20 Most Disappointing Players of the 2014/15 Premier League Season so Far
Whether it's because our expectations of them are too high or because they ultimately just aren't very good, Premier League footballers often have a tendency to disappoint us.
Whether it is the confidence-free goalkeeper, the sluggish defender, the midfielder who just doesn't seem to exert himself enough or the forward who has more chance of hitting the supporters in Row Z than the back of the net, we are all likely to have been let down by someone.
Who are the biggest let downs of this Premier League season, though?
Here are 20 of them.
Simon Mignolet
1 of 20
When Liverpool were smashing in goals from left, right, centre and even elsewhere last season, it was easy to overlook the fact their goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet, had about as much command of his penalty area as he does the United States Senate, i.e. zero. This time around, it's been different.
The Reds have been nowhere near as prolific, meaning that every goal scored against them is that little bit more costly, and Mignolet hasn't been keeping enough of those out.
Jack Rodwell
2 of 20
Sometimes disappointment stems from the frustration that what you feared was going to end up happening becomes reality.
When Jack Rodwell left Manchester City for Sunderland in the summer, it was to be hoped that he'd recapture the form we saw from the exciting tyro at Everton, but injuries have taken their toll and his form has suffered accordingly. It's all going pretty much as we feared as he fades into the background.
Roberto Soldado
3 of 20
Whether they release him into the wild, drive him into the woods and leave him there or buy him a one-way ticket to Spain, Tottenham Hotspur need to find a way to bring an end to Roberto Soldado's nightmare spell at the club whichever way they can.
He tries admirably, but when you have aspirations of getting into the Champions League and rubbing shoulders with some of the continent's elite, trying alone isn't really good enough.
Emmanuel Adebayor
4 of 20
At least Soldado's effort places him above Emmanuel Adebayor in the affections of the club's fans, though.
The Togolese's time at Tottenham appears to be close to a termination, with the forward failing to pull up any trees this season before some sanctioned time out back at home. Spurs are lucky that Harry Kane has been such a revelation this season, as otherwise they'd be struggling.
Rio Ferdinand
5 of 20
One final hurrah in a fantastically successful career? Or a payday that he doesn't really merit and a chance to flog a few more books?
Whatever your opinion of Rio Ferdinand, it is safe to say that he hasn't exactly been a hit at Queens Park Rangers, where he's had to get used to life on the substitutes' bench and a slow fade away from English football. Wouldn't he have been better off going to America?
Mario Balotelli
6 of 20
Everyone knew how much of a gamble it was for Liverpool to sign Mario Balotelli, but the general feeling upon his £16 million arrival back in English football was the Reds had got themselves a bargain if the Italian could apply himself. Ah.
He's pretty spectacularly failed to do that, as he is yet to notch a Premier League goal. Although that isn't entirely his fault, it would take a huge turnaround for him to make a success of his Anfield career from here.
Jonny Evans
7 of 20
Louis van Gaal's decision to play a back three at Manchester United has been one of the talking points of the campaign, and it has provided the club's centre-backs with opportunities to revel in new roles of increased responsibility.
They've tried to do that, but the one who seems to have suffered the most from the switch is Jonny Evans, with the Northern Irishman frequently being caught out of position and developing a worrying tendency to underhit backpasses.
Tom Cleverley
8 of 20
Away from the Manchester United goldfish bowl, a loan switch to Aston Villa appeared to be the perfect chance for Tom Cleverley to show why the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Hodgson have rated him so highly in the recent past, but instead of that, it's pretty difficult to think of anything he's done.
Playing in a dreadful Villa team hasn't helped matters, but midfielder Cleverley seems to have mastered his reputation as neither one thing nor the other; he's not defensive, and he's not attacking. He's just, well, there.
Dejan Lovren
9 of 20
One of the most discussed topics at the start of the season, at least some of Liverpool's summer signings are beginning to show their worth to Brendan Rodgers and the club, but the fact £20 million Dejan Lovren isn't being allowed to tells you everything you need to know about his start at Anfield.
The Croatian appeared nervous from the moment he walked through the door, and he's now seen his place taken by Emre Can (a midfielder by trade) and Mamadou Sakho (previously written off) as Rodgers has shifted to a back three.
Tim Howard
10 of 20
Everton have left plenty of us scratching our heads throughout the campaign, with the form of goalkeeper Tim Howard hardly helping matters as Roberto Martinez's men have conceded chances at will.
It isn't all his fault, of course, but after such an excellent World Cup, the U.S. international has struggled in the Premier League this term, so much so that he might not win him place back from Joel Robles once he comes back from injury.
Yoan Gouffran
11 of 20
It's been a season of ups and downs at Newcastle United, but most of the down parts have involved Yoan Gouffran.
A figure of fun on the St James' Park terraces and a constant source of irritation when Alan Pardew continually picked him regardless of form, the Frenchman finally scored his first goal of the season in the defeat to Southampton last Saturday. Fittingly, the ball just hit him, went in and he didn't really know much about it.
Ross Barkley
12 of 20
Is this a little harsh? Possibly, but Everton fans have high expectations of Ross Barkley following his rapid rise over the past year or so, and he hasn't really lived up to them during what has been a disappointing season both personally and collectively.
He's scored just one goal—albeit a cracker against QPR—and he's increasingly becoming the target of frustration on the Goodison Park terraces. You sense that 2015 will be a big year for him.
Wes Morgan
13 of 20
When you get promoted, you need a few of your leaders to stand up and be counted in a higher division, and while Leicester City skipper Wes Morgan has done that, it hasn't usually been to the benefit of his team.
In the space of four days across November and December, Morgan managed to score a calamitous own goal against QPR and get sent off against Liverpool. As symbols for how both his and his club's season have gone, they were pretty strong ones.
Mathieu Flamini
14 of 20
Another harsh one? It probably is, but the fact that Francis Coquelin is currently excelling in the Arsenal midfield tells you that Mathieu Flamini failed his audition for the role to replace the injured Mikel Arteta.
Too interested in engaging in pointless personal battles around the pitch and picking up needless yellow cards, Flamini isn't really the answer to a position Arsenal have been short in for years, and he has rightly fallen behind the previously forgotten Coquelin in the pecking order.
Paulinho
15 of 20
A moderate success in his first season at Tottenham, Brazil international Paulinho might be suffering a long hangover from the World Cup. Whatever it is, he hasn't really been effective for the north London club.
His only goal this season came in an FA Cup win over Burnley, and his journey from £17 million superstar signing to bit-part player seems to have been completed inside 18 months.
Rickie Lambert
16 of 20
There is an argument to say that Rickie Lambert is really only doing what is expected of him at Liverpool, and that would be an understandable thing to say if his recent cameo and goal in the win at Aston Villa was a more regular thing. It's just that it hasn't been.
All the talk that centred around his "dream" move to the Reds wasn't really Lambert's fault, but sadly, he's become something of a poster boy for their failings this season, albeit not on his own.
Robin van Persie
17 of 20
Not the player he once was? When you were as good as Robin van Persie was, then you are still going to be pretty decent even when you're not at your best, but there is little doubt that time seems to have caught up with the once formidable Dutchman this season.
He's still managed eight goals in all competitions, but things haven't quite gone the way many imagined they would when he was teamed up with Louis van Gaal again in the summer.
Jozy Altidore
18 of 20
Some players are in this list because we have high expectations of them and expect them to do better than they have been; some are here because their previously decent standards have slipped a little. And then there is Jozy Altidore.
Sunderland have finally cut their ties with the U.S. forward to make room for Jermain Defoe, and after just one Premier League goal in more than 40 appearances, it is easy to see why.
Gareth Barry
19 of 20
Those searching for reasons to explain Everton's deterioration this season have often centred on the injury problems suffered by James McCarthy. In his absence, midfield partner Gareth Barry has suffered.
Once the calm, steadying influence in the Blues team, the former England international has picked up 10 bookings in his 27 appearances in all competitions this season, showcasing the fact that the 33-year-old is not as mobile as he once was.
Radamel Falcao
20 of 20
Hailed as one of the transfer coups of the season when Manchester United struck a loan deal for him on transfer deadline day, Radamel Falcao has spent much of the season battling injury, scoring just three goals along the way.
There is no doubting the Colombian's overall quality in front of goal, but United must have serious reservations over turning his temporary switch into a permanent one in the summer, especially given the amount of money it is sure to cost them.
