Players that have great debuts then turn crap

[Mase]

Richard Edghill had a tremendous debut away to West Ham. It was live on Sky and I recall Andy Gray saying it was one of the best debuts he'd ever seen.

He never went shit though. He had a tough time when bellends started to abuse him at Maine Road but he came good under Royle and later with Keegan at RWB.

Can’t forget his top bins penalty against Gillingham either.

I was at the Coventry game where he scored an own goal in the opening minutes, and Bellamy ran rings around him until he was substituted. The whole crowd was on his back - I was in the Gene Kelly stand, and he looked totally, utterly devastated. I don't remember him starting a single game under Royle after that. He barely featured under Keegan (10 starts, 3 subs, before being released).

When Edghill first came through he got shit off the fans. After that he played in our most important match ever - Gillingham ‘99 and scored a top bins freekick in the shootout before kissing the badge.

I remember him playing well at RWB under Keegan when given the chance in a season where he was injured and up against competition of SWP and Charvet.

Glad we cleared that up though to show stats are absolutely useless for this conversation.

[BlueinBosnia]

Richard Edghill had a tremendous debut away to West Ham. It was live on Sky and I recall Andy Gray saying it was one of the best debuts he'd ever seen.

He never went shit though. He had a tough time when bellends started to abuse him at Maine Road but he came good under Royle and later with Keegan at RWB.

Can’t forget his top bins penalty against Gillingham either.

I was at the Coventry game where he scored an own goal in the opening minutes, and Bellamy ran rings around him until he was substituted. The whole crowd was on his back - I was in the Gene Kelly stand, and he looked totally, utterly devastated. I don't remember him starting a single game under Royle after that. He barely featured under Keegan (10 starts, 3 subs, before being released).

When Edghill first came through he got shit off the fans. After that he played in our most important match ever - Gillingham ‘99 and scored a top bins freekick in the shootout before kissing the badge.

I remember him playing well at RWB under Keegan when given the chance in a season where he was injured and up against competition of SWP and Charvet.

Glad we cleared that up though to show stats are absolutely useless for this conversation.

I don't remember the fans being on his back in the early years, although they definitely were by the time we were down in Division 2. I don't know when/why it started (perhaps some of the older people on here know what triggered it?), but the Coventry game was pretty much the end of his career as a regular starter.

Charvet featured in 3 matches under Keegan, so I wouldn't really describe that as 'competition' - that's why stats can sometimes be more valid than memories/recollections.

But I'd definitely agree that he's not a name that belongs in this thread.

[Mase]

It doesn’t alter the fact Charvet was in completion for the same place when they were both fit Edgie was injured most of that season, and you used a stat to try and prove he was crap because he didn’t play.

[Hazy2]

Richard Edghill had a tremendous debut away to West Ham. It was live on Sky and I recall Andy Gray saying it was one of the best debuts he'd ever seen.

He never went shit though. He had a tough time when bellends started to abuse him at Maine Road but he came good under Royle and later with Keegan at RWB.

Can’t forget his top bins penalty against Gillingham either.

Fucking spot on.

Loved him, first player I wanted to support. I remember a to remain unnamed mate slagging Edgy, he was put in the Cunt club. Never left it proper twat at times.

[BlueinBosnia]

It doesn’t alter the fact Charvet was in completion for the same place when they were both fit Edgie was injured most of that season, and you used a stat to try and prove he was crap because he didn’t play.

Not to prove he was crap, but that he was a bit-part player. I honestly don't remember him being injured (I'm not saying he wasn't - I simply don't remember it), but I remember not expecting to see him in the starting line up for the near-two-seasons that he stayed with us after the Coventry game. In fact, when I saw that he featured in 13 games under Keegan, I was surprised it was as many as that.

[Scatman]

Richard Edghill had a tremendous debut away to West Ham. It was live on Sky and I recall Andy Gray saying it was one of the best debuts he'd ever seen.

He never went shit though. He had a tough time when bellends started to abuse him at Maine Road but he came good under Royle and later with Keegan at RWB.

Can’t forget his top bins penalty against Gillingham either.

Fucking spot on.

Loved him, first player I wanted to support. I remember a to remain unnamed mate slagging Edgy, he was put in the Cunt club. Never left it proper twat at times.

I remember when Edghill and Flitcroft were picked for England duty together. It was only a training session/get together, but how good was it to have not one, but two City players in the England set up? That was 1994, 95 ish. Who was the next one? Sweep about 10 years later? Nowadays we'd rather not have them playing at all but I was buzzing when those two got in the squad.

[Crossie]

I think there could be many many players in here. We seemed to have decades where we’d buy someone half decent and manage to coach them into becoming shitter.

Maybe it was the weather or the culture at the club. I’m not getting specific but for some reason I used to end up going to a lot of first games of the season and saw plenty of good debuts only for them to fade into mediocracy.

I don’t know why I just thought of this & it doesn’t really fit in here but Hughes starting Ched Evans ahead of Sturidge was always a Welsh mystery...

[patrickblue]

Was going to start a thread about players you got excited about but didnt play much / fulfill potential:

Terry Cooke
Gary mason
Murtaz sheila
Djamel belmadi
Willo flood
Lee Croft
Bojinov
Stephen Elliott

Who remembers the myth of vuoso

You forgot Alan

[Pretty Boy Lee]

This thread should be renamed the Mangala thread, he optimized this.

Bianchi to a lesser extent.
Castillo not so much his debut but all the hype about him paying to come and he fell apart immediately.

[BlueinBosnia]

Castillo not so much his debut but all the hype about him paying to come and he fell apart immediately.

Pizarro another one. Didn't fall apart, but hardly featured.

[Mase]

Castillo not so much his debut but all the hype about him paying to come and he fell apart immediately.

Pizarro another one. Didn't fall apart, but hardly featured.

Pizarro was at the end of his career and came in as a back. He came on against Sunderland in a must win game where we were losing and he completely changed the game - spraying balls all over from deep.