Yakubu

[ramspride]

It was always on the cards that Yakubu would score the winner. Jim Smith brought him over to England and he trained with us are season for a few weeks. When we tried to sign him we couldn't get a work permit but a few weeks later our carry managed to sign him for Portsmouth after he suddenly produced an Italian wife. Good old 'arry.'

[su4eranio]

He looks like he's been dining out with Andy Reid!

Once you reach 40 tho, harder to shift that extra weight!

[Ramondo]

It was actually John Gregory I think who brought him to train with us and was really keen to sign him. I remember him saying how good he was and that he was gutted for him when we couldn't get a work permit.

Cracking goal scorer.

[hantsram]

We came so close to signing some real stars back then.

Anyone else remember when Jim Smith was in for an unknown French player called Emmanuel Petit?

When the fee got to £2.5m Derby backed out.

Six months later he joined Arsenal and the rest is history

Instead of the legendary Petit and Viera combination, it could so nearly have been Petit and Carsley!