Footballers who have properly stole a living since 2010.....

[arbboy]

..... relative to their talent in line with their wages.

I don't think anyone can compare to this guesser.   He has made huge cash relatively compared to his output.  He must have an amazing agent to get the big clubs to constantly overpay him as he slides down the ladder.   Is there anyone worse than SS?  Guys like Bale don't count because they have done it at the top level.   SS has probably made £25m out of football and done nothing of note.  I only found him tonight because i was looking at pukki's goal total this year and SS appeared with 9 goals for Preston.  £15k a week at preston for this guesser ?  is that too much?  He doesn't have an England cap but 7 u21 caps.  He has several kids with his air head coronation st missus who probably can't believe her luck but kinda knew she was pay pay for life on meeting him in Manc a decade ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Sinclair

Feel free to add your own guessers to the list.   It has to be relatiive to their wages not just guys who haven't produced.  SS was massively over paid at Man City and Villa and Celtic (rangers were bankrupt in this era)

[arbboy]

Tom ince based on his dad's rep is another one who ticks all the boxes. Absolutely stole a living at stoke for 3 years.  He did the same at huddersfield before stoke.  Most of these guessers had huge u21 caps like ince (18) but never made the full england cap i assume because their ego and lifestyle/gf stopped them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Ince

Relatively will have earned a fortune with hudd over paying for his only real prem season and all his major champ seasons being at huge overpayers like derby and stoke especially

[RickBFA]

Jordan Rhodes in last 3-4 years at Sheffield Wednesday.

£9m fee and £35k a week.

Looks like he’s got a sack of spuds on his back.

Plus his refusal to take a penalty in a play off semi final shoot out against Huddersfield. Made my blood boil.

He’s took penalties all his career successful but bottled it. You buy star players for moments like that and expect them to step up to the plate.

[tikay]

The last 5 (?) years of Andy Carroll?

[booder]

Tom ince based on his dad's rep is another one who ticks all the boxes. Absolutely stole a living at stoke for 3 years.  He did the same at huddersfield before stoke.  Most of these guessers had huge u21 caps like ince (18) but never made the full england cap i assume because their ego and lifestyle/gf stopped them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Ince

Relatively will have earned a fortune with hudd over paying for his only real prem season and all his major champ seasons being at huge overpayers like derby and stoke especially

Ince was the first person i thought of.

[Doobs]

Scott Sinclair and Tom Ince both seem to have done OK at several clubs.  Like even now Scott Sinclair seems to be getting regularly picked and scoring more than enough for a winger.  

And 15k is still less than Ashley Ward used to earn at Bradford City for moping around in the opposition half and scoring once every 10 games..   Ashley Ward and his whole family have run good since his retirement too.  If you object to how Scott Sinclair makes a living, I wouldn't google Taylor Ward...

Lee Sharpe is another that springs to mind.  Was clearly very good for a few years at Manchester United, but going through the motions for several years afterwards.

It is hard to be to critical though, as you never know what is going om behind the scenes.  Footballers can be carrying injuries late in their careers, and we all have good years and bad years.

[KarmaDope]

Richard Wright, surely?

Apparently made 350k a year to not even sit on City's bench for 4 years.

[arbboy]

Richard Wright, surely?

Apparently made 350k a year to not even sit on City's bench for 4 years.

That's a good shout.   Lee Grant left Stoke for a similar multi year relatively big pay day at Man Utd and was a practice player.  Played two games since 2018.

[Longines]

Islam Slimani.

£28 million striker and in the last five years has averaged 3.6 goals a season.

[AndrewT]

There is a big tradition of the English player who looks the bomb as a teenager, gets some U21 caps, looks set for big things and then just doesn’t kick on. I think with a lot of them all that happens is that, for the first time since they kicked a ball as a kid, football gets tough.

They’d have been best kid at football at their school, then best at their youth team, then the pro game itself is great. Then something will happen, maybe an injury, maybe they get a big money move to a club where they’re not the best in their position and suddenly football’s not fun any more. Couple this with earning £XXk a week, and the attention of every wannabe wag in town and then busting a gut at 100% in training every morning just doesn’t seem worth the effort when you can phone it in, and still get paid, knowing that some other club will probably be willing to give you a chunky contract once your agent gives them the spiel about your ‘unfulfilled potential’

[AndrewT]

Lee Sharpe is another that springs to mind.  Was clearly very good for a few years at Manchester United, but going through the motions for several years afterwards.

Wasn’t the story with him was that he discovered the white powder, and that Man Utd helped cover up periods at rehab with stories of ‘injuries’?

[horseplayer]

There is a big tradition of the English player who looks the bomb as a teenager, gets some U21 caps, looks set for big things and then just doesn’t kick on. I think with a lot of them all that happens is that, for the first time since they kicked a ball as a kid, football gets tough.

They’d have been best kid at football at their school, then best at their youth team, then the pro game itself is great. Then something will happen, maybe an injury, maybe they get a big money move to a club where they’re not the best in their position and suddenly football’s not fun any more. Couple this with earning £XXk a week, and the attention of every wannabe wag in town and then busting a gut at 100% in training every morning just doesn’t seem worth the effort when you can phone it in, and still get paid, knowing that some other club will probably be willing to give you a chunky contract once your agent gives them the spiel about your ‘unfulfilled potential’

Happens with every country tbf you can look at any youth squad from any nation a decade/15 years ago, a few will be superstars a few will have had good careers and a few will be out of the game completely.

Makes me laugh when people say players who played in the premier league have in any way underachieved, as someone who watches a lot of league 1 and league 2 and sometimes lower the talent levels go a long way down. The biggest difference is the mentality and professionalism of a premier league player regardless of what the press tells us.

[arbboy]

There is a big tradition of the English player who looks the bomb as a teenager, gets some U21 caps, looks set for big things and then just doesn’t kick on. I think with a lot of them all that happens is that, for the first time since they kicked a ball as a kid, football gets tough.

They’d have been best kid at football at their school, then best at their youth team, then the pro game itself is great. Then something will happen, maybe an injury, maybe they get a big money move to a club where they’re not the best in their position and suddenly football’s not fun any more. Couple this with earning £XXk a week, and the attention of every wannabe wag in town and then busting a gut at 100% in training every morning just doesn’t seem worth the effort when you can phone it in, and still get paid, knowing that some other club will probably be willing to give you a chunky contract once your agent gives them the spiel about your ‘unfulfilled potential’

Pretty much sums up the opening two i put up perfectly.

[horseplayer]

From Tom Ince England Under 21 2013 era.

He has had a better career already (And is still playing championship football ) than

Marvin Sordell (retired) Jason lowe (Salford) Nathan Delfouneso (Bolton) and at least a similar career path as Andre Wisdom, Tom Lees, Jack Robinson, Jason Steele, Josh McEachran and Henri Lansbury.

[apezmonkeyz]

done mention henri lansbury... bristol city have taken him until then end of the season. the first three games he played we had zero goals for , 10 goals against...  city fans have soon realised that he likes to disappear on the pitch.