Biggest Flop Signing & Low Expectation That Came Good

[Thedelldays]

chris marsden

pahars

killer

paul jones

claus

all great

 

flops

delgado

ripley

hughes

dixon

groves

jermaine wright...my god, what an awful player

george burley

[ericofarabia]

Kevin Keegan's first 6 months were pretty poor - barely touched the ball FFS.

 

If I remember correctly wasn't the deal set up in about Feb, but didn't play for us till the start of the next season

 

Lawries knack of getting that last final fling out of older players is of course legendary. Alan Ball, Ossie, Super Mac, Boyer, Dave Watson, Chris Nicholl, Mick Mills, Frank Worthington all had great swansongs with us and lets not forget Peter Rodrigues!! In the main they arrived without too high expectations on them as they were supposedly past their selll by dates, but all gave their all.

 

Flops have all been covered just about, but didn't see Jelle Van Damme mentioned - looked the part, but was more like a spare part!! Saga once he got his contract suddenly became nothing again after flattering to deceive.

 

For 3 wonderful minutes 'Johnno Quick' became the best player in the world ever when he came on as sub and scored those goals against MK Dons

[sadoldgit]

Charlie George was one I bet Lawrie would rather forget.

[ericofarabia]

Charlie George was one I bet Lawrie would rather forget.

 

Can't win em all!!

 

What a great buy Dave Armstrong was - think he was one of those players who had more respect from his fellow pros than the fans, so his arrival wasn't marked in the same way as a new centre forward or winger would be - but most forwards would have been envious of his scoring record at the top level whilst with us!!

[um pahars]

Can't win em all!!

 

What a great buy Dave Armstrong was - think he was one of those players who had more respect from his fellow pros than the fans, so his arrival wasn't marked in the same way as a new centre forward or winger would be - but most forwards would have been envious of his scoring record at the top level whilst with us!!

 

I was going to mention Dave Armstrong as being a hit, but thought against it as the fee at the time was decent by the standards of the day (£650,000??? and I'm sure it was a record for us). That said, I don't remember him having that much of a reputation when he arrived after being a one club man with Boro, but he certainly did the business down here and was one of my favourite players of that era.

[sidthesquid]

chris marsden

pahars

killer

paul jones

claus

all great

 

flops

delgado

ripley

hughes

dixon

groves

jermaine wright...my god, what an awful player

george burley

 

In some ways Burley was the biggest flop of all. He came with a brilliant reputation, started okay then proceeded to sign some of the worst players ever to wear the shirt and make Ian Branfoot look like a master tactician. Also two of his signings - Skacel & BWP would be right up there on the list of flops. (Don't get me started on the like of the Jason Euell on £14k/week.)

[LostBoys]

Wright and Makin - I am going to have to lie down to recover now from the shock of remembering how bad they were

[SNSUN]

I started supporting Saints in 1989, but didn't truly become involved until Alan Ball became our manager - were ANY of Ian Branfoot's signings a success?

[Saint Without a Halo]

Speedie and Dixon from Chelsea as so called class replacements for Alan Shearer

Also Delgado who I believe as good but never turned it on for us apart from against arsenal once

 

Best has to be Ivan Golac and Chris Marsden both unknowns who were giants for us!

[ecuk268]

I started supporting Saints in 1989, but didn't truly become involved until Alan Ball became our manager - were ANY of Ian Branfoot's signings a success?

 

Ken Monkou was the only one.

[Wade Garrett]

Flop - Delgado

 

Success - Williams, Marsden

[Kenilworthy]

were ANY of Ian Branfoot's signings a success?

 

Dave Beasant was an initial disaster but was player of the year in 95-96

[sadoldgit]

In some ways Burley was the biggest flop of all. He came with a brilliant reputation, started okay then proceeded to sign some of the worst players ever to wear the shirt and make Ian Branfoot look like a master tactician. Also two of his signings - Skacel & BWP would be right up there on the list of flops. (Don't get me started on the like of the Jason Euell on £14k/week.)

 

He still got us into the pay offs so hardly a flop. Also before Pardew and Adkins came along he had the best win ratio of any manager since the war. Bit harsh to say that Branfoot was better. Skacel didn't do for us what he did for Herts but was a good player. Wright Phillips seems to have scored loads of goals this season. I would say his worst was Wright but even he was better than Benali. Euell had been a decent player in the past. Burley turned Jones into a Premiership class striker.

[Thedelldays]

He still got us into the pay offs so hardly a flop. Also before Pardew and Adkins came along he had the best win ratio of any manager since the war. Bit harsh to say that Branfoot was better. Skacel didn't do for us what he did for Herts but was a good player. Wright Phillips seems to have scored loads of goals this season. I would say his worst was Wright but even he was better than Benali. Euell had been a decent player in the past. Burley turned Jones into a Premiership class striker.

is jones a prem class striker..? scored about as much a gary taylor fletcher...

burley was crap

[farawaysaint]

is jones a prem class striker..? scored about as much a gary taylor fletcher...

burley was crap

 

Goal every 4 game sin the prem isn't bad at all.

[Thedelldays]

Goal every 4 game sin the prem isn't bad at all.

 

not quite the new drogba SWF painted him out to be a couple of years ago....

[ulstersaint]

We have ended up with some rubbish! I wholeheartedly agree that Dixon & Speedie were a total waste of space, but what about our recent star Anthony Pulis.

[Thedelldays]

We have ended up with some rubbish! I wholeheartedly agree that Dixon & Speedie were a total waste of space, but what about our recent star Anthony Pulis.

 

but he had zero expectations......and has shown zero ability....

skacel was a bit of a let down...after all the hype and contract signing thingy

[Junction 9]

Have to say he wasn't ****. I remember how ****ed off the Saints fans were when we signed him. He was good though, didn't play well in a poor Villa side previously.

 

That's exactly what I meant. I was putting him in the "came good" camp.

[sidthesquid]

He still got us into the pay offs so hardly a flop. Also before Pardew and Adkins came along he had the best win ratio of any manager since the war. Bit harsh to say that Branfoot was better. Skacel didn't do for us what he did for Herts but was a good player. Wright Phillips seems to have scored loads of goals this season. I would say his worst was Wright but even he was better than Benali. Euell had been a decent player in the past. Burley turned Jones into a Premiership class striker.

 

The team that got to the play-offs was good enough to go straight up. Only his tinkering with winning teams stopped that. And then, like Branfoot before him, replaced talent with dross. Skacel seemed to live off one good season with Hearts & has done nothing since. BWP found his level in League 1 & that was exactly the point with Euell - his best days were way behind him. I don't think he had much hand in Jones's development either.

[BallBoy]

Best, a toss up between Chris Marsden (relatively cheap) and Alan Ball who cost a bit more but was worth his weight in gold as a captain who got the best out of the other McMenemy superstars.

 

Worst was possibly Jim Montgomery from Sunderland. He was famous for winning the cup for Sunderland in '73 and he was a decent keeper but he totally bombed for us. Disappeared without trace.

[The9]

In some ways Burley was the biggest flop of all. He came with a brilliant reputation, started okay then proceeded to sign some of the worst players ever to wear the shirt and make Ian Branfoot look like a master tactician. Also two of his signings - Skacel & BWP would be right up there on the list of flops. (Don't get me started on the like of the Jason Euell on £14k/week.)

 

And but for a nightmare by Leon Best he'd have led that team of "terrible signings" into the Championship Play-Off Final...

[Thedelldays]

And but for a nightmare by Leon Best he'd have led that team of "terrible signings" into the Championship Play-Off Final...

 

indeed...should have been top 2 IMO.....but we never and we lost and we went out at the first hurdle

[sadoldgit]

The team that got to the play-offs was good enough to go straight up. Only his tinkering with winning teams stopped that. And then, like Branfoot before him, replaced talent with dross. Skacel seemed to live off one good season with Hearts & has done nothing since. BWP found his level in League 1 & that was exactly the point with Euell - his best days were way behind him. I don't think he had much hand in Jones's development either.

 

Huddersfield were also good enough to go straight up but they didn't. At least he got us winning football matches again. Skacel might have had one good season at Hearts but many players would love to have a season like that. He wasn't poor for us but granted didn't deliver. Was that Burley's fault. As for Jones, do you know that for a fact or is it just because he decided that Burely was rubbish?

[The9]

is jones a prem class striker..? scored about as much a gary taylor fletcher...

burley was crap

 

Gary Taylor Fletcher hasn't been transferred to Prem clubs for a total of £14m, so clearly some managers (one finished 10th and one 13th this season) rate him much more highly.

[Thedelldays]

Huddersfield were also good enough to go straight up but they didn't. At least he got us winning football matches again. Skacel might have had one good season at Hearts but many players would love to have a season like that. He wasn't poor for us but granted didn't deliver. Was that Burley's fault. As for Jones, do you know that for a fact or is it just because he decided that Burely was rubbish?

 

burley scrapped 6th with a team of

 

Bale

baird

jones

rasiak

saga

davis

 

christ on a bike...we were lucky preston blew it as we got into a position where it was out of our hands..FOR A PLAYOFF spot.

anyway, its all history and he will never manager again at a credible club

[sadoldgit]

is jones a prem class striker..? scored about as much a gary taylor fletcher...

burley was crap

 

He is playing in the Premiership so I guess that makes him a Premiership clas striker.

 

You think Burely was crap. I don't. We are never going to agree on that one are we?

 

He managed to get us into the paly offs - something that Redknapp didn't show any sign of doing before he bailed.

[Turkish]

We have ended up with some rubbish! I wholeheartedly agree that Dixon & Speedie were a total waste of space, but what about our recent star Anthony Pulis.

 

Is probably one of the greatest quotes in football history "Dixon and Speedie will score more goals than Alan Shearer this season" Shearer got 30 odd and Dixon and Speedie got one between them. Shame, i was a big Kerry Dixon fan as a kid when he was at Chelsea,but they were awful for us.

 

Inigo Idiakez was a big let down for me, saw him at Derby and thought he looked a quality player, was pleased when we signed him but he was awful for us.

 

Ones from the past, Scott Marshall, highly rated centre half signed from Arsenal, after his debut was clear why he'd never played for them.

Stuart Ripley, simply awful and a tossser to go with it

[Thedelldays]

Gary Taylor Fletcher hasn't been transferred to Prem clubs for a total of £14m, so clearly some managers (one finished 10th and one 13th this season) rate him much more highly.

 

indeed..and when you compare hims gary taylor-fletcher...you cant help but this that was a tad OTT

[The9]

indeed...should have been top 2 IMO.....but we never and we lost and we went out at the first hurdle

 

So did Burley sign crap players, or did he sign players that should have got us into the top 2 ? Someone needs to get their story straight.

[The9]

indeed..and when you compare hims gary taylor-fletcher...you cant help but this that was a tad OTT

 

You're right, comparing Kenwyne to Taylor-Fletcher is indeed OTT. Kind of like comparing Saints to Dagenham and Redbridge.

[Thedelldays]

You're right, comparing Kenwyne to Taylor-Fletcher is indeed OTT. Kind of like comparing Saints to Dagenham and Redbridge.

 

yes..both scored similar amount of goals..I would also add that GTF probably had a bigger impact this season.....

anyway...all history, jones is no closer to being the new drogba like billed on here

good luck to him..the selfish ******

[The9]

He is playing in the Premiership so I guess that makes him a Premiership clas striker.

 

You think Burely was crap. I don't. We are never going to agree on that one are we?

 

He managed to get us into the paly offs - something that Redknapp didn't show any sign of doing before he bailed.

 

That's not exactly accurate either. We only lost one league match well into October under Redknapp. Though admittedly we drew shedloads. It was only when we caved against Leeds that people really let themselves go and stopped giving the bloke the benefit of the doubt entirely.

 

We should have got shot when he was wavering in the summer - though I was saying this on whatever Forum we were using in 2005 from May onwards. It was hardly like he'd shown signs of turning the club around in the previous 6 months and he had a history of hitting the eject button.

 

That 6 months and then losing all the Prem bailers at Xmas not in the summer cost us 18 months and our best chance of getting back up.

Edited 26 June, 2011 by The9

[Saint Without a Halo]

Flop - Delgado

 

Success - Williams, Marsden

 

Williams (Steve) was great but wasnt he a trainee made good rather than a signing (as was Channon who replaced a Martin Chivers)

[Turkish]

burley scrapped 6th with a team of

 

Bale

baird

jones

rasiak

saga

davis

 

christ on a bike...we were lucky preston blew it as we got into a position where it was out of our hands..FOR A PLAYOFF spot.

anyway, its all history and he will never manager again at a credible club

 

and spent more than any other manager that season. I was delighted when we got him, though he was a great manager. The side was good enough to go up automatically but Burley just talked all season about getting in the top 6, we scraped in when we should have at least made a good shot at top 2. Then in his following season he ignorned the fact we were crying out for a decent centre half and just signed midfielders FFS.

[sadoldgit]

burley scrapped 6th with a team of

 

Bale

baird

jones

rasiak

saga

davis

 

christ on a bike...we were lucky preston blew it as we got into a position where it was out of our hands..FOR A PLAYOFF spot.

anyway, its all history and he will never manager again at a credible club

 

Scrapped? We we easily a top 6 side that season and but for a coupe of stupid mistakes by players would have made the play off final. Look at Huddersfield this season. Don't you think their fans are wondering how on earth they didn't go up. Look at Chelsea every year wondering why they they have yet to win the Eurpean Champuons league. Does it mean their managers have all been crap?

 

Yes Burley could have done better. But if you want to go down that road perhaps Adkins should have finish top with the resouces at his disposal and the almight Harry Redknapp should have kept us up. Things don't always work out in football. It doesn't mean that the manager in question was "crap" though.

 

He had a decent points per game ration for us. If he had been crap that wouldn't be so but you have got in in for him, just as you had it in for Pardew.

 

Still, it is all about opinions.

[Turkish]

So did Burley sign crap players, or did he sign players that should have got us into the top 2 ? Someone needs to get their story straight.

 

He signed good players, but for whatever reason they never performed consistantly as well as they should have.

[sadoldgit]

and spent more than any other manager that season. I was delighted when we got him, though he was a great manager. The side was good enough to go up automatically but Burley just talked all season about getting in the top 6, we scraped in when we should have at least made a good shot at top 2. Then in his following season he ignorned the fact we were crying out for a decent centre half and just signed midfielders FFS.

 

He actually signed a centre half who went on to be our player of the season. He also had Bale, Baird and Jones sold from underneath him. Arguably our three best players at the time. Hardly his fault.

[The9]

and spent more than any other manager that season. I was delighted when we got him, though he was a great manager. The side was good enough to go up automatically but Burley just talked all season about getting in the top 6, we scraped in when we should have at least made a good shot at top 2. Then in his following season he ignorned the fact we were crying out for a decent centre half and just signed midfielders FFS.

 

Not true, in fact we weren't even in the top 4 spenders. Sunderland and Derby both outspent us significantly for a start (and went straight up). Roy Keane signed about 15 players. As well as that, West Brom lost very few of their Prem squad from the previous season so didn't need to sign anyone, and yet lost in the Play-Off Final.

[sadoldgit]

He signed good players, but for whatever reason they never performed consistantly as well as they should have.

 

And this is the issue with football. If putting a team together was easy there wouldn't be such a large gap between top and bottom. There are very few managers who put decent teams togther consitently. Lawrie Mac did well for us but his formula didn't work at Sunderland.

[Turkish]

He actually signed a centre half who went on to be our player of the season. He also had Bale, Baird and Jones sold from underneath him. Arguably our three best players at the time. Hardly his fault.

 

Yes he did but the we started the season with Makin and Alan Bennett as our central defensive patnership when an idiot could see not just that season but the season before we needed a comanding centre half.

[Turkish]

Not true, in fact we weren't even in the top 4 spenders. Sunderland and Derby both outspent us significantly for a start (and went straight up). Roy Keane signed about 15 players. As well as that, West Brom lost very few of their Prem squad from the previous season so didn't need to sign anyone, and yet lost in the Play-Off Final.

 

Okay i stand corrected on where we were in the spending tables. Regardless, £7m is a f*ck lot of cash in 2006/07 championship. The money he had spent and the players he signed should have done better than scraping sixth place on the last day of the season.

[Thedelldays]

And this is the issue with football. If putting a team together was easy there wouldn't be such a large gap between top and bottom. There are very few managers who put decent teams togther consitently. Lawrie Mac did well for us but his formula didn't work at Sunderland.

 

but that was what he was paid to do with us......

[The9]

Yes he did but the we started the season with Makin and Alan Bennett as our central defensive patnership when an idiot could see not just that season but the season before we needed a comanding centre half.

 

Do you not think with hindsight that this was the first sign that we were absolutely skint and wouldn't be buying anyone decent because we'd gambled on the previous season with relatively big names and wages, and were therefore stuffed from then on due to the losses we'd incur ?

 

Burley was a sitting duck from that point.

[Turkish]

Do you not think with hindsight that this was the first sign that we were absolutely skint and wouldn't be buying anyone decent because we'd gambled on the previous season with relatively big names and wages, and were therefore stuffed from then on due to the losses we'd incur ?

 

Burley was a sitting duck from that point.

 

Yet he signed Safri & Saganowski for almost £1m between them and Jason Euell on £14k a week. You cant tell me there wan't a free agent centre half available that would want half that.....

Edited 26 June, 2011 by Turkish

[The9]

In some ways Burley was the biggest flop of all. He came with a brilliant reputation, started okay then proceeded to sign some of the worst players ever to wear the shirt and make Ian Branfoot look like a master tactician. Also two of his signings - Skacel & BWP would be right up there on the list of flops. (Don't get me started on the like of the Jason Euell on £14k/week.)

 

Okay i stand corrected on where we were in the spending tables. Regardless, £7m is a f*ck lot of cash in 2006/07 championship. The money he had spent and the players he signed should have done better than scraping sixth place on the last day of the season.

 

I agree with you to a point, but the original quote (above) is what we were discussing, and I wouldn't say that was the case - we only have fan expectation to go on regarding where we "should" have finished, and they're obviously going to be skewed, and as we often see on here, biased towards Saints being more successful than they are.

 

I'm not going to argue about Euell though, that's a lot of money for a bloke who runs like a frog.

[The9]

Yet he signed Safri & Saganowski for almost £1m between them.....

 

Yeah, but who had we sold to fund that at a fraction of the cost?

[JackFrost]

Yet he signed Safri & Saganowski for almost £1m between them and Jason Euell on £14k a week. You cant tell me there wan't a free agent centre half available that would want half that.....

 

and Idiakez

[Turkish]

Yeah, but who had we sold to fund that at a fraction of the cost?

 

Of course the team was weakened by the loss of Bale, Jones etc. That season midtable was more realistic, but it was blindingly obvious through the previous season and the summer we need a big strong centre half. The money was there because we spent £1m on Saganowski and Safri, and then later £1m on Andrew Davies and £14k a week contract to Euell, et Burley failed to address it, something Pearson did immediately by signing Lucketti and Chris Perry, same budget....

[sadoldgit]

How Burley is seen as a poorer manager than Branfoot is beyond a joke - and Redknapp for that matter. I can't understand for one minute why certain posters on here seem to actually believe that Burley deserves more flak that the other two.