World Class Sportsmen who became useless overnight

David Duval really went.
Remember him winning the players, then hitting the ball as bad as me.

Eric Bristow. Got the dart yips.

Yeah TT . He did manage to at least compete at the top for a while after that though, but never the same.

Duval is one of the stangest careers in sport IMO .Quite Mysterious.

I think that once he won the Open he realised how little it meant to him.

Those sunglasses he used to wear were as strange.

Andrey Arsharvin -
-Russian Captain
-Star for Zenit in run to the UEFA Cup win
-£18 million signing
-4x goals v Liverpool for Arsenal in 2009

Absolutely **** useless since, so much so he was booed on to the pitch when OX was subbed off
Now been shipped back to Russia on loan.

Steven Hendry
-7x World Snooker champion at the crucible.
-Most successful Snooker player of all time.

he won every championship with the same cue, one day in broke during transport at an airport, never won another one since, he blames the cue, the funny thing is the cue was rubbish, cost 40 quid and was taped together already, psychologically finished him - his own words.

eddie the eagle

Ian Baker-Finch
Michael Watson

Watson not what i had in mind Father M!

I should specify suddenly became useless without Catastrophic Injury.

Baker-Finch an interesting one .Recall i had money on a couple of the players chasing him , but he just didn't make the slightest error .As impressive a closing out of a Major as you could ever see . Then rubbish after that i believe.

I backed him to win the open at 50/1, after duly obliging I don't think he ever played a decent 4 rounds ever again

I personally don't think Arshavin became useless, or at least no more than a few other players in the team .

Still, up to this season at least, contributed a fair number of goals and assists, winner v Barca notably . Wenger had him stuck out on the wing for some reason.

Graham Hick

Celtic paid £2 million for a Brazilian named Raphael Scheidt who turned out to be very well named.

the entire english rugby team > 2003

Tiger Woods

All those who have died.

Colin Dowdeswell, upon becoming British.

Andrei Shevchenko

became bollox as soon as he signed for Chelski

I thought nick faldo faded quickly in late 30s, more so than most do around that age

luther blissett

Geoff Hales Derby got stitched up with this donkey from Charlton
Neal Foulds couldn't play without his beta blockers
Iron Mike never the same after his wife shafted him

sorry Derek Hales

Michael Campbell
Gaston Gaudio
Guillermo Coria (this tobes was referring to him)
Jardel - look at his career post Sporting

Still, up to this season at least, contributed a fair number of goals and assists, winner v Barca notably . Wenger had him stuck out on the wing for some reason.
__________



That's his position? true he wasn't the only player who has been useless- the difference is, his heart was never in it, no effort when the going got tough.

sergei rebrov

patsy fagan

A. Murray, the night in question typically being the one before any grand-slam semi-final.

Torres
Crespo
Shevchenko

Anybody see a pattern?

You're right - They're all anagrams:

Roster
Corpse
Choke vs Hens

Yes James, Coria was the tennis player.

Would also add Steve Cram & Daley Thompson, who seemed to go from invincible to also rans at the 1987 World Champs.

Ovett maybe another ,but think he had an illness, so more explicable.

cant believe no-one has mentioned michael owen. peaked at 18 then dropped like a stone from about 23 onwards.

cant believe no-one has mentioned michael owen. peaked at 18 then dropped like a stone from about 23 onwards.

owen was plagued by injuries i thought, didn't exactly become useless.

Richard Johnson

West Indies Cricket team

just remember lee sharpe

Sandy Lyle did nothing after winning the Masters

If not Michael Owen, how about Robbie Fowler?

England cricket team after they won the ashes under Michael Vaughan - couple of months later went to play down under and got their backsides well and truly kicked

george best

Ronaldinho.

Ronaldo was brilliant all world cup and then less than useless in the final against
France.
Didn't play with with that kind of aura again. Could have been down to pies.

Dennis Priestley burnt very brightly for a few years, nearly on a level with Taylor but faded abruptly

Keith Deller

Hugh Scully. All went horribly wrong for the poor fella when they dragged Aspel in.

No mention of Audley Harrison yet, must be the worst boxer ever to win an Olympic medal.It usually sets you off on a good professional career, must have been a poor year.

Entrepreneur after the 1997 - 2000 Guineas. Never won a race again?

Annette Obrestad - still not hit the heights that were expected of her!

Alhaarth the talking horse going into the 1996 - 2000 Guineas

Matts Wilander won 3 grand slams in 1988 then barely won another tournament.

Sir Percy after his Derby win.

More recently - Captain Chris, what on earth happened there?

Raymond Van Barneveld

Ok not useless but considerably worse than he was

Daniel Sturridge - the morning after I included him in my Sun Dream Team at the transfer window.

Audrey Harrisson,wins Olympic Gold and fought like a big girl ever since.

Eddie the seagull edwards

Not many to beat this bloke, lauded as the best rugby player in the world at one stage.

John Anthony Gallagher (born 29 January 1964) is a former rugby union All Black. He was born in London.

Gallagher was one of the first of a succession of All Blacks to switch codes to rugby league.

Gallagher was initially signed by David Ward for Leeds RLFC. He was targeted by opposition players and was badly injured in an alleged spear tackle. He may also have found the tactical differences between the two codes difficult to adjust to, particularly in his favoured full-back position and the move was unsuccessful.

Rudby Union player couldn't hack League shock horror.

Jack Richards
Surrey and England wicketkeeper - disappeared very quickly.

Also, David 'Jaws' Ward
Surrey batsman (and ugliest sportsman ever) who battered pie-throwers all over the Oval and a fair few other places in the season where they had balls with very low seams and bowlers couldn't buy a wicket (early 90's). Disappeared very quickly.

Steve Daley
Scorer of goal of the season in the mid 70's, went to Man City and then....pffft.

Du'ane Ladejo

Golden boy of British athletics in the late 90's. 400m runner who tried decathlon, failed and then what?

What do you mean what next?

Ladejo trained hard and reached the pinnacle of athletic achievement when he was invited to become a Gladiator by Sky TV.

He did?

What was his nickname? 'Underachiever?'

P.S I realise with my submissions I may have stretched the term 'World Class' by the OP beyond the realms of credulity.

Steve Daley was the Andy Carroll of his day

age 21
15 Mar 12 00:16 
eddie the eagle

Broke his jaw doing a ski jump

Wrapped his head in his scarf and carried on to do another jump

Not a lot of people know that

Padraig Harrington ...won three golf Majors in 18 months and on a downward spiral since.

He decided to change hi swing !!!

and hit a 61 last week

Yeah John Gallagher just wasn't fat or northern enough to play rugby league.

gorytus

ian thorpe

Denilson.

Overnight superstar, then slummed it with Real Betis for much of the rest of his career, and barely deserved his place there.

What happened to ronaldinho?  World player of the year one or more times..

arshavin

I rememeber Gorytus well pox, he was the superstar that was going to be everything but turned out to be not a lot. Did nothing at stud either.

Nijinsky.. Won three classics in one year then never won another.

rob , which shop did you buy your bait ?!!!