Players We Signed That Seemed Unfathomable. 1977 to the present day.

[itmustbe_it is!]

Patrik Berger

[The Man With A Stick]

Adrian Heath

[dcdavecollett]

I don't think Adrian Heath was regarded as a bad signing at the time. SGT couldn't find a way of getting him into a winning side, so sold him pretty quickly to Man City. We didn't lose much on the deal.

[kippaxvilla2]

Neale Cooper. 

[Rudy Can't Fail]

David Geddis. The blonde version of Ollie Watkins (without the goals), his control was shocking and hardly the replacement for Andy Gray. What was Sir Ron thinking? The following season went some way to never doubt him and Geddis went from Villa fans laughing at how poor he was into a cult hero.

[pauliewalnuts]

Neale Cooper. 

Wasn't that just about awful injury luck?

[pauliewalnuts]

John Fashanu was my shout out loud ‘noooo!’ moment.

Yeah, I remember BFR getting stick about going to the WC with ITV and him saying "I'm going out there to scout some of the best players in the world".

Then came back with Fashanu.

[LeeB]

John Fashanu was my shout out loud ‘noooo!’ moment.

Yeah, I remember BFR getting stick about going to the WC with ITV and him saying "I'm going out there to scout some of the best players in the world".

Then came back with Fashanu.

"He's not just a big duck egg"

[Dick Edwards]

Robert Pires who was so far past his best when we signed him it was painful to watch him play.

[dave.woodhall]

Robert Pires who was so far past his best when we signed him it was painful to watch him play.

The thing with him was that we had so many injuries we needed someone and he was the best available.

[KevinGage]

Kiraly.

Even as an emergency loan, there had to be better options than dragging a bloke off a building site.

[Dave P]

2009.  We were in the top 4 and looked to cement it by being linked with Falcao and Arshavin.  We signed Heskey.

[algy]

2009.  We were in the top 4 and looked to cement it by being linked with Falcao and Arshavin.  We signed Heskey.

That whole period, I swear MON just went insane. Buying Heskey when anyone with half a brain could see that he wasn't in any way shape or form what was required, or even the best available that we could get. Then throwing away the game against CSKA Moscow when we had IMO a very good chance of winning the UEFA Cup that season. It was just a month or so when he seemed to lose all common sense.

Addendum: The route to the final that year would've been:
2nd rd - CSKA Moscow
3rd rd - Shakhtar Donetsk (eventual winners)
QF - Marseille
SF - Dynamo Kyiv
F - Werder Bremen

[dcdavecollett]

Not that easy a run-in!

[KevinGage]

John Fashanu was my shout out loud ‘noooo!’ moment.

Yeah, I remember BFR getting stick about going to the WC with ITV and him saying "I'm going out there to scout some of the best players in the world".

Then came back with Fashanu.

"He's not just a big duck egg"

He is partly a big duck egg. But not just that.