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Which Villa signing excited you the most?


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Please don't take this as a dig at Villa, it's a serious question. But why, given your status, haven't you ever signed any really big name players? We (Spurs), Leeds, Newcastle and even Middlesbrough have all signed some really exciting names over the years. I'm not saying it's made any of those teams better than Villa, as you've more than held your own in the Prem era, but for some reason you've never seem to go after or land the big names. The players in this thread are seriously uninspiring. Again I'm not saying they were all bad signings, but by other teams of Villas stature, they would hardly be deemed exciting. For some reason you never sign any of the big international names.

Is there a reason for that and do you think it in anyway hinders you in the transfer markert thesedays as I'm sure potential big names from abroad will partly rank clubs according to the stature of their past players.

to be fair, era for era and level for level Villa have signed some really big players !!

Yeah, to me it seems that you're equaling exciting and big players with players from outside of Britain. Merson, Saunderd, McGrath and a few more I'd call big players. But big players from outside of Britain we haven't had that many, that's true. But we got Nilis, and he was both a great and foreign player. But I guess he's the only one.

But in terms of excitment the likes of Merson, Saunders and Mcgrath aren't the same as when a team like Newcastle signed Owen and Shearer. I'm not saying you haven't signed players with good reputations, but as far as I can remember you've never been a club that has signed the truely big names of the era. Mcgrath turned out to be an awesome signing for you, but he wasn't one of the stars of world football when you signed him. You've signed plenty of excellent players and done well as a club, but in terms of head turning signings, they've been remarkably thin on the ground for some reason.

Other clubs of similar stature do seem to have signed much more eye catching names. Shearer and Owen for example were not only starters, but seen as star players for the national team when Newcaslte bought them. Whilst the likes of Merson were really just good squad players at international level. But as you say, it's more evident with foreign names. I the grand scheme of world football someone like Luc Nilis is a bit of a nobody. Yet a club like Boro signed Juninho and Ravenelli, who at the time were huge names. I couldn't believe it when they signed Juninho and the press coverage was huge.

There doesn't seen to be any Shearer, Owen, Lineker, Asprilla, Juninho, Ravinelli, Klinsman, Davids, Gullit or Weah types signings in your history. Basically no really big names from abroad or star players for the England national team. It hasn't done you any harm over the years, but for some reason you've never signed any of the big names of world football. It's the same with Everton.

It's a fair point.

We had Juninho locked in Ellis's office at VP early in 1999. But either Herbert or John Gregory bottled it at the last minute. We were about 2nd/ 3rd in the league then. Hard to say whether a signing like Juninho would have got us over the line, but it will forever be one of those 'what if? ' moments.

Prior to that, we were offered Gary Line-acre in the 1988/89 season (prior to Tottingham signing him) but Ellis told then manger Graham Taylor that if we signed him, we wouldn't be able to sign another player for 18 months.

Herbert also reckons he wanted to sign Roberto Carlos in 1995, after seeing him play for Brazil v Sweden in the Umbro Cup at Villa Park. But then he would say that.

I think in most cases it's probably fair to say that foreigners would much prefer London over the charms of sunny Birmingham (can't think why). Not that the old Tottingham way of making one sexy signing per summer and throwing him into a horribly unbalanced team is necessarily the way to go either, of course. But against that, we should have punched our weight far more when it comes to the bigger names.

It's probably a big part of the reason why we have gone from being seen as unquestionably one of the biggest sides in the land to a parochial, slightly dull outfit, with limited appeal outside of the UK. Albeit we still have a big stadium and some of the other trappings of a big club.

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That double swoop of Carew and Young presser excited me. A play who was well known world wide in Carew and the hot young up and coming mystro that is Ashley Young.

Ahhh what a team we once had.

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Benito Carbone was a shot in the arm, wasn't it? Nice signing.

I hate to admit it, but David Ginola gave us a bit of flair that we didn't really have in abundance.

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Stan Collymore - thought this was the signing that would really push villa on

Dean Saunders - scored goals and worked his socks off at every club he was at

Juan Pablo Angel

Darren Bent - wow, we finally signed a goalscorer again!

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Luc Nilis, even though we knew that he was nearing the end of his career (although, unfortunately, we didn't expect it to end quite so soon after signing for us).

This.

I remember him only playing one or two games but the signing really got me excited. Thinking back, I think he had just played a full season partnering Ruud van Nistelrooy for PSV and they both had scored a lot of goals.

The goal he scored against Chelsea was fantastic! He looked very promising in the little time he had with us until his unfortunate injury. What could have been.

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Bouma was an exciting signing. Was a well known Dutch international that had just gone to the latter stages of the CL with PSV, and was in his prime as defender. Turned out to be a great signing - particualrly under O'Neill.

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The signings of Hadji and Kachloul were very exciting because they both had great World Cups, and were internationally known. Hadji on his day, was a fantastic player...

That was a great summer of signings - even if most of them turned out to be flops. We got Mellberg, Schmeichel, Hadji and Kachloul and Balaban - all just after we'd signed Angel the Christmas before. Think we were close to getting Lampard too that summer. Doug must have had his medication changed that summer....

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The signings of Hadji and Kachloul were very exciting because they both had great World Cups, and were internationally known. Hadji on his day, was a fantastic player...

That was a great summer of signings - even if most of them turned out to be flops. We got Mellberg, Schmeichel, Hadji and Kachloul and Balaban - all just after we'd signed Angel the Christmas before. Think we were close to getting Lampard too that summer. Doug must have had his medication changed that summer....

It was an exciting summer, but Doug didn't have his medication changed enough though. I seem to remember that both Hadji and Kachloul had clauses in their contracts that meant Doug had to pay an extra fee should they play a certain number of games. I seem to recall that we stopped playing them so the old skinflint wouldn't have to disturb the moths in his wallet.

I thought Balaban actually looked quite good in his very limited appearances. His career stats after he left us show what a natural striker he was, so why did we stick him on the left wing?

I was praying that we wouldn't sign Lampard because he was a regular smoker at the time. Shows what an idiot I am! :lol:

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Another for Nilis, and I'd seen how good he was before we'd bought him. **** Richard Wright.

I was quite excited when we signed Southgate of all people, purely because I remember him always **** scoring for Palace every bloody time we played 'em.

Agreed on Nilis. Still hate Wright and Ipswich for that, was gutted.

He would have been a star here. I reckon him and Yorkie would have been on a par, had really high hopes for Luc. :(

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i must admit i was a little bit hopeful when we signed Martin Laursen, milan baros and Kevin Phillips........ laursen was great while fit, which wasnt anywhere near enough for his time here......... and all we needed back then was a proven goalpoacher and a european golden boot winner - we got them and we never saw the best of them !!

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Please don't take this as a dig at Villa, it's a serious question. But why, given your status, haven't you ever signed any really big name players? We (Spurs), Leeds, Newcastle and even Middlesbrough have all signed some really exciting names over the years. I'm not saying it's made any of those teams better than Villa, as you've more than held your own in the Prem era, but for some reason you've never seem to go after or land the big names. The players in this thread are seriously uninspiring. Again I'm not saying they were all bad signings, but by other teams of Villas stature, they would hardly be deemed exciting. For some reason you never sign any of the big international names.

Is there a reason for that and do you think it in anyway hinders you in the transfer markert thesedays as I'm sure potential big names from abroad will partly rank clubs according to the stature of their past players.

to be fair, era for era and level for level Villa have signed some really big players !!

Yeah, to me it seems that you're equaling exciting and big players with players from outside of Britain. Merson, Saunderd, McGrath and a few more I'd call big players. But big players from outside of Britain we haven't had that many, that's true. But we got Nilis, and he was both a great and foreign player. But I guess he's the only one.

But in terms of excitment the likes of Merson, Saunders and Mcgrath aren't the same as when a team like Newcastle signed Owen and Shearer. I'm not saying you haven't signed players with good reputations, but as far as I can remember you've never been a club that has signed the truely big names of the era. Mcgrath turned out to be an awesome signing for you, but he wasn't one of the stars of world football when you signed him. You've signed plenty of excellent players and done well as a club, but in terms of head turning signings, they've been remarkably thin on the ground for some reason.

Other clubs of similar stature do seem to have signed much more eye catching names. Shearer and Owen for example were not only starters, but seen as star players for the national team when Newcaslte bought them. Whilst the likes of Merson were really just good squad players at international level. But as you say, it's more evident with foreign names. I the grand scheme of world football someone like Luc Nilis is a bit of a nobody. Yet a club like Boro signed Juninho and Ravenelli, who at the time were huge names. I couldn't believe it when they signed Juninho and the press coverage was huge.

There doesn't seen to be any Shearer, Owen, Lineker, Asprilla, Juninho, Ravinelli, Klinsman, Davids, Gullit or Weah types signings in your history. Basically no really big names from abroad or star players for the England national team. It hasn't done you any harm over the years, but for some reason you've never signed any of the big names of world football. It's the same with Everton.

Well we did sign Peter Schemichel, one of the great goalkeepers in the modern era imo......but not for us. :x

And also Ginola which must rank as an awful transfer deal as he was shite for us and you sold him the summer you signed Rebrov! :shock:

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