Black Widow
02-23-2009, 12:17 PM
EVERY fan can recall a player who sticks in their mind for being totally rubbish.
Opinion often divides followers of the beautiful game but, without fail, useless footballers are a hot topic across the country.
Find out who SunSport rates as the worst.
10. Frank Sinclair (Leicester)
IN fairness, many Chelsea fans will tell you Sinclair doesn't deserve to make our top 10. He won the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup with the Blues — and even scored at Wembley as Luca Vialli's side lifted the League Cup.
But it all went a bit pear shape for Sinclair when he joined Leicester. Two own goals in just three games at the start of the 1999-2000 season did not endear him to the Leicester faithful — especially as one of them gifted Chelsea a point at Filbert Street.
Sinclair's last game for the Foxes saw him chop down Thierry Henry to hand Arsenal a decisive penalty.
9. Massimo Taibi (Manchester United)
UNITED fans look away now — this is one player you may not wish to remember. Highly-rated Taibi moved to Old Trafford from Italian side Venezia for £4.4million in 1999.
But the keeper endured a nightmare stay — highlighted by a howler against Southampton when he let a Matt Le Tissier strike nutmeg him. Things got worse for the hapless Italian when he was blamed for two of the five goals United leaked during a humiliating away day at Chelsea.
Needless to say, Taibi was not missed when he joined Reggina after making just four appearances for Alex Ferguson's side.
8. Michele Padovano (Crystal Palace)
WHEN Crystal Palace announced they were signing a striker from Juventus, the Selhurst faithful rejoiced. Their joy was dampened slightly when they discovered the man in question, Padovano, had provided little more than back-up for the Serie A giants.
But the fans kept the faith and hoped the £1.7million chairman Mark Goldberg splashed on his services would be money well spent. The only problem was that he started just eight matches and never played more than two in a row for the Eagles.
Padovano departed on a free transfer to Metz in 1998 and, by that time, Goldberg had bankrupted himself by pumping around £25million into Palace.
7. Sean Dundee (Liverpool)
YOU would be forgiven for thinking that Dundee was one of the rubbish foreign imports signed by Gerard Houllier during his spell in charge at Anfield. But the blame for throwing £2million down the drain lies squarely at the feet of Roy Evans.
Amazingly, Evans swooped for Dundee after he had notched the breathtaking total of THREE goals in one whole season as Karlsruhe crashed out of the Bundesliga.
Unsurprisingly, the striker never managed to find the net for Liverpool and was quickly packed off to Stuttgart.
6. Ramon Vega (Tottenham)
VEGA and Tottenham were the perfect match — a rubbish defender playing for a club everyone loves to hate. Christian Gross (remember him?) inherited the Swiss international from the charismatic Gerry Francis, who had signed him from Cagliari for £2.5million in 1997.
He always worked hard but the Spurs faithful never took to him — and the fact he conceded a needless penalty during a 3-0 thumping at Chelsea hardly helped matters!
As Ron Noades, who was then Brentford chairman/manager, said ahead of a cup tie: "You always know you have a chance when you see Ramon Vega run out. Wise words indeed from a man who is completely crackers!
5. Tomas Brolin (Leeds)
BROLIN, who also made it into our list of top 10 fat footballers, was simply a joke by the time he waddled into Elland Road in 1995. George Graham paid £4.5million for the man who scored for Sweden against England at Euro 92 — leaving Parma laughing all the way to the bank.
Out of shape and struggling for form, poor old Brolin made just 19 appearances for Leeds before being shipped out on loan to Swiss club FC Zurich. The Swede refused to return when the deal expired and Leeds eventually paid him off.
But Brolin wasn't done with English football, far from it. Poor old Crystal Palace signed him and he was equally useless for them.
4. Titus Bramble (Newcastle and everyone else he has played for)
SOMEWHAT unbelievably, Bramble normally has a cult status with the fans of whichever poor club he turns up at. Bramble has everything required to be one of English football's finest defenders. The only problem is he is prone to make the odd gaffe or six on a regular basis.
Newcastle paid £5million for his services and he was paired at the heart of the Toon defence with Jean-Alain Boumsong. Now, you can make your own jokes about the duo, but the fact they widely were known as the Chuckle Brothers says it all.
The burly bloke still earns a good living playing for Wigan, where he gives Steve Bruce plenty of food for thought...
3. Winston Bogarde (Chelsea)
BOGARDE'S CV reads like a dream — Ajax, AC Milan and Barcelona are just three of the clubs he has played for. The left-footed Dutchman wandered into Stamford Bridge at the start of the 2000-2001 season, reportedly on the recommendation of fellow Holland international Mario Melchiot.
The only problem was that Blues boss Luca Vialli did not even know about the move. The writing was already on the wall for Vialli but poor old 'Humphrey' was still left out in the cold when Claudio Ranieri arrived at the Bridge.
Ranieri wanted rid yet Bogarde clung on for dear life and managed to twiddle his thumbs until his lucrative contract expired in 2004.
2. Marco Boogers (West Ham)
BARMY Boogers joined the Hammers for £750,000 from Sparta Rotterdam in July 1995. Much was expected of the Dutch striker but his time with the club was short-lived to say the least.
In just his second appearance, Boogers came on as a substitute against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Yet he shouldn't have bothered taking his tracksuit top off as a horror two-footed lunge at Gary Neville saw him sent off.
Thoroughly humiliated and depressed following his short outing at the Theatre of Dreams, Boogers disappeared back to Holland.
1. Ali Dia (Southampton)
DIA may be a truly rubbish footballer but he's one of the best conmen in the business! The striker arrived in 1996 after convincing Graeme Souness that he came highly recommended by none other than George Weah.
Dia claimed he had it all — he could dribble past the best defenders and had pace to burn. Having talked himself up sufficiently to be handed a trial, Dia won a place on the bench as the Saints took on Leeds at the Dell.
Souness gambled by taking Matt Le Tissier off and throwing on Dia. The substitute missed an open goal and lasted just 16 minutes before being hauled off by his furious manager. Funnily enough, he was never seen in a red and white shirt again.
The Sun
Opinion often divides followers of the beautiful game but, without fail, useless footballers are a hot topic across the country.
Find out who SunSport rates as the worst.
10. Frank Sinclair (Leicester)
IN fairness, many Chelsea fans will tell you Sinclair doesn't deserve to make our top 10. He won the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup with the Blues — and even scored at Wembley as Luca Vialli's side lifted the League Cup.
But it all went a bit pear shape for Sinclair when he joined Leicester. Two own goals in just three games at the start of the 1999-2000 season did not endear him to the Leicester faithful — especially as one of them gifted Chelsea a point at Filbert Street.
Sinclair's last game for the Foxes saw him chop down Thierry Henry to hand Arsenal a decisive penalty.
9. Massimo Taibi (Manchester United)
UNITED fans look away now — this is one player you may not wish to remember. Highly-rated Taibi moved to Old Trafford from Italian side Venezia for £4.4million in 1999.
But the keeper endured a nightmare stay — highlighted by a howler against Southampton when he let a Matt Le Tissier strike nutmeg him. Things got worse for the hapless Italian when he was blamed for two of the five goals United leaked during a humiliating away day at Chelsea.
Needless to say, Taibi was not missed when he joined Reggina after making just four appearances for Alex Ferguson's side.
8. Michele Padovano (Crystal Palace)
WHEN Crystal Palace announced they were signing a striker from Juventus, the Selhurst faithful rejoiced. Their joy was dampened slightly when they discovered the man in question, Padovano, had provided little more than back-up for the Serie A giants.
But the fans kept the faith and hoped the £1.7million chairman Mark Goldberg splashed on his services would be money well spent. The only problem was that he started just eight matches and never played more than two in a row for the Eagles.
Padovano departed on a free transfer to Metz in 1998 and, by that time, Goldberg had bankrupted himself by pumping around £25million into Palace.
7. Sean Dundee (Liverpool)
YOU would be forgiven for thinking that Dundee was one of the rubbish foreign imports signed by Gerard Houllier during his spell in charge at Anfield. But the blame for throwing £2million down the drain lies squarely at the feet of Roy Evans.
Amazingly, Evans swooped for Dundee after he had notched the breathtaking total of THREE goals in one whole season as Karlsruhe crashed out of the Bundesliga.
Unsurprisingly, the striker never managed to find the net for Liverpool and was quickly packed off to Stuttgart.
6. Ramon Vega (Tottenham)
VEGA and Tottenham were the perfect match — a rubbish defender playing for a club everyone loves to hate. Christian Gross (remember him?) inherited the Swiss international from the charismatic Gerry Francis, who had signed him from Cagliari for £2.5million in 1997.
He always worked hard but the Spurs faithful never took to him — and the fact he conceded a needless penalty during a 3-0 thumping at Chelsea hardly helped matters!
As Ron Noades, who was then Brentford chairman/manager, said ahead of a cup tie: "You always know you have a chance when you see Ramon Vega run out. Wise words indeed from a man who is completely crackers!
5. Tomas Brolin (Leeds)
BROLIN, who also made it into our list of top 10 fat footballers, was simply a joke by the time he waddled into Elland Road in 1995. George Graham paid £4.5million for the man who scored for Sweden against England at Euro 92 — leaving Parma laughing all the way to the bank.
Out of shape and struggling for form, poor old Brolin made just 19 appearances for Leeds before being shipped out on loan to Swiss club FC Zurich. The Swede refused to return when the deal expired and Leeds eventually paid him off.
But Brolin wasn't done with English football, far from it. Poor old Crystal Palace signed him and he was equally useless for them.
4. Titus Bramble (Newcastle and everyone else he has played for)
SOMEWHAT unbelievably, Bramble normally has a cult status with the fans of whichever poor club he turns up at. Bramble has everything required to be one of English football's finest defenders. The only problem is he is prone to make the odd gaffe or six on a regular basis.
Newcastle paid £5million for his services and he was paired at the heart of the Toon defence with Jean-Alain Boumsong. Now, you can make your own jokes about the duo, but the fact they widely were known as the Chuckle Brothers says it all.
The burly bloke still earns a good living playing for Wigan, where he gives Steve Bruce plenty of food for thought...
3. Winston Bogarde (Chelsea)
BOGARDE'S CV reads like a dream — Ajax, AC Milan and Barcelona are just three of the clubs he has played for. The left-footed Dutchman wandered into Stamford Bridge at the start of the 2000-2001 season, reportedly on the recommendation of fellow Holland international Mario Melchiot.
The only problem was that Blues boss Luca Vialli did not even know about the move. The writing was already on the wall for Vialli but poor old 'Humphrey' was still left out in the cold when Claudio Ranieri arrived at the Bridge.
Ranieri wanted rid yet Bogarde clung on for dear life and managed to twiddle his thumbs until his lucrative contract expired in 2004.
2. Marco Boogers (West Ham)
BARMY Boogers joined the Hammers for £750,000 from Sparta Rotterdam in July 1995. Much was expected of the Dutch striker but his time with the club was short-lived to say the least.
In just his second appearance, Boogers came on as a substitute against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Yet he shouldn't have bothered taking his tracksuit top off as a horror two-footed lunge at Gary Neville saw him sent off.
Thoroughly humiliated and depressed following his short outing at the Theatre of Dreams, Boogers disappeared back to Holland.
1. Ali Dia (Southampton)
DIA may be a truly rubbish footballer but he's one of the best conmen in the business! The striker arrived in 1996 after convincing Graeme Souness that he came highly recommended by none other than George Weah.
Dia claimed he had it all — he could dribble past the best defenders and had pace to burn. Having talked himself up sufficiently to be handed a trial, Dia won a place on the bench as the Saints took on Leeds at the Dell.
Souness gambled by taking Matt Le Tissier off and throwing on Dia. The substitute missed an open goal and lasted just 16 minutes before being hauled off by his furious manager. Funnily enough, he was never seen in a red and white shirt again.
The Sun