The Coca Cola Kid

[Doc Lynam]

Always struck me as an odd competition, has it every been done before or since?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0G0ipedL1o

As an aside anyone thought of a better buy at the time?

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

I think it ran the year after as well but don't remember hearing of it again.

 

[whitelion]

It lost its fizz and went flat eventually.

 

[Easy 10]

It landed us with an utterly disinterested, petulant waste of skin for a season, so not a great advert. We weren't to know at the time though.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

It landed us with an utterly disinterested, petulant waste of skin for a season, so not a great advert. We weren't to know at the time though.

Who we sold on at a profit (and more later through sell-on %).

CKR is/was a massive PRICK, but [MENTION=139]Jam The Man[/MENTION] winning the competition was a HUGE financial win for the club at the time.

 

[Mackenzie]

Still got that shirt [MENTION=139]Jam The Man[/MENTION]?

 

[Hillian1]

Who we sold on at a profit (and more later through sell-on %).

CKR is/was a massive PRICK, but [MENTION=139]Jam The Man[/MENTION] winning the competition was a HUGE financial win for the club at the time.

And if I recall correctly he got shit loads of abuse too with people maintaining it was his idea to sign that absolute wanker CKR.

 

[Simster]

And if I recall correctly he got shit loads of abuse too with people maintaining it was his idea to sign that absolute wanker CKR.

Yes. It's hard to believe what utter THICKETS some people are.

 

[Easy 10]

Who we sold on at a profit (and more later through sell-on %).

CKR is/was a massive PRICK, but [MENTION=139]Jam The Man[/MENTION] winning the competition was a HUGE financial win for the club at the time.

Well, yes and no. It was a free signing supposedly worth £250k, but we saw that investment depreciate within 12 months to £150k when we binned him off to Sheffield. So its a pity we ended up with such an utter wankpuffin of a player. A quarter of a million quid could've got us someone REALLY decent, with a far higher resale value, but unfortunately, we got Colin.

I mean none of that as a criticism of [MENTION=139]Jam The Man[/MENTION] btw, who did absolutely brilliantly to win us that opportunity. Its just a shame the club ended up with a proper duffer out of it.

 

[Jam The Man]

Lol still talking about this 12 years on!

To answer the questions on this thread:

1. They did run it for a couple of years after but with slightly different prizes I think. I know the winner of subsequent years got cash PLUS a season ticket for life (I'm not moaning ��)

2. I still have the shirt.. it's on my son's bedroom wall. He's the lad on the video, and is now 14 and 5'11.. 2 inches taller than me!

3. Yep I got a ton of abuse ( still getting it as recently as last year). I genuinely had no say in who we bought!

4. He cost £55k, we ultimately made a profit after sell ons to the tune of about £480k... part of which was put towards the purchase of Glenn Murray. So to my mind it was well worth it in the end.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Who we sold on at a profit (and more later through sell-on %).

CKR is/was a massive PRICK, but [MENTION=139]Jam The Man[/MENTION] winning the competition was a HUGE financial win for the club at the time.

Well, yes and no. It was a free signing supposedly worth £250k, but we saw that investment depreciate within 12 months to £150k when we binned him off to Sheffield. So its a pity we ended up with such an utter wankpuffin of a player. A quarter of a million quid could've got us someone REALLY decent, with a far higher resale value, but unfortunately, we got Colin.

4. He cost £55k, we ultimately made a profit after sell ons to the tune of about £480k... part of which was put towards the purchase of Glenn Murray. So to my mind it was well worth it in the end.

THAT.

 

[Easy 10]

4. He cost £55k, we ultimately made a profit after sell ons to the tune of about £480k... part of which was put towards the purchase of Glenn Murray. So to my mind it was well worth it in the end.

Unless my memories playing tricks, I thought it was a competition to win £250k towards a player, so quite surprised to learn he only cost £55k. Unless some of the rest of it went towards a signing on fee and wages ?

Anyway, glad to hear we were well up on the deal overall. It was indeed worth it (literally money for old rope in the end).

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Unless my memories playing tricks, I thought it was a competition to win £250k towards a player, so quite surprised to learn he only cost £55k. Unless some of the rest of it went towards a signing on fee and wages ?

Anyway, glad to hear we were well up on the deal overall. It was indeed worth it (literally money for old rope in the end).

It was exactly that - £250k towards the TOTAL cost of signing a player(s)

 

[Easy 10]

It was exactly that - £250k towards the TOTAL cost of signing a player(s)

Fair do's.

At a time when we were being asked to contribute to the Forty Note Fund, that was a welcome windfall for a club on its knees.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Unless my memories playing tricks, I thought it was a competition to win £250k towards a player, so quite surprised to learn he only cost £55k. Unless some of the rest of it went towards a signing on fee and wages ?

Anyway, glad to hear we were well up on the deal overall. It was indeed worth it (literally money for old rope in the end).

As far as I'm aware, it paid his wages too.

 

[Jam The Man]

It was £250k to be used on :

a) Player or Player(s) Transfer fee

OR

b) Wages of a free transfer

OR

c) Ground improvements
Yes I was a bit confused about option C, especially as it was called the 'Win a Player' competition.

My guess is it went on all three options (we signed Jason Dodd on a free the day before we signed CKR)

14 months later, Dick Knight himself phoned me at 1030pm on the night he sold CKR to Sheff Utd to explain why the club had let him go, which was good of him as I hadn't expected that. Some of which was in DK's book, but I'm bound to a confidence on the detail, and DK specifically asked me not to spill the beans on NSC, which made me chuckle!

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

Lol still talking about this 12 years on!

To answer the questions on this thread:

1. They did run it for a couple of years after but with slightly different prizes I think. I know the winner of subsequent years got cash PLUS a season ticket for life (I'm not moaning ��)

2. I still have the shirt.. it's on my son's bedroom wall. He's the lad on the video, and is now 14 and 5'11.. 2 inches taller than me!

3. Yep I got a ton of abuse ( still getting it as recently as last year). I genuinely had no say in who we bought!

4. He cost £55k, we ultimately made a profit after sell ons to the tune of about £480k... part of which was put towards the purchase of Glenn Murray. So to my mind it was well worth it in the end.

All good excuses but you signed a crap player...

I loved us getting CKR, the goal he scored at Sheff Utd away was brilliant and well worth it. I was so jealous of you when you won as I was desperate to be the one that unearthed a superstar (using Football Manager of course) and be held responsible for saving the Albion and making them into a European power house. I would assume that is why people were giving you grief about it at the time. But still up until a year ago? That is mental, and I mean proper head mental

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

it was indeed an odd competition. I seem to recall Southampton winning it the following year and signing Bradley Wright-Phillips? Am I correct there? Don't remember it running a third time

thank you Jam The Man for providing some context. Ultimately, CKR's season with us was a bit of a disappointment (although he did score a few great goals), but for the long term impact that the competition had (profit on CKR, using it to part fund the Murray signing etc.) you have to look at it as a positive. He's had a bizarre career, that CKR, and weirdly his season with us is one of the most prolific he's had in his career and he's never been a very good goalscorer. He's definitely a talented lad but his application and attitude are pretty poor and he's now nothing but a bit of a journeyman (currently playing in BRAZIL by the way)