Players you thought would make it...who didn't

[villan from luton]

Remember that Willie Young playing v Man Ure (was it 3-3 game with Jordan scoring in last minute) and he looked a real top player

[PeterWithe]

Neil Cox ? Had all the attributes of a seasoned international without the application.

I saw him the other way around, limited talent but tried hard.

[eric woolban woolban]

Cox didn't have a bad career in the end.

I thought Richard Walker may have made it, but from memory was just a bit too slow. Foraged a decent career in the lower leagues.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Possibly the most talented player that I thought would go on to greatness was Mark Walters. Yes, I know he had a decent career but seeing him play for our youth team, I really thought he'd be something extra special.

[silhillvilla]

Noel Blake could have probably done a lot better if he hadn't developed sticky fingers at an early age down B6.

[Steve R]

I may need some help here from some of my fellow senior Villans. Around 1968/69 we had a night game against Huddersfield which we won 4-1. My uncle told me at the next game that Emmet Kapengwe was unstoppable and that The Doc had discovered a talent that would save the Villa and we had a new hero. Suffice to say that after a handful of games Kapengwe and his compatriot Mwali (?) faded from the first team and ultimately from Villa Park altogether.

The 4-1 knobbing of Huddersfield was earlier in the season, the 1-0 defeat to Leicester even earlier.

Kapengwe made his debut in a midweek 1-0 win against Carlisle, and looked an absolute find. He played the following Saturday alongside Freddie Mwila, making his own debut. We were slightly the better team in a 0-0 against Blackpool. Both were promptly dropped, Mwila didn't make another appearance for the first team, Kapengwe came on as a sub in one game under Vic Crowe but both soon departed.

It pissed it down in one of the games, I think it was the Blackpool one.

This has been discussed in a thread elsewhere but I can't for the life of me think where.

Talking of this era and unfulfilled promise, John Phillips, anyone?

[Ron Manager]

Steve  Kapengwe played on the right wing against Leicester City under floodlights in torrential rain. I thought he had a tremendous game
but the Doc didnt and promptly dropped him. It must have been around late 68 or 1969.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I thought student, Andy Comyn was going to make it after seeing him make his debut (I think against Man Utd). He ended up only making a handfull of appearances before being shipped off to Derby. He then ended up in the lower leagues at Plymouth, West Brom and Hednesford.

[Steve R]

Steve  Kapengwe played on the right wing against Leicester City under floodlights in torrential rain. I thought he had a tremendous game
but the Doc didnt and promptly dropped him. It must have been around late 68 or 1969.

Definitely Carlisle

The Leicester game was a midweeker, but early season, August. Either 2nd or 3rd home game. We lost 1-0.

Kapengwe and Mwila didn't appear until November. Kapengwe's debut was in a winning game.

[fbriai]

I really thought that Steve Froggett would be a Villa legend for many years.

You just beat me to it.

To be fair, he was playing really well until he was nobbled in the 3-2 win at Wimbledon when Saunders was on a roll. Was never the same player after that.

[PeterWithesShin]

Cox didn't have a bad career in the end.

I thought Richard Walker may have made it, but from memory was just a bit too slow. Foraged a decent career in the lower leagues.

Richard smegging Walker. I had money on us at 12-1 to beat Watford 3-0 and that smegger scored to make it 4-0 late on. I got some funny looks when I called him a wanker for scoring rather than celebrate.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I thought student, Andy Comyn was going to make it after seeing him make his debut

I was living in Manchester at th time Comyn started playing for us. A girl I worked with lived next door to Comyn and his mother in Cheshire somewhere and she knocked on the door and got me his autograph ( there's something to treasure, a signed photo of Andy Comyn).

Anyway, what was much more interesting was the fact that Andy Comyn's mom, Cherie, used to be one of the backing dancers for the Black and White Minstrels in the 1970s.

Younger posters on here may wish to "Google" the Black and White Minstrels as I'm not articulate enough to explain just how un-pc they were.

I always thought Gareth Williams would be a first team star for many years. I think he ended up as a postman on the Isle of Wight?

[1874]

I thought Vassell would go on to have a better career then he has ended up having.

[Broughty-Villian]

Ivor Linton

Tony Daley - in a way, love the player, but he could have been so much more

[peter w]

Vassell and Daley? The pair of full-England international playing losers.