Successful signings since 2006

[The Bohemian]

I've been having a look at our transfer activity in the ten years from the 2006-07 Premier League season with a view to writing an article on the subject. One challenge is in determining what qualifies as a "successful" signing.

The criteria I've used is as follows (qualifiers need to pass at least two):

- was better than his predecessor in his strongest position
- positively and consistently impacted team performance
- held or increased market value

My list is as follows:

Rob Hulse
Colin Kazim-Richards
Matt Kilgallon
Jon Stead
James Beattie
Gary Naysmith
Gary Speed
Jamie Ward
Lee Williamson
Lescinel Jean-Francois
Kevin McDonald
Nick Blackman
Jamie Murphy
Chris Basham
Che Adams
John Brayford
Billy Sharp (third time)

I accept this is very subjective and would be interested in the opinions of others.

 

[lazyfecklessblade]

There's an argument for Bob Harris, purely on the fact that he cost 1 Tony McMahon

 

[Classof85]

Rob Hulse - Success until he broke his leg
Colin Kazim-Richards - neither success or failure
Matt Kilgallon - Sucess
Jon Stead - Average
James Beattie - Sucess
Gary Naysmith - Sucess
Gary Speed - Massive Sucess
Jamie Ward - Sucess
Lee Williamson - Failure
Lescinel Jean-Francois - Failure
Kevin McDonald - Sucess
Nick Blackman - didn't stay long enough to be a sucess
Jamie Murphy - Success but only just
Chris Basham - Sucess
Che Adams - Jury's still out
John Brayford - 1st Loan Success, failure since
Billy Sharp (third time) - Success but should have been a bigger success with some of chances he's missed this season

 

[Baxter]

Are loan signings included? If so Conor Coady and Matt Phillips can be regarded as a success.

I'm interested in what grounds Chris Basham is regarded as successful, not disputing it, I just remained unconvinced on what real great strengths he brings to the team after a season and a half.

 

[The Bohemian]

Are loan signings included? If so Conor Coady and Matt Phillips can be regarded as a success.

I'm interested in what grounds Chris Basham is regarded as successful, not disputing it, I just remained unconvinced on what real great strengths he brings to the team after a season and a half.

I haven't included loan signings at this stage.

Basham - agree, he's a borderline case.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

At a tangent maybe, but to add in some of the loan successes too (a much rarer quantity) -

Gary Cahill
Matt Phillips
Billy Clarke
Andy Reid
Greg Halford
Conor Coady



Edit: Sorry, Baxter - was writing this at the same time you were posting.

 

[Revolution]

Ugo Ehiogu: 25 appearances, only on the losing side once.

Though his brevity counts against him I suppose.

David Cotterill?

 

[The Bohemian]

Ugo Ehiogu: 25 appearances, only on the losing side once.

Though his brevity counts against him I suppose.

David Cotterill?

I'd included Ugo in my original list and, based on your stat, he should probably go back in.

Cotterill impressed in patches but didn't really do it consistently for us. He seems to have established himself as a Championship player though and we'd take him now, that's for sure.

 

[sheffielder]

I'd included Ugo in my original list and, based on your stat, he should probably go back in.

Cotterill impressed in patches but didn't really do it consistently for us. He seems to have established himself as a Championship player though and we'd take him now, that's for sure.

Cotts got Blackwelled!

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Ched Evans? (cough)
Bartley on the loan list

Howard better than Simonsen and a positive impact when we won 10 on the trot.

 

[zablade]

Howard better than Simonsen and a positive impact when we won 10 on the trot.

Being better than Simmo is a bit like claiming to the best singer in the Spice Girls though isn't it?

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Being better than Simmo is a bit like claiming to the best singer in the Spice Girls though isn't it?

True. Mel C by the way.

 

[cooperblade]

Would find it hard to class Naysmith, Beattie and Speed as being a success because (a) they failed to take a side relegated from the PL on goal difference into the play-offs and (b) because their (likely) enormous wages didn't represent value for money.

I'd say Beattie did well but should've done at £4m and £40k a week, I'd say Naysmith was the most expensive steady-eddie left back the club will ever have and Speed (along with Ehiogu and Hendrie) was an indication of just how much the club had lost its mind in terms of not caring about forward planning.

Given the club has gone backwards over the last ten years, I'd say the only successful signings are the ones we made a profit on.

 

[The Bohemian]

Would find it hard to class Naysmith, Beattie and Speed as being a success because (a) they failed to take a side relegated from the PL on goal difference into the play-offs and (b) because their (likely) enormous wages didn't represent value for money.

I'd say Beattie did well but should've done at £4m and £40k a week, I'd say Naysmith was the most expensive steady-eddie left back the club will ever have and Speed (along with Ehiogu and Hendrie) was an indication of just how much the club had lost its mind in terms of not caring about forward planning.

Given the club has gone backwards over the last ten years, I'd say the only successful signings are the ones we made a profit on.

Assessing the success of individual players based on a team's overall success brings in too many other factors - most critically, the Manager's capability. I'd argue that Beattie, Naysmith and Speed did well individually in spite of Robson and Blackwell. However, the team's under-performance was heavily impacted by the input of those two Managers.

 

[Silent Blade]

Matt Kilgallon
James Beattie
Gary Naysmith
Gary Speed
Lescinel Jean-Francois
Nick Blackman
.

Beattie was too expensive and on very high wages. We got a good profit for Blackman who although took good penalties but he wasnt a team player as he was always hogging the ball on the right. Speed wasnt much of a success. I didnt rate Kilgallon, Naysmith and LJF

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

Rob Hulse - Success until he broke his leg
Colin Kazim-Richards - neither success or failure
Matt Kilgallon - Sucess
Jon Stead - Average
James Beattie - Sucess
Gary Naysmith - Sucess
Gary Speed - Massive Sucess
Jamie Ward - Sucess
Lee Williamson - Failure
Lescinel Jean-Francois - Failure
Kevin McDonald - Sucess
Nick Blackman - didn't stay long enough to be a sucess
Jamie Murphy - Success but only just
Chris Basham - Sucess
Che Adams - Jury's still out
John Brayford - 1st Loan Success, failure since
Billy Sharp (third time) - Success but should have been a bigger success with some of chances he's missed this season

I love the way that you accidentally stumbled upon the correct spelling of 'success' two-thirds of the way through the post, flirted briefly with a return to the previous spelling, before finally settling on the double 'c' for the final flurry.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

I've been having a look at our transfer activity in the ten years from the 2006-07 Premier League season with a view to writing an article on the subject. One challenge is in determining what qualifies as a "successful" signing.

The criteria I've used is as follows (qualifiers need to pass at least two):

- was better than his predecessor in his strongest position
- positively and consistently impacted team performance
- held or increased market value

My list is as follows:

Rob Hulse
Colin Kazim-Richards
Matt Kilgallon
Jon Stead
James Beattie
Gary Naysmith
Gary Speed
Jamie Ward
Lee Williamson
Lescinel Jean-Francois
Kevin McDonald
Nick Blackman
Jamie Murphy
Chris Basham
Che Adams
John Brayford
Billy Sharp (third time)

I accept this is very subjective and would be interested in the opinions of others.

Adams ?, still undecided. Agree with rest with the exception of Basham.

 

[boo radley]

Lee Williamson - Failure

Really!! 14 goals from midfield and lord knows how many assists? And how many times was he injured? may have come across as a bit for for himself (I actually don't think that) but what would we give for that type of return from that position now?
Stark point Lee Williamson defensive qualities were not noticed by most but he was always helping out. When we played the pigs at BDTBL last DW took off Williamson for Matt Phillips. What a fucking mistake that was. All their attacks and crosses came from that side with Phillips nowhere to be seen. Oh and who put the cross in for the 2nd goal?

 

[Deleted member 1486]

Jon Stead - Average

Stead was great under Warnock, as we played to his strengths (despite being in the top division). Not great under Robson, for obvious reasons. I'd class him as a successful signing, Hulse's story was similar in many ways.

 

[Revolution]

Stead was great under Warnock, as we played to his strengths (despite being in the top division). Not great under Robson, for obvious reasons. I'd class him as a successful signing, Hulse's story was similar in many ways.

There are various reasons why we just missed the playoffs in 2008, but even with all the Robson uselessness we would have made it imho if one thing had not happened - Hulse coming back from injury pushing stead down the pecking order.

He played 21 games and failed to score, and missed enough chances v Blackpool and Palace at Christmas to win half a dozen games.

If Stead had played more, and Hulse less, we'd have made it.

Also Hulse's PL season was a bit like Billy's this year - our best striker by far, and I was glad to have him, but he should have taken more of his chances.

 

[Sheffsteel]

As already mentioned the FINANCIAL side needs to be taken into account when judging a success,

So With that in mind Colin Kazim Richards was a success.

Bought him for £50K, some talented but irratic performances and a year later we sell him for over £1 million.

 

[alcoblade]

I've been having a look at our transfer activity in the ten years from the 2006-07 Premier League season with a view to writing an article on the subject. One challenge is in determining what qualifies as a "successful" signing.

The criteria I've used is as follows (qualifiers need to pass at least two):

- was better than his predecessor in his strongest position
- positively and consistently impacted team performance
- held or increased market value

My list is as follows:

Rob Hulse
Colin Kazim-Richards
Matt Kilgallon
Jon Stead
James Beattie
Gary Naysmith
Gary Speed
Jamie Ward
Lee Williamson
Lescinel Jean-Francois
Kevin McDonald
Nick Blackman
Jamie Murphy
Chris Basham
Che Adams
John Brayford
Billy Sharp (third time)

I accept this is very subjective and would be interested in the opinions of others.

Did I read that correctly, Gary Naysmith would be classed as successful? Surely a disastrous signing?

UTB

 

[alcoblade]

Would find it hard to class Naysmith, Beattie and Speed as being a success because (a) they failed to take a side relegated from the PL on goal difference into the play-offs and (b) because their (likely) enormous wages didn't represent value for money.

I'd say Beattie did well but should've done at £4m and £40k a week, I'd say Naysmith was the most expensive steady-eddie left back the club will ever have and Speed (along with Ehiogu and Hendrie) was an indication of just how much the club had lost its mind in terms of not caring about forward planning.

Given the club has gone backwards over the last ten years, I'd say the only successful signings are the ones we made a profit on.

Spot on.

Any signing from the Robson era could be used as an extreme example of all that's been wrong with us for a decade.

Gary Naysmith being the perfect example;

Ridiculously overpaid
Ridiculously expensive initially
Ridiculously bang average
Ridiculously small return from the team
Ridiculously small residual value.

UTB

 

[I should coco]

Did I read that correctly, Gary Naysmith would be classed as successful? Surely a disastrous signing?

Couldn't agree more.

Sicknote wage thief on £20k per week.

Add in National Insurance and the compulsory pension contributions and he probably cost us about £4m for a hundred and odd very mixed appearances. We had Geary and Armstrong at the time and didn't need him.

And people still ask; "where did all the money go".......

ISC

 

[alcoblade]

Beattie was too expensive and on very high wages. We got a good profit for Blackman who although took good penalties but he wasnt a team player as he was always hogging the ball on the right. Speed wasnt much of a success. I didnt rate Kilgallon, Naysmith and LJF

Cough

Have I ever mentioned that we were top of the league with him at Christmas, and melted into obscurity without him, completely losing the ability to hit a bull's ass with a banjo?

That was a truly terrible and needless sale.

UTB

 

[blade too long]

Random offering from the premier league

 

[Ashtonsmashton]

Ched Evans? (cough)
Bartley on the loan list

Howard better than Simonsen and a positive impact when we won 10 on the trot.

Ched only good in league 1 didn't do what he was bought for in the Championship

 

[1danewhitehouse]

There's an argument for Bob Harris, purely on the fact that he cost 1 Tony McMahon

By that reckoning, you could make an argument for Jordan Stewart being a good signing as he cost 1 Lee Hendrie!


Other suggestions for the list….



Ugo Ehiogu

Sun Ji Hai

Henri Camara?

 

[The Bohemian]

Did I read that correctly, Gary Naysmith would be classed as successful? Surely a disastrous signing?

UTB

I can see both sides with Naysmith - he was a good player and seemed to put in a shift whenever I saw him play. No argument that he would have been expensive though, hence value is questionable.

 

[The Bohemian]

Ched only good in league 1 didn't do what he was bought for in the Championship

He did OK for Norwich in there, which begs the question: why didn't he for us until Wilson arrived?