Top 5 signings made by your club

[Millwall_Matt]

Can't believe you missed out Dion Dublin! That was a rare case of us making a big signing that not only impressed us but the rest of the division -- also, he was really, really good (though we won't talk about that miss vs Brum in the play-offs...)

Would also swap Powell for Scott Dobie. Probably the 2nd highest fee we've paid for a player, but largely forgotten. Sold him to Forest a few months later and made our money back, I believe!

Special mentions to Andy Keogh (great partnership with Harry Kane, playing the best football of Jackett's tenure, until he decided he couldn't be arsed anymore), Scott McDonald (great first touch, not much else) and Paul Moody (overcame a slow start to become one of the most talented 'big man' strikers we've ever had).

Dion was great, but only on loan and only for 3 games(?). I don't remember being excited about Dobie, whereas I was for Powell. Both utter toss for us in the end though.

Keogh was a good one, I forgot about him. Should have been a very good signing but only showed it in patches. Moody was cheap as chips but probably the best pound for pound signing I remember after Cahill and Harris.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Ronnie Whelan: Was utterly surprised when in 1994 he did not retire from Liverpool but joined Southend, he played one full season and was quality in then Division 1. Tarnished his reputation somewhat by taking over as manager the next season and introducing a legendary drinking culture which saw the club implode two season later in a drunken haze.

Mike Marsh: A Whelan signing, record fee, and old Liverpool mate. One of the best players I have witnessed in a Southend shirt, he left Galatasaray to come to Roots Hall, probably when he heard about all the beer. Didn't hinder his performances on the field and he actually stayed when relegated to Division 2 even though he was clearly good enough to play higher. Retired due to injury during the season.

Shaun Goater: Couldn't wait to see him play, key part of the League 1 winning side, retired at the end of the season. Only agreed to join if he could stay in Reading and train 1/2 times a week. You'd never have known he barely trained, great player, great guy.

Neville Southall: Sodding appalling, old and knackered in 1998, he played old and knackered, 9 games of hideous goalkeeping, he remains the only player I've ever seen play for Southend roundly booed during games by a majority of the home fans.

Michael Ricketts: The season after Goater another guy in the twilight of his career. I'd hoped for even half as good as Goater, it wasn't even a gamble, Leeds and Middlesbrough were paying his wages all he had to do was score a few goals help out the team. What hadn't been gambled on was Ricketts being a total prick. Injured in pre-season training he refused to do any physio or rehab. 20 minutes of on pitch action as a sub, refusals to train after turning up in a chauffeur driven gold rolls-royce and he was told to bugger off and piss someone else off.

 

[Zeus]

Roy Mac was a disaster !

He got you over the line!

 

[THE TERRACEMAN]

He got you over the line!

More by luck than judgement, his record was awful, he changed the playing style of a team that was miles clear at the top of the Conference when he needed to do nothing. Fantastic player, did a decent job as manager at other clubs but was out of touch when he came here.

 

[Coalite]

More by luck than judgement, his record was awful, he changed the playing style of a team that was miles clear at the top of the Conference when he needed to do nothing. Fantastic player, did a decent job as manager at other clubs but was out of touch when he came here.

With the benefit of hindsight, he worked some bloody fine miracles when he was with us. The 'Great Escape' season topping the lot.

 

[darren gregory]

Ian Taylor from Moor Green, absolute gem of a find by John Rudge , went on to have distinguished Premier career at Villa and Sheff Wed.

Gareth Ainsworth.....Legend

Darren Beckford...fans bucket collections 15,000

John McCarthy...big money ( for Vale ) signing from York, tireless worker

Jak Alnwick... free this season from Toon, amazed if we don,t get decent fee in the next couple of years for this lad.

 

[Etienne Vermeer]

I remember another couple of signings I was excited about for us.

The first was Tony Cascarino, we all know how that one worked out.

Secondly, the four Scots in 1996. To be fair, Crawford and particularly Hartley were decent, Dair and Sinclair were fucking shite and we went into admin partly because of spunking so much on them all.

 

[The Hand of Dom]

All ours have probably come under MacAnthony to be fair.

1. George Boyd - How we kept him for 6 years I'll never know. He was wonderful. Only thing he lacked was real pace. 260k. Bargain,
2. Ryan Bennett - Classy defender who you knew would play at the top, really glad he's finally showing his class for Norwich. 700k. Bargain.
3. Craig Mackail-Smith - Prolific goalscoring pest. I'm gutted he suffered that huge injury at Brighton as he isn't the same anymore but at his best, he was unbelievable. 125k. Bargain.
4. Lee Tomlin - He's a dickhead, but he's a very talented dickhead. Some of the things he pulls off are incredible and he was often on a different wavelength to everyone else because his footballing brain, unlike his actual brain, is a class above. 150k. Bargain.
5. Dwight Gayle - Best natural finisher i've ever seen. The fact the boy was only here 6 months speaks volumes and he and Tomlin worked so well. Hope he gets a real chance at the Prem soon, he'll take it by storm I reckon. 500k too. Bargain.

Special mentions to Aaron McLean, Britt Assombalonga, Jimmy Bullard, Charlie Lee, Paul Taylor, and Chris Forrester.

 

[Chris Cov 87]

1. Dion Dublin. Snip at £2m kept us up in prem year after year until he defected to Villa
2. Robbie Keane - only stayed for one year £5.1m sold for £13m the following season to Inter Milan. Class act and exciting season where we didn't have to actually fight relegation..
3. Peter Ndlovu. £10k 1991 left in 1997 - great talent and more random feet than Wanchope!
4. Robert Jarni - £2m sold for £5 later in day to Real Madrid as wife didn't like look of Coventry
5. Tony Mowbray - Manager - saved us last season and gave us some long awaited optimism this season