Our best value for money signing...

[It Is What It Is]

There may be quite a few great value Clarets signings but I will start off with Peter Noble... bought for £35k in 1973. A great servant to the club in a great period of BFC history. He always gave 100% every game for the Clarets and his goals, assists and penalty conversations were immense.
There are loads and loads of others I could mention but Peter Noble for me was defo the best value for return.

[Bullabill]

Talking about penalties ......

[mybloodisclaret]

Michael Duff.

[Tricky Trevor]

Dobo for free from Bolton. End thread.

[elwaclaret]

Dobo for free from Bolton. End thread.

What came to mind when I read the OP. Noble was sensational business, Martin Dobson on a free was never repeatable business.

[dsr]

What came to mind when I read the OP. Noble was sensational business, Martin Dobson on a free was never repeatable business.

If signing someone on a free transfer from a lower division club and seeing him star in a team promoted to the top division and go on to play for England before being sold for a huge fee, is never repeatable...

... then who was Tom Heaton?

[Woodleyclaret]

Ashley Barnes promoted to Premier league four times

[gawthorpe_view]

As stated above, Martin Dobson

Signed for free, sold for around £300,000 that paid for the Bob Lord Stand.

He was also a dammed good player.

[beeholeclaret]

Got to be Peter Noble in so much as his was a ‘proper’ transfer where money exchanged hands.

I maybe wrong but I thought Dobo had been released by Bolton and he came to Burnley after his dad rang Harry Potts to arrange a trial. No arguing his immense ability and achievements though.

[CyrilEbokiPoh]

In the last 40 years. Using the rule that all players must have cost less than £1m. In fact don’t think any of them cost over 500k.

Heaton
Duff McGreal Thomas
Alexander
Little Barton Jones Arfield
Vokes Barnes

[CaptJohn]

Frank Casper. I believe it was around £30K from Rotheram. What a wonderful player.

Colin Waldron was another of that era.

[ashtonlongsider]

Can't argue with Dobo and Peter Noble but Keith Newton must surely be in the conversation.

[NickBFC]

Sam Vokes and Michael Keane must be right up there in terms of transfer fee paid/received and their contributions for the club.

[ClaretTony]

My mind always goes back to that team in the 1970s with Keith Newton, Geoff Nulty and Martin Dobson having all arrived for nothing having been dumped by Stoke, Bolton and Everton. And that team included Alan Stevenson, Colin Waldron, Frank Casper and Paul Fletcher who all came in for good fees and gave us so much.

But there have been some amazing signings too in the last few years. NickBFC has just mentioned Vokes and Keane but we've had a lot of good signings in the last dozen years or so that have proved to be very astute signings for not too much money. And Barnes is right up there - £450,000 for what he's given us shows how good a signing he was.

[Fretters]

Dyche's 2013 summer transfer window, bringing in Arfield, Jones and Heaton on frees (+ Kightly on loan) is the best transfer window I think we've ever had. It was transformative beyond belief.

[EMANTO2]

I reckon Scott Arfield is up there, on a free and became a vital player after the 2013/2014 season

[Goliath]

Dyche's 2013 summer transfer window, bringing in Arfield, Jones and Heaton on frees (+ Kightly on loan) is the best transfer window I think we've ever had. It was transformative beyond belief.

Don't forget Ryan Noble, we couldn't have done it without him

[Fretters]

Don't forget Ryan Noble, we couldn't have done it without him

Absolutely, apparently he was great in the dressing room

[ClaretTony]

Don't forget Ryan Noble, we couldn't have done it without him

I suppose you could have added all the other academy signings to that one.

[ashtonlongsider]

My mind always goes back to that team in the 1970s with Keith Newton, Geoff Nulty and Martin Dobson having all arrived for nothing having been dumped by Stoke, Bolton and Everton. And that team included Alan Stevenson, Colin Waldron, Frank Casper and Paul Fletcher who all came in for good fees and gave us so much.

Don't CT, your bringing tears to my eyes. Let's not forget another from that side Doug Collins, possibly the best left foot I've seen in a Burnley shirt. I firmly believe if that side had stayed together another season, we'd have won or been very close to winning the old first division.

[whiffa]

Duff, Mee and Trippier all come to mind.

[Ric_C]

Ben Mee is up there. 200k wasn't it?

[It Is What It Is]

Oh Stevie Kindon.
Probably the fastest player I have ever seen. I think he came through our youth scheme then went to Wolves then we bought him back again...don't know how much we paid Wolves though.
When Skippy had the ball, the whole Turf roared him on as he left midfielders and defenders standing in his wake. A super talent.

[Goliath]

I suppose you could have added all the other academy signings to that one.

It was a joke. Although I think he was in the first team squad from memory.

[bobinho]

Got to be Peter Noble in so much as his was a ‘proper’ transfer where money exchanged hands.

I maybe wrong but I thought Dobo had been released by Bolton and he came to Burnley after his dad rang Harry Potts to arrange a trial. No arguing his immense ability and achievements though.

I heard Dobo himself tell that tale.

I could listen to Dobo all night.

[Quicknick]

There may be quite a few great value Clarets signings but I will start off with Peter Noble... bought for £35k in 1973. A great servant to the club in a great period of BFC history. He always gave 100% every game for the Clarets and his goals, assists and penalty conversations were immense.
There are loads and loads of others I could mention but Peter Noble for me was defo the best value for return.

Peter Noble was the name that sprang to my mind when I saw the thread's title, then I read your suggestion. Obviously couldn't agree more.

[Silkyskills1]

Dobo for free from Bolton. End thread.

Cannot dispute this. However, he arrived as a centre forward. I went to Wolves and saw him make his debut in a 3-2 defeat. 19/20 years old and didn't 'look the part' at all. Think it was around 12 months later, an injury crisis forced us to include a lot of young players at home to West Ham and Dobo took the No4 shirt in midfield. We won 3-1 and saw a class act hold down that role for the next 5 or so years.
As mentioned Geoff Nulty was a bargain buy. Again started as a centre forward but when Dave Thomas left in 1972 he took over his shirt but in a completely different role to the one we were used to seeing Dave Thomas in. A central midfield, holding position would be the best way to describe it today. Very brave, scored goals too and had his career brought to an abrupt end playing for Everton v Liverpool and Jimmy Case. I'll say nothing more on that one.

[wilks_bfc]

I think some people may be valuing a 1970s £35k the same as a 2010 £35k

[ClaretTony]

Don't CT, your bringing tears to my eyes. Let's not forget another from that side Doug Collins, possibly the best left foot I've seen in a Burnley shirt. I firmly believe if that side had stayed together another season, we'd have won or been very close to winning the old first division.

Casper injured
Fletcher injured
Dobson sold
Nulty sold
James sold

We didn't have the back up to replace them sadly.

[It Is What It Is]

Casper injured
Fletcher injured
Dobson sold
Nulty sold
James sold

We didn't have the back up to replace them sadly.

Couldn't agree more CT. We had such a fearful dynamic squad then.
Transfers those days were more or less on a level playing field ( pardon the pun ) in the size of fees with other Div 1 clubs.
.....then the big money from big clubs suffocated the likes of Burnley ....I wonder how long before we see the first Billion pounds player...

[jlup1980]

I won't repeat any of the great names mentioned already, and it's hard to disagree with any of them!

How about Andy Farrell? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he joined us in 1987 at our absolute lowest ebb, after the Orient match, and left us in 1994, after helping us get back to the second tier through the play offs?

I can't remember what fee we paid for him, but I think it was less than £10k. Not bad for 300+ appearances and two promotions. A proper Claret.

[wilks_bfc]

I won't repeat any of the great names mentioned already, and it's hard to disagree with any of them!

How about Andy Farrell? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he joined us in 1987 at our absolute lowest ebb, after the Orient match, and left us in 1994, after helping us get back to the second tier through the play offs?

I can't remember what fee we paid for him, but I think it was less than £10k. Not bad for 300+ appearances and two promotions. A proper Claret.

And the only player to have worn all of the shirt numbers 1-11

[Clive 1960]

For me will always be Mr versatile Peter Noble who could play anywhere the manager needed him and if he came off injured he would always be fit and ready to play week later a very good signing from Swindon...

[ClaretTony]

I won't repeat any of the great names mentioned already, and it's hard to disagree with any of them!

How about Andy Farrell? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he joined us in 1987 at our absolute lowest ebb, after the Orient match, and left us in 1994, after helping us get back to the second tier through the play offs?

I can't remember what fee we paid for him, but I think it was less than £10k. Not bad for 300+ appearances and two promotions. A proper Claret.

£5,000 and he proved to be a brilliant signing by Brian Miller. Another player, like Deary & Pender, too quickly discarded by Mullen following the promotion in 1994. In fact Andy’s last game for Burnley was at Wembley against Stockport.

[elwaclaret]

If signing someone on a free transfer from a lower division club and seeing him star in a team promoted to the top division and go on to play for England before being sold for a huge fee, is never repeatable...

... then who was Tom Heaton?

Tom Heaton was an amazing signing… but did not get anywhere near the service Dobo gave the club.

[bodge]

John Deary has to be in this conversation as he has never been replaced.

£35k from Blackpool.

[Selby Claret]

Tom Heaton was an amazing signing… but did not get anywhere near the service Dobo gave the club.

Dobson played 224 times signed from Bolton - promoted once to Div1 and relegated once
Dobson played 186 times after signed from Everton - promoted once from Div3 to Div2 - relegated once
Heaton played 188 - promoted twice both to PL - relegated once

What more service could Heaton have given...?

[CyrilEbokiPoh]

Dobson played 224 times signed from Bolton - promoted once to Div1 and relegated once
Dobson played 186 times after signed from Everton - promoted once from Div3 to Div2 - relegated once
Heaton played 188 - promoted twice both to PL - relegated once

What more service could Heaton have given...?

He could have avoided getting injured while we had a ready made England international replacement waiting in the wings of course