[betterthanbaird]

With all the split opinions on Pulis at the moment I thought it would be nice to have a thread about something else and the other day I was thinking about the worst signings we've made in recent years. So I'm wondering which players you'll rate as the best and worst signings since our last promotion. I've not included this season's signings as it's early to be judging them.

2010-11:

Gabriel Tamaş
Steven Reid
Pablo Ibáñez
Boaz Myhill
Nicky Shorey
Peter Odemwingie
 Somen Tchoyi
 Marc-Antoine Fortune
 Paul Scharner
Craig Dawson
James Hurst
Carlos Vela (loan)
 
2011-12:
Gareth McAuley
Billy Jones
Ben Foster
Zoltán Gera
Márton Fülöp
Shane Long
 Scott Allan
Jamie Edge
Liam Ridgewell
Keith Andrews
 
2012-13:
Ben Foster
Yassine El Ghanassy
Claudio Yacob
Markus Rosenberg
Romelu Lukaku
Goran Popov
 
2013-14:
Nicolas Anelka
Goran Popov
Diego Lugano
Matěj Vydra
 Zoltán Gera
 Scott Sinclair
Morgan Amalfitano
 Lee Camp
Stéphane Sessègnon
 Victor Anichebe
 
2014-15:
Craig Gardner
Joleon Lescott
Chris Baird
Sébastien Pocognoli
 Ideye
Jason Davidson
Cristian Gamboa
Giorgos Samaras
Sebastian Blanco
Silvestre Varela
Callum McManaman
Darren Fletcher

Sorry for the lack of prices and there may be a couple of January signings missing.

Looking at those lists has made me wonder how we've lasted to a 6th consecutive season in the premier league.

I'm going for McAuley as the best signing, Foster and Yacob also deserve mentions as do Lukaku and Odem but their impacts didn't last as long as the three above. Also didn't realise we've had Myhill for so long.

As for the worst, there's a lot of competition, certainly enough for a full 11 and bench (I'll try it later).

I had never heard of Jamie Edge before I saw him on the list, apparently we signed him from Arsenal. Can anyone remember him?

Scott Allan, James Hurst, Marton Fulop (the arsenal game on the last day shudder), El Ghannasy, Lee Camp, Davidson, Gamboa, Blanco and Samaras all deserve mentions for managing to play so little.

In terms of being awful when they played, Diego Lugano, Markus Rosenborg and Scott Sinclair all deserve mentions as do many others.

Sorry for the length of the post. Is there a way to put some text in spoiler tags? So you have to click to see all of it?

[Tibby Baggie]

I think the Greek Goddess Samaras is the pick of the bunch for me.

Joking aside I'd probably say best signing of those listed above is tied between McAuley and Foster for me. Honorable mention to Paul Scharner as well.

I'm not sure if whoever runs the site has setup spoiler tags, but you'd use [spoiler]text you want to hide here[/spoiler] if they were setup.

[Squirrel Regis]

Not sure if this will work but a cracking site for prices of our transfers is -
http://http://www.transferleague.co.uk/west-bro...-transfers

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I know it all went Pete Tong in the end but Odemwingie had an initial fantastic impact and scored some very important goals.

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Mind you Mulumbu at £175,000 takes some beating !
Oh remember the days when our scouting and recruitment was the envy of the premier league !

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Taking them one-by-one:

Gabriel Tamaş - did a job in the Champ, was never good enough for the Prem
Steven Reid - solid as a rock for a couple of years, but we kept him one season too many
Pablo Ibáñez - was on a free so can't complain, chipped in one goal, otherwise a bit of a head-scratcher
Boaz Myhill - has been an excellent servant
Nicky Shorey - was the best option at the time, but we were right to replace him ASAP
Peter Odemwingie - setting everything else aside, he was our best signing for decades
Somen Tchoyi - haha, it was a bizarre experiment but I think we've all got a soft spot for Somen!
Marc-Antoine Fortune - I always liked him, but he got loads of unnecessary and unwarranted stick from some quarters
Paul Scharner - a real cult hero, and a shame he only got to spend a couple of years with us
Craig Dawson - was an investment for the future, but has it fully paid off?
James Hurst - pointless
Carlos Vela (loan) - probably our biggest "impact" signing ever! Will never understand why Hodgson didn't use him more


Gareth McAuley - fantastic business, cult hero all the way
Billy Jones - decent business at the time; I think he's a bit overrated, but we've still struggled to replace him
Ben Foster - a huge and necessary improvement on Carson at the time
Zoltán Gera - injuries were always the problem, but the flashes we saw of the old Zolly were worth it
Márton Fülöp - oh sweet Jesus
Shane Long - was an asset to us for a couple of years, and gave us a decent profit in the end
Scott Allan - did he ever even set foot inside the stadium?
Jamie Edge - did he ever even visit West Bromwich?
Liam Ridgewell - was a necessary improvement on Shorey at the time; became a liability and a scapegoat in the end, but not really his fault
Keith Andrews - Molineux. Legend.


Yassine El Ghanassy - speculative punt on youngster, should have gone for a proven winger instead; wasted opportunity
Claudio Yacob - one of our last truly quality signings to date
Markus Rosenberg - I can see the thinking behind it, but it just never happened for him, did it?
Romelu Lukaku - was probably our best-ever use of a loan option, but we became too reliant on him that year
Goran Popov - worth it for the chant alone, but should have found better the following season


Nicolas Anelka - AVERT YOUR EYES, CHILDREN, HE MAY TAKE ON ANOTHER FORM
Diego Lugano - is still walking back to the airport now
Matěj Vydra - nice hair, shame about the football
Scott Sinclair - MAKE IT STOP PLEASE MAKE IT STOP
Morgan Amalfitano - like Cantona if Cantona was less of a footballer and more of a gobshite
Stéphane Sessègnon - worthwhile, but wish we'd got him a couple of years earlier
Victor Anichebe - there's only one Half Man Half Biscuit I have time for, and it ay him


Craig Gardner - or, for his sheer untouchability in our line-up, "the Constant Gardner"; a colossal mistake
Joleon Lescott - brilliant for a season, but legs are shot; glad we've lumbered Villa with him
Chris Baird - did the job he was signed for; think a lot of stick he got was unfair
Sébastien Pocognoli - promising but erratic, and his days must be numbered
Brown Ideye - nice guy, but it was Rosenberg all over again
Jason Davidson - out of his depth
Cristian Gamboa - players signed on World Cup hype are almost always a disaster
Giorgos Samaras -
Sebastian Blanco - no idea what the hell went wrong with these three
Silvestre Varela -
Callum McManaman - seems to have the necessary spark, but no idea why he can't play 90 minutes
Darren Fletcher - seems a good leader *at times*, but is he getting close to past it as a Premier League player?


Overall best: Odemwingie.
Overall worst: I think it has to be Anelka. A total of two goals weighed against months of controversy, then walking out on us in the middle of a relegation battle after the window had closed, having taken up space and funds which a more willing and able player could have had. Disaster.

[Dingle-Dingle]

Could use MAF now. Vastly under-rated at his "Job" ...... Hold the ball up and allow others to join the attack. DD

[silverbaggie]

A bit off topic I know for he was a loan player not an actual signing but, how about:-

Jay Simpson loaned from the Arsenal but considered himself much too good for our "nice little Club".

Now plying his trade with Leyton Orient via some hitherto unheard of side in the far east.

Oh how the (high and) mighty have fallen.

[talkSAFT]

Good thread - many of them better than Baird!

I remember the name James Hurst, but can't even remember what position he played (???) - Don't even remember Jamie Edge, though.
And I actually thought Samaras was undervalued - he could have been a really good player for us (as he was with Celtic) if we'd played to his strengths.

[May68]

James Hurst was a young right-back. He's a local lad (went to a school I taught at) who was originally with us as a kid, then got poached off us by Portsmouth. When Pompey went bust we bought him back. I thought it was a strange one as he wasn't that young by the time we got him back and we already had Zuiverloon, Jara, Reid and Tamas ahead of him in the pecking order.

Best loan was undoubtedly Lukaku. Best money buy was Odemwingie. Most pleasant surprise (and best Bosman) was McAuley followed by Jones. Weirdest was Tchoyi. Most underused was Varela followed by Vela. Most overused was definitely Ridgewell, although I admit we had very few left-back options at the time. Most boring was Baird followed by Andrews. Worst in terms of PR was Anelka; a disaster from the first publicity photo onwards. Biggest legend was Scharner, although I always thought Tamas was a badass as well.

[Tibby Baggie]

The writing was on the wall from the day he was signed. Just look at how he's holding the shirt in this picture haha.

[silverbaggie]

Maybe these two players were signed before the 2010/2011 season but, what are your thoughts about:-
Jerome Thomas and Chris Wood who haven't been mentioned so far.

Even earlier an entertainer by the name of Robert Earnshaw; loved his goal celebrations just hope no team mate ever got too close when he did them.