Players you were happy we signed but turned out to be pants, and vice versa.

[Archie Knox]

Gareth barry, wasnt overwhelmed when he signed then watched him play and thought wow this lad has intelligence! One of them players who had no place but understood the game and his role so well it didnt matter! Proper footballer.

If only that arrogant bell Fabian Delph had followed Barry's lead. Polar opposites in almost every way, whether it is from mentality or professionalism to actual talent and hark work.

 

[Archie Knox]

Another one for me was Aaron Lennon. Wasn't particularly impressed with us signing a Tottenham fringe player but I really liked him at times for us. I'd pick him at that time 99 times out of 100 over Walcott, Iwobi or Bolasie in their current guises. Good guy is Aaron.

 

[Walken]

He got Everton as well - has a real love for the club. He pretty much single handedly saved us from relegation and should always be held highly because of that.

second season he genuinely looked like a quality forward until he got injured, after that he always seemed a couple of kgs too big (all muscle but still matters for a footballer)

 

[Joey66]

One that turned into a gem - Lee Carsley when we signed him a load of groans but he played the defensive midfield role on his own ... brilliantly....a bargain.....

 

[Toast]

I used to cut Artetas hair and he always maintained that there was something crazy that happened when we signed Fellani, he never expanded on it but he said u wouldn't believe it all

He dyes it right ?

And have you kept some ?

 

[phil_t98]

He dyes it right ?

And have you kept some ?

never kept any, just felt weird doing that and no he never coloured it when I cut it. really thick dark mop of hair. nice guy to

 

[Tipp blue]

One that turned into a gem - Lee Carsley when we signed him a load of groans but he played the defensive midfield role on his own ... brilliantly....a bargain.....

I mentioned him in the underrated players thread, an uninspiring signing at the time but turned into one of our best value players.

 

[Cameron Manning]

Was billed as a speed merchant but was painfully slow. I remember about ten games in calling him slow, and someone in here genuinely claimed ‘he’s really quick, he just hasn’t needed to sprint yet’

MACCA to be honest he was even slower than he looked, plus he couldn’t tackle, sometimes he looked like he had just wandered onto the pitch and didn’t know where he was or what he was supposed to be doing, he was a waste of a player, and proved it in the FA cup v Reading, Jose Baxter came on for him in the last ten minutes and did more than he had in the previous eighty.

 

[tiburonazul]

Yobo was a bit of a Moyes loan flyer that turned in nearly 200 appearances. I'd say that was exceeding expectations. How many of you pegged him for success?

 

[Johnny Barton]

One that turned into a gem - Lee Carsley when we signed him a load of groans but he played the defensive midfield role on his own ... brilliantly....a bargain.....

Absolutely Joey,
Carsley for me was the first to ever sit in front of the back four, well before Makeleli, Kante or Gueye

 

[Johnny Barton]

Absolutely Joey,
Carsley for me was the first to ever sit in front of the back four, well before Makeleli, Kante or Gueye

And hr was deadly from a free kick

 

[Khalekan]

Ashley Williams the most recent one for me.

I was made up we signed him....he always played a blinder when he came here with Swansea

 

[Rakti]

Absolutely Joey,
Carsley for me was the first to ever sit in front of the back four, well before Makeleli, Kante or Gueye

And he won us a derby.

 

[tellmema]

Lucas Neill i thought was a smart signing. We'll never know. Did he actually play a game for us?

Same with Anthony Gardener if that was his name?

Louis Saha did way better than I expected.

The list of disappointments is too long, CBA.

 

[MikeH72]

Lucas Neill i thought was a smart signing. We'll never know. Did he actually play a game for us?

Same with Anthony Gardener if that was his name?

Louis Saha did way better than I expected.

The list of disappointments is too long, CBA.

Yeah he played about 20 mate.