Florida weather causing you to misread the intention of the thread.

You need to come back to the cold before that place completely addles your brain. ;-)

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Rodwell is unfortunately another good example.

To me, anyway, I think it was less a case of losing all desire and more that the injuries took their toll and he couldn’t perform to the level required anymore. He then probably got advice to milk his contract as long as possible as he was unlikely to ever see that sort of compensation again.

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.

 

[Keeper!]

A bit older but Alex's Sanchez

What a disastrous move to the Swamp

What?

Sanchez had a magnificent career, but he was done when he left Arsenal, his legs had simply gone.

 

[LesBleuMiserable]

A bit older but Alex's Sanchez

What a disastrous move to the Swamp

His bank balance was was highly successful.

 

[MichaelBBack]

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.

 

[melrose40yarder]

You’ve just reminded of a few more:

Adnan Januzaj
Paddy McNair

…and one Jesse Lingard (likely).

What about macheda Tyler made him sound like the second coming of christ.

 

[Vienna_70]

Probably means pay it up (or a deal based on paying up most of what wages he has left to earn).

I've been watching the Sunderland doc recently. Rodwell is a classic. I have no idea what happened with him. Just seemed to lose all desire to play, but turned up to pick up his wage.

Rodwell is "playing" in Australia.

 

[KS55]

You’ve just reminded of a few more:

Adnan Januzaj
Paddy McNair

…and one Jesse Lingard (likely).

Yes but too early to tell with Lingard, after all he is still a teenager.