Top ten worst Boro signings
By Shaun • Sep 22nd, 2008 • Category: Featured ArticlesIt happens to every team and every manager, a new player comes in and for whatever reason they just don't do it at their new club. Middlesbrough are no different and here is my top ten worst signings of recent years.
10. Jaime Moreno - Moreno arrived at Boro with a decent amount of publicity in 1994, becoming the first Bolivian to play in the Premier League. The Bolivian World Cup star had a good amount of skill but struggled physically and left for MLS in America.
9. Mark Wilson - Joined Boro from Manchester United along with Jonathan Greening in a £3.5 million combined fee. Wilson struggled to make any sort of impact at Middlesbrough, making only 16 first team appearances. He was loaned out a number of times before being released, moving to America and FC Dallas.
8. Fabio - Remember him? No? You know, Emerson's cousin Fabio? 
The Brazilian defender was signed by Boro on the basis that he was Emerson's cousin. He managed one appearance in 14 months at the club, you couldn't make it up really almost as bad as the lad who got a game for Southampton after having his agent lie to Souness and tell him that he was related to George Weah.
7. Branco - World cup winner, getting old, probably on a decent to obscene salary. Slow, out-of-shape and unable to cope with the pace of the English game, complete waste of money.
6. Paul Okon - Slow and very limited passing range, out of his depth at Premier League level.
5. Andy Dibble - 9 goals conceded in just 2 games, more than Mark Schwarzer had conceded in the previous 10. Absolutely shocking goalkeeper.
4. Christian Karembeu - Arrived from Real Madrid with a big reputation on an even bigger salary and was hugely disappointing.
3. Jason Euell - For a forward he couldn't shoot, for a midfielder his passing was awful. Euell was a poor signing.
2. Dong Gook Lee - His confidence was pretty much at rock bottom his whole time at the club. He simply was not good enough, strong enough or clever enough for the Premier League, criminally out of his depth,
1. Phil Whelan - The worst player I ever saw in a Middlesbrough shirt, just cannot understand why we signed him from Ipswich?
Do you agree or disagree with any of the players on there? Think i've missed somebody? Let me know in the comments below.
Shaun is A Boro fan and owner of BoroMania.com. Born and brought up in the North East. Favourite players are Juninho, Slaven and David Wheater.
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Forgot about Fabio like! Dibble was a chronic goalie, 9 goals in 2 games.
I thought Mendieta was a complete waste of money like, huge salary and sat on his arse most of the time, few good games but mostly poor
What about Ricketts?! Shocking player. if we thought Mido was fat we’ve all forgot Ricketts
yeah i’d stick a vote in for Ricketts too. What about Beck? He was a poor forward
Ricketts was dreadful but i kept him out because of his goal against Spurs on the run up to the Carling Cup final.
Boro-Borat i thought Beck was a decent player, scored some goals and got a lot of flack of certain fans and players for no good reason.
Well Dong Gook was the worst player i’ve seen in a Boro shirt for a long time! Here’s a contentious one, Gazza? Great player but a complete waste at Boro
Wot no mention of Alan Wright the smallest left back in the history of the Premiership! Woeful or what?
Wilson was hopeless, Ferguson must’ve been laughing all the way to the bank with that one. What about Maccarone? £8.5M and released on a free, i know the UEFA cup goals were awesome but on the whole he was a poor signing
What about the Chris Morris/Derek Whyte double signing ?
John Gannon , John Gittens , Tommy Wright , Michael Ricketts and Peter Davenport deserve a mention too.
Chris Morris was awful but i didn’t think Derek Whyte was that bad. I think this list seems to be limited to fairly recent signings so rule out Davenport and Gittens. I agree Ricketts should be in there, regardless of the goal which against Spuds in the cup he was shocking, how he got capped for England i’ll never know
Davenport was a bad signing like but in recent years Ricketts was horrible, Dong Gook Lee was abysmal but free so for me the owrst has in the last few years is Jason Euell, dreadful.
Redcar Red i forgot about Alan Wright he only played a few times if i recall?
Shaun, I think Wright played twice at most. I remember the home game against Arsenal and he was the worst player I have ever seen in my life, even made DGL almost look like a footballer!
Michael Ricketts and LDG were the worst by far joined by Alan Wright, Trevor Senior, Gazza (3.4 million??) If you remember the one game that Fabio played he actually played well and didnt cost us any money. Same cant be said for Ricketts and gook lee.
Yeah it seems my decision to leave Ricketts off the list based on the goal at Spurs that kept us in the cup was a bad one. Looking back at his time at Boro he was awful, what irked me most was the apparant lack of any effort from the lad, he just didn’t seem to care.
Not in the same league as Phil Whelan as far as terrible footballers though
He did, Shaun. RedCar Red’s right. I think McClaren came to his senses, so to speak.
Although why Karembeu? He got his attitude right under Venables and did score a handful of crucial goals (the winner against ‘Pool, an equaliser against Bradford). That, and he did bring a nice wife with him as well…
I’d stick Marinelli in his place.
Yeah Marinelli didn’t live up to the hype. Karembeu may have been a much better player than some i’ve put on that list but when you look at his pedigree and the wage he will have been on I thought he was a poor signing and didn’t live up to the hype. Agree on the wife though
Dibble was probably the worst keeper ive ever seen
Haha Karembeu’s wife.. Now theres a goal and a half.
Paul Okon definately, Mark Summerbee ..
oh god. I had the same idea as Shaun, from Ricketts last min Carling Cup goal against spurs..
Trevor Senior scored those play-off goals against Bradford away and and Chelsea at home so i really don’t think he can be inculded in the list
Lee Dong Gook was awful. away at reading last year was the worst performance by a player in a boro shirt ever.
John Gannon, Phil Whelan and alan wright are certainly up there
Dont forget Micheal Reiziger!!! If your basing this on biggest waste of money then Mendieta must be the most expensive mistake! Cant remember how much Curtis Fleming cost but he wasnt the best although he did punch Ravanelli so maybe he should stay off the list!
Reiziger was poor yeah, I really expected him to be quality when we signed him. Mendieta looked a good player when he first arrived but ended up a massive drain on the club’s wage bill. I actually used to like Curtis Fleming, not the most talented footballer but he gave his all and I remember when i was younger we were beating the Mackems at home in a cup match and Fleming came over to take a throw in, punching the air and geeing the crowd up, stuck with me
Great list and I forgot all about Fabio, but the worst for me out of that sorry lot has to be Branco. I remember watching him play, slack jawed with disbelief at this tubby get who was playing a game a third the speed of everyone else and looking completely disinterested. At least in Whelan’s case there was a feeling he tried, albeit being hopelessly out of his depth. Branco just wasn’t involved, and it’s for the same reason I’d like to nominate Alen Boksic for the list - excellent player but just how often could he be bothered, and was it all worth it for 63 grand per week?
I thought about Boksic Mike, simply for the value for money we got from him but I left him off just because when he could be bothered he was one of the most technically gifted footballers ever to pull on the shirt in my opinion. But yeah, value for money he was poor, such a waste of talent.
Didier Digard <- The worst player I have seen come to old trafford in years (3-1 to man u, Carling cup). Awful. I pity you poor bourgh supporters!!!
Ha ha you Doyle. I seem to remember Alex Ferguson splashing the cash on a certain Eric Djemba Djemba not so long ago, an absolutely dreadful footballer.
Digard has only just arrived in this country, has not settled in and is not fully fit I think i’ll reserve judgement until we’ve seen a bit of him.
Digard was poor last night, his worst display for us but i’ve liked the look of him in the few games he has played this season. I think once he settles down and gets a good run in the team he will turn out to be a decent signing.
Villa fan i know once described Djemba Djemba as hands down the worst footballer he had ever seen, probably an exaggeration but there you go.
oh and what is “bourgh”?
Middlesbrough or Boro please
Don’t worry about it Ste, he’s probably one of those man utd “fans” who sit at home watching every game on the TV, bragging how he supports the best team in the country.
He probably doesnt even know the ins and outs of his own team apart from the names.
Just so you know. Ive been going to old trafford for 20 years, seen some of the best players you could imagine, Zidane, Romario, Hagi, Ronaldo (the original), Batistuta, Kaka… the list is endless.
I have seen some of the best and worst football teams play in our great stadium and your performance last night was without a shadow of a doubt the most abysmal I have seen in all my time going to old trafford.
Digard is unbelievably, and shockingly shit, a complete donkey, and your manager is mealy an excuse for a man.
PS: Who cares what a Z rate team calls themselves anyway? I have a suggestion, what about Middlebrow? Seems more appropriate.
Mealy? is that a word?
Obviously you care or you wouldn’t be on a Boro site now would you? Go back to glory supporting your Yank owned franchise mate and leave us Z rate team fans alone you doyle
What about Reizeger he was terrible!!!
And dare I say Alves??
A little early to be saying Alves was a poor signing, scored goals last season and i’m confident he will get goals this season.
Reiziger was a big let down
LOL! ALves a poor signing. 7 Goals in 15 league games, yeah right.