Who was the last?

[cdbearsfan]

BBC Gossip Column says we are about to break a 28-year run of not signing Small Heath players by signing Dann and Foster. Whether we do or not is an issue for the transfer thread. What I want to know is who is the bloke we signed 28 years ago? Buggered if I can remember.

[Handsworth Wood Villa]

Alan Curbishley.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_City_derby#Birmingham_to_Aston_Villa

[b31]

curbishley

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Not been many has there ? Before Curbishley, off the top of my head I can only recall  Malcolm Beard and Goeff Vowden. Trevor Hockey also, but arrived via Sheff Utd/Norwich.

[kipeye]

Didn't Withe play for them before Forest? Doesn't count anyway.
 Fact is Blose only ever have one or two very good players at most and strangely, they rarely leave until they are almost too old.
Apart from Trevor Francis, have they ever sold anyone for big money?

[Surrey Villain]

Not been many has there ? Before Curbishley, off the top of my head I can only recall  Malcolm Beard and Goeff Vowden. Trevor Hockey also, but arrived via Sheff Utd/Norwich.

Colin Withers

[Chris Smith]

Emile Heskey.

Can you imagine the reaction if we did sign them both. I think it extremely unlikely but the sudden declarations that they 'never rated them anyway' would be hilarious.

[eric woolban woolban]

The BBC gossip column actually said:

'Aston Villa are discussing whether to break a 28-year transfer hoodoo by making a £15m double bid for goalkeeper Ben Foster, 28, and 24-year-old defender Scott Dann from their local rivals Birmingham City. No player has moved directly from St Andrew's to Villa Park since Alan Curbishley in 1983.'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/9499795.stm

[cdbearsfan]

It didn't say the name when I checked at about 2 in the morning, they must have added that since.

[eric woolban woolban]

Ok, I'll let you off!

[dave shelley]

Arguably the worst we ever got from them was.............Doug Ellis!!!

[cdbearsfan]

Arguably the worst we ever got from them was.............Doug Ellis!!!

Oh no!

798 pages.

[olaftab]

There is a simple reason for  Villa not signing many SHA players. They are a much lower quality team than us and always have been. There is a clear distinction in  the sort of players who put  on the claret and blue shirt and those  who wear theirs.  I can not think of any one since Curbishley that could have improved our team. However there has been a steady  flow of our discards going down towards Cov road and that's OK as it saves them moving house and they always improve their team.

My view on the two mentioned Dann YES Foster NO.

[olaftab]

It didn't say the name when I checked at about 2 in the morning, they must have added that since.

You may have been slightly inattentive  if I may say so due to either tiredness or a good nights  celebration after that great win by "our" overseas team Barca.

[cdbearsfan]

It didn't say the name when I checked at about 2 in the morning, they must have added that since.

You may have been slightly inattentive  if I may say so due to either tiredness or a good nights  celebration after that great win by "our" overseas team Barca.

I am willing to admit that is a possibility!