Worst Signing Ever

Dazzler007 · 19-09-2006, 18:47

There have been some shockers, but who really was the worst signing ever?

Mine- Man Utd buying that guy Taibi

**Dr. Bob Kelso** · 19-09-2006, 18:53

William Prunier..... (awaits abuse from mancs.)

Tigermen · 19-09-2006, 18:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rafalutionary

William Prunier..... (awaits abuse from mancs.)

Do I remember rightly that the story was he had an absolute blinder in his first game (perhaps in a league cup match or something) prompting Fergie to start him in the next league game which was (un)coincidentally a 4-1 loss to Spurs. Think it went something like that.

**Ziss** · 19-09-2006, 19:21

I know he was loaned in as he was a pal of King Eric, and he wasn't anything special. Think he scored once though

Salif Diao springs to mind.

**Bammers05** · 19-09-2006, 19:24

Igors Stepanovs

abysmal sums up his contribution to Arsenal

dimitrivdr · 19-09-2006, 19:30

Rafael Scheidt - 5 million quid!

Quote:

So farewell then Rafael
You cost several million
They must be laughing their bums off
On the Copacabana at that one

If you have tears prepare to shed them as we take a painful journey through the Celtic career of Rafael Scheidt.

December 15 1999 was the fateful day when the boy from Brazil finally put pen to paper, and caused a million guffaws at the pronunciation of his surname. His signing had been touted for many a month. Celtic contract guru Jim Hone had travelled to South America to clinch the deal that would see the Brazilian national team centre half sign up in Glasgow.

Basically things went badly wrong from minute one. He wasn't fit, on the eve of his debut he was taken to hospital with appendicitis, he collided with a team mate in training, injuring himself quite seriously in the process and by the time he was due to actually make an appearance the manager who had signed him was back in punditry purgatory.

In his first six months in Scotland he had played less than 90 minutes of first team football. Oh and there was small matter of a major scandal brewing in Brazil; apparently the national manager had been taking bungs from Brazilian league clubs to pick duds to play in meaningless friendly games, allegedly to seduce gullible European clubs into shelling out for a "Brazilian international". Sound familiar?

And here is where we come to crux of the matter; Rafael was hopeless. Speed, skill, and cunning - he lacked the lot.

Of course the alarm bells had started ringing pretty early on for most people, Barnes had calmly stated that he was spending £5.6m on the basis on a video put together by the player's agent. I'm sure most junior players could probably cobble together a video that would make them look like the next Johann Cruyff; unfortunately, that don't make it so. Then it emerged that the games the footage had been taken from had been heavy defeats of the 4 or 5 nil variety. You couldn't script this, it just beggars belief.

When O'Neill took charge he stated that he would give the Brazilian a chance, and indeed Rafael made an appearance in some pre-season friendlies and one or two of the early season League Cup games. But he never looked the part.

The fact that he was instrumental in leaking goals was bad enough, but when the opposition is of the calibre of Bray Wanderers you know your centre-back is going to struggle against the Del Pieros of the SPL. It can't do your confidence much good either when you're dropped for a friendly against the mighty Sachsen Leipzig.

There are some apocryphal stories doing the rounds about what MON said to Rafael regarding his future prospects at Celtic, but the player himself in a recent interview in the Sunday Herald admitted that the Blessed Martin told him, "I like footballers who are not like you. I like footballers who play well."

He was quietly shuffled back off to Brazil on loan, where apparently he's been a big hit, something which might say more about the current state of league football in that country than about Rafael.

So how to summarise this absolute fiasco? You couldn't say it was a nail in Barnes' coffin - he hadn't even played by the time the axe fell - but you could certainly say it has affected Barnes' future employment prospects.

Rafael himself seems unperturbed by the ridicule heaped upon him in Scotland, but I suppose you wouldn't be either if you were getting that weekly wage. When you consider that his ten appearances averages out at something in the region of half a million quid per game you begin to see the phrase "waste of money" in a completely different light.

He's gone now, we're winning trophies and we can laugh about it after a few pints. Good riddance.

Karaoke29 · 19-09-2006, 19:45

Emerson and Zebina play for Juve (Can't believe it till now). These were the worst signings ever.

Dazzler007 · 19-09-2006, 20:36

If you want, I'll do a poll

Who should be in it?

**Bammers05** · 19-09-2006, 20:40

Here are some bad Arsenal signings:

Igors Stepanovs
Francis Jeffers
Junichi Inamoto
Nelson Vivas
Oleg Luzhny
Pascal Cygan
Richard Wright
Tomas Danilevicius
Gio Van Bronchorst

ATH10 · 19-09-2006, 20:49

diouf to liverpool was a bad signing

Karaoke29 · 19-09-2006, 20:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATH10

diouf to liverpool was a bad signing

Diouf is a bad signing to any team. He is a negative player.

Matio · 19-09-2006, 20:59

ali dia no one can beat his story

Viperized · 19-09-2006, 21:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bammers05

Here are some bad Arsenal signings:

Igors Stepanovs
Francis Jeffers
Junichi Inamoto
Nelson Vivas
Oleg Luzhny
Pascal Cygan
Richard Wright
Tomas Danilevicius
Gio Van Bronchorst

van Bronchorst was a bad signing for us?

**Bammers05** · 19-09-2006, 21:14

For 8.5million, he didn't really live up to our expectations I'd say

**Yossi** · 19-09-2006, 21:18

Raymond de Waard
Fernando Derveld
Andy Hughes
Mathieu Louis-Jean
Victor Segura
Trevor Benjamin
Peter Thorne (although he scored tonight)

Quite a few more too.

View Poll Results: Worst signing ever?
William Prunier	0	0%
Massimo Taibi	3	18.75%
Rafael Scheidt	0	0%
Francis Jeffers	3	18.75%
El Hadji Diouf	1	6.25%
Bosko Balaban	0	0%
Djimi Traore	1	6.25%
Juan Sebastian Veron	2	12.50%
Ali Dia	3	18.75%
Other (please state who)	3	18.75%
Voters: 16. You may not vote on this poll