"That lad ain't gonna make it."

[Jockney]

Some of the best performers in the Premier League this season have been players who were initially written off as youngsters: either by coaching staff, media or general fan consensus:

Harry Kane: something of a running joke to outsiders. Even Spurs fans didn't think he'd make it. Norwich and Leicester fans thought he was shit.
Marc Albrighton: disappeared for a long time after a start to his professional career. Was for a while used as an example of youth that are over-hyped. Now doing the biz for Leicester.
Riyad Mahrez: not particularly well-regarded at Le Havre. Considered selfish by supporters.
Jamie Vardy: released by Sheffield Wednesday as a youngster. Took til he was 25 for a football league club to take a chance on him. Had an uneventful first season at Leicester and made little impact.

Can anyone think of more examples, past or present?

 

[hodge]

Danny Rose, was pretty awful for us on loan and was nothing compared to Caulker at the time

 

[yellow]

Ashley Barnes was one of the shittest strikers I've ever seen wear a TUFC shirt.

Weird how things work out, isn't it?

 

[Rammy]

Ashley Barnes still is a bit shit to be fair.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Asmir Begovic had a dire loan spell with us as a teenager in League One, in which he conceded some comical goals. No chance of making it as a pro keeper I thought.

Now he's at Chelsea.

Also had Ryan Bertrand on loan for a couple of spells from Chelsea, across two seasons IIRC. Didn't think he'd make it to top flight / England level. I wouldn't say he was bad, but nothing special. Yet Jack Cork was awesome in the same time frame, but can't get games for Swansea.

 

[Munkiki]

Harry Kane: something of a running joke to outsiders. Even Spurs fans didn't think he'd make it. Norwich and Leicester fans thought he was shit.

I think Norwich fans are overly harsh on him. He played five games for us, mostly from the bench. Hardly enough time to form a proper opinion on a player. Especially when you consider every striker we had struggled under Hughton. (wouldn't have predicted that he'd be a key player in a title-chasing Spurs side though - expected him to maybe end up at a mid-table side tbh)

 

[Dazza]

Michail Antonio. Couldn't get in our team on a regular basis and on the rare occasions he played for us he looked average. Now he is playng well for West Ham and could get in the England squad at some point.

 

[JoshBCFC]

Jack Butland had a shit spell for Cheltenham and a couple of other clubs.

 

[smat]

Gareth Bale. Redknapp tried to bin him off to Birmingham or Forest or someone, didn't he?

 

[lordofthepies]

Jack Butland had a shit spell for Cheltenham and a couple of other clubs.

Eh?! He was excellent for Cheltenham.

 

[yellow]

Ashley Barnes still is a bit shit to be fair.

Valid point.

 

[JoshBCFC]

Eh?! He was excellent for Cheltenham.

Must've been the wrong club, I know he had a really bad one at some club...

 

[HarvSFC]

Rickie Lambert before Bristol Rovers and then firing us up to the Premier League and eventually helping to keep us up here.

Not sure if it really counts, but Jose Fonte was wrote off by our own fans after a poor Championship season. Now he's the captain and a Portugese international.

Jason Puncheon also got around a bit, but he became a mid-table Premier League player.

 

[Christian Slater]

Diego Forlan. Had a terrible start for United but showed his class after a while. Stuck behind Rudd. Left and destroyed La Liga.

Guissepi Rossi was another that blew up after leaving us. Injuries took a really promising career.

 

[SALTIRE]

Rossi had a couple of great seasons but yeah his injuries took their toll on a promising career.

 

[The Fack]

Darron Gibson is still robbing a living. Utterly crap when we had him down here.

 

[lordofthepies]

Must've been the wrong club, I know he had a really bad one at some club...

He might have struggled a bit with his Championship loans but Cheltenham fans were convinced that he'd be England's number one.

 

[johnnytodd]

Jamie Carragher had a trial at his beloved Everton, we fucked him off and he never won the league EVER.

Now he is the most bitter pundit and social media wanker known to man.

Only plastic Liverpool fans rate him.

 

[SALTIRE]

Jamie Carragher had a trial at his beloved Everton, we fucked him off and he never won the league EVER.

Now he is the most bitter pundit and social media wanker known to man.

Only plastic Liverpool fans rate him.

Ah you're back. The break still not softened your jealousy though eh toddles.

 

[johnnytodd]

Ah you're back. The break still not softened your jealousy though eh toddles.

 

[SALTIRE]

 

[The Fack]

No Premier League club wanted to touch Kevin Davies with a barch pole when Southampton released him. 10 years at Bolton and an England cap later...

We and Bolton deemed Alan Ball too small to play football before he turned pro.

 

[Rammy]

The Leon's...

Leon Best - Couldn't score for toffee with Blackburn, ourselves, or Brighton, but now PROLIFIC at Rotherham....sort of.

Leon Clarke - markwwfc1992 had nothing good to say about this man, who only just beat Leon Best in the 'Battle of the Leon's' last season. Now scoring for fun at Bury.

You meant lower league shit too, didn't you?

 

[The Fack]

The Leon's...

Leon Best - Couldn't score for toffee with Blackburn, ourselves, or Brighton, but now PROLIFIC at Rotherham....sort of.

Leon Clarke - markwwfc1992 had nothing good to say about this man, who only just beat Leon Best in the 'Battle of the Leon's' last season. Now scoring for fun at Bury.

You meant lower league shit too, didn't you?

A lad in my local went to secondary school with Leon Clarke, reckons he was even shit back then.

 

[johnnytodd]

The Leon's...

Leon Best - Couldn't score for toffee with Blackburn, ourselves, or Brighton, but now PROLIFIC at Rotherham....sort of.

Leon Clarke - markwwfc1992 had nothing good to say about this man, who only just beat Leon Best in the 'Battle of the Leon's' last season. Now scoring for fun at Bury.

You meant lower league shit too, didn't you?

I raise you with Leon Osman

 

[Rammy]

I raise you with Leon Osman

Leon Osman

We tried our best after his loan spell here to get him in permanently. Shame you were aware of what you had, and didn't accept our bid

 

[JoshBCFC]

Paul Pogba is a good one for Man.Utd fans

 

[JoshBCFC]

Paul Pogba is a good one for Man.Utd fans

 

[hodge]

Probably wrong but I thought Utd fans were generally keen on him just fergie wasn't?

 

[JoshBCFC]

Probably wrong but I thought Utd fans were generally keen on him just fergie wasn't?

Might be right, not sure though.