“Underwhelming” Signings that Ended Up Amazing

Hopefully in honour of our new Israeli boy. Signings where fans had a similar reaction and they turned out very good, astute signings. Think this has happened a good few times under Lenny.

First off the list:

Victor Wanyama - young boy hailed as a midfielder who we were considering turning into a centre back. Midfield was by far the strongest area of our team at the time, everybody was wondering why the * go for a central midfielder and he’d be in the reserves and never heard from again. A shocking performance in his first re-season game compounded this opinion further. Then he absolutely * Wanyama’d us. Neil Lennon’s best signing for me - including Virgil Van Dijk.

Leigh Griffiths - very contentious due to off field stuff in his younger days. Not only this, a lot had written him off as a Derek Riordan Mk II. Looked down upon as somebody who just done well when loaned to Hibs and if he was actually any good why would Wolves want rid of him? 104 goals later, the top scorer in our tilt for 10 in a row, Leigh’s well on his way to become a legend.

Kris Commons - this one everybody was 50/50 about, for such a miniscule fee everybody was wondering why. We had a young James Forrest breaking through on the left, Samaras coming on to a game on the left and now we were getting another left winger in just because he had a bit of a purple patch in the Championship. Somebody who was objectively * for Scotland. That lasted until his debut when he chipped Clangfield at Hampden. Went on to score 91 goals from midfield for us, scored a goal to take us through to the last 16 of the CL... and if he wasn’t such a * * would go down as one of my favourite ever players.

Charlie Mulgrew - this one has to be the ultimate for me under Lenny at least (because we all know it’s Lubo overall), a player already rejected for us, signed to make up the numbers when we were at a desperate time rebuilding the club. Viewed more of a signing to just bring him in because he’d been a danger to us the previous couple of seasons with his free kicks. And absolute shocking showing in his first couple of games at left back we all thought he’d have been left on the scrapheap. Injuries and desperation had us starting him left midfield at Ibrox in the New Year and an exceptional performance put him on the map for us. He never looked back from there, second season he won POTY while playing a mixture of LB, CB, LM and CM. Culminating in one of the best league winning performances I’ve ever seen while beating Kilmarnock 6-0. The man who set up the most goals on our way to the last 16 and will forever live in my memory for taking the ball off of Messi and not allowing him to restart the game where he wanted, punting the ball back to Valdes. For screaming hoi at Spartak Moscow players when we had a corner clinging on to get through to the last 16. Absolute leader and ended up contributing more than even his most ardent supporters could have thought at the start of his career.



What’s your ones? Only done ones under Lenny just now but it’s open to all managers.

 

After watching Wanyama's first game I thought we'd bought a donkey. So happy to be proven wrong.

 

Wanyama’s first game was * hilarious looking back mate. Don’t think he connected one pass to a teammate.

 

Rogic. Was injured for ages at first and looked like a waste of a signing.

 

That’s a belter that one mate

Another Lenny one as well infact

Could probably add Fraser Forster in there as well.

 

Larsson tbh I know you said Lenny but was a right few under Martin

Sutton
Thompson
Agathe

 

I remember being underwhelmed when we signed Ulrik Laursen but he then went on to be very dependable and played various times in the run to Seville, including the Final.

Thought it was strange that Strachan let him leave for £50k when he came in. Strikes me as the type of player that Strachan would love;tall, physical, dependable.

 

Said at the bottom for all managers, I just stopped at Lenny’s

The only one I’d agree with there is Agathe, all of them had massive pedigree.

 

Funny you say that. I watched the Road to Seville the other day and forgot just how much he did play

 

Apart from the ones already mentioned above, I'd personally add Tosh McKinlay and embarrassingly enough I remember feeling a bit underwhelmed when we signed Jackie McNamara (I'd have McNamara up there with Lubo at the very top of the list) and that other young boy (McQuillan was it?). I'd have both in that list.

 

I love wee Jackie man, always said (and I stand by it) most underrated Celtic Legend ever.

 

Lubo.

 

Lubo

 

Kelvin Wilson for me. Wasn't too enamoured with the idea of signing him just because Lenny knew him from Forest.

First season he came in he was absolutely shocking. One hun game in particular he was absolutely awful. Turned that around big time with a massive second season where he established himself as a Rolls Royce and I was absolutely gutted he left to go back home after that season.

 

Ramon Vega who I think was ridiculed at Spurs. Great signing!!

 

Kelvin Wilson is the only player I’ve ever said I would absolutely never again have in the Hoops and was an absolute fraud. Then he turned in that season, would have loved to have seen how him and big Virgil would have got on. He was signed to partner him.

 

I think Mulgrew is the only one out of that list who is even relatable to the new Israeli boy.

Wanyama was a young kid, Griffiths and Commons had both proved they could cut it in leagues better than ours.

The new boy might come in and be excellent but for me it's very, very underwhelming. He's 28, failed at all other European clubs. I can see why some people are unhappy about it. I hoped that we would have went out and splashed some decent money on a proven player in a better league, given we were willing to pay £8m fo Castagne and £7m for Piccini.

 

Probably eats at him a bit that he could have stayed and played with Virgil considering how his career went thereafter. Most people who leave us do end up regretting it in my opinion. He left for family reasons though in fairness.

 

Aye, left with everybody wishing him well. Really didn’t want to leave but did because his family. Can’t argue with that, sacrificed himself for them.

 

Not the thread for it, it’s for underwhelming signings who turned out to be good players for us

And what league had Griff proved himself in better than ours btw?