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Ok, another thread got me thinking.

For whatever reason, playing out of position, manager didn't like them, doesn't matter. Fans also didn't like them and wanted them out.

So the question is "Name a player who was crap with us and then left and then became good.

I name Billy Bodin

Billy Kee. Took stick "for eating all the pies" but has gone on to a long career laden with goals currently with Accrington Stanley.

Billy Kee wasn't rubbish with Torquay though.

Nor would I say Billy Bodin was rubbish, flashes of brilliance but not consistent and had a unfortunate and torrid time with injuries.

Ashley Barnes. Played a few games on loan from Plymouth, don’t think he scored... now playing in the Premier league

I admire Billy Kee too. He recently revealed that he isn't really interested in football, doesn't really enjoy it and never watches it. He puts in a shift and scores goals so regardless of his views that's what he gets paid to do and he does it. Soif you look at it from purely an employee perspective he's not doing anything wrong or anything that anyone can criticise him for.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto the ex Spurs / Cameroon player once came out and said he played football for the money and not the love of the game and bizarrely got panned. I'd say at the higher level 100% of footballers would think the same thing but not openly say it so i admired him for just being honest and saying what everyone was thinking anyway. The only issue with Assou-Ekotto is that he was shite and didn't earn his money. Play without passion fair enough if it's just a job but do what Billy Kee does and at the very least do your job as competently and effectively as possible.

Oh and Bodin WAS rubbish. Flashes of brilliance and a few injuries don't negate the fact that he made 70 appearances for Torquay and was dogshite in most of them. Only scored 6 goals too. He may not be rubbish now but that's a different matter. THEN he was rubbish and there were no excuses. Torquay United, the football club that Torquay fans love with all their hearts lost out and yet still some fans think he did ok. Sums it up i guess.

Stop going on about Benjamin Netanyahu. Let it go Lynn, you're never going to meet him. (replace Benjamin Netanyahu with Billy Bodin and my name for Lynn ).

smw1989 wrote: ↑15 Oct 2017, 13:30
Ashley Barnes. Played a few games on loan from Plymouth, don’t think he scored... now playing in the Premier league

Was going to be my shout. Saw him away at Eastbourne, if I recall, and was probably the worst performance I've ever seen from anyone in a Torquay shirt.

apgull wrote: ↑15 Oct 2017, 22:54 Was going to be my shout. Saw him away at Eastbourne, if I recall, and was probably the worst performance I've ever seen from anyone in a Torquay shirt.

I don't think this is correct, as he was on loan with us when we were back in L2 if I recall correctly. I distinctly remember seeing him turn out for us away at Darlo- granted he was still awful but it wasn't in the conference days.

Although ironically, I'm pretty sure he was on loan at Eastbourne once upon a time, and played an absolute blinder for them one disgraceful midweek night when they tore us apart.

Leon Constantine was pretty poor for us and then smashed them in for fun at Port Value

Jeff wrote: ↑16 Oct 2017, 06:22 I'm pretty sure he was on loan at Eastbourne once upon a time, and played an absolute blinder for them one disgraceful midweek night when they tore us apart.

Tuesday December 9th, 2008
United lined-up:

Bevan,
Mansell, Hargreaves, Woods, Nicholson
Carlisle, Hodges, Wroe, Stevens
Benyon, Sills
Subs: Brough, Robertson, Thompson, Green, Carayol

Eastbourne included loan signing Ashley Barnes who mullered Hargreaves playing at centre back all night and the Gulls were lucky to get away with only getting beaten 4-2....the back four was simply dreadful. Short of pace, 'short' per se and taken to the cleaners time and time again. What ended as four could have been six; eight or even worse!

I was there amongst a crowd of 1,204 and eating some of the best fish & chips I have ever consumed on a football ground; not an occasion one would forget!

We once had Paul Hayes on trial. He might even have played against Plymouth when Wes was manager. Wes didn't sign him anyway and he went on to have a goal-laden career mainly for Scunny.

Ryan Harley didn't do enough to impress Ian Atkins and was released so we could sign a short stocky (and useless) winger called Carl Motteram.

Or....the other way round....try Benyon....o.k. for us and then (it must have been the fraud of the century) sold to Swindon for 120,000 thousand quid and thence disappeared off the face of the earth. I wonder what Swindon fans thought....

Good thread this one, on a subject I've been wittering on for a couple of weeks now. How about Ben Gerring? There he is with the rest of the Truro players in The Times footie section today, celebrating their FA cup win against Hampton & Richmond. The first time a Cornish club has reached the first round for 48 years. Ben has been brilliant for Truro this season and has found his level - there is a good chance that he and his team will be swapping places with the Gulls at the end of this season. Ben would be the first to say he is a limited footballer but every time I saw him play he never gave less than 100%, so I wouldn't classify him as 'rubbish' but he has clearly gone on to better things. A local Torquay lad, how we could do with his siprit and determination right now!

Can this include a different take ...' players many thought were rubbish but wasn't ' if that isn't being anti subjective

Khalid chalqi...if anyone remembers ...rated him a lot. Always found time on the ball and had a footballing brain

merse btpir wrote: ↑16 Oct 2017, 06:45
Tuesday December 9th, 2008
United lined-up:

Bevan,
Mansell, Hargreaves, Woods, Nicholson
Carlisle, Hodges, Wroe, Stevens
Benyon, Sills
Subs: Brough, Robertson, Thompson, Green, Carayol

Eastbourne included loan signing Ashley Barnes who mullered Hargreaves playing at centre back all night and the Gulls were lucky to get away with only getting beaten 4-2....the back four was simply dreadful. Short of pace, 'short' per se and taken to the cleaners time and time again. What ended as four could have been six; eight or even worse!

I was there amongst a crowd of 1,204 and eating some of the best fish & chips I have ever consumed on a football ground; not an occasion one would forget!

Remember it well. Funnily enough I've just been speaking to Scott Bevan and his Dad over a business lunch and he mentioned that night. Barnes tore us a new one but never looked happy while he was here. Didn't he have a spat with Benyon before he left?

He did have a spat with Benyon. It's my overriding memory of Barnes' time in the yellow shirt. Cannot believe he's made it to the top flight, but fair enough - don't imagine he's done it without hard work and sacrifices!