But the one that really got me was near the start of my Brighton supporting career when it was someone I'd actually heard of.....Jason Dodd. That went well.
For some reason I thought Dean Blackwell was going to be a world beater, Simon Rodger turned out to be pretty good though...
So many memories... Paul Rogers I thought would be woeful and turned out to be a class act... Mark Morris in the dark times, too was a genuine highlight, as was Jon Humphrey who made me laugh with his constant backing off of wingers until he was virtually in the stand behind the goal...
Lots of Palace and Sheff Utd links in that, not sure why :/
Using the title strictly "rumours ........coming to the Albion", then it has to be Stanley Matthews whilst still playing at a high level. In the early 60's several players qualified for testimonials, and these were normally Albion v George Gunn's XI. This latter team was a collection of other reasonably well-known footballers and the odd entertainer from the Showbiz team. Several famous names were always promised to play, and some did indeed turn up. Bear in mind we were then dropping down through the divisions, so it was a big deal to see famous names in the flesh who we were only occasionally able to see on TV. Stanley Matthews always seemed to be advertised yet never appeared. I wonder whether he even knew that his name was being used to promote the game.