Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: SheffieldVillain on December 15, 2020, 10:59:18 AM
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Article on the BBC talking about the best Bosman free transfer in the 25 years since the ruling was made (for me it was Gullit, I remember being amazed that English football could attract a top class international player like that). https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/55219724
Got me thinking - we haven't really had many over the years have we? The only two transfers I could think of were Luc Nilis which fate sadly dictated didn't work out otherwise could have been a great deal, and Brett Holman which his relatively low level of ability dictated didn't really work out.
Any others? Have I missed any obvious ones?
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Peter Schmeichel and Ronny Johnsen?
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Oh dear:
https://metro.co.uk/2015/12/25/from-schmeichel-to-nilis-senderos-to-boulding-the-aston-villa-free-tansfer-bosman-xi-5567360/
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Berger as well was free wasn't he?
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Oh dear:
https://metro.co.uk/2015/12/25/from-schmeichel-to-nilis-senderos-to-boulding-the-aston-villa-free-tansfer-bosman-xi-5567360/
Looking at that I can see how I've managed to forget so many of them!
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And we shouldn't forget the Houllier masterstroke that was Pires!
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And we shouldn't forget the Houllier masterstroke that was Pires!
On a similar note, that brings back a memory of Didier Agathe - also free wasn't he?
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I hope so! You've also just reminded me about Chris Sutton.
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So really, the answer to my question is that yes there are loads but my aged memory is shot!
My main memory of Sutton is seeing him run at at quite an advanced age for a footballer from one side of the pitch to the other to challenge for a header while Milan Baros stood five metres away from the ball just watching with his hands on his hips - either Sheffield United away or the Doncaster cup game, can't remember which but it was while I was living in Sheffield. Could not stand Baros.
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Sutton, like Robert Pires and Didier Agathe, were short-term emergency signings so it's unfair to criticise them. Where we failed was in the first rush of Bosmans, where other clubs could get wise old heads such as Gary McAllister and Ruud Gullit, but we ended up with mercenaries like Kachloul who just upped the ante on wages for the rest of the squad.
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Has anyone watched the documentary on BT Sport about Bosman? It's pretty sad what happened to him afterward, and indeed what was happening to him that caused all of this in the first place. Seems to me like he got treated pretty shabbily and has suffered ever since, whereas the football 'industry' has made tens of billions off the back of his case.
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Has anyone watched the documentary on BT Sport about Bosman? It's pretty sad what happened to him afterward, and indeed what was happening to him that caused all of this in the first place. Seems to me like he got treated pretty shabbily and has suffered ever since, whereas the football 'industry' has made tens of billions off the back of his case.
His agent contacted every player who had moved on a Bosman and asked them to contribute the equivalent of one win bonus to a testimonial fund. Not a penny.
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So really, the answer to my question is that yes there are loads but my aged memory is shot!
My main memory of Sutton is seeing him run at at quite an advanced age for a footballer from one side of the pitch to the other to challenge for a header while Milan Baros stood five metres away from the ball just watching with his hands on his hips - either Sheffield United away or the Doncaster cup game, can't remember which but it was while I was living in Sheffield. Could not stand Baros.
Baros did 2 good things in his Villa 'career'. Both on Easter Sunday 2006. Other than that he was a bloody tit.