Players you have been wrong (or right) about

[Victor Meldrew]

With Henderson doing so well at Liverpool this season I confess to being one of those that thought he wouldn't be good enough-wrong.
We all like to think that we can recognise good or bad players so who else, for you knowledgable (?) fans out there have you been wrong about?

From Reading's perspective there are two that I feel I was right about being no good and (going back a while but put here because of reputation or that they cost quite a lot at the time) I put to you David Leworthy, Craig Maskell and the dreadful (as part of the deal for the wonderful Simon Osborn) Michael Meaker.
From Liverpool's perspective it has to be Downing-apart from a very brief spell at Middlesboro he is for me the ultimate weedy winger who costs a lot of money but rarely produces and now at West Ham where expectations are much lower he still looks poor IMHO.

Feeling right about those four I admit to being badly wrong about Shane Long and Jimmy Quinn.
With Long I thought he was just a runner who could jump a bit and had poor control but how he improved towards the end of his time with us and became a revelation.
In the case of Quinny I had seen a bit of him at Bournemouth before he came to us and he looked like an old player going through the motions and wondered why on earth we bought him-again a revelation and one of the best positional players and clinical strikers that I have ever seen and in particular at our club.
If only he could pass on that knowledge to our current strikers.

[No Fixed Abode]

I think you have to judge a player by consistency over a period of seasons. One good season doesn't count for me so too early to judge on Henderson IMO.

For instance, Papis Cisse was awesome in his first season but has been shit ever since.

[Victor Meldrew]

I think you have to judge a player by consistency over a period of seasons. One good season doesn't count for me so too early to judge on Henderson IMO.

For instance, Papis Cisse was awesome in his first season but has been shit ever since.

A fair point but he has done so much better than I expected of him.

[From Despair To Where?]

Juan Sebastian Veron. One of the best midfielders in the world at the time.

Thought his game was suited to English football yet he was utter gash at 2 clubs. You can only assume he didn't settle in England because
you can't even say he was a bad signing. He was exactly the sort of player a club like Chelsea should have been signing at the time to make the step up. Also United, the game is littered with players who for some reason didn't click at one club but did well elsewhere

As for Reading, i would agree with Quinn but also add Micky Gooding. Came here as someone I thought of as a lower league journeyman who we might get a couple of season out of. What a fantastic player he was for us.

[Royalcop]

Mass Sarr looked amazing in his first game for us - see also Drenthe.

I thought Murty looked terrible when he first came here; considering he was signed as a winger for quite a big fee he looked distinctly one-paced and average then quickly got injured.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Mass Sarr looked amazing in his first game for us - see also Drenthe.

I thought Murty looked terrible when he first came here; considering he was signed as a winger for quite a big fee he looked distinctly one-paced and average then quickly got injured.

So you got Murts right?

Wrong about Glen Little. Thought he was bang average when he was here on loan, then when he signed permanently he became the best player in the world.

[Ouroboros]

Great shout.

I remember this game: http://www.royals.org/matdoc/260403.html

Weirdly, he was playing behind the striker IIRC, switching roles with Andy Hughes for the day. The HNA match report said:

Glen Little's goal must have been a massive relief for him after a series of disappointing games after arriving on loan from Burnley. He's struggled to show his best form at Reading and probably had his worst game yet on Monday when Reading struggled so badly at Portsmouth.

Who could have known...

[stealthpapes]

Ronaldo, C.

Even the season before he really kicked off into another level (05-06), I thought he was a tremendously wasteful, selfish and even nasty little player. Then there was the 2006 world cup ("he's a cancer on the sport I love ... ") and then ...

Yeah.

[stealthpapes]

I'd probably go with Long as well.

I liked him when he first came into the side as he was completely unpredictable and scored some nice goals as a late sub. I think he was shoved into the first team a bit too soon and certainly in the the second premiership season, he was relied upon much too early in his career and did not do well. I also remember a later season when he went what seemed like weeks or months without scoring. It must have been around then when he came back from preseason saying "oi've been working with me boxing mates" and looked like he'd eaten them.

Yeah, so I was happy with the last season he had at Reading but it wasn't all easy getting there.

[6ft Kerplunk]

Ronaldo, C.

Even the season before he really kicked off into another level (05-06), I thought he was a tremendously wasteful, selfish and even nasty little player..

This. There was a point where he looked like he had all the tricks in the world but no end product.

[TBM]

I always remember an Everton supporting friend of mine telling me about this "wonderkid" who was only 14 years old.....told me he'll be a future England captain

He was on about Wayne Rooney

[Maguire]

I always remember an Everton supporting friend of mine telling me about this "wonderkid" who was only 14 years old.....told me he'll be a future England captain

He was on about Wayne Rooney

Yeah but Rooney was hyped massively as a youth player by absolutely everybody.

Back to the "wrong" topic - really rated Scott Murray and was desperate for Reading to sign him. After a decent enough start he became quite gash really.

I like to think I was right about Jimmy Kebe - always said he had something but he needed confidence and a run in the side.

[TBM]

I always remember an Everton supporting friend of mine telling me about this "wonderkid" who was only 14 years old.....told me he'll be a future England captain

He was on about Wayne Rooney

Yeah but Rooney was hyped massively as a youth player by absolutely everybody.

tbf i had never heard of him until he told me - but yeah, all Everton fans were banging on about him

[Croydon Royal]

Also like to think I was right about Kebe. Resolutely adamant that he would be a key player for Reading eventually, despite those few months when he looked incapable of dribbling, trapping or crossing the ball.

Also like to feel a bit smug about Le Fondre. Watched him a lot when he was just breaking through at Stockport and Rochdale and was sure he'd play at a higher level and score goals in the Premiership (which he did, even if it was for one month with a doomed Reading side).

On the subject of Stockport, I can put Liam Dickinson, who I watched a lot there, well in the WRONG column. I was certain he'd be a big star one day. He had all the attributes to be a top player. When he was snapped up by Derby I thought it was a stepping stone on the way to huge things....he failed to make an appearance for them and I believe he now plays for Stalybridge Celtic. Oops.

Oh, and similar to one of the posters above, I too might have mumbled something along the lines of never wanting to go to the Madejski again if that useless waste of space Shane Long continued upfront miscontrolling the ball and scuffing shots...

[Pepe the Horseman]

Giles Barnes. Thought he was destined for big things. Now playing in the MLS at the age of 25. Although it's injuries that have killed his career, rather than ability/attitude.

[Handsome Man]

I was completely wrong about Steven Gerrard. I didn't see how somebody with his low level of pass completion could cope in a Rodgers team, but he has been great this year.

Sadly, I was completely right about Drenthe.

I was very disappointed that Scott Davies got dropped by Reading because it seemed clear to me he was a better prospect than Sigurdson.

[Wax Jacket]

yep also happy to hold my hands up on Gerrard, and Suarez to some extent

[6ft Kerplunk]

Can we extend this to managers. Steve Coppell 2004/5 season, was convinced he'd lost whatever management skills he'd had and had no idea about how to improve the team and the next season would be a lower half battle to avoid relegation.

[Elmer Park]

I shouted for Coppell to go after a defeat at Rotherham and also didn't think Le Fondre would be good enough for the Championship.

However I always stuck by Shane Long unlike a lot of people who thought he'd end up somewhere like Hull.