Best And Worst Debut for your club

gimmick

Club: Cork City

Best: Its a tie between John O Flynn and George O Callaghan. A balmy July evening, the very first of the new Summer League season 2002/03. City played host to Champions Shelbourne. City won 3-0 with Flynn scoring two, and George the other. A new spirit of enthusiasm was felt at the Cross as these two marked their arrival.

Worst: Liam Kearney. He looked like the mascot and played like a mongoloid. Tripped over the ball, easily pushed off the ball, couldn't tackle. It was unbearable to watch.

_blank_

gimmick wrote: »

Worst: Liam Kearney. He looked like the mascot and played like a mongoloid. Tripped over the ball, easily pushed off the ball, couldn't tackle. It was unbearable to watch.

Same.

Galvasean

Arsenal,
Worst: Edu, scored two own goals.

mayordenis

diouf for liverpool against i think coventry or maybe man city on the first day of that years league scored 2 goals . . . soon dried up.

Dancor

Best: Rooney against Fenerbache (sp?)
Worst: Evra is the only one I can think of right now, Against City.

kaimera

DesF wrote: »

...

*yawn*

Do you even read thread titles?

_blank_

kaimera wrote: »

*yawn*

Do you even read thread titles?

lol

Tusky

Skrtel had a horrible debut. Thankfully he has improved.

Kuyt made a fantastic debut but unfortunately has gone downhill.

Melion

dancor wrote: »

Best: Rooney against Fenerbache (sp?)
Worst: Evra is the only one I can think of right now, Against City.

William Prunier

iregk

Best:
Mario Stanic - had a cracking game, jugling the ball from 30 yards out to bury david james.

Worst:
Winston Bogarde - every thing he did was the worst in club history.

~Rebel~

For pools best debut i've seen, as mentioned, probably Diouf's or Kuyt.

Most built up and subsequently disappointing debut for pool was Morientes against ManU. Remember all the talk of his record of scoring in every single debut he ever had (went on typically to score in his Valencia debut too..)

Best debut i've ever seen was possibly Mido's at spurs, looked unreal!

The Sparrow

Melion wrote: »

William Prunier

Beat me to it!! Was gonna say perhaps Massimo Taibi but I don't think it was his debut against Southampton when it went so wrong for him.

I'd say that Rooney's debut is unbeatable as the best by a Utd player.

AnCapaillMor

Galvasean wrote: »

Arsenal,
Worst: Edu, scored two own goals.

Feck thanks for reminding me, was going to do reyes in the carling cup semi, funny both were against boro.

PHB

In my memory,

Best: Scholes
Worst: Evra

The Sparrow

Oh and I doubt anyone is a Middlesborough fan (?) but I think a mention should be made for Fabrizio Ravanelli's debut in the first game of the 1996 season when he scored a hat-trick against Liverpool.

~Rebel~

safe to say worst of all time must be Ali Dia for Southampton

Evil_Clown

Best: Freddie ljungberg (A fantastic Lob against a certain Peter)
Worst: Igor Stepanovs (i actually can't remember but I bet it was sh*te, cos he was)

MrJoeSoap

~Rebel~ wrote: »

safe to say worst of all time must be Ali Dia for Southampton

Yeah that was pretty embarrassing. We could do with him now though...

Guy:Incognito

mayordenis wrote: »

diouf for liverpool against i think coventry or maybe man city on the first day of that years league scored 2 goals . . . soon dried up.

I'd have that in as worst. Just for the fact that we signed him and played him. Horrible person (Diouf, not you)

arbeitsscheuer

Evil_Clown wrote: »

Worst: Igor Stepanovs (i actually can't remember but I bet it was sh*te, cos he was)

Scored on his debut against Ipswich actually and played pretty well, iirc.

BEST: Paddy vs Sheffield Wednesday, 1996. Came on for the injured Romford Pele when we were playing pretty awful. Looked like Carlton Palmer, played like the best midfielder we'd had since Chippy. Won 4-2.

WORST: Difficult to remember. Will get back to ya.

Raekwon

Club: Aston Villa

Best: Dion Dublin. He scored twice on his debut, in a 3-2 home victory over Tottenham. He followed this up with a hat trick in his second game which was a 4-1 victory over Southampton before getting two in Villa's 4-2 defeat at home to Liverpool. He could have scored a hat-trick for the second week running but his penalty was saved by David James. Stuff of legends!

Worst: Bosko Balaban. Made his debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw at home to Man Utd and missed a sitter that could have won the game. His full debut was in the UEFA Cup in his home land of Croatia against NK Varteks and he ran around the pitch like a headless chicken until he was finally taken off. He was never seen since in a Villa shirt. £6m well spent :rolleyes:

Charlie

Club: Newcastle,

Best: Duncan Ferguson. Banged in two against the Dons. Also, notable mention to David Edgar who, as a defender, scored a beut against United on his debut.

Worst: Not too sure, but any of the countless rubbish defenders we have paid over the odds for, only for them to do sweet FA from the get go.

Nunu

Melion wrote: »

William Prunier

Prunier was actually quite impressive on his Utd debut in a 2-1 win against QPR...he set up a goal and also almost scored himself, smacking the bar from distance.

It was his infamous away debut that everyone recalls:o

Best: Don't think Rooneys can be beat, but I remember Keane being awesome in his home debut against Sheff Utd, scoring twice.

Worst: Gary Pallister by a distance! We lost 0-2 at home to Norwich. In fact, in his first few games he looked disastrous but it was a measure of the man that he quickly turned it all around and was voted the clubs Player of the Season a few months later.

Juan Pablo

For City in recent times

Best: Ali Bernabia, flew in from Paris that morning, set up all three goals for City in a 3-0 win over Brum who were one of our promotion rivals for Div 1 that year and laid another million chances on a plate that the Goat spurned. Came off after 70 odd mins to a standing ovation, a legend was born.

Worst: Christian Negouai. While not quite his debut (he had played some games in the previous Div 1 season as well as the UEFA cup game against TNS) Negouai's premiership bow came against Everton. He came on as a sub and was sent off within 3 minutes. The only player I know who finished a fantasy football season on minus points! He also missed a drug test around the time of Okey Cokey Rio's ban, Christians excuse was he had to go to the airport to pick up his Ma. A big fine? A lenghly ban? (Un)fortuneatly not. A slap on the wrist was all he got. Lauded as the "best signing he ever made" by Keegan when he splashed £1.5m, poor old Christian was far from that.

Racing Flat

http://www.madridismo.net/Spieler/Raul/raulspecial.html

"Raul made his Real Madrid debut 10 years ago this Friday, at 17 years and four months old, a club record, against Real Zaragoza. The fact he replaced Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueño on that afternoon gave a clear indication of Raul's impending greatness. The fact he has since followed in the footsteps of Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano confirmed it. After his rather disappointing debut, Valdano dropped him for the next game. At the tender age of 17, most kids would have been distraught and short of confidence. But with Raul you could sense his hunger and determination to succeed from a very young age. So he simply let Valdano know. "Look, do you want to win this game (the derby against Atletico Madrid)? Well, pick me." Anybody remember what happened in that game? Raul scored a thunderbolt strike, won a penalty and set up the third in a comfortable win."

smackbunnybaby

Racing Flat wrote: »

http://www.madridismo.net/Spieler/Raul/raulspecial.html

"Raul made his Real Madrid debut 10 years ago this Friday, at 17 years and four months old, a club record, against Real Zaragoza. The fact he replaced Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueño on that afternoon gave a clear indication of Raul's impending greatness. The fact he has since followed in the footsteps of Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano confirmed it. After his rather disappointing debut, Valdano dropped him for the next game. At the tender age of 17, most kids would have been distraught and short of confidence. But with Raul you could sense his hunger and determination to succeed from a very young age. So he simply let Valdano know. "Look, do you want to win this game (the derby against Atletico Madrid)? Well, pick me." Anybody remember what happened in that game? Raul scored a thunderbolt strike, won a penalty and set up the third in a comfortable win."

Worst for Real Madrid - Woodgate, own goal and sent off

Brando_ie

Possibly showing my age by for

Liverpool

BEST: Ronnie Rosenthal. My first reaction was.... what the.... Israel.... Granted he did feature a few weeks earlier and made a goal scoring contribution as a substitute to help claw a victory from a defeat but his first start for Liverpool resulted in a (IIRC) perfect hat trick, so he makes the list.

WORST: I think I would have to second Woodgate's debut for Real. It was truly a train wreck. Although our friend Sissoko would have to get a honorable mention on his Juventus debut (again I think it was his debut?)

homerjay2005

ya, in recent memory, its got to be rooney and evra.

van nistelrooy and heinze also had excellent goal scoring debuts against fulham and bolton...ronaldo was also awesome for the 15/20 mins he was on the field against bolton in 2004.


taibi made an absolute clanger away to liverpool on his debut, but still managed to get MOM amazingly....cant think on any other dodgy debuts, though im sure blanc cant have been too spectacular:D. prunier was actually decent on his debut.

Fratton Fred

~Rebel~ wrote: »

safe to say worst of all time must be Ali Dia for Southampton

damn, beat me to it. Although it should be regarded as one of the best for comic value alone.

For Pompey. it's hard to tell with the improvement in the standard of players their debuts get more and more impressive. One that springs to mind though, are Robert Prosinecki. The guy was probably the best footballer I have seen live, certainly in a Pompey shirt.

The worst for us (Mr Joe Soap will love this)was Greek Goalkeeping legend :rolleyes: Chalkias. Debut for Pompey, in a highly charged derby against Southampton and he was absolute crap. Tragically he went on to get even worse.

Nalz

Melion wrote: »

William Prunier

didnt prunier have a deadly first game, nearly scored and was a rock at the back. its the second game he was poo in againts spurs

EDIT: sorry someone bet me too it!

LuckyLloyd

How can you be a Liverpool fan and not say Stan Collymore!!

~Rebel~

Another really awful Liverpool debut was Daniel Padelli last season in goal against Charlton. He was on loan with a view to buying. Based on this (first and last) game, Pool didn't exercise the buying option...

Was just useless all game, couldn't do anything right, was falling all over the place, kept rushing for the wrong things leaving the goal open etc, just the worst goalkeeping display i've ever seen.

Here's a link to the 2 goals he conceded, but some of the stuff pool weren't punished for was even worse!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/586686/liverpool_2_2_charlton_athletic/





<Edit>
I mentioned Mido's spurs video on the previous page as a great one, found a link to it there http://www.metacafe.com/watch/150217/midos_debut/

PauloMN

Club: Celtic

Of very recent times, these stand out...

Best: Barry Robson, v Aberdeen. 63 seconds I think it was, and his first touch of ball ended up in the net. Scored on his CL debut against Barca. As debuts go, it doesn't get much better than that.

Worst: Du Wei (defender), v Clyde in Scottish Cup. All over the place, hooked at half time and was never seen again. One of the worst individual performances I have ever seen.

ditpoker

smackbunnybaby wrote: »

Worst for Real Madrid - Woodgate, own goal and sent off

the thing about that debut is that while he did get sent off and score an own goal woodgate actually played brilliantly and was applauded off by the madrid fans.

Fratton Fred

PauloMN wrote: »

Club: Celtic

Of very recent times, these stand out...

Best: Barry Robson, v Aberdeen. 63 seconds I think it was, and his first touch of ball ended up in the net. Scored on his CL debut against Barca. As debuts go, it doesn't get much better than that.

Worst: Du Wei (defender), v Clyde in Scottish Cup. All over the place, hooked at half time and was never seen again. One of the worst individual performances I have ever seen.

Who was the Brazillian John Barnes bought that was pants? It was part of the agent/manager con that happened in Brazil.

MrJoeSoap

Rafael Scheidt/Sh*te. Bray fans may recall him.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,543912,00.html

Xavi6

Juan Pablo wrote: »

For City in recent times

Best: Ali Bernabia, flew in from Paris that morning, set up all three goals for City in a 3-0 win over Brum who were one of our promotion rivals for Div 1 that year and laid another million chances on a plate that the Goat spurned. Came off after 70 odd mins to a standing ovation, a legend was born.

Worst: Christian Negouai. While not quite his debut (he had played some games in the previous Div 1 season as well as the UEFA cup game against TNS) Negouai's premiership bow came against Everton. He came on as a sub and was sent off within 3 minutes. The only player I know who finished a fantasy football season on minus points! He also missed a drug test around the time of Okey Cokey Rio's ban, Christians excuse was he had to go to the airport to pick up his Ma. A big fine? A lenghly ban? (Un)fortuneatly not. A slap on the wrist was all he got. Lauded as the "best signing he ever made" by Keegan when he splashed £1.5m, poor old Christian was far from that.

Can't argue with any of that. What a player Ali B. was.

In recent times, Benjani had quite the debut

Fratton Fred

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

Rafael Scheidt/Sh*te. Bray fans may recall him.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,543912,00.html

That's the boy. Apparantly the Brazilian manager was taking back handers from agents to award their clients an international cap. Having two caps for Brazil meant you could be sold to a European team for ten times your worth, as this guy proved.:D

PauloMN

Fratton Fred wrote: »

That's the boy. Apparantly the Brazilian manager was taking back handers from agents to award their clients an international cap. Having two caps for Brazil meant you could be sold to a European team for ten times your worth, as this guy proved.:D

Yes, he was so bad that his name has resulted in a new expression on Celtic fan forums e.g.

"We played pretty Rafael today, eh?"
"That defending was Rafael"
"I'm going to take a Rafael"
etc. etc.

OPENROAD

Best: Ian Wright scored on his debut versus Leicester in Carling Cup.

Worst: Ray Parlour against Liverpool, conceded a penalty,thought he would never make it with us, but turned out to be a legend.