(great)Signing you couldn't believe your team made

[Cod Eye]

Following on from the crap signing thread, how about one on those signings that actually made you think "That can't be real!"

So, back when Barnsley had been relegated after our single season in the Premier League, we were a very decent Division 1 team, but without an experienced manager. Danny Wilson had broke our hearts and left for Wednesday, and in what must have been an attempt to keep the fans on side appointed John Hendrie, the player who was the final piece of the puzzle to the team that got promoted to the top flight a 2 season prior and become a firm fans favourite, as Player-Manager.

We had a really good team( two from Ashely Ward, Bruce Dyer and Jan Aage Fjortoft up top, barring Neil Redfearn the same midfield that eventually learned to hold their own the Premier League and a decent defence. 

The trouble was something was missing. Goals from outside the front two. This is where the signing came in.

I opened the local paper that came every Friday, and on the back pages in a small box at the top "Reds Sign Craig Hignett for £750k". I was totally gob smacked! I know to many who support the bigger teams, you will scoff at a player like Hignett(who before an ill fated few months at Hibs was a part of a great Middlesbrough team with the likes of Ravenelli, Juninho and Emerson), but to a Barnsley fan this was akin to a team like Millwall signing Maddison from Spurs. A cracking player who has all the ability in the world, but not an England regular. 

 

He went on to get us to the play off final that year, before leaving for Blackburn the next. So only there for a short time, but an absolute joy to watch! The only game he and Ward(a great striker at that level)played together was in the 7-1 hammering of Huddersfield. It would have been interesting to see where we would end up if Ward and Hignett had all season together.

So, that mine. Who's yours?

P.S. Sorry for the length(no context thread!). Got carried away reminiscing about one of the greatest times  being a Barnsley fan...

[gmoney]

Zola at Chelsea for me. We'd had Guillit, Di Matteo and Vialli by then, and they were great but this wasn't just someone I'd seen on Football Italia who was good, he was actually stunningly incredible. I was on holiday in Spain when it happened, so I'd got the news about two days late as you'd get the English papers delayed back then. I remember thinking it was all a bit dreamlike, or maybe a prank by the Spaniards. He was every bit as good as I'd hoped and has a good shout for being the most talented player to play for Chelsea, and the Premier League. And a lovely chap to boot. 

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

Jurgen Klinsmann

[Cousin Jim Bob]

For Rovers it's got to be Shearer. I knew we were in the hunt for him but so were Manchester United.

Edited October 30, 2024 by Cousin Jim Bob

[Devon Malcolm]

County signing Nick Powell at the start of last season, when we were still in League Two.

Granted he's mostly been crap, but still.

[SuperBacon]

It absolutely has to be Jurgen Klinsmann. 

I still remember the day he signed for us. The week before I'd been punched in the face by one of the twats on the estate so had a massive shiner. It disappeared that day, but I fell off my bike and grazed the whole side of my face so was hiding in the flat.

One of the older lads knocked the door and my sister let him in, and he shouted "You've signed Klinsmann!" and the wait for teletext to load was excruciating.

This is hot on the heels of me supporting Germany at the 94 WC with no England involved, so I was absolutely beside myself. Another WC winner at the Lane. 

And he was an instant hit, THAT celebration changed a lot of people's minds, that had preconceived thoughts about him, not unfairly. 

I saw Spurs away twice that season and I was incensed that the Forest fans were singing the Dambusters theme and doing airplane gestures. Cunts! That's my German!

Then he fucked off after one season, before coming back a few years later to save us from relegation. WUNDERBAR! 

I read a few years ago that Ossies original plan was to sign Diego (apparently something happened at the 94 WC that put the kibosh on it) but Jurgen remains the biggest signing we've ever had, and one of the biggest signings the English league has ever had. Genuine amazement.

I also couldn't believe that we re-signed Gareth Bale a few years ago. That was a good day. His only trophyless season since he left Tottenham. You'll never sing that.

[FLips]

Ravanelli for Boro. Signed him from Juventus on a £7 million transfer and he was the highest paid player in the Premier League. Yeah he was a billy big bollocks who hated the grounds and thought the town was a shit hole (it was and even moreso is now) but it was worth it because "Ravanelliiii showwwws his belly when he scoresssss a gooooooal" is etched into my brain forever from every one of us pulling our shirt over their face and running around when we scored a screamer on the school field. Scored a hat-trick against Liverpool on his debut, what more could you ask for?

That 96-97 squad is still the stuff of legend here even if they did get relegated. There's still shops and restaurants that have photos of Juninho in the window. We never came even close to it again until the Viduka/Downing/Hasselbaink era and then nothing we've had since has been anywhere near them.

 

Edited October 30, 2024 by FLips

[Cod Eye]

16 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

It absolutely has to be Jurgen Klinsmann. 

I still remember the day he signed for us. The week before I'd been punched in the face by one of the twats on the estate so had a massive shiner. It disappeared that day, but I fell off my bike and grazed the whole side of my face so was hiding in the flat.

One of the older lads knocked the door and my sister let him in, and he shouted "You've signed Klinsmann!" and the wait for teletext to load was excruciating.

This is hot on the heels of me supporting Germany at the 94 WC with no England involved, so I was absolutely beside myself. Another WC winner at the Lane. 

And he was an instant hit, THAT celebration changed a lot of people's minds, that had preconceived thoughts about him, not unfairly. 

I saw Spurs away twice that season and I was incensed that the Forest fans were singing the Dambusters theme and doing airplane gestures. Cunts! That's my German!

Then he fucked off after one season, before coming back a few years later to save us from relegation. WUNDERBAR! 

I read a few years ago that Ossies original plan was to sign Diego (apparently something happened at the 94 WC that put the kibosh on it) but Jurgen remains the biggest signing we've ever had, and one of the biggest signings the English league has ever had. Genuine amazement.

I also couldn't believe that we re-signed Gareth Bale a few years ago. That was a good day. His only trophyless season since he left Tottenham. You'll never sing that.

I know exactly how you feel with Klinsmann. He's my favourite ever striker. 

 

Ive always had a soft spot for Spurs as my babysitter was a huge fan and I loved Gazza back in the day, so when I had chance to go to Hillsborough for the season opener and sit in the away end, I jumped at the chance. I'd watched him the the World Cup and he was a different class, but more than anything I remember all the newspaper stories about his diving and things. 

So when he scored that goal, that picture perfect header that was almost a replica of the header you would dream about scoring in the World Cup final I was in awe. Then that iconic dive in front of the photographers was the icing on the cake. What a player!

Th next time I saw him as at Oakwell when he got knocked out cold and swallowed his tongue. Every person in the ground were on their feet, applauding him off the pitch. He was a generational talent,

[Merzbow]

A potentially great signing was Robert Jarni..

Robert Jarni had signed with Coventry City and no one could believe it, turns out it *may* have all been a scam to get him to Real Madrid as he left as soon as he turned up, I'm not even sure if he ever set foot in the town.

The weirdest thing ever, could have fit in both threads.

Edited October 30, 2024 by Merzbow

[gmoney]

33 minutes ago, FLips said:

Ravanelli for Boro. Signed him from Juventus on a £7 million transfer and he was the highest paid player in the Premier League. Yeah he was a billy big bollocks who hated the grounds and thought the town was a shit hole (it was and even moreso is now) but it was worth it because "Ravanelliiii showwwws his belly when he scoresssss a gooooooal" is etched into my brain forever from every one of us pulling our shirt over their face and running around when we scored a screamer on the school field. Scored a hat-trick against Liverpool on his debut, what more could you ask for?

That 96-97 squad is still the stuff of legend here even if they did get relegated. There's still shops and restaurants that have photos of Juninho in the window. We never came even close to it again until the Viduka/Downing/Hasselbaink era and then nothing we've had since has been anywhere near them.

 

Looking back, it's astounding Boro got relegated with that squad. 

[neil]

For me I'd go back to 1989's signing of Steve Vai by Whitesnake leader David Coverdale. Coming off Whitesnake's huge US breakout album "Whitesnake" featuring classics such as "Still of the Night" and "Here I Go Again", Coverdale had already grappled with shifting band members from the recording of "Whitesnake" to the live touring band, so it was no surprise that when it came to the follow-up record he once again found himself in a shit situation with respect to the guitarists - Viv Campbell was out and Dutch hunk Adrian Vandenberg had a wrist injury.

What was Coverdale to do? Well luckly for him Steve Vai had been thrust into the hair metal world thanks to David Lee Roth and was well known as a "stunt guitarist". Who else could bring the level of technical chops and over the top theatrics to keep Whitesnake's momentum going? Coverdale signed Vai to a contract allegedly worth $1,000,000. The resulting album got mixed reviews, with Vai being a somewhat uncomfortable fit with the more bluesy direction that Coverdale and Vandenberg wanted to go. Coverdale decided to take a break from Whitesnake after this.

[FLips]

1 minute ago, gmoney said:

Looking back, it's astounding Boro got relegated with that squad. 

It is but it was only because the Premier League essentially gave us permission to postpone a match with Blackburn Rovers but then went back on themselves when we did and docked us 3 points. We went down on the last day of the season despite making two cup finals. Bollocks. We came right back up but without the likes of Juninho and Ravanelli.

[Wretch]

He was mentioned in the opposite thread, but Jesse Lingard signing for Forest was a stunner. I never believed for a second he'd set the City Ground on fire, it was more the fact that I couldn't believe all this attention was on our club. After a pretty torrid time under our previous owners, and a three year stint in League One, it was a very exciting time to be a Forest fan to see us plastered on the sports pages after years and years of shite.  

[Nexus]

I'd say Keylor Navas for Forest as well. An ex Real Madrid player playing at the City Ground? Mental. 

[TibBo]

1 hour ago, SuperBacon said:

This is hot on the heels of me supporting Germany at the 94 WC

 

I'm pretty sure everyone was Irish for those 2 weeks mate
 

49 minutes ago, neil said:

For me I'd go back to 1989's signing of Steve Vai by Whitesnake leader David Coverdale. Coming off Whitesnake's huge US breakout album "Whitesnake" featuring classics such as "Still of the Night" and "Here I Go Again", Coverdale had already grappled with shifting band members from the recording of "Whitesnake" to the live touring band, so it was no surprise that when it came to the follow-up record he once again found himself in a shit situation with respect to the guitarists - Viv Campbell was out and Dutch hunk Adrian Vandenberg had a wrist injury.

What was Coverdale to do? Well luckly for him Steve Vai had been thrust into the hair metal world thanks to David Lee Roth and was well known as a "stunt guitarist". Who else could bring the level of technical chops and over the top theatrics to keep Whitesnake's momentum going? Coverdale signed Vai to a contract allegedly worth $1,000,000. The resulting album got mixed reviews, with Vai being a somewhat uncomfortable fit with the more bluesy direction that Coverdale and Vandenberg wanted to go. Coverdale decided to take a break from Whitesnake after this.

Always wondered if any of those Whitesnake tracks were originally for the next Thin Lizzy album