'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

This Forum is the main messageboard to discuss all things Claret and Blue and beyond
Post Reply
Fretters
Posts: 2531
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 7:56 am
Been Liked: 1034 times
Has Liked: 543 times

'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by Fretters » Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:09 pm

It's the ultimate paper to cover the cracks of a poor transfer window and hopefully it doesn't get rolled out this summer with the likes of Defour. But who has been your favourite over the years?

Has to be Robbie Blake for me when he was finally fit at the start of the 02/03 season after signing the previous January with a hernia. A lot of fans didn't realise how good he actually was until then. Another I remember is Paul Weller who finally overcame his stomach (I think?) issues after our promotion in 2000 and was suddenly looking like a top player at the higher level. Think he scored a cracker in our first home game against Wimbledon.

Any others spring to mind?

Lord Beamish
Posts: 5001
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 4:00 pm
Been Liked: 3435 times
Has Liked: 2881 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by Lord Beamish » Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:12 pm

Barnes after coming back from his ACL tear.
This user liked this post: Fretters

ClaretTony
Posts: 67425
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:07 pm
Been Liked: 32238 times
Has Liked: 5253 times
Location: Burnley
Contact:

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:19 pm

Weller had been terrific for Waddle until his illness hit him. Waddle told us one night that he thought Weller would play in the Premier League. He might have done too but for his illness.

Andy Gray coming back from injury in 2007 was huge for us but as Beamish said the full fitness of Robbie and we started seeing him play like the night he destroyed us for Forest.

Fretters
Posts: 2531
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 7:56 am
Been Liked: 1034 times
Has Liked: 543 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by Fretters » Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:27 pm

ClaretTony wrote:Weller had been terrific for Waddle until his illness hit him. Waddle told us one night that he thought Weller would play in the Premier League. He might have done too but for his illness.

Andy Gray coming back from injury in 2007 was huge for us but as Beamish said the full fitness of Robbie and we started seeing him play like the night he destroyed us for Forest.
Didn't Weller have a trial at West Ham just before he got ill?

ClaretTony
Posts: 67425
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:07 pm
Been Liked: 32238 times
Has Liked: 5253 times
Location: Burnley
Contact:

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:31 pm

Fretters wrote:Didn't Weller have a trial at West Ham just before he got ill?
He did but when Waddle left, Teasdale allowed a load of players contracts to end and they all went looking elsewhere. Stan came in and tried to rescue things and was able to keep Weller.

claptrappers_union
Posts: 5756
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:40 pm
Been Liked: 1746 times
Has Liked: 344 times
Location: The Banana Stand

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by claptrappers_union » Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:50 pm

Fretters wrote:Didn't Weller have a trial at West Ham just before he got ill?
Theres an interview on ClaretsPlayer where he explains it all

ClaretTony
Posts: 67425
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:07 pm
Been Liked: 32238 times
Has Liked: 5253 times
Location: Burnley
Contact:

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:58 pm

Vince Overson fits into this category after missing virtually the whole of the 1982/83 season. I don’t think we’d have gone down had he been able to play but we’d no central defenders.

JohnDearyMe
Posts: 2723
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:31 pm
Been Liked: 666 times
Has Liked: 2041 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by JohnDearyMe » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:18 pm

Ings after his first big injury

Fretters
Posts: 2531
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 7:56 am
Been Liked: 1034 times
Has Liked: 543 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by Fretters » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:33 pm

JohnDearyMe wrote:Ings after his first big injury
Great shout, although hadn't he done both knees before we finally saw the best of him in 13/14?

JohnDearyMe
Posts: 2723
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:31 pm
Been Liked: 666 times
Has Liked: 2041 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by JohnDearyMe » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:37 pm

Fretters wrote:Great shout, although hadn't he done both knees before we finally saw the best of him in 13/14?
Could well have been. Didn't he injure himself in a pre-match warm up early on for us?

ClaretTony
Posts: 67425
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:07 pm
Been Liked: 32238 times
Has Liked: 5253 times
Location: Burnley
Contact:

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:40 pm

JohnDearyMe wrote:Ings after his first big injury
Didn’t play much after the first and didn’t have much impact when he came back from the second. It was 2013/14 when he really kicked on.

Foulthrow
Posts: 2283
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:48 am
Been Liked: 699 times
Has Liked: 1518 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by Foulthrow » Fri Jun 21, 2019 5:04 pm

Heaton. This season (of course, he was outstanding previously but the impact of his return seemed massive).

TheFamilyCat
Posts: 10841
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:56 pm
Been Liked: 5520 times
Has Liked: 208 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by TheFamilyCat » Fri Jun 21, 2019 5:18 pm

Interesting re Blake. He was great for us in both spells when he was fit but I wonder what might’ve been that season had we spent the money on someone who could make an impact instead of Blake (and effing Gazza).

ClaretTony
Posts: 67425
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:07 pm
Been Liked: 32238 times
Has Liked: 5253 times
Location: Burnley
Contact:

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 21, 2019 5:36 pm

TheFamilyCat wrote:Interesting re Blake. He was great for us in both spells when he was fit but I wonder what might’ve been that season had we spent the money on someone who could make an impact instead of Blake (and effing Gazza).
We had Shefki Kuqi lined up until Bradford City gave us the go ahead for Robbie.

Conroy92
Posts: 1331
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 9:06 pm
Been Liked: 497 times
Has Liked: 30 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by Conroy92 » Fri Jun 21, 2019 5:53 pm

Vokes after Austin left.

TheFamilyCat
Posts: 10841
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:56 pm
Been Liked: 5520 times
Has Liked: 208 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by TheFamilyCat » Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:19 pm

ClaretTony wrote:We had Shefki Kuqi lined up until Bradford City gave us the go ahead for Robbie.
Maybe we were better off how things panned out then.

ksrclaret
Posts: 6804
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:56 am
Been Liked: 2488 times
Has Liked: 760 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by ksrclaret » Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:26 pm

Ben Mee when finally moved to CB

ClaretTony
Posts: 67425
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:07 pm
Been Liked: 32238 times
Has Liked: 5253 times
Location: Burnley
Contact:

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:36 pm

TheFamilyCat wrote:Maybe we were better off how things panned out then.
Kuqi moved to Sheff Wed instead and scored a few goals for them including a stoppage time winner against us on the Turf.

We needed a fit player to come in and so in that respect Robbie was not who we wanted having said that I’m pleased we signed him and I’m pleased we signed him back a few years later. Wonderful footballer.

TheFamilyCat
Posts: 10841
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:56 pm
Been Liked: 5520 times
Has Liked: 208 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by TheFamilyCat » Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:40 pm

ClaretTony wrote:Kuqi moved to Sheff Wed instead and scored a few goals for them including a stoppage time winner against us on the Turf.

We needed a fit player to come in and so in that respect Robbie was not who we wanted having said that I’m pleased we signed him and I’m pleased we signed him back a few years later. Wonderful footballer.
Yes, I doubt very much they Kuqi would have done the things Robbie did over the years.

(although he may have got a start at Watford in the QF)

4:20
Posts: 2166
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2017 8:23 am
Been Liked: 1061 times
Has Liked: 1177 times

Re: 'Like a new signing' - who was the best?

Post by 4:20 » Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:45 pm

Dwight McNeil, we were proper up the pooper before that lad came in from out of relatively nowhere, helped us stay up and made me think "he is going to be sold down the line for 50+ million".
These 2 users liked this post: basil6345789 Fretters

Post Reply