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Wasted Potential at Portman Road
Written by Nuggets on Tuesday, 9th Jul 2013 13:38

Signed to the tune of £1.4 million and backed by an Arsenal tutelage, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas arrived at Portman Road two years ago talking of how he could help the club realise their Premier League ambition.

Fast forward to the present day, and he now finds himself preparing for life in the third division with recently-relegated Bristol City, desperate to reignite his faltering career.

Despite showing occasional flashes of brilliance at Ipswich Town, Emmanuel-Thomas was unable to justify his price tag and live up to the hype surrounding him.

Of course, he still has time to forge an impressive football career, and he isn’t the first, or inevitably the last, to underperform at Ipswich Town after showing early promise. Many others before Emmanuel-Thomas have been hyped as the ‘next big thing’ at the club, only to be ushered out of the exit door with little fanfare, as these players prove.

Dean Bowditch

At Ipswich, Bowditch is arguably the byword for unfulfilled potential, certainly in recent years. Bowditch made his first team debut in the 2-0 victory against Norwich City as a fresh-faced 16-year-old, back in March 2003. But it wasn’t until a year later that he truly burst on the scene, notching an impressive hat-trick in the 4-1 thrashing over Watford.

That performance, coupled with his steady progression through the England international youth ranks, saw Bowditch viewed as the latest prodigy to come through Ipswich’s lauded academy. He capped off the 2003/04 season with an award for Best Academy Player at the club and it seemed he was set for bigger things.

Unfortunately for both player and club, he wasn’t. Bowditch went on to score five more goals for the club as he suffered from frequent injuries and a loss of form, leading to his eventual low-key exit in 2009.

His post-Ipswich career has consisted of impressive stops, albeit at lower league clubs Yeovil Town and MK Dons. He excelled at the Dons, particularly after his conversion to a wide-left position, where he rediscovered his scoring touch; proven by the fact he was the club’s top scorer last season. Maybe a return to the Championship beckons in the near future?

Jaime Peters

The diminutive Canadian spurned the advances of Manchester United and Chelsea, the duopoly dominating English football at the time, to sign for Ipswich Town back in 2005.

He was touted as a big Canadian football talent and arrived here at the recommendation of Frank Yallop, a former Ipswich player and Peters’s international coach at the time. However, during several years at the club, Peters never met his potential and struggled to influence games.

Beginning as a speedy winger, Peters’s better performances came when Jim Magilton moved him to a right-back position. Yet Magilton, Roy Keane and Paul Jewell could not get the best out him and Peters, with 26 caps for his country, was released in 2012.

After failed trials at Yeovil and the Vancouver Whitecaps, Peters has dropped off the football radar with compatriot, and former Town skipper, Jason De Vos stating that Peters looks ‘unfit’ and has ‘been hanging out with the wrong crowd’. However, he could yet make a return to football as he is rumoured to be training with Toronto FC.

Billy Clarke

Another product of the youth system, Clarke helped Ipswich win the 2005 FA Youth Cup and was nominated for the 2006 Irish U19 Player of the Year award.

However, despite the early promise, Clarke faded over the years despite managing 56 appearances, mostly under Magilton as he tried to keep faith in Clarke’s ability.

The striker’s best moment was when he hit a purple patch of sorts for the club in the early part of the 2006/07 season, scoring in consecutive victories over Southampton and Coventry City.

In all, he only managed four goals for the club and eventually became sidelined and routinely loaned out to lower league clubs in 2008 and 2009.

When Roy Keane began his ill-rated tenure at Portman Road, one of the first things he did was release Clarke. Since then, the Irishman had a disappointing four-year stint at Blackpool that only yielded 32 games. A subsequent loan move to Sheffield United proved unsuccessful.

However, last year Clarke was saved from football obscurity when Crawley Town took on a chance on him and, like Bowditch, Clarke was converted to a wide position and his fortunes improved, particularly in front of goal where he averages roughly one goal every three games.

Veliche Shumulikoski

The ‘Macedonian Steven Gerrard’ signed for £600,000 and was, on paper, an impressive addition in 2008. The fanbase were understandably expecting some big performances, but ‘Shumi’, as he was affectionately called by some supporters, never settled and he lasted little more than a year.

His previous playing career incorporated relatively big clubs such as Zenit St Petersburg and Bursaspor, yet Shumi still endured an underwhelming stint at the club.

His inconsistency, lack of pace and a solitary goal from midfield in 43 games all contributed to his hurried exit to Preston in the division below, where he fared no better. Shumi is still playing football, having recently joined FC Slovacko in the Czech top division. He is still a regular fixture in the Macedonian national side and is currently his country’s second most-capped player with 84 appearances.

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Those are just a few examples of players that arrived at the club tipped for big things in the future, only to disappoint. I don’t believe Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is near that level of incompetence, despite his frustrating inconsistency at the club.

In Paul Anderson, we have acquired a solid Championship level player who impressed at spells with Swansea City and Nottingham Forest. It seems like a very good deal in our favour.




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MattinLondon added 15:19 - Jul 9
Think you were a bit harsh on Billy Clarke - his Town career was ravaged by injury.

Personally I don't think that the huge numbers of players that the club has signed since the ME era has helped the young players settle. In then out, in then out, one week upfront, next week on the wing.

Saying that young players have to help themselves -Supple complained that too many young players think that they have made it when they haven't even become players.
5

murraybrunning added 15:40 - Jul 9
An interesting run through of the failures of the last decade! I agree with Mattinlondon that had it not been for injuries at both ITFC and Blackpool Clarke's time would have probably been judged more favourably. Youngsters need continuity and unfortunately that's the one thing that the Evans era hasn't provided, too many players in/out 2 chief exec changes, 4 managers, countless loanees. Look at the difference in Luke Hyam and Tommy Smith since they were given a run in the team and playing with the same (or mostly the same) partner in their respective positions every week. I believe MM and TC realise the importance of this and feel we will certainly move forward under their leadership.
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Stretchyboy added 16:49 - Jul 9
I think you can probably add Wickham to that list, unless he drops down a division, then he will be another with wasted talent that won't progress like he was expected to.
6

Vexorg added 19:34 - Jul 9
Good blinkers. Those who didn't make it are no loss, Paul Anderson is great!

Go and sit in the SBR.
0

Warkys_Tash added 23:58 - Jul 9
Good blog Nuggets and a truly sad reminder of wasted potential talents. JET is a particularly irritating one, especially as we have all seen what he can do & we signed him for relatively big money & payed his contract off. Also, do you remember Richard Logan, touted as the new hope up front, then we have signed the likes of Ulrich Le Pen, who promptly played 10mins for Town vs Bolton in our 2002 relegation season, got a gashed shin from Michael Ricketts, was carried off on a stretcher & never seen again!! A Burley panic signing for £1.5M from Rens. (Someone please correct me if I am wrong) Then there was Luca Civelli, another one mill down the drain!
2

parkinshair added 08:21 - Jul 10
Interesting read thanks. I think Josh Carson is in danger of joining that list.
6

DurhamTownFan added 08:26 - Jul 10
Bit negative, but some interesting points made. Maybe harsh to blame the players in all cases. Just goes to show how difficult it really is to make a career in football, especially after the fans. And media build you up when you're young and new. Could add Ian westlake, matt Bloomfield, Richard Logan, Matt Richards, and many more!
0

Nuggets added 12:03 - Jul 10
Yes, Connor Wickham could potentially join the list, but he has time on his side and he certainly has a degree of footballing ability. Luca Civelli is a good shout but his time at the club was hampered by injury, more so than the others listed, so that didn't help him adapt to a new country and football club. I did contemplate Ian Westlake but I remember him doing a solid job at the club, he certainly put in more consistent performances than Peters, Clarke etc. But yeah, he seemed like a good prospect, but his career has really curtailed since he left the club.

Regarding Matt Richards, I thought he was a solid left-back until the end of his Ipswich career. We've seen worse defenders that seemed promising only to fade into obscurity; Pim Balkestein and Troy Brown spring to mind for recent examples.
0

theobald1985 added 13:41 - Jul 10
half the problem is that teams just have such massive squads these days and managers are in constant fear of the sack.

players never get chance to play themselves back into form and young players are rarely given a proper chance.

i would be in favour of having 16 senior players and any injurys after that chuck an academy player in.

I think matt in londons post at the top is spot on
2

JohnStirk added 13:56 - Jul 10
Towards the end of his time here, under Keane, Jamie Peters enjoyed a lot of support from fans, including myself. I seem to remember that at right back he always performed well and did what he was asked, and was then often dropped for the next game. I think he excelled against WBA in the league cup win and then did he not successfully mark that Russian fellow against Arsenal?
0

Ipswichbusiness added 19:02 - Jul 10
An excellent blog.

A shame about JET. I always thought that he was the one player we had who had that bit of genius that could change a game; what a shame we saw it so rarely!

Connor Wickham seems to have made the mistake that several young players make of moving to a big club a year or two early. However, he has time on his side and also the ability and capacity for work.
3

syntaxerror added 00:24 - Jul 11
Didnt the team Civelli joined after he left us win the South equivalent of the Champions League?

0

Michael11 added 10:48 - Jul 11
Very good blog. For me, i'm not too fussed about the Bowditch's and the Clarke's that never quite made it for us. i'm still more mad at the players Keane let go which has blatantly obvious talent such as Jordan Rhodes, Liam Trotter and Owen Garvan. I know we're starting to look like a decent team again and can't live in the past but it still makes me bitter to think of the players we could/should have in our team now.
1

Sorry added 10:49 - Jul 11
@syntaxerror Civelli now plays for Universidad de Chile, one of the biggest clubs in South America, but they have won the Libertadores (ever)
0

Sorry added 10:52 - Jul 11
I meant "haven't". They paid twice what we did for him...
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ntoms97 added 12:13 - Jul 11
Gotta admit some of those I didn't like to see leave as Michael11 says "Jordan Rhodes, Liam Trotter and Owen Garvan" all leaving in the disgraceful Roy Keane seasons I personally believe they could have been good for us, Trotter looked promising look at Rhodes now and also Garvan in the Prem I might be quite optimistic but I feel that if those would have stayed we could be up in the Prem
1

karls_dad added 15:23 - Jul 13
What about the Sereni fella, the keeper that never was! or Finidi George! two players that if i remember right cost the club big time! or am i going back too far?
0

SanDiego added 17:22 - Jul 13
Nice blog Nuggets. Haven't spoken to you for ages, how are you? I used to be 'ipswichinamsterdam' on the old 606. Spend most of my time on a rival site now (not606) but use twtd too. Come say hello sometime.
0

RoyKeanesDog added 14:21 - Jul 14
I don't think Connor made a bad decision at the time to join Sunderland. He was linked with bigger clubs but went to Sunderland as Steve Bruce said he'd be a first team player. Unfortunately SB was sacked and M'ON never gave him a decent spell in the team. Maybe PD will help him.
0

Nuggets added 22:26 - Jul 22
@SanDiego - Thanks and yes, I remember you. Didn't you go as San Diego on 606 for a while too? I've been good thanks, graduated from uni with a 2.1 in Sports Journalism and been doing some freelancing. How about yourself? Yeah, might visit not606, it's still going? Any other old 606ers on there?
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SanDiego added 17:12 - Jul 24
Good to hear from you mate. Glad to hear your journalism career is taking off.
A lot of us stayed together after the fall of the old 606, we've lost a few over the years but still plenty of the old stalwarts are there. I'm sure you would get a great reception were you to come and say Hi.
0

Dissboyitfc added 18:27 - Jul 24
I think Amir Karich is worth a mention on the failed to fulfill potential list, good blog.....coyb
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