Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: Ivo Stas on April 24, 2012, 04:35:56 PM
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I think the club have gone on record that Villa will be looking to recruit out-of-contract players for free this summer (for instance, Brett Holman). The Bosman ruling (that allowed out-of-contract footballers to leave their clubs without the clubs receiving a transfer fee) occurred in 1995. I was wondering how well Villa have done in signing free players since 1995, so I did a bit of research and here are all our free signings (note: I've included 'nominal' fee signings).
2007/08
Moustapha Salifou
2006/07
Chris Sutton
Didier Agathe
2005/06
Patrick Berger
Stuart Taylor
2004/05
Mathieu Berson
2002/03
Ronny Johnsen
Oyvind Leonhardsen
Michael Boulding
2001/02
Hassan Kachloul
Peter Schmeichel
Thomas Hitzlsperger
Steve Staunton
1999/2000
Neil Cutler
Benito Carbone
Luc Nilis
1997/98
Fabio Ferraresi
I got my information from this source: http://www.transferleague.co.uk/premiership-transfers/aston-villa-transfers.html (http://www.transferleague.co.uk/premiership-transfers/aston-villa-transfers.html)
There were, back in the day, a few good ones, so it makes me think that we haven't perhaps made the best use of the out-of-contract market. Until Holman, we haven't done any free business since 2008 (evidence of O'Neill's over-spending?). Who was the best and worst free signing? And does anyone remember Neil Cutler in goal..?
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Der Hammer stands out on that list. Luc Nilis should be the one we're all singing the praises of, but for a shocking injury ending his career I think he could've been a great player for us for a couple of seasons.
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Wasn't Carbone technically a loan?
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Der Hammer stands out on that list. Luc Nilis should be the one we're all singing the praises of, but for a shocking injury ending his career I think he could've been a great player for us for a couple of seasons.
The goal he scored against Chelsea was just a glimpse of what he could have done for us. I think he would have definitely been a favourite at Villa Park and one we would still talk about now.
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Probably either Schmeichel or Hitzlsperger from that lot I done reckon.
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Der Hammer stands out on that list. Luc Nilis should be the one we're all singing the praises of, but for a shocking injury ending his career I think he could've been a great player for us for a couple of seasons.
The goal he scored against Chelsea was just a glimpse of what he could have done for us. I think he would have definitely been a favourite at Villa Park and one we would still talk about now.
Just looking at his goals on youtube you can see he had something very special about him.
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I think the club have gone on record that Villa will be looking to recruit out-of-contract players for free this summer (for instance, Brett Holman).
What Sir Alex 2 actually said was '3 or 4 Bosmans and a couple at £2-£3m.'
And they wonder why people aren't renewing.
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I thought Ronny Johnsen was more than useful. Nilis, Johnsen, and Der Hammer were, or shoud have been great business.
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Carbone for me - loved the little fella!!! Doug should have pushed the boat out and signed him up.
anyone remember the game where him and Merse destroyed Leeds? Favourite moment was when Carbone came over towards the touchline Witton Lane side to receive a throw in with 2 Leeds defenders challenging him and he just let the ball go through his legs and he was into the penalty box, the 2 Leeds players carried on into the lower Witton Lane ;D
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I'd forgot about Berson.
Seemed okay on his rare appearances, but ended up completely shunned.
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Berson wasn't a Bosman. We spent a whole summer chasing him and got him for something like £1.7m
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Berson wasn't a Bosman. We spent a whole summer chasing him and got him for something like £1.7m
Correct, we were in a fight for him with Auxerre I think.
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Didn't Mr Fickle spend all summer chasing Berson and then when he finally signed him he basically said he wasn't very good?
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Wasn't Carbone technically a loan?
Yes from Sheffield Wednesday he wanted too much money so we sent him back even though he got us to the final. Great little player though.
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Wasn't Carbone technically a loan?
Yes from Sheffield Wednesday he wanted too much money so we sent him back even though he got us to the final. Great little player though.
I thought we took over his contract - a few months remaining - for a nomial fee.
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I thought Ronny Johnsen was more than useful. Nilis, Johnsen, and Der Hammer were, or shoud have been great business.
I think Nilis would have been class for us, that goal against chelsea was top draw.
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Ronny Johnsen from that list....and Hassan Kachloul was the worst - should have gone to Ipswich.
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Nilis and Carbone are the standouts in that list, Nilis was playing alongside Ruud van Needledick before he joined Villa and was scoring for fun, ironic that RvN got injured just before his transfer to Newton Heath whereas Nilis' came a few games into his Villa career.
That said Staunton was a great servant to Villa.
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Nilis and Carbone are the standouts in that list, Nilis was playing alongside Ruud van Needledick before he joined Villa and was scoring for fun, ironic that RvN got injured just before his transfer to Newton Heath whereas Nilis' came a few games into his Villa career.
That said Staunton was a great servant to Villa.
In his first stint, yes....but then he left for a bigger pay check at Liverpool before returning on a free because he couldn't get anywhere near their first team.
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I think it's fair to say the Bosman rule hasn't been kind to villa when you look at some of the players we've lost because of it.
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Ronny Johnson for me too, thought he was excellent for us. Lets hope Holman can improve things a bit!
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Another vote for Johnsen. Not only was he a good player, he was very consistent too in a no frills kind of way. I was really surprised when Dolly did not renew his loan deal in 2004.
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Hitz and Johnsen were the stand out from that list for the decent service they gave Villa, but I would have loved Luc Nilis to have played for Villa for a long time. He looked a superb player in the short space of time he was with Villa and was a truly top class signing.
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Hitzlsperger for me from that list. A couple of the others did OK for a short time and obviously Nilis was very unlucky but in general we haven't done great in that area of recruitment.
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Wasn't Carbone technically a loan?
Yes from Sheffield Wednesday he wanted too much money so we sent him back even though he got us to the final. Great little player though.
I thought we took over his contract - a few months remaining - for a nomial fee.
Yeh, I'm pretty sure this is right. And since we paid some form of fee then surely it doesn't count as a bosman? I think we paid a small fee for Salifou as well so I'm not sure that counts. Looking at that list we've only really made one good bosman signing in Hitzlsperger. Maybe Ronny Johnsen too I suppose.
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Put me down as another voter for Hitz, top player in his day.
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Nilis and Carbone are the standouts in that list, Nilis was playing alongside Ruud van Needledick before he joined Villa and was scoring for fun, ironic that RvN got injured just before his transfer to Newton Heath whereas Nilis' came a few games into his Villa career.
That said Staunton was a great servant to Villa.
In his first stint, yes....but then he left for a bigger pay check at Liverpool before returning on a free because he couldn't get anywhere near their first team.
Or, he joined a bigger club with far more ambiition than we had at the time and played 44 times for them in two seasons. Hardly nowhere near their first team.
Why are we so constantly down on the vast majority of players who leave us for another club.
We boo pretty much every returning player even if they left for valid reasons/were a great asset to us.
Anyway, Carbone for me for two reasons. That Leeds game and for the best debut I have ever seen down Villa Park.
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Ronny Johnsen for me. Carbone defined the term 'fanny merchant'.
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Johnsen for me
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Didn't know Nillis was a free, remember that goal against Chelsea and still think what might have been. In fact thats one of the best ever goals I've seen live
Ronny Johnsen for me it is then. Him and Dublin leaving on free's didn't feel right
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Jesus it's not a great list is it!
I still shake to the core with rage that the red nosed sh1t Schmeichel played for us. I hated him at Man U and wasn't about to change my opinion when captain star jumps pitched up at Villa Park.
Carbone.... oh the days when we played with the ball on the floor, I recall his hat-trick v Leeds when Merse got his face smashed up putting the cross in for his third got up and wandered around like a drunk (hmmmm...!)