The Worst Leicester Player

[Blaarev]

Dennis Wise.

Worst person, not worst player.

 

[fitz]

John Curtis

Thread closed, we have the winner.

 

[Jeff]

Steve Bicknell.

 

[Feriol]

Ricky Sappleton
Peter Caniero
Rab Douglas.

In fact it's quicker to name the decent players from the Levein era.

1)

 

[Feriol]

Shaun Newton
Matt Mills

This could easily become the longest thread ever on TB.

 

[Feriol]

If I had to pick one, I would say Momo Sylla.
The likes of Josh Low and even Junior Lewis always tried hard, they just didn't have the ability. Momo just couldn't be bothered.

 

[bocadillo]

Tommy English

Him. And to think we swapped him for Jim Melrose!

 

[Blue Maniac]

Stephen Hughes, David Bell, Mark de Vries, Elvis Hammond, Leon Črnčič, Jason Jarrett, Momo Sylla, Carl Cort, Joe Hamill, Matt Heath, Nathan Blake, Lars Hirschfeld, Ricardo, Lee Morris, Patrick Gerrbrand, Peter Gilbert, Hossein Kaebi, Ricky Sappleton, John Paintsil, Ryan McGivern, Robbie Neilson, Tom Kennedy, Moreno, Franck Moussa, Michael Ball, Michael Johnson.

Special mentions for Marco Ferreira, Sergio Hellings, and Jimmy Nielsen, who were so bad they never even got on the pitch for the worst Leicester side of all time.

 

[tedfoxxx]

Joe Hamill

 

[Stevie Lynex on the wing]

I hope FoxFranks will not mind me starting this as a separate thread but his post seemed to me a more interesting topic than the wretched Palace game. Obviously Jeff and the other Great Powers will feel free to move it back to the original topic.

An Australian learning that I supported Leicester City asked me if I had ever seen a goalkeeper called Kalic. I exploded "The worst professional goalkeeper I have seen in any league. Radio Leicester said "There stands Kalic with his head in his hands; lets hope he does not drop it." "Oh" said the Australian "He's one of my best friends" Kalic performance against Bolton was so bad you just felt embarrassed for the lad. I find it difficult to believe he went on to play for one of the Milan clubs (1)

Stan Colleymore had a lot of ability. However, when he had clashed with manager Peter Taylor he did the unforgivable thing. I honestly believe that against Aston Villa he deliberately played badly. Peter Taylor said his performance was "unacceptable". He never played for the 1st team again; however he did play in a reserve game when he ended up having a punchup with Trevor Benjamin.

As for big centre forwards Carl Cort was much worse than Slimani. Malcolm Partridge was bought for £50.000 in the early 1970s which was a lot for a Second Division. A reference book on Leicester City described him as "Good off the ball". They did not say he was completely useless on the ball even at Second Division level.

Sven brought in a right back from Ghana John (I forget his second name). The best that can be said about John was that he made defending interesting.

The worst actor was DJ Campbell. His diving involved such death throes that no referee was going to be convinced. The worst protester was one of my favourites; Marcin Wasilewski. His claims of innocence were never believed. With his looks if Marcin Wasilewski had been on jury duty he would have been convicted.

James Pearson deserves a special mention. He must be the only player to get a manager sacked having played only one first team game.

In a different way of looking at bad players I would pick Robbie Savage. He was an effective player but I found his style of play contemptible. I was unable to cheer him and felt that he tarnished the club.

(1) Does anybody know if the Radio Leicester quote is genuine. It has the feel of something made up after the game.

 

[Stevie Lynex on the wing]

James Pearson did not get Nigel Pearson the sack.
NP achieved it all by himself - his son's disrespectful behaviour didn't help but he was already in the firing line.

 

[Miles Away]

Stephen Hughes, David Bell, Mark de Vries, Elvis Hammond, Leon Črnčič, Jason Jarrett, Momo Sylla, Carl Cort, Joe Hamill, Matt Heath, Nathan Blake, Lars Hirschfeld, Ricardo, Lee Morris, Patrick Gerrbrand, Peter Gilbert, Hossein Kaebi, Ricky Sappleton, John Paintsil, Ryan McGivern, Robbie Neilson, Tom Kennedy, Moreno, Franck Moussa, Michael Ball, Michael Johnson.

Special mentions for Marco Ferreira, Sergio Hellings, and Jimmy Nielsen, who were so bad they never even got on the pitch for the worst Leicester side of all time.

Some “okay” players in there.

Michael Jonhnson, Heath, Ricardo, Hughes. Yes they’re all a bit shit...

 

[Lako42]

Stephen Hughes, David Bell, Mark de Vries, Elvis Hammond, Leon Črnčič, Jason Jarrett, Momo Sylla, Carl Cort, Joe Hamill, Matt Heath, Nathan Blake, Lars Hirschfeld, Ricardo, Lee Morris, Patrick Gerrbrand, Peter Gilbert, Hossein Kaebi, Ricky Sappleton, John Paintsil, Ryan McGivern, Robbie Neilson, Tom Kennedy, Moreno, Franck Moussa, Michael Ball, Michael Johnson.

Special mentions for Marco Ferreira, Sergio Hellings, and Jimmy Nielsen, who were so bad they never even got on the pitch for the worst Leicester side of all time.

Have a word with yourself, Matt Heath doesn't deserve to be among those names.

Mark de Varies was a limited player but he scored some important goals and always worked hard.

The rest were complete shit though

 

[Brown Nose]

This is of course extremely subjective and something that tends towards more recent memories.

I go back to the late 70s so cannot comment on those that went before. There are two main eras that delivered a lot of shite. The late 80s to early 90s and mid to late 00s.

David Pleat brought some absolute garbage in at times. Martin Hodge in goal was an absolute donkey. We also went through a phase of bringing in has-beens like Lawrie Madden, Terry Fenwick, Allan Evans, and so on. Their legs had gone and their motivation for us was non-existant. The worst culprit I recall from this era was Ricky Hill. Technically capable but totally unfit and uninterested in playing for us. This was an era of watching a lot of players that really couldn't give a toss.

Peter Taylor did his best to feck up a good group with some horrific signings. Lee Marshall gets an honourable mention but Junior Lewis was in a class of his own. The only player I've ever seen where I genuinely think I could have done better. Technically dreadful with a brain to match.

In our skint years, we ended up with a lot of journeymen and losers. Some were just no good but the worst were those that couldn't be arsed with it. Step forward the likes of Ryan Smith, Andy Welsh, Joe Hamill, Josh Low, Levi Porter, Bruno N'Gotty, Carl Cort, Collins John, Barry Hayles, Jamie Clapham and Shaun Newton. All terrible and most an embarrassment to the shirt.

Junior Lewis has never been surpassed for me though.

 

[Blue Maniac]

Some “okay” players in there.

Michael Jonhnson, Heath, Ricardo, Hughes. Yes they’re all a bit shit...

Hughes was one of the flimsiest midfielders we’ve ever seen, and a symbol of a most depressing era of football. Surprised to see resistance on Heath, he was just well out of his depth.

 

[Ike O'Noclassed]

This is of course extremely subjective and something that tends towards more recent memories.

I go back to the late 70s so cannot comment on those that went before. There are two main eras that delivered a lot of shite. The late 80s to early 90s and mid to late 00s.

....

It's an odd one, as a lot of the candidates put forward are those who were inadequate or worse at the top level, Lammie Robertson and Alan Waddle from McLintock's disastrous reign, Nicky Mohan and Franz Carr from the Little/McGee season, and Denis Wise and most of the 2003/4 squad at the time of the embargo - surely all are in absolute terms "better" than the worst of the Pleat and post-bankrupcy years - for whom the endless supply of hopeless imports and loanees (Kjetil Oswald anyone?) deserve a class of their own.

Logically it's our one season in the third tier that ought to be the home of the worst - but I can't think of anyone (possibly fat, flapping emergency loan Tony Warner, and want-away Joe Mattock) who was anything less than decent in that fabulous year in League 1.

David's eccentric and highly entertaining list has me completely puzzled - Malcolm Partridge was no String, but those were the days when we plundered Mansfield and Scotland for bargains, and he displaced Rodney Fern for half a 2nd division championship season before getting injured and losing his place - still spent two or three years as a reserve/squad player, so nowhere near the worst in my book.

Spider Kalac of course was hilariously bad - hard to believe that his one and only league game brought a great away win at the Hawthorns and he was alongside Scotty Taylor and Pontus, all three having been signed for £800k or thereabouts the previous summer. He was a bag of nerves and disastrous overconfidence, but really it was McGee's arrogance in ditching the steady Kevin Poole and our coaching staff who should have noticed his disastrous inability to jump for or catch high balls - presumably cured as he had a half-decent Conrad sort of career in Eredivisie and Serie A.

I'd also certainly finger those players who were bad or worse in a good team - Graham Fenton springs to mind there

 

[Blaarev]

Kjetil Oswald anyone

Osvold! The only Norwegian ever to play for Leicester. So far.

 

[FOX Franks]

For me Kevin pressman ,past it when he joined us, got too the point he could dive but couldn't jump so corners for opposition were so easy for them,

Welcome David, and thanks for bringing that lump in. Christ, he was bad.

Surprising amount of goalkeepers in that list. John Pantsil is a good shout, I never saw junior Lewis play so I can't comment but I've heard it all...

Thanks to DG for making it a thread.

 

[Rock Fox]

Stephen Hughes, David Bell, Mark de Vries, Elvis Hammond, Leon Črnčič, Jason Jarrett, Momo Sylla, Carl Cort, Joe Hamill, Matt Heath, Nathan Blake, Lars Hirschfeld, Ricardo, Lee Morris, Patrick Gerrbrand, Peter Gilbert, Hossein Kaebi, Ricky Sappleton, John Paintsil, Ryan McGivern, Robbie Neilson, Tom Kennedy, Moreno, Franck Moussa, Michael Ball, Michael Johnson.

Special mentions for Marco Ferreira, Sergio Hellings, and Jimmy Nielsen, who were so bad they never even got on the pitch for the worst Leicester side of all time.

Didn't think that Mark de Vries attained anywhere near the awfully low standard as many of the others - and what club wouldn't want an Elvis playing for them?

 

[alex]

Nothing even close to Junior Lewis for me. Nothing. And I'm 44.