Who is our worst signing?

[Nutsin]

I’ve got Kieran Dyer.

Who you got?

[BerlingtonBertie]

Talking of that Lee Bowyer was a pretty shit signing too

[One Sunny Day]

God, I remember doing a Blagg column on this back in the days when WHO was the Ironworks - yea, it's been that long smartarse - my winner was Derek Hales. His only claim to fame was his astonishing ability with facial hair. I once saw him turn out at v Coventry at Highfield Road clean-shaven before the match. By the time 90 minutes came around, he had a full beard. 

I mostly remember him for having an on pitch punch up with his team mate, when he was at Charlton 

[zebthecat]

He also bought in Bishop and Morley for Ward if I'm not mistaken.

That was a great deal given the impact both players made over time.
I never understood the stick that Bishop got from some of the West Ham faithful.
A couple of times I was sat behind a bloke in the West stand who shouted at Bishop relentlessly pretty much from kick off to the final whistle. I felt sorry for the poor kid who tagged along with him to the matches.

[Council Scum]

David Kelly and Alan McKnight (mare) unfortunately just about done for Lyall.so must rank among the worst 

Macari his successor despite being a failed experiment actually made one of the most significant and valuable signings of modern times in Ludo.

He also bought in Bishop and Morley for Ward if I'm not mistaken.

 

And he signed Martin Allen as well. 

[Gary Strodders shank]

David Kelly and Alan McKnight (mare) unfortunately just about done for Lyall.so must rank among the worst 

Macari his successor despite being a failed experiment actually made one of the most significant and valuable signings of modern times in Ludo.

He also bought in Bishop and Morley for Ward if I'm not mistaken.
 

[El Scorchio]

Benni McCarthy called Karren Brady" the devil with a set of tits". This comment was a retort after Brady had heavily criticized him in her newspaper column for his performance at the club. The public argument continued with each of them trading insults, with Brady famously responding to his sexist jibe by saying, "At least I'm supposed to have tits".

Hahaha

Good that she's handy with a pre prepared quip in her newspaper column, akin to the Richard Keys one, because she seems to be fucking useless at any other aspect to do with running a football club.

[El Scorchio]

The VAST majority we've been discussing have come under the current stewardship, no surprises. Granted massively inflated cost amplifies how bad these signings look in comparison to former generations but also scouting and recruitment strategy has moved on so so so far that it's inexcusable to miss so spectacularly so many times especially in an era where there aren't really THAT many bad signings, seen as most clubs are so sophisticated in how they run their football business and squads and recruit players to play roles in a system which allows everyone to flourish. Well run clubs like the three B's DON'T make bad signings, even when they are making big swings on more expensive players alongside the endless value they find, but even if they do it's not catastrophic. We have no long term plan or strategy and an absolute scattergun approach to transfers depending on the whims of Sullivan, regardless of any thought to the impact on the team.

Our litany of terrible terrible transfer business is indicative of how the club is run in contrast with those well run clubs. An absolute aimless directionless mess behind the scenes which has finally spilled out into the dressing room and onto the pitch as it has been periodically threatening to do over the last decade, but something or someone has always come along to bail us out just in time or other sides have just been that little bit shitter. Well our luck appears to have run out finally and our castle made of sand appears to be collapsing.

[zico]

Hales was a very good striker but by his own admission liked the contents of a brown paper bag and I think the club needed the money to rebuild after relegation and Hales was one who could command a fee and got another signing on fee so was quite happy. Felt sorry for Radford.  Ddin't he suffer a really bad jaw injury?  Think he left for Blackburn and promptly scored on his debut!  A lot of the below either suffered injuries or were just too old by the time they came to West Ham.  Kilman for what he cost and how he "should" be in his prime must be one of the worst. Worst signing compared to what we should have got was Bobby Ferguson.  Decent enough keeper but old Ron and his principles denied us having a fourth world cup winner in Gordon Banks.  Sliding door moment.

[Mad Dog]

Most years we buy a player or 2 for about 2 mil, usually young player.  Then we never see them again

This year it's that celtic forward, cummings or whatever his name is

[Billy Blagg]

Derek was a top bloke and teacher at my old school. He scored 10 goals in 24 games for West Ham in one season,  he'd be our best player these days. 

Good point well made. Wasn't he one of those who Bonds thought was a lazy, arrogant feck and disrupted the dressing room? I know BB loathed Ted McDougall (another bad buy).

BTW, my Hales reference was to the original debate some 25+ years ago. Hales wouldn't even get on the board now.

[Council Scum]

Didn't Hales have an on field punch-up with Flanagan when both were at Charlton? Yeah Derek Hales was a hard bastard.

Yes mate. 

[Far Cough UKunt]

Didn't Hales have an on field punch-up with Flanagan when both were at Charlton? Yeah Derek Hales was a hard bastard.

[Council Scum]

God, I remember doing a Blagg column on this back in the days when WHO was the Ironworks - yea, it's been that long smartarse - my winner was Derek Hales. His only claim to fame was his astonishing ability with facial hair. I once saw him turn out at v Coventry at Highfield Road clean-shaven before the match. By the time 90 minutes came around, he had a full beard. 

Derek was a top bloke and teacher at my old school. He scored 10 goals in 24 games for West Ham in one season,  he'd be our best player these days. 

[Billy Blagg]

God, I remember doing a Blagg column on this back in the days when WHO was the Ironworks - yea, it's been that long smartarse - my winner was Derek Hales. His only claim to fame was his astonishing ability with facial hair. I once saw him turn out at v Coventry at Highfield Road clean-shaven before the match. By the time 90 minutes came around, he had a full beard. 

[Rossal]

Savio was nowhere near £10m. From memory we only ever paid a couple of million for him.
Granted he was shit but the fee was all smoke & mirrors.

Even if this is correct he would still be up there for me even for a couple of mil!    He looked like that bloke from Soton who convinced Souness he was a pro. 

[Lato]

Paulo Futre.

[goose]

Savio was nowhere near £10m. From memory we only ever paid a couple of million for him.
Granted he was shit but the fee was all smoke & mirrors.

[honky cat]

Not the worst but another disaster currently on the books is Cornet.

[Council Scum]

Rob Jones 

[El Scorchio]

I’m not sure how to think about Savio in this context. Yes he was shit but I don’t think buying him was a ‘mistake’ per se at all in that our DOF or whatever his title was, that Italian bloke Nani did it on purpose knowing he was shit, to funnel money to his father in law or something at Ascoli? 

[Lato]

Danny Ings.........but it could be anyone of the ones mentioned. A shocking and frightening thread!

[Takashi Miike]

clown world

[Far Cough UKunt]

Zaza famously took a shot at the goal that went out for a throw in.

[Rossal]

For me its Savio, £10m was a decent wedge at the time and he was as bad if not worse than Roberto 

Kilman and Haller are also up there for wastes of money.  Felipe Anderson also deserves a mention 

Wilshere has to be in the discussion also

there were quite a few when we moved to the LS that could have their own chapter, Nordveit, Tore, Calleri, Zaza 

[Far Cough UKunt]

Benni McCarthy called Karren Brady" the devil with a set of tits". This comment was a retort after Brady had heavily criticized him in her newspaper column for his performance at the club. The public argument continued with each of them trading insults, with Brady famously responding to his sexist jibe by saying, "At least I'm supposed to have tits".

Hahaha