The most underrated player for me was Diawara - thought he was a real quality player who many of our fans never rated. One of the best tacklers I've seen.
We've had such a churn of players over the past 10 years, I'll see someone named and think 'Oh yeah... Bloody hell... He played for us. Totally forgot about him.'
Top quality he was. Gutted when he went.
I'll echo support for Graham Stuart. He could do everything. But he had an uncanny knack for being able to drive the team 25-yards up the pitch just by running with the ball seemingly into a dead end, then turning and passing it back to everyone who had moved up behind him.
We weren't the best at moving the ball around back then and it helped us get a foothold in games.
I also thought Greg Shields and Garry Rowett looked brilliant. Shame injuries cut their Charlton careers short.
I refer you to the runaround Jermain Easter gave Diawara in that league cup game. Diawara had an excellent career in football but none of it was with us
Strange to single out Diawara - the whole team were poor that evening. An excellent player who I enjoyed watching.
Shout out for Stephen Henderson. I know he isn't/ wasn't exactly disliked but I thought he was a terrific keeper, better than Hamer who seems very highly rated on here.
Going back a bit to the 80's, but Mark Reid was a wonderful full back for us, for about 5-6 seasons.
Such an understated but consistent player, who also took a very good penalty kick. Think we picked him up for around $50K from Celtic before our 85/86 promotion season.
The only winger that I ever saw give him genuine trouble was Franz Carr, who always did well against us, but was generally lacklustre against everyone else
The most underrated player for me was Diawara - thought he was a real quality player who many of our fans never rated. One of the best tacklers I've seen.
We've had such a churn of players over the past 10 years, I'll see someone named and think 'Oh yeah... Bloody hell... He played for us. Totally forgot about him.'
Top quality he was. Gutted when he went.
I'll echo support for Graham Stuart. He could do everything. But he had an uncanny knack for being able to drive the team 25-yards up the pitch just by running with the ball seemingly into a dead end, then turning and passing it back to everyone who had moved up behind him.
We weren't the best at moving the ball around back then and it helped us get a foothold in games.
I also thought Greg Shields and Garry Rowett looked brilliant. Shame injuries cut their Charlton careers short.
I refer you to the runaround Jermain Easter gave Diawara in that league cup game. Diawara had an excellent career in football but none of it was with us
Strange to single out Diawara - the whole team were poor that evening. An excellent player who I enjoyed watching.
I don't remember Easter giving anyone the runaround. I remember him being the most foul obnoxious human being on the pitch, but I rarely remember them getting decent chances. Yes he scored, but that was just as much down to the midfield non-agression pact.
I also remember Carson being great at letting in goals hit diagonally across him. For me Carson was totally over rated. Great at close in reaction saves, but great at letting long shots in. Could never understand why Mhyre had to be replaced when he'd been so good in an average team the previous season. Both Mhyre and Perry were criminally under rated by Dowie and Les Reed. Massive mistake to discard them.
Not sure if he’s already been mentioned, but I’ll nominate Mark Fish.
Over 100 games for us, all in the top flight and during one of the club’s most successful periods, but, these days, he pretty much only gets mentioned for falling through a coffee table or being part of a back 4 whose names could be arranged into a mildly amusing sentence.
I am surprised by a few on here. Bryan Hughes was supposed to replace Claus Jensen. Haaa! Couldn't lace his boots. He was a waste man and the start of our demise. Total lightweight off the ball and not much cop on it.
Kishishev does belong on this thread because plenty didn't rate him. I didn't and still don't. Never seen a player so revered for just... Running! But the Kish topic has been done to death over the years.
Mark Hudson - not one of our greats but a very good centre back. Never understood why he got so much stick.
Good pick, as shown by his career after he left us. Not his fault that Pardew somehow left us with only one decent CB in the entire squad
Hudson hardly ever missed a header. Had the misfortune of having to play with Linvoy Primus and Jon Fortune who were both crocked and a long way past it.
Remember that game think it was against Southampton, when Randolph caught the ball and he headed out of his hands and into the net.
It was Randolph's fault, he came when it was McCarthy's header. Randolph caught the ball shitly, and brought it down on McCarthy's head, then had a toddler meltdown blaming it on Paddy. Randolph should have either punched it or left it, he was the one attacking the space whilst McCarthy was underneath it always winning the header against BWP or whatever other midgit Soton forward was there.
A player that hardly ever rates a mention now is Jim Melrose.
Great striker who scored some spectacular goals in amongst the tap ins and headers. Away to Everton and Southampton and home to Man City....all long range efforts.
Not underrated at all by Charlton fans but definitely underrated by other football fans - Colin Walsh.
At his peak, he could've got into most top league side on the left hand side of midfield. Easily as good as say, Tony Galvin at Spurs or Brian Marwood at Arsenal.
Must admit, I knew little about him when we signed him (with Andy Peake) but once I'd seen him a few times, I couldn't believe we'd got him! Great shot, knew how to make space and barely wasted a cross.
Diawara arrived for £3.7m, highly rated and played 20 odd games. Maybe a few of you mean you enjoyed watching him play, rather than giving him the most underrated player award!
Comments
Andy Peake
John Pearson
This year up there with Player of the Year for me ...Darren Pratley
Talal El Karkouri - not for THAT goal - thought he was immense 👍
Such an understated but consistent player, who also took a very good penalty kick. Think we picked him up for around $50K from Celtic before our 85/86 promotion season.
The only winger that I ever saw give him genuine trouble was Franz Carr, who always did well against us, but was generally lacklustre against everyone else
I also remember Carson being great at letting in goals hit diagonally across him. For me Carson was totally over rated. Great at close in reaction saves, but great at letting long shots in. Could never understand why Mhyre had to be replaced when he'd been so good in an average team the previous season. Both Mhyre and Perry were criminally under rated by Dowie and Les Reed. Massive mistake to discard them.
Over 100 games for us, all in the top flight and during one of the club’s most successful periods, but, these days, he pretty much only gets mentioned for falling through a coffee table or being part of a back 4 whose names could be arranged into a mildly amusing sentence.
Kishishev does belong on this thread because plenty didn't rate him. I didn't and still don't. Never seen a player so revered for just... Running! But the Kish topic has been done to death over the years.
Hudson was by far the superior defender IMO
Better than Danny Green too
At his peak, he could've got into most top league side on the left hand side of midfield. Easily as good as say, Tony Galvin at Spurs or Brian Marwood at Arsenal.
Must admit, I knew little about him when we signed him (with Andy Peake) but once I'd seen him a few times, I couldn't believe we'd got him! Great shot, knew how to make space and barely wasted a cross.
He had class that's for sure both on and off the pitch. He also came back from a couple of awful injuries especially the one sustained at Newcastle.