How did Peter Clarke disappoint ?
He remains one of the biggest transfer fees paid in our history (and probably wages).
We were relegated his first season where he struggled to hold down a starting place (he even ended up playing in midfield); missed automatic promotion in his second season because of a leaky defence and missed the play-offs in his third season because the defence was even leakier and he then left on a free.
I don’t think we’ve signed anyone for £100k or more who I’d classify as a success since Ricky Otto three decades ago.
The only £100k+ signings I’d classify as a success would be Otto, Collymore, Angell, maybe Keith Jones and I assume Derek Spence (although he was before my time).
The list of £100,000+ disappointments is far longer: Alex Revell, Andy Rammell, Jeroen Boere, Andy Thomson, Richie Foran, Peter Clarke, Mike Marsh, Gary Poole, Jason Lee, Tommy Mooney, Andy Sussex, Keith Dublin, Roger Willis, Mike Lapper, Billy Paynter.
Some of those players were favourites of mine (e.g Andy Thomson, Mike Marsh, Tommy Mooney, Mike Lapper) but I can’t describe their Southend careers as successes. Had you popped back in a Time Machine and told their manager and chairman what their Southend career would be like they almost certainly wouldn’t have gone ahead and signed any of them for that sort of money (Sussex may be the exception as he was a useful part of the promotion squad but I bet Webby didn’t tell Jobson that he was signing a squad player and he was signed in the expectation he’d be more).
I think there is a direct correlation between the fan's expectations of a player that a) they have heard of and/or b) costs money. They will want and expect so much more.
I doubt anyone had ever heard of any of the first list before they signed. You could add Chris Powell and Andy Ansah to that list as well.
The second list on the other hand, other than Sawyer (who's initial loan very much fell into the first list), everyone had either been heard of or that cost money.
I was referring to Sawyer’s return in 2011 rather than loan spells. I could have also included Eastwood and Barnard’s returns.
But yes there is added expectation with a big transfer fee or big wages.
I didn’t especially rate Che Wilson but he clearly exceeded expectations. I thought his replacement Steve Hammell was a better player but he under performed expectations.
Do, do, doooo, Britt Assombalonga.
