This. I’d seen him for PSG and always signed him on FIFA on the back of it, blew my mind d we signed him. Naturally ability wise as good as I’ve seen in our shirt.
Not quite on the same skill level as Baxter, but Emerson Thome. It was a great time for SAFC already but the way I found out made it more class. Was travelling Europe with a mate when we landed in Luton as part of a flight change. Went in the newsagents and picked up a paper to see if there was any Sunderland news. Big headline saying we were signing Thome for £4 million. He was one of the top defenders in the PL at the time and I was over the moon. I remembered watching MOTD the season before and Alan Hansen was waxing lyrical about one of his performances.
My first ever post on Not606 was when we signed Jozy Altidore, a few people thought I was a new soccer fan from the USA - what a let down he was though Scocco, like Jozy was much better in his highlight videos than he was in the flesh. Alvarez and Rodwell turned out to be our worst ever signings. I really couldn't believe that we had actually signed an Italian international in Giachi For me, Steve Bould was a great signing, a real Rolls Royce in defence but too short lived here.
Brian Clough, our greatest ever signing in my time, stopped watching football for years after he was injured then ignored by the Collins tw@ts..
Most of my early favourites were home grown. I was going to say Stan Cummins though, as I was certain he'd help clinch promotion when we got him. But I'll go with Stefan Schwartz. A class act, and when we signed him, I was pretty sure we'd stay up.
100% Bent for me. I couldn't believe it was happening at the time. Gyan was huge too coming off the back of his unbelievable world cup performance.
When we got connor wickham, i thought we must have beaten a host of big teams for him. An indication we may mix it with the big boys. How wrong i was.
Defoe and Bent. Both were next level signings, who gave us all lasting memories. Defoe's volley against the great unwashed and Bent's beach ball goal spring to mind
Hate to say it now but Johnson for me. Genuinely couldn’t believe we got it done and it was on the back of O’Neils brilliant start. Thought he’d be O’Neils Ashley young at villa and we’d be in the top half. Gyan was incredible too, was one of the stars of the World Cup so couldn’t believe that one. Remember the sky yellow ticker coming on when we’d agreed a deal for cisse too, was buzzing about that one as a youngin
