Under-Rated Players

Yeah, you're right. I'm bored. So I started this thread. Have fun reading. Hope it doesn't offend anyone in the process & you guys can add on if you want.

One of the many English goalkeepers in the Premier League. His chances of playing for England has already been killed by the up-coming youngsters like Ben Foster, Scott Carson & Joe Hart. Such a shame. Kirkland is one of the finest English goalkeepers in the EPL. The only thing letting his performance drop is Wigan's weak defence.

Yes, he occasionally have that lapse of concentration during the course of the game & there are times where it seem that there are communication problems between him & his defenders.. But which goalkeeper has not experienced that? Even keepers like Cech, Van Der Sar has gone through that phase. Even goalkeeping legends go through that.

England has quite a number of players for the No. 1 shirt. James, Robinson, Green, Foster, Carson, Hart, Kirkland even Lewis. Many are tipping Foster to take that No. 1 shirt after James retires. But I think that Kirkland should be given a chance. Among all of the goalkeepers mentioned, Kirkland is one of the experienced one due to his age. But one thing is yet to be confirmed.. Can Kirkland succeed at International level? I'm sure he can.

There was once an online poll on who should be the first choice right-back. It was either the experienced Gary Neville or the strong as an ox Micah Richards. Sadly, Wes Brown was not included in the poll. Brown possesses every attribute needed for a full-back. He has the pace & stamina. He can tackle the ball well & on top of that, he is a hardworking lad.

It's true that Brown can be clumsy at times & his clumsiness can cause the team valuable points. But that was all in the past. Brown slotted in perfectly at right-back last season when Gary Neville was out injured. He showed great composure & bravery when challenged. He has also showed that he has matured over the years under Sir Alex Ferguson. He is no longer the clumsy defender we all came to know. He has now become an integral part of the Man United team especially since Gary Neville ageing & he can hardly keep up with the pace of the game.

On his best day, Brown is easily one of the best right-backs in the EPL. Like Carrick, I am surprised that for whatever he has accomplished at Man United, he has not been given the chance to shine at International level. Brown should be considered as a serious contender for the right-back slot for the England team. He might not have the experience of Gary Neville but he is learning to read the game & experience comes with playing more games. He also might not be as strong as Micah Richards but he has the pace & stamina to cover for his lack of strength. With that said, Brown can be one of the best right-backs England has ever seen.

Carrick is arguably the most under-rated midfielder in English football history. The no-nonsense midfielder is blessed with great technique & great vision. His pin-point passes is an asset to the Manchester United team. But it still remains to be seen whether he can perform at International level if given the chance.

Every true Manchester United fan knows how important Carrick is to the team. He is the true playmaker of the team as he is always the one kick-starting Man United's attack. His through balls & his long balls are always helping his team-mates' cause. He is the one linking Man United's defense to its offence. He is under-rated because he makes everyone else look good. Without Carrick, Man United struggle to attack at times.

It surprises me that someone who has achieved so much at such a great club has not been given the opportunity to shine at International level. Carrick's technique could be a boost to the English team because experienced players such as David Beckham & Michael Owen are finding it difficult to break into the International scene.

If given the chance, it will be interesting to see if Carrick can work either with Gerrard, Lampard or Barry. But I'm sure he can succeed in International because Carrick is such an amazing player. [P.S. Carrick is also under-rated in the FM games]

The man who looks years older than what he actually is. He is easily the most consistent performer in the Man City team. Yes, MOST consistent. Even more than Robinho who blows 'hot' & 'cold'. Robinho can score a hat-trick in one game & fire blanks in the next.

Ireland is seen as an aggressive & 'dirty' player by many. But he is actually a hard-tackling player much like the likes of Paul Scholes & Nicky Butt. He is always outshined by his team-mates whenever Man City played well. Much like Carrick, he makes everyone else look good & Man City too, struggles to attack without Ireland's flair mixed into their attack.

One thing remains to be seen. If Ireland is to fulfill his maximum potential, it is after the January transfer window. The players signed by Mark Hughes can either make or break him. For example, signing a world-class player who plays in his position could either encourage him to do better or it could hinder his progress. One thing is for sure, if he does fulfill his potential, he can establish himself as one of the best midfielders in the EPL. [Note: This, coming from a Man Utd fan]

Practically another invisible player in the EPL. For all of his great efforts in keeping Fulham in the EPL, almost single-handedly, he is still not given an opportunity in the England shirt. When he was first called up for the England team, I thought he was going to be given his chance, but how wrong was I. He was a victim of the Gerrard-Lampard partnership which until now has yet to work smoothly.

Bullard, as my mate said, has the crossing ability similar to Beckham's. It might not be as perfect as Beckham's. But at least 80% of his crosses reaches his target. In the last few matches last season, the way he played really made me wonder why he is still playing for Fulham. Not for bigger team like Spurs or Aston Villa. He is always dictating tempo & almost starts Fulham's attack every time.

I don't know about you guys but I'm sick & tired of every manager trying to make Gerrard & Lampard work together. They are too similar & cannot complement one another. Unlike Tevez & Rooney, both similar but can complement one another. I would rather see new faces at the heart of the England team. If I can pick one, Bullard might just be up there somewhere.

The man who got injured when given the opportunity. But unfairly, the opportunity was never given to him again. Due to him being prone to injury, it has affected his performances & killed his chances of wearing the England jersey. Let's face it. He might never wear the England jersey unless he does something spectacular this season like scoring 20+ goals. But sadly, that does not look like happening.

England has a lot of quality up front. Agbonlahor, Defoe, Crouch, Owen & the regulars Heskey & Rooney. The forwards that Capello can choose are almost scoring regularly. Ashton needs to keep himself from being injured & find the net regularly. By doing so, he might get his chance for an England call-up. Sitting in the treatment room, does not help.

It's a waste that Ashton is injury-prone. He's blessed with shot power & his aerial ability can almost challenge anyone in the air. His physical strength often helps him in situations & his technique is not bad. Remember that goal he scored against Man United last season? The one where he scissored kick. That goal was class. If he can keep himself fit & find the net regularly, I'm sure he'll give Capello a selection headache.

Cool thread, might post some up when i get the time

Brown possesses every attribute needed for a full-back.

Except genuine pace, crossing ability, and the ambition to go forward when the opposing winger offers little or no threat. Wes Brown is rated exactly as he should be, IMHO, good, but not that good.

nice thread rawking, check Sander Post out if you are a lower league team he scored quite a few for me when i was Luton

Except genuine pace, crossing ability, and the ambition to go forward when the opposing winger offers little or no threat. Wes Brown is rated exactly as he should be, IMHO, good, but not that good.

C'mon. You really think so? Man United is playing in the EPL. Tell me, which winger of any opposing team won't provide a threat. If Brown plays at right-back & Evra plays at left-back, the manager of the opposing team will instruct his team to attack Brown because Brown is considered 'easy meat' than Evra. How many times have we seen that in a match.. I watch at least 95% of Man United's matches & that happens around 70% of those games.

&& Thanks for the reply Lukaboi & Ridley. I'll try & check on Sander Post.

C'mon. You really think so? Man United is playing in the EPL. Tell me, which winger of any opposing team won't provide a threat. If Brown plays at right-back & Evra plays at left-back, the manager of the opposing team will instruct his team to attack Brown because Brown is considered 'easy meat' than Evra. How many times have we seen that in a match.. I watch at least 95% of Man United's matches & that happens around 70% of those games.

&& Thanks for the reply Lukaboi & Ridley. I'll try & check on Sander Post.

Right, because all teams go and play against Man Utd with ambitions to go forward and attack

As soon as an opposition manager sees Brown on the teamsheet he thinks "Great, if I deal with the right winger the right flank is fine, now let's think about Evra and the left winger" whereas if Rafael is playing, you have 4 players to worry about rather than 3. Brown is fine defensively, probably even better than Evra, but as the whole package I can name at least 6 or 7 better right fullbacks in the Premiership alone (Rafael, Beye, Sagna, Bosingwa, Richards, Hutton, Chimbonda, there that was easy). Brown's value is that he's been brought up from the youth team so he counts towards one of the 4 youth team graduates for the CL squad, and he won't complain about being on the bench once either Neville recaptures his form or Rafael is finally deemed to be ready to be unleashed by Fergie (by my reckoning he's 10 times the player either Neville or Brown are already).

I wouldnt have said Rafael is better than Brown YET! he has the potential to be one of the best RB in the world

Anelka, Everyone says it is luck that he scored so much bit he is underrated. Also Jimmy Bullard.

yeah i like Bullard to, along with Ashton

It's true that Rafael can be a great RB & he's the best at Man United at the moment. But let's not forget that opponents have not attacked through him regularly. Let's see how he reacts when he faces an aggressive player.

First post updated.. Added Kirkland. Will write up on Ashton & Bullard. But I don't think I'll be writing for Anelka because he's not under-rated at Chelsea & he sure hell is not under-rated at Bolton.

Must agree with you Kirkland bit that im expecting Foster to get the number 1 jersey and exceptional talent in my eyes and im expecting big things from Joe Lewis as well

First post updated. Added Bullard & Ashton.

I'm trying to make a whole team of under-rated players & then I'm thinking of making a challenge. What do you think?

First post updated. Added Bullard & Ashton.

I'm trying to make a whole team of under-rated players & then I'm thinking of making a challenge. What do you think?

nice idea. Who else have you got in mind???

Kevin Nolan

nice idea. Who else have you got in mind???

I'm not sure yet. I've got to review the EPL teams, then review their International caps. Some are under-rated at their clubs & some are under-rated at International level.

Maybe add in Nolan, like Ridley said.. Then maybe Lennon & Eboue. That's all for now, i guess. If anyone got any idea who else to add.. Just toss your idea into the mix.

EDIT: Maybe add in Bojinov & Geovanni? Both under-rated at Man City.

Bojinov hasn't played enough in the last two years to say whether he's underrated or not. He's got the potential to be excellent, certainly, but he's injured far too often to have any idea of what level he's at now.

I don't think Nolan is underrated, he's rated as a poor man's Fat Frank, and that's pretty much what he is. I think Habib Beye is underrated outside of Newcastle fans, one of the best right backs in the league IMHO. James Milner is another one, he's often dismissed as merely hard working, but he does have some excellent skill. Finally I'd like to nominate Lee Cattermole, I thought Boro made a huge mistake letting him go so cheaply over the summer, really great tenacious midfielder.

Just read the Deano one, and as much as I like him, his complete non-performance against T&T in the summer was what killed his England chances. If you look out of your depth against them, it's going to take superhuman performances to put you back in the reckoning, something he hasn't really done.

Edit: Jimmy Bullard is an absolute legend but he's never going to be a foil for Gerrard or Lampard. Pairing him with either of the former would just give you the same problem.

Wayne Bridge, Chris Samba

martin laursen of villa??

yeah agree with that, its quite hard thinking of them

kevin davies - bolton

Kamil Zayatte - hull

andy dawson - hull

boaz myhill - hull

glen johnson - portsmouth????

ricardo fuller - stoke

Kevin Davies yes, Myhill Yes, Fuller Yes

Believe it or Not Myhill is being linked with a move to either Fernebahce or Inter!

Michael Turner of Hull, has been immense this season!

kevin davies - bolton

Kamil Zayatte - hull

andy dawson - hull

boaz myhill - hull

glen johnson - portsmouth????

ricardo fuller - stoke

Davies - fat bully

Zayatte - Not seen enough of him to judge

Myhill - Decent keeper, probably Premiership quality but not top half

Johnson - Overhyped as a youngster, gave him an ego, only just recovering to be a decent player, still horrendous defensively

Fuller - Having been in the Premiership before with Pompey and made no impression, I'd like to see him play at a good level for longer before judging how good he is

Nolan is under-rated just like Bullard. It's surprising that he is still playing for Bolton. There was a lot of rumours of him going to big clubs, etc. at one point of time. That shows how good of a player he is. No offence to Bolton or their fans, but I think Nolan is like a big fish in a small pond.

As for Bullard, I was saying that Gerrard & Lampard should be shipped out of the first 11. They can't replicate their form at club level into international level. Even if they play well, it's just their 'moments'. No consistency. Capello should put in fresh faces in the heart of midfield like Bullard & Carrick or either one of them with Barry.

For me, Milner is not under-rated. He's playing regularly at a club trying to break into the top 4. The only reason he's not getting his place in the England team is because they have Bentley, Wright-Phillips, Young playing in his position. But come to think of it, he is under-rated. Might include him though.

EDIT: Might write up the players for the team later on when I get back my PSP.

Sorry for the double post.. I'm posting the players for the Under-Rated F.C. If there are any disagreements, just post it here.

GK: C. Kirkland, J. Jaaskelainen

DL: W. Bridge, P. Ferreira

DR: R. Taylor, H. Beye

DC: W. Brown, M. Laursen, M. Upson, Y. Kaboul

DMC: M. Carrick, L. Cattermole

ML: J. O'Hara

MR: J. Bullard, J. Pennant

MC: S. Sidwell, K. Prince Boateng

AML: J. Milner, W. Routledge

AMR: A. Lennon, S. Ireland

AMC: K. Nolan, Geovanni

SC: D. Ashton, L. Moore, B. McCarthy, D. Cisse

Taken Out: R. Huth, E. Eboue

EDIT: Note that this isn't the confirmed squad. Still has doubts over some of this players & I need the people's opinion.

Carrick?

I've never seen him pass the ball forward, Just back and sidewards, he is slow, sluggish and weak.

25M from Tottenham was ridiculous

Carrick?

I've never seen him pass the ball forward, Just back and sidewards, he is slow, sluggish and weak.

25M from Tottenham was ridiculous

You kidding me? Have you even seen Man United play? Definitely not. If you have, then you would know that Carrick is the one always supplying through balls to the forwards. & Carrick is definitely not weak.. He wins almost every physical challenge.

Jaaskelainen is probably the best keeper in the league (it's between him, Friedel and Given anyway). Cech has had too much of a dip in form to be called the best any more, Van Der Sar is getting worse by the day, Almunia doesn't make mistakes often but he doesn't pull off many great saves either, Reina is only tested 2 or 3 times a game so it's hard to tell how good he really is (good concentration and incredible reactions though).

i think that martin laursen of villa should be in the team tbh.

You kidding me? Have you even seen Man United play? Definitely not. If you have, then you would know that Carrick is the one always supplying through balls to the forwards. & Carrick is definitely not weak.. He wins almost every physical challenge.

My freind has a season ticket, And his dad does, and both of them say he is crap, and i do watch them.

And it is a matter of opinion.

Like Wes Brown isnt fast...Compared to other players he is..

I would replace Huth with Laursen, Eboue with Bullard

Tuncay is very underrated if you look at his current perfomance in boro and euro2008

I would replace Huth with Laursen, Eboue with Bullard

Oh yeah. I forgot where Bullard went. I'll update the team now.

My freind has a season ticket, And his dad does, and both of them say he is crap, and i do watch them.

And it is a matter of opinion.

Like Wes Brown isnt fast...Compared to other players he is..

Yeah, of course. He's crap & that's the reason why Ferguson plays him every week. Tell your friend & his dad to read a book about soccer. Carrick is a Defensive Technical player. So all he does is supply ball to the forwards, protect the back 4 & finish an opportunity when the opportunity arises.

EDIT: Will add Tuncay. But who to replace with?

Oh yeah. I forgot where Bullard went. I'll update the team now.

Yeah, of course. He's crap & that's the reason why Ferguson plays him every week. Tell your friend & his dad to read a book about soccer. Carrick is a Defensive Technical player. So all he does is supply ball to the forwards, protect the back 4 & finish an opportunity when the opportunity arises.

EDIT: Will add Tuncay. But who to replace with?

It's called Football, not soccer..and Ferguson plays Fletcher....How crap..

Dong Fangzuo

I don't know how you can justify the inclusion of Kevin Prince-Boateng in that team when he's played about 3 games since joining Spurs.

Jack, you honestly cannot claim that Carrick is crap. He makes everyone around him look better by supplying them with the ball and not running by himself, he's a great passer and has a good shot on him. Imho he is brilliant.

id say fletcher and John O'Shea were under rated as well, they might not be a world class player but when they are called upon they get the job done yes they have shaky periods but doesnt everyone?

ashton aint under rated he was top scorer for 2 seasons in my game also pogrebnyak i think is under-rated

Sorry for the double post.. I'm posting the players for the Under-Rated F.C. If there are any disagreements, just post it here.

GK: C. Kirkland, J. Jaaskelainen

DL: W. Bridge, P. Ferreira

DR: R. Taylor, H. Beye

DC: W. Brown, M. Laursen, M. Upson, Y. Kaboul

DMC: M. Carrick, L. Cattermole

ML: J. O'Hara

MR: J. Bullard, J. Pennant

MC: S. Sidwell, K. Prince Boateng

AML: J. Milner, W. Routledge

AMR: A. Lennon, S. Ireland

AMC: K. Nolan, Geovanni

SC: D. Ashton, L. Moore, B. McCarthy, D. Cisse

Taken Out: R. Huth, E. Eboue

EDIT: Note that this isn't the confirmed squad. Still has doubts over some of this players & I need the people's opinion.

GK: C. Kirkland, J. Jaaskelainen

DL: Ricardo Gardner, Matt Taylor

DR: Gretar Steinsson, H. Beye

DC: Paul Scharner, Nedum Onuoha, Ricardo Carvalho, M. Laursen

DMC: Papa Bouba Diop, L. Cattermole

ML: Andy Reid, Ashley Young

MR: James Milner, S. Ireland

AMC: Danny Murphy, Jimmy Bullard

SC: John Carew, Nicklas Bendtner, Obafemi Martins, Matt Derbyshire

^^ What I think would be better. I know Carvalho is rated highly, but I don't think he's rater highly enough. He's twice the defender of John Terry, and Chelsea look half the team without him. Same with Ashley Young, it's criminal that the big 4 have overlooked him so often.

It's called Football, not soccer..and Ferguson plays Fletcher....How crap..

Dong Fangzuo

Well, how exactly do you justify the mentioning of Dong Fangzhou in a thread about underrated players? That guy is completely useless. Only reason he's in United is for Marketing and PR reasons, only games he will ever play is the pre-season games on the East Asia Tour...

^^ Agreed. Loads of "underrated" players in this thread haven't played anything like enough games to justify that tag.

Just to add Dong will not be playing any games for Utd as he was released last season and he was purely bought for PR and marketing reasons

anyone wants some gr8 players heres a few 4 u defour,marquinhos,asenjo,james vaughan,right bk diogo,& if u want a cheap but very good left winger guerreiro polish kid he is always consistant

wrong thread scoobydo, and its forum rules not to use short hand or text speak,

i think Micheal turner is underated as he is one of the best cb's in england in my opinion and is at a team like Hull!!

Michael Turner... Where have I heard that before...

maybe on motd when hull rag a team

what do you mean at a team like hull?????

well they are hardly champions league material are they?

maybe on motd when hull rag a team

Not quite...

just because a team doesnt play in the champions league doesnt mean that they arent a good team. For example villa, spurs, everton and man city dont play in ther champions league but that doesnt mean they are a crap team does it.

Also if chelsea wasnt owned by Roman Abramovich they would be no where.