in Aberdeen's history.

 

I was thinking last night about how important the signing of Sone Aluko may turn out to be.  In the modern footballing climate, where young players are being paid ridiculous sums of money just to keep them out of reach of rival clubs, it's refreshing to see a young player who's prepared to put his career before monetary value.

 

Aluko's obviously had a taste of what Aberdeen had to offer last season, playing against Bayern in the UEFA cup, being part of a squad that played in two cup semi-finals, and also finishing fourth in the league.  He was also still selected for England under-21's whilst he was here so he'll have realised that he'll still be in the eyes of those in England.

 

As a club, Aberdeen may not be able to offer a youngster millions of pounds, but if they want somewhere to learn their trade, and a platform on which to better themselves, then we can offer something.

 

In the grand scheme of things, it's great that we can now attract this type of player as it's these guys that Aberdeen have to look to in helping the club progress.  Calderwood's brought a stability to the club where we're now going into a season thinking, "we should win a cup or at least qualify for Europe this year" as a pose to the years of, "We could seriously go down this year".  With this stability, we're now an attractive proposition again to many players.

 

The hope that Aluko brings with him is that other talented youngsters may follow his lead, and see joining Aberdeen as a way of furthering their career and not necessarily a 'step-down'.  We're led to believe that Josh Walker, for one, came here off the back of advice from Aluko.

 

I wouldn't, yet, include Aluko in the top 3 important signings/players, but he may yet prove to be an extremely valuable acquisition in the future of AFC.  I'd also be tempted to put Charlie Mulgrew in this bracket as well.  An extremely talented youngster who's not yet lived up to his potential.  Fingers crossed they can both prosper at Aberdeen.

 

I'm still undecided as to who the top 3 signings, or players we've brought through, are.  Interested to see who people select and the reasons why.

 

Discuss.

Alex Ferguson, Willie Miller, and maybe McLeish?

In my time of watching the three most important players we've signed would be Jess, Windass and Heikkenen (just ahead of Bisconti).

 

Brought through would be Jess, Anderson and Diamond/McNaughton.

Alex Ferguson, Willie Miller, and maybe McLeish?

 

Ferguson goes without saying, but this was more-so about players, whether it be players we've signed or players we've brought through.

 

In recent years for example, I think Russell Anderson - for his years of service and the transfer fee he brought in - and Zander Diamond - for his potential selling fee and what he brings to the club - have been worth their weight in gold and both have cost us nothing bar their wage.

 

Aluko and Mulgrew, as pointed out before, may prove to be astute signings that signal the way Aberdeen will operate as a club in the future.

 

Scott Severin was also a very important signing in recent years, as it signalled a change and really set the foundations for Calderwood's reign.

I agree with Seve as he was possibly the first player (internationalist too) in the current era to leave a decent team to come to us. I think his signing paved the way to help attract other players like a Miller, Nicholson, Smith, Kerr, Mulgrew etc.

 

Anderson is an interesting one as for those who remember many of us thought he was piss (and he was) in the early years and could easily have been punted. Time, maturity, and experience and he became a great player. That's why I tend to be patient with Foster, Diamond, Considine, and Macguire.

 

You could argue Dodds and Stavrum, our last real goalscorers?

I agree with Seve as he was possibly the first player (internationalist too) in the current era to leave a decent team to come to us. I think his signing paved the way to help attract other players like a Miller, Nicholson, Smith, Kerr, Mulgrew etc.

 

Anderson is an interesting one as for those who remember many of us thought he was piss (and he was) in the early years and could easily have been punted. Time, maturity, and experience and he became a great player. That's why I tend to be patient with Foster, Diamond, Considine, and Macguire.

 

You could argue Dodds and Stavrum, our last real goalscorers?

Bobby biscuit will smell blood!!!

I'm certain that if we didn't buy Jess back from Coventry, we would've been relegated, so I'd have him as one of them.

 

Others probably Willie Miller and Alex McLeish. Or possibly swap one of them for one of Peter Weir or Gordon Strachan.

I'm certain that if we didn't buy Jess back from Coventry, we would've been relegated, so I'd have him as one of them.

 

That's a pretty good shout.  If we'd gone down then God knows where we'd be?!? 

 

I suppose the importance of Jess was doubled as he was brought throught the ranks and had a real status among the support you very rarely get, and he also re-signed to arguably save us from going down.

 

Others probably Willie Miller and Alex McLeish. Or possibly swap one of them for one of Peter Weir or Gordon Strachan.

 

All good shouts there, I guess Leighton more than deserves to be in that group as well.

 

You could argue Dodds and Stavrum, our last real goalscorers?

 

Dodds was sh*te, and as good as Stavrum was for us, he left us under a cloud didn't he?  Am I right in saying he was pictured in a Besiktas shirt before we knew he'd left or something? 

 

I wouldn't put either of them in the important signing bracket personally.  I suppose we're looking for players that have left a legacy or made a mark on the club that has a direct affect on where we are today.

 

The signings of Hignett/Kiriakov/etc. should be discounted for example, as it paved the way for the financial state our club is currently in.  Not necessarily the fault of the players, but they weren't what I'd ever class as important players for Aberdeen.

 

Every signing Falkirk made, instead of using money building there stadium!

 

...

 

Really tho, Stephen Glass, Brian Irvine and Billy Dodds kept us up during the play off year.....

 

that'll do me!

I'm certain that if we didn't buy Jess back from Coventry, we would've been relegated, so I'd have him as one of them.

 

Others probably Willie Miller and Alex McLeish. Or possibly swap one of them for one of Peter Weir or Gordon Strachan.

Exact reason why I had him down as a signing.

Duncan shearer. We got a prolific scorer for less than three quarters of a million quid. Frank mcdougall. We would not have won the league in 1984 or 85 without his goals.

Good question.

 

I don't think that there can be any argument that Willie Miller would have to be one of the three.  He was the focal point and driving force of our best team and is easily the most influential player we have ever had.

 

For the other two, it's pretty hard and there are so many good arguments for so many good signings, but the two I'm going to go for are:

 

Theo Snelders - In my wildest dreams, I never thought we'd replace Jim Leighton so adequately. A wonderful goalkeeper who stepped straight into a great relationship with Miller and McLeish in particular.

 

Charlie Nicholas - Came in at a time when there seemed to be a bit of a cloud over Pittodrie; We'd lost Fergie, the team was breaking up and generally not doing too well, Porterfield was relying too much on just having a good defence to win matches meaning we were being far from  entertaining.  The whole club needed a lift, in particular the players and the fans and Charlie Nick is probably the most glamorous signing we will ever, ever have. It lifted everyone and I've never seen so many people so excited by a signing at Aberdeen.  Proved to be a great player for us and one of the best I've seen in the red shirt.

 

Have to say that Frank McDougall was close for me too. Replacing Mark McGhee was a huge ask, and Frankie did it brilliantly. Just ashame we only got two years out of him because of injury. 

Ferguson goes without saying, but this was more-so about players, whether it be players we've signed or players we've brought through.

 

In recent years for example, I think Russell Anderson - for his years of service and the transfer fee he brought in - and Zander Diamond - for his potential selling fee and what he brings to the club - have been worth their weight in gold and both have cost us nothing bar their wage.

 

Aluko and Mulgrew, as pointed out before, may prove to be astute signings that signal the way Aberdeen will operate as a club in the future.

 

Scott Severin was also a very important signing in recent years, as it signalled a change and really set the foundations for Calderwood's reign.

 

Was Severin not a Paterson signing?

Theo Snelders - In my wildest dreams, I never thought we'd replace Jim Leighton so adequately. A wonderful goalkeeper who stepped straight into a great relationship with Miller and McLeish in particular.

 

Would I be right in saying that the signing of Snelders paved the way for the other Dutch players that came around the same time, most notably Hans Gillhaus?  That in itself was a very important part of the clubs history.

 

Was Severin not a Paterson signing?

 

Don't think so?  Didn't he join not long after after Calderwood did?!?  Seem to remember the signing and people being impressed with the fact Calderwood had managed to get him to sign for a team that had performed so poorly the year before, under Paterson.

Would I be right in saying that the signing of Snelders paved the way for the other Dutch players that came around the same time, most notably Hans Gillhaus?  That in itself was a very important part of the clubs history.

 

Not sure about the Gillhaus signing or the signing of the other Dutch players, but we'd never have signed Paul Mason if it wasn't for us signing Theo.  Was speaking to Alex Smith last year (our supporters bus ran from his pub in Stirling), and he was saying that they had gone to look at Theo but he wasn't playing. They stayed for the match and saw Mason playing and decided to sign him straight away. Smith said that pound for pound, Mason was his best ever signing.

1.  Willie Miller for obvious reasons.  Most important player in our history.

 

2.  Theo Snelders.  I don't think we'd have had the success we had in the late 80s, and I include cup runners up as success because at least we were still a considerable force in Scottish football, without the big man between the sticks.  For those too young to remember, Theo was an outstanding performer every week.

 

3.  Scott Severin.  It's no coincidence that afc's slow but steady revival over the last 5 seasons has been with him at the heart of the team.  Whatever people think about him and his performances over the last 12 months, there's no getting away from the fact that seve is the nearest thing we've got to a proper footballer.

 

 

Could have picked so many more, but after carefull consideration that's my three. 

Could have picked so many more, but after carefull consideration that's my three. 

 

Good three as well,  as you could arguably say they were the catalyst for the success each of their teams had in their time at Aberdeen (Miller - early 80s, Snelders - late 80s/early 90s and Severin - just now).

All good shouts there, I guess Leighton more than deserves to be in that group as well.

 

Aye probably, although if we didn't have Leighton, we would have had Bryan Gunn as our No.1 and I think he was certainly capable of doing as good a job, but whether he would have or not is a different story.

Aye probably, although if we didn't have Leighton, we would have had Bryan Gunn as our No.1 and I think he was certainly capable of doing as good a job, but whether he would have or not is a different story.

 

Gunn was a good keeper, if he was at any other scottish side at that time he'd have been number one.

 

Really good guy too 

I would view this as signing prominent players rather than say, Willie or Alex, who became great at Aberdeen. I would also frame the question within 'living TV history' cos who knows how prominent some signings were that no-one has seen in archive footage.

 

So, in terms of players who defined a change in fortunes I would say, in no particular order:

 

1. Jess re-signing - I agree, that was a major reason we didn't get relegated in the year of the great escape. Between Jess leaving and now, no player has signed that saved our skins like he did and we haven't reached any level since then in terms of genuine greatness.

 

2. Peter Weir. Took us to a new level just as we'd reached a new level.

 

3. Jim Bett. Strachan, McGhee and Rougvie all left and Bett showed up to solidify the team for years to come. Nod of the hat to Billy Stark too, but he signed when Stachan was still here. What a signing Bett was.

 

All subjective to age and opinion of course.

 

I would view this as signing prominent players rather than say, Willie or Alex, who became great at Aberdeen. I would also frame the question within 'living TV history' cos who knows how prominent some signings were that no-one has seen in archive footage.

 

So, in terms of players who defined a change in fortunes I would say, in no particular order:

 

1. Jess re-signing - I agree, that was a major reason we didn't get relegated in the year of the great escape. Between Jess leaving and now, no player has signed that saved our skins like he did and we haven't reached any level since then in terms of genuine greatness.

 

2. Peter Weir. Took us to a new level just as we'd reached a new level.

 

3. Jim Bett. Strachan, McGhee and Rougvie all left and Bett showed up to solidify the team for years to come. Nod of the hat to Billy Stark too, but he signed when Stachan was still here. What a signing Bett was.

 

All subjective to age and opinion of course.

 

 

Wouldn't really disagree with anything you say, but, although Jess was magnificent when he came back, I'd say a nod has to be given to Jim Leighton as well with regards to us staying up.  The 6-5 game versus Motherwell for instance, Leighton got man of the match. What the fuck does that say about our defence? ( i know we finished bottom that season, but it's symbollic of how fucking atrocious we were, and how fucking brilliant he still was)

 

Cheers Bobby, I think thats the first time I've ever had a positive reply to a post!

 

I thought about Jimbo, but as you say, we almost got relegated that sason so, great as he was (and is) he wasn't a prominent signing under the guise of the topic.

 

Its a pity we're limited to three choices, cos Charlie Nick was important in telling the fans 'we do want to progress' at an important junction. Stavrum, Windass, Dodds etc, you could argue the same but in terms of actual pace changes in direction for the club, I dunno, might as well say Zero was prominent in that context. Like I say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not to mention the beholder's lifetime experience. Maybe King Joey was one of the most prominent.

 

Forgot about him. We almost got relegated in '75, but we won the league cup in ,76 and became great within five years.

 

I stand corrected - Joe harper was one of the fundamental signings that changed Aberdens fortunes. I will punt Jim Bett from my original selection.

 

Its a pity we're limited to three choices, cos Charlie Nick was important in telling the fans 'we do want to progress' at an important junction.

 

By all means, if you want to put the point across for more than three players, crack on.  When I was making the original post, I was going to make it five, but swayed to three as I thought about the age of many who post on here.  I thought if I made it five, we'd get people struggling to name five players who have TRULY been important to the club, having had a direct influence in the club's fortune.

 

By saying three, I thought we'd avoid people mentioning lesser players who in reality were not important figures

 

This may seem hypocritical, seeing as I cite Aluko in the opening post, but it's more to do with the potential impact his signing may have with regard to the club's future.  The likes of Aluko, and Mulgrew for that matter, are our future.  Along with the likes of Anderson and Diamond.  This is a new era in football, and a new chapter in the history of Aberdeen Football Club.  For our club to survive and prosper, we need players of their ilk.

 

In a few years time, I hope that we can look back and thank Calderwood for the day he managed to re-sign Aluko, whether that be down to a lucrative sell-on fee, winning trophies, or influencing other talented young players to sign for us over potential fortune in lower leagues elsewhere.

 

Stavrum, Windass, Dodds etc, you could argue the same but in terms of actual pace changes in direction for the club, I dunno, might as well say Zero was prominent in that context. Like I say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not to mention the beholder's lifetime experience. .

 

Valid point, that I did bear some thought to when making the thread. 

 

With the players you mentioned there though, Stavrum left under a cloud, Windass caused himself more problems than the club needed at that time, Dodds was part of the transfer that saw us spend the best part of £1m on Robbie Winters and Zero was only a glimmer of light in one of the darkest periods in the club's history.  Unfortunately, that'll always overshadow his contribution.

 

Taking all that into context, I'd find it hard to classify them as important players in our history.

 

Maybe King Joey was one of the most prominent

 

Forgot about him. We almost got relegated in '75, but we won the league cup in ,76 and became great within five years.

 

I stand corrected - Joe harper was one of the fundamental signings that changed Aberdens fortunes. I will punt Jim Bett from my original selection.

 

I'm surprised it's taken so long for someone to mention him to be honest, I guess that just shows the age of those who post on DT though.

 

By the way, I'm still thinking of my top three, although Willie Miller is definitely in there. 

My post wasn't a cri.. FFS! I can't post anything right. 

 

 

This is a good thread.

My post wasn't a cri.. FFS! I can't post anything right. 

 

 

 

Nothing wrong with either of your posts dude, you made some very valid points. 

 

Aye probably, although if we didn't have Leighton, we would have had Bryan Gunn as our No.1 and I think he was certainly capable of doing as good a job, but whether he would have or not is a different story.

 

I think Leighton's importance may be under-valued.  In his first spell he was an integral part of our greatest ever side, I'm sure if you were to ask either Miller or McLeish they'd say he was just as important as they were to that team.  And then on his return he helped the club through some dark days.  As was suggested earlier in this thread, he was a major part in us staying up.  If we'd had a lesser keeper we may not have survived.

 

He's set the standard for Aberdeen goalkeepers to live up to, the likes of Snelders for example.  We often here how the club's past successes hang over us, but if I was a young goalkeeper going into a club like Aberdeen, I'd aspire to be the best I can and have a career like Leighton's.

 

If you also take into account that he's still involved as a goalkeeping coach, then his importance cannot be underestimated.

 

Whether or not this is enough to put him in the top three, who knows, but there's no doubting he's in with a shout. 

1. Willie Miller

 

I found it impossible to exclude him on any criteria. He's our most successful captain, the heartbeat of our best side, arguably the best side in Europe for a couple of years. I don't know if my judgement is clouded because I was so young but I remember him winning games by sheer willpower, the definition of leading by example. 

 

2. Scott Severin

 

Whilst many would argue he doesn't deserve to be mentioned on the same page as Miller he was a statement of intent by the new management team. Very important because we were going nowhere. Currently vastly underestimated by many of our supporters.

 

3. Charlie Nic

 

Couple of points, he was a fantastic player and I think it shows the quality of Scottish football at the time that he has only 20 odd caps. That's not why I chose him.

 

Were our current Chairman to read this I would ask him to look back and find out what signing Nicholas did for attendance figures and for the general interest around the club. I could draw a  comparison, to a lesser extent, with the reaction to Aluko. I think it,a safe to say players like Nicholas out bums on seats and is a strong argument for the idea of speculate to accumulate.