FourFourTwo Poll: Worst Albion Player ever?

[saltash seagull]

ashley neal seems to be winning this and he gets my vote to

 

[NMH]

teddy maybank

...and the reasons?
He was a donkey (incidentally who cost more than we can afford for a whole team 30 years later) and so many times only managed to pass the ball back to the bloke who gave it to him, so he himself wouldn't get found out as incapable of dribbling or going around anyone. Since Mullery had stuck so much dosh on him, he had to play the lump or else admit he'd wasted all that money - so he audaciously put Ward on the bench in favour of playing the mule. A brilliant decision by Mullery, as we all watched pensively, thinking "there must be something we are missing here - he's going to explode into amazing skills and astound the footballing world".
It never happened of course, Wardy lost a bit of his enthusiasm and tenacious ability to turn a game and Mullery was shown up as a terrible tactician in the end.

Can anyone believe that Mullery wanted Ward to come back and defend more, while we had Lawrenson doing the biz and Ward could walk the halfway line for 89 minutes before sealing the points in a few brilliant seconds?

 

[Pevenseagull]

There may well be worse individuals over the years but I got to see Phil Andrews play up front for us at least 20 times and every time he looked out of his depth in the pro game - and I never saw him score (I think he did score once, in about 30 games)

....not very good

The Fox Bros were pretty mediocre

 

[Seagull's Return]

Can't believe any professional player has ever been/will ever be quite as awful as Ashley Neal. Startlingly poor. I really, really resented him taking wages off us under false pretences, the donkey, and it's not even as if the rest of the team were so great they made him look worse than he was!

Although Glenn Thomas has to get the special one-man-one-defeat award, obviously.

(edited to get Thomas's first name right, shouldn't type when angry...)

 

[mona]

Danny Hinshelwood, Eric Saul, Darragh Ryan, Valur Gislason. All shite from the dark days

Darragh Ryan does not deserve to be on this list. He would have made the grade if it hadn't been for that thug Ashley Vickers of Posh breaking his leg.
Ashley Neal was a poor pub team player. I remember him trying twice to hit a long pass against Fulham and missing the ball both times.

 

[Seagull's Return]

Darragh Ryan does not deserve to be on this list. He would have made the grade if it hadn't been for that thug Ashley Vickers of Posh breaking his leg.

Certainly he never really had a chance to develop his skills, given the circumstances at the club at the time and that broken leg. Scored a nice goal against Scunthorpe (away), I seem to remember, and definitely shouldn't be tarred with the same brush as Ashley Neal or the likes of Hilton and co.

 

[Zeitgeist]

For me it's Ashley Neal by a short head from Damien Hilton. There are plenty of candidates for this award but those two were in a 'special category' all of their own. Someone mentioned Christer Warren who IMO was knocking on the door of 'special category.' He was in the squad for Eastleigh a few weeks ago when they played Worthing. His services weren't required that evening strangly enough! Captain of Eastleigh that evening was one Martin Thomas, him of the headed tackle fame! Some have mentioned him in their "worst Albion eleven's" in the past which I thought was unfair. He was premiership class compared to the likes of Gislaasen, (sp?) Paul Linger, Scott Thomas etc.....

 

[Set of Tracksuits]

Agree with Seagull's Return on this one, Ashley Neal gets my vote (does genetics mean NOTHING?) and Glenn Thomas gets the award for worst one-off performance for the own goal/backpass fiasco at Brentford.

One player who also deserves a mention is Jason Peake who cost a bloody fortune when we didn't have a pot to piss in and was utter shit.

 

[Man of Harveys]

In some defence of Teddy Maybank, whose poor performances and resulting crowd indifference were a defining characteristic of my early Albion days, he was seemingly a victim of the nasty old cortisone-jabbing way of "treating" injuries back then. I'm sure no-one knew or cared that he was having blood sapped out of his knee and painkillers injected shortly before playing, it must have been pretty nasty.

There's an article here: http://www.drback.co.uk/arts/cortisone.htm where he's quoted about it.

 

[Infernal Optimist]

Richard Tiltman terrible player and kept Dean Saunders out of the team. Missed about 3 one on one's against Palace.

Ashley Neal - Enough Said.

Mahoney-Johnson or pony malonhey as he was known by my lot.


Paul Wood are you sure?!!!

 

[brighton rock]

peter ward by a mile

 

[ManxSeagull]

Has to be Petterson for that shite performance against Gillingham at Withdean.

Last goal he slipped on his arse

 

[Skaville]

Les Berry and David (one trick) Cameron deserve a mention.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

Damian Hilton - all the mobility and control of Herman Munster, I can't imagine that it's possible for a player to be worse.

 

[Josh Williams]

Cheers for that.
Look out for the supplement with FourFourTwo issue 129 (May).

 

[bathseagull]

claridge

 

[Biscuit]

When you say 442 are doing a poll on Albion players.. I presume this includes West Brom/Burton etc.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

May I be the first to cast a vote for Mark "FREE HEADER" Walton, whose stint at the Albion was an exhibition of sulking, Welshness of the very worst kind, flapping at crosses, punting clearances into the back of Paul Watson's head and getting caught drink driving.

 

[Uncle Buck]

getting caught drink driving.

But that was the thing to do during the Mickey Adams era....

 

[Tesco in Disguise]

peter smith