Your most exciting ever BHA signing?

[Worthai Seagull]

The Clough/Taylor signing was in a different league to that of any player

I used to work at London Weekend TV , when Clough became manager , and he used to be on 'The Big Match' and ITVs soccer. We chatted in the LWT bar a couple of times, and it seemed i knew more about the squad than he did !!!!
They were good days.........but NOTHING as what is coming now !!

 

[mistahclarke]

Robbie Savage and Paul Kitson were met with much happiness

shame both turned out to be total pony mind

I am ashamed to admit I got excited about these beauties:
Graeme Smith..... "a keeper with Scottish Premiership and European experience? Got to be class! D'oh!"
Steven Thomson - "Falkirk Captain? with Scottish Prem experience? Nice one! d'oh"
Colin Hawkins - "This no nonsense centre-back we are crying out for. A Butters replacement... a rock in defence... a DONKEY!"
Graham Barrett - "Oh, seen him for Ireland youth, the Arsenal player? He's bound to get a few goals, what a coup... what a CROCK of SHIT!

 

[portslade seagull]

Andy Ritchie
Jimmy case
Paul Dickov
Steve Gatting

 

[Beach Hut]

I remember getting quite excited over Paul Kitson.

How wrong can you be....

I think the same as well, what a dreadful let down he was

 

[Laughing Gravy]

I have never felt so happy with a signing as i did this lunchtime when i heard that Calde was coming back.

Says it all for me

 

[dje shoreham]

The Clough/Taylor signing was in a different league to that of any player

Agree - there was total amazement around the club when it was annouced

 

[Gully]

For me it was Terry Connor, rated him as a player before he joined us, this was backed up by his performances for the Albion. One of the few players who I was excited to see on his debut for the team...though I admit that the signing of BZ was a pretty big one too.

 

[Worthai Seagull]

I have never felt so happy with a signing as i did this lunchtime when i heard that Calde was coming back.

Says it all for me

Couldnt agree more.....its been a big day for this club. Think it also guarantees that Gus will sign as well ... Calde probably knows !

 

[Farehamseagull]

I am really excited about painter and calderon as I think it is the start of a great time for us.

It seems odd to say now now but I think the most excited I have been about a signing was when we signed leon knight permanently, he was fantastic on loan and I remember singing 'sign him up' vigorously!

I was also really excited about re-signing Virgo, still disapointed about how that's ended up

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

Agree - there was total amazement around the club when it was annouced

Total disbelief in our house, my dad was convinced that John Vinicombe was on a wind up.

 

[vulture]

les briley

 

[mikeyjh]

Funny how Paul Kitson would be on your list, and possibly mine, just with a 10 year gap!

I was over the moon when Derby signed Ravanelli way back in 2001, but that was not £42k a week well spent. Cost us £312k a goal.

I think the most 'exciting' signings are often those that disappoint the most, usually because they're over the hill has beens rather than up and coming stars that you've never heard of.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

I was absolutely overjoyed when Frank Worthington joined, having remembered him playing for Town in the early 70's.

Sergie Gotsmanov came a very close second to that.

 

[S'hampton Seagull]

Zamora easily for me. Quite sad to admit, but I was quite excited about Robbie Savage, shame it didn't turn out so well...

 

[Jordy]

John Byrne for me although got quite excited about Jeff Minton as my Spurs supporting cousin saw him play and score for Spurs (was that not the only game he played for them), so said he would be great for us.

 

[rcf0712]

For me it was Jimmy Case who I'd loved at Liverpool and Sergei Gotsmanov who represented something we just weren't used to - a quality johnny foreigner with a reputation. The Calderon re-signing yesterday was very exciting more for what it represents going forward than for the player himself (although he sounds awesome and everyone seems to love him).
Manger wise I got very excited when Clough, Brady and Gus were appointed, particularly Gus as we needed a real lift at the time and his appointment I felt gave us just that.

 

[perseus]

Bobby Smith I

Bobby Smith I. A bit like like signing David Beckham after he played is last game for England. Streets ahead of any other signing. Only going to Falmer will have to the same effect on the gates sending them from 6,000 to 20,000 immediately and averaging for 17,000 in Division 4. That was more than Brian Clough managed and the next closest was Nobby Lawton who drew 16,000 for the first game but this did not last. A close run thing was the Williams and Lawrenson signings but the small size of the Goldstone was limiting then.

Oh dear the World Cup is about to start.

 

[glasfryn]

Gary Sprake, the former Leeds goalkeeper in the 1960s/70s, says in his autobiography that AD was the most terrifying player he ever played with or against. My Dad used to say that he made players like Norman Hunter, Ron "Chopper" Harris, Ian Storey etc look like a bunch of pussies - he was really that frightening to see in action.

Ah well happy memories.

thats about right
although I was rather excited with the signing of Alan Mullery an excitement that slowly built up until that fantastic afternoon in Newcastle

 

[Horses Arse]

Andy ritchie - had just seen him score a hat trick for man utd on motd. Then he was suddenly coming to us. Pretty close second would be zamora- couldn't believe rovers had been persuaded to part with him.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

thats about right
although I was rather excited with the signing of Alan Mullery an excitement that slowly built up until that fantastic afternoon in Newcastle

My most memorable Albion game to date too (Christ! - it's 50 years this August since I started going).

However, did any of us at the time think, or care, how the success was achieved. Looking back now, the steady decline in the Club's fortunes that led us to Withdean in the late nineties started with Mike Bamber who turned the Albion, albeit unintentionally, into an unsustainable business. The 10 year contract for Steve Foster is a well known example but using his personal wealth to pay for "revenue" expenditure was always likely to end badly.
I just hope that Tony Bloom doesn't make the same sort of mistakes and sticks to his position that the Albion must be a self-financing business when we move to Falmer.