Players who started off good but became terrible

[From Despair To Where?]

Leroy Lita. 2 decent seasons then nothing other than 2 injury time goals in 4-0 wins.

I wouldn't even go that far. 1 decent season, 1 decent month and then pish.
Almost all of Leroy Lita's premiership goals came in a spell of about five weeks.
He scored the winner vs Middlesbrough at the start, an extra vs Derby at the end and then six between Dec 26th 2006 and Feb 3rd 2007.

Yeah, after posting, I did think that his contribution in 06/07 was largely concentrated in the 5 weeks after Christmas. It was a pivotal period though.

[Snowflake Royal]

I do need to think more about this, someone like Jason Roberts comes to mind. He started off completely transforming our 2011-12 promotion season, but injuries basically prevented him from playing a serious role in the Premier League season. We still gave him an additional year where he couldn't play at all due to injury - likely taking up wages which could've been used on at least one other player.

Kermogant's basically the same, right?

Didn't he start slow, have an amazing second half of the season. Then get injured in preseason and become shit?

[stealthpapes]

I do need to think more about this, someone like Jason Roberts comes to mind. He started off completely transforming our 2011-12 promotion season, but injuries basically prevented him from playing a serious role in the Premier League season. We still gave him an additional year where he couldn't play at all due to injury - likely taking up wages which could've been used on at least one other player.

Kermogant's basically the same, right?

Didn't he start slow, have an amazing second half of the season. Then get injured in preseason and become shit?

My memory was loads of goals, play offs, then injured most of the next season seeing out his one season contract extension.

EDIT: a bit more complicated

On 10 February 2017, Kermorgant signed a new one-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Reading until the summer of 2018. On 1 November 2017, Reading announced that Kermorgant had put off his retirement plans at the end of the season to sign with the club a new contract covering the summer of 2019. Reading announced on 10 July 2018 that Kermorgant's last year of his contract had been terminated by mutual consent.

[grey_squirrel]

John salako

my recollection of the John Salako story was that while on loan he was amazing - so much so that Pardew did a data-driven PowerPoint presentation for the Board (before such things became mainstream) to convince them to sign him permanently - with all sorts of Opta style data points (before it was a thing - just to emphasize it).

he signed permanently and immediately got the deck chair out and stopped performing...

Spot on analysis. He did the same at every club he was initially on loan to.

[grey_squirrel]

Colin Gordon.

IIRC scored 4(?) in one game (his debut?) and then little else.

[Crusader Royal]

Colin Gordon.

IIRC scored 4(?) in one game (his debut?) and then little else.

Wasn’t it him who scored twice at Stamford Bridge to knock Chelsea out of the League Cup ?

[From Despair To Where?]

Colin Gordon.

IIRC scored 4(?) in one game (his debut?) and then little else.

He had a purple patch of something like 6 goals in 4 games early on but never looked that good.

[Royal Rother]

Bit surprised to see the universal acceptance that Lita was pretty shite.

I remember starting a thread titled "I am bored of watching Leroy Lita" and saying that he would be the new Leroy Knight rapidly dropping through the leagues into obscurity, and getting absolute pelters from one and all!

Fair play to both for keeping doing exactly that but carrying on scoring goals into their 40s.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Colin Gordon.

IIRC scored 4(?) in one game (his debut?) and then little else.

He had a purple patch of something like 6 goals in 4 games early on but never looked that good.

Daily Mirror back page after the Chelsea away game - 'Flash Gordon'.....

didn't work out for him as a footballer - I remember he said in an interview that he reckoned his mum in Birmingham could hear the boos when his name was read out on the tannoy at Elm Park and it make me feel sad

I'm sure he's made a few quid as an agent though

[bakerlou]

James Lambert.

[Clyde1998]

Ovie Ejaria and Liam Moore probably come into this category - although Moore was definitely down to injuries.

[Mr Angry]

James Lambert.

+1

Lambert looked unbelievably good when he first started playing for us; I was convinced that he would end up playing in the top Division and would end up an international.

And then it appeared that he just stopped working on his game; off field issues? (euphemism??)

[blythspartan]

He might divide opinion, but for me Ovie had a decent loan spell and apart from that Fulham game and maybe one or two more flattered to deceive.

[Snowflake Royal]

He might divide opinion, but for me Ovie had a decent loan spell and apart from that Fulham game and maybe one or two more flattered to deceive.

You'll be shocked to hear I agree.

We ruined Moore. Utterly ruined him. The pcunt.

[SCIAG]

Part of Gorkss' problem was that we got promoted and he was out of his depth. My memory might be deceiving me, but I think he was basically fine (if not as good as he was) when we got relegated back again.

Sonko - went from unconvincing to incredible to possibly the biggest liability ever.

[Hound]

He might divide opinion, but for me Ovie had a decent loan spell and apart from that Fulham game and maybe one or two more flattered to deceive.

You'll be shocked to hear I agree.

We ruined Moore. Utterly ruined him. The pcunt.

Wonder with Moore whether he wonders just how it all went wrong. Injuries definitely contributed but from being a potential Prem defender to being out of the game 3-4 years later whilst still plenty young enough to play

But yeah definitely qualifies here. He was awful by the end and forever injured

Ejaria was at his best the year after the loan spell iirc. But also qualifies here as could barely kick a football in his last few games for us

[Snowflake Royal]

Part of Gorkss' problem was that we got promoted and he was out of his depth. My memory might be deceiving me, but I think he was basically fine (if not as good as he was) when we got relegated back again.

Sonko - went from unconvincing to incredible to possibly the biggest liability ever.

I remember Gorkss being awful on our return.

[Royal Ginger]

Wash your mouth out!

[Sutekh]

Part of Gorkss' problem was that we got promoted and he was out of his depth. My memory might be deceiving me, but I think he was basically fine (if not as good as he was) when we got relegated back again.

Sonko - went from unconvincing to incredible to possibly the biggest liability ever.

Sonko was superb until that injury which basically finished him. Still good enough to earn a ££££ move to Stoke though

Don’t think players going good to bad because of injury should be included.

[Clyde1998]

Part of Gorkss' problem was that we got promoted and he was out of his depth. My memory might be deceiving me, but I think he was basically fine (if not as good as he was) when we got relegated back again.

Sonko - went from unconvincing to incredible to possibly the biggest liability ever.

Sonko was superb until that injury which basically finished him. Still good enough to earn a ££££ move to Stoke though

Don’t think players going good to bad because of injury should be included.

We sold Sonko at the perfect time, although he did start off that season with a few goals!