Just how good were/was/is/are (Wolves Edition)

[Deutsch Wolf]

17. Henri Camara

Henri Camara (born 10 May 1977) is a Senegalese former footballer who played as a striker.

Camara joined newly promoted English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2003 in a four-year deal for £1.5million. He was a regular first-choice player, capable of creating goalscoring opportunities, but often guilty of erratic finishing that left him with just one goal from 23 games, this goal being the crucial winner as Wolves came back from 3 down at half time to beat relegation rivals Leicester City 4–3. Towards the end of the season, he found his scoring touch and struck 6 times in the final 9 games. While this could not prevent relegation, he was named the fans' Player of the Year.

However, Camara was unwilling to play at a lower level and did not turn up for pre-season training. His future was further unsettled by a bid from Phil Gartside, Bolton Wanderers' chairman, which Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey rejected. He eventually returned to the club but only to negotiate a loan move away.

Camara's route out of Wolves came in the form of Celtic, who paid £1.5million to take him on loan for the 2004–05 season. His time in Scotland was disappointing, though, as he scored eight goals from twelve starts and six substitute appearances. Camara claimed in the press that he would replace Henrik Larsson, who had just left the club. He also requested Larsson's squad number (7) which he had had at a previous club as well, but was instead given number 27.

The loan deal was terminated during the January 2005 transfer window despite being contracted for longer, as he moved back to England with Southampton. Here, he suffered relegation again as the Saints made the drop on the final day of the season.

Camara finally found a new permanent club when he was signed by Premiership newcomers Wigan Athletic in August 2005 in a three-year deal for £3million.

 

[Kenny]

He lied to Quirk once. Straight faced lie whilst stood an unsafe couple of feet away from him.

THE BASTARD.


No doubt a good player but one that was obsessed with the glory & money. If he had been able to show an ounce of loyalty he may have once got close to his dream of winning African Player of the Year. Also another one where we can say to Jez "how did you do that" as we have a player who made it clear he wanted out and we still managed to make money on him over the loan fees and transfer fee

 

[Tony Towner]

Yes, maximising value for dubious quality was definitely Moxey's biggest strength. Camara wasn't anything really other than a pace merchant, spent half a season shanking the ball into the North/South Bank and scored a few in the second half.

The Senaglese flag malarkey was an embarrassment. Alex Rae should have taken every single one and set light to them for not getting POTS

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

That Player of the Season award:

We're so shit at these. Democracy doesn't work.

I suppose it was frustrating that we only got a short glimpse of him and Cort (well a fit Cort) together as that seemed to work well. Ultimately you can't gloss over his record pre-March/April. Because he was never scoring and hardly ever creating anything either, we were low on goals and output in the final third. So he was complicit in us being at the bottom of the table in the first place.

His performance at Old Trafford was him all over. If we'd actually spent that near on £4m profit properly rather than it going on Olofinjana, Seol and eventually Frankowski then we'd have done alright out of it.

 

[Law's Bus]

Henri was just Mo Camara with a smile and personality bypass.

He was awful most of the time, but his entire game was that he could run quickly. Had a lucky streak in the last couple of months of the season, but overall, we'd have been better off playing Silas or Iversen instead.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Iversen is DJ all over. Sign a player who's patently absolutely nowhere near fitness. Play him anyway and watch the fans hate him as he simply isn't equipped to perform right now. Once he gets fit and starts playing well, drop him and never pick him again.

He was an excellent footballer. Probably not the right signing for us as we needed someone then, not from November/December onwards, but he could play.

 

[Johnny75]

Camara was a shit player, shitbag person with a cunt of an agent.

The whole player of the season stuff was an embarrassment.

I hate these type of players as they're stealing a living off somebody who could actually play football. Athletes and agents blindside stupid managers all the time only we seem to have kept doing it under one man's stewardship.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Let's face it, we didn't have a clue what we were doing in 2003. It's as if we won the playoffs and then thought "oh, what now?". That's boardroom and managerial level.

Yet promotion was clearly the aim, you'd think we'd have some kind of plans lined up.

We should be grateful that we had a disgrace of a training ground at the time, made us dodge some DJ crafted bullets. Unless you really wanted Luciano Figueroa, Emerson, Dino Baggio and Pavel Srnicek (RIP) here.

DJ was fucking awful in the market, rest assured we'll get to him properly soon enough.

 

[Nando]

How on earth did Figueroa end up with nine goals in fifteen appearances for Argentina!?

 

[Deano]

Camara definitely wasn't a shit player. He shouldn't have won player of the season as Rae was our best player that season by a distance. Camara had issues with end product especially early in the season, but he was fast and tricky and whenever he got the ball he got the fans out of their seat.

The way he left was very poor and probably has an effect of opinions of him as a player as a result but he definitely wasn't shit.

 

[Johnny75]

He was certainly fast but technically he was abysmal, Helan levels of shit.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Never go full Hélan, man. You can't compare someone who scored at a World Cup with someone who doesn't know where the pitch ends, despite the big thick white line being right there in front of him.

I think if he'd stayed in 2004 then he'd have been like his near namesake Diomansy Kamara at Albion when they came down a couple of years later. Pace alone would have seen him rip the division up.

He had a good first season with Wigan to be fair to him. 12 goals. Until Raul signed for us, we never had anyone beat that in the Premier League.

 

[lemonjelly]

Henri was just Mo Camara with a smile and personality bypass.

.

exactly what popped into my head when reading the initial post!

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Again, you don't go full Hélan and you don't go full Mo Camara.

Mo Camara was not a footballer at all. He was fucking dreadful.

Don't make me include him in here.

 

[Templeton Peck]

Iversen is DJ all over. Sign a player who's patently absolutely nowhere near fitness. Play him anyway and watch the fans hate him as he simply isn't equipped to perform right now. Once he gets fit and starts playing well, drop him and never pick him again.

He was an excellent footballer. Probably not the right signing for us as we needed someone then, not from November/December onwards, but he could play.

Remember him dominating Ferdinand in the 1-0 then I can't remember seeing him much after that. DJ really was shite.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He was excellent against Liverpool too.

Do you want to know how many minutes he played for us after that?

It's 75. Seventy. Five.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

His performance at Old Trafford was him all over.

One of the most frustrating performances ever. How many chances did he have? Didn't he backheel one off the post or did I imagine that?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Backheeled it straight at Howard when he could have turned and shot normally.

It's all here, in glorious 2003 quality:

Fuck off is that nearly 17 years ago, I refuse to accept it.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The first miss is absolutely appalling. I'd back any right footed pro striker to score that. How much room do you want to aim at?

 

[Premier Quality]

Silas spannering one over at the end with Alex Rae clear in the middle.

I still liked Camara though, he was pretty good until it came to actual finishing (where he was appalling) and then when he started putting it together in the last quarter of the season, he looked awesome.