General Overrated/Underrated Players

[Yellowecky]

This is what I love about football, the completely different opinions! I would have those two the other way around!

I never understood what people saw in Martin Gray.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Underrated - Josh Ruffels, Martin Gray, David Smith, Matt Robinson, Matt Bound, Ryan Taylor, Sam Long, Matt Murphy, Billy Bodin, Simon Clist

Overrated - Jack Midson (I said it), Chris Hackett, Dubes, Max Crocombe, Eric Sabin, Craig Nelthorpe, Yemi

 

[greatunclekip]

So,

Underrated - Josh Ruffels, Martin Gray, David Smith, Matt Robinson, Matt Bound, Ryan Taylor, Sam Long, Matt Murphy, Billy Bodin, Jack Payne

Overrated - Jack Midson (I said it), Chris Hackett, Dubes, Max Crocombe, Eric Sabin, Craig Nelthorpe, Yemi

Not much wrong with this bar Duberry. Did you see him at the ****** ground?

He showed his age but he was class. Positioning on point.

 

[Followtheox1]

I never understood what people saw in Martin Gray.

I never understood how David Smith racked up so many appearances when he could only move from side to side!

 

[milburn]

Underrated - Ryan Taylor, we looked more dangerous as a team when he played.
Overrated - Steve Basham, first touch was atrocious.

 

[Paul Cannell]

So,

Not much wrong with this bar Duberry. Did you see him at the ****** ground?

He showed his age but he was class. Positioning on point.

I saw Chris McGrath, son of Paul, playing at Bridport for Axminster on Boxing Day. It wasn't a great standard, he was slow, and he played with a back injury but he still dominated the defence, initiated a couple of attacks and was a threat in attack (0-0 draw).

Like Duberry for us, he was a class abov

 

[tonyw]

I never understood how David Smith racked up so many appearances when he could only move from side to side!

He didn't just rack up appearances - he played 45, 45 and 44 games respectively in 95/96, 96/97 and 97/98, which were three of the best sides we have in the past 35 years! He was the ultimate Oxford United water carrier.....break up play, pick up possession, move it on quickly to your more talented teammates.

The sort of player that is always underrated and almost every great team needs one.


Meanwhile the sort of player that is almost always overrated is the tricky winger that has speed and a couple of moves and minimal end product. We've had a lot of them - Allen, Hackett, Manny, Yemi.....I kind of want to add Alfie and Sam Deering to the list as well, but can you be overrated if you contributed to the single greatest Oxford moment of the past three decades (at least)? There's at least a couple in the current squad that I fear may ultimately end up on this list!

 

[Steve Gilbert]

He didn't just rack up appearances - he played 45, 45 and 44 games respectively in 95/96, 96/97 and 97/98, which were three of the best sides we have in the past 35 years! He was the ultimate Oxford United water carrier.....break up play, pick up possession, move it on quickly to your more talented teammates.

The sort of player that is always underrated and almost every great team needs one.


Meanwhile the sort of player that is almost always overrated is the tricky winger that has speed and a couple of moves and minimal end product. We've had a lot of them - Allen, Hackett, Manny, Yemi.....I kind of want to add Alfie and Sam Deering to the list as well, but can you be overrated if you contributed to the single greatest Oxford moment of the past three decades (at least)? There's at least a couple in the current squad that I fear may ultimately end up on this list!

I throw in McGuane being under rated as he is very much a water carrier for us.

 

[NorthernExile]

Underrated: Mark E'Beyer, Courtney Pitt, Emiliano Diaz

X-rated: Matty Taylor, Gavin Whyte, Julian Alsop

 

[Marked Ox]

I never understood what people saw in Martin Gray.

He bullied/beat up the opposition midfield and won the ball back, whereas Smudger only won the ball back often.

They allowed our wingers to be our major attacking threat.

 

[Jster]

I always liked David Smith - good at winning the ball, and getting it to Joey. Martin Gray, however, was similar but worse, and though he gave his all, I thought he was just too negative. Enjoyed his Leeds red card reaction though!

 

[MJB]

He didn't just rack up appearances - he played 45, 45 and 44 games respectively in 95/96, 96/97 and 97/98, which were three of the best sides we have in the past 35 years! He was the ultimate Oxford United water carrier.....break up play, pick up possession, move it on quickly to your more talented teammates.

And once played Centre Back away at Watford I recall, bizarrely.

 

[Foley]

I agree Chrissy Allen was overrated to be fair. He was super quick, really quick, but because he was so quick he didn't really develop the rest of his game to the same level and essentially just had his pace.

He was far better than pace. He played numerous games in the Championship and was a good player.
As a contrast Yemi had loads of pace

 

[Leysboy]

David Smith
Ceri Evans
Matt Murphy
Paul Reece

There’s a few.

 

[m]

Underrated - Josh Ruffels, Martin Gray, David Smith, Matt Robinson, Matt Bound, Ryan Taylor, Sam Long, Matt Murphy, Billy Bodin, Simon Clist

Overrated - Jack Midson (I said it), Chris Hackett, Dubes, Max Crocombe, Eric Sabin, Craig Nelthorpe, Yemi

OK. You're going to have to provide some evidence that someone rated Eric Sabin.

I feel a full-on public shaming is in order.

 

[Followtheox1]

He was far better than pace. He played numerous games in the Championship and was a good player.
As a contrast Yemi had loads of pace

He never really developed the rest of his game to the same level in my view. He went on to Forest from us but only made 25 appearances in three seasons and never really regained his career from there. He had so much pace to get round people but for an attacking player didn't score much. Don't get me wrong he had his moments.

 

[werthersoriginal]

He never really developed the rest of his game to the same level in my view. He went on to Forest from us but only made 25 appearances in three seasons and never really regained his career from there. He had so much pace to get round people but for an attacking player didn't score much. Don't get me wrong he had his moments.

Chris Allen didn’t make it at Forest and then vanished, did he get injured? He was fast but I didn’t think he was that good otherwise.

 

[Followtheox1]

Chris Allen didn’t make it at Forest and then vanished, did he get injured? He was fast but I didn’t think he was that good otherwise.

He may have had injuries but I'm not aware of any major ones

 

[Steve McAvoy]

Chris Allen didn’t make it at Forest and then vanished, did he get injured? He was fast but I didn’t think he was that good otherwise.

For me, with Chrissy it was the combination of him on one wing, Joey on the other. Rather than seeing him in isolation that is what I remember most, the potent partnership.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Under rated Steve Hardwick
Over rated Roy Burton
A controversial view maybe. I loved Burton and it’s nostalgic as he was the keeper in early 70’s when I first started watching Oxford but I always feel he’s a bit over hyped. He was certainly unorthodox and unquestionably brave but boy did he make some howlers, admittedly mixed in with some world class saves! Hardwick, I always thought, went below the radar. A very solid and reliable keeper whose style wasn't spectacular but he made very very few costly mistakes. He was part of probably the best defence Oxford have ever had so was well protected!