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1992-2010 'Next Big Foreign Import Goes Wrong' Team


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I've given some thought to the dream team for the same period but, in trawling through the archives, have come up with some pearlers from the last twenty years. Remember these nobodies?

GK: Ian Feuer (USA) - I remember doing the Sky 'Fanzone' on his debut (a 3-1 defeat at White Hart Lane). He was tall but, sadly, that was about it.

RB: Francois Grenet (FRA) - reputedly the second best right back in France (behind Lillian Thuram) when he arrived. More like the 102nd best.

CB: Claude Davis (JAM) - Neil Warncock must have laughed all the way to the bank when we paid £2m+ for this joker. Had a ridiculously inflated opinion of himself for one so error prone.

CB: Bjorn-Otto Bragstad (NOR) - Norwegian international who looked like a footballer but played like a man involved in a game of musical statues with the music permenantly off.

LB: Mo Camara (GUI) - Why did Celtic let the highly rated international full-back go? Because, it transpired, he was garbage.

CM: Maricio Solis (CRI) - Arrived as carrying Paulo Wanchope's bags. Jim Smith misunderstood his broken english for 'I am just Paulo's mate' for 'I am a quality midfielder'.

CM: Przemyslaw Kazmierczak (POL) - The big number five was, in fact, a big number two.

CM: Andrei Perplotkins (LAT) - Interesting to note that the bald Latvian winger's name scores many, many more points at Scrabble than the number of ball touches he ever had as a Rams player.

ST: Junior (BRA) - Who could forget the Brazilian striker's bleach blond crew cut and incredible work rate in a Rams shirt? I had forgotten the first bit and the second bit isn't true.

ST: Manel (SPA) - In a homage to the Baseball Ground, the Rams agreed to sign a striker who, when 'running', made it look as though he was strudging through the muddiest centre circle in history.

ST: Mikkel Beck (DEN) - No list like this would be complete without this man. Signed on transfer deadline day for £500k (he would have been available for a free three months later), if only he'd put as much effort on the football pitch as he clearly did to applying his hair products.

A few others worthy of note:

Daniele Daino (ITA) - Reputedly could play in either full-back position. Wrong. Twice.

Tomas Hajto (POL) - Signed for eighteen months, lasted just four.

Con Blatsis, Ruben Zadkovich, Mile Sterjovski (AUS) - The golden rule being 'Don't sign an Australian unless his name is Tim Cahill'.

Khalou Fadiga, Blessing Kaku (NIG) - The golden rule being 'Don't sign a Nigerian international midfielder from Bolton Wanderers'.

Pierre Ducrocq (FRA) - of ****.

Gilles Sunu (FRA) - Not every Arsenal youngster is an Arturo Lupoli.

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Very wrong about Fadiga, who was a brilliant footballer IMO, I watched all his games for Derby and couldn't understand why he went back, I remember being baffled on the radio from the manager who said 'he was too much like idiakez'

Junior as already said was decent enough for the job he had to do, never built upto the hype though.

the rest I will give you although some did come from clubs in England and I don't think that should be allowed... I also remember some others..

Esteban Fuertes - looked a good player, pity about the shoddy passport back at the club we spent 2.3million for him from now... even got a cap for the Argentina national side when he was 34 (unbelievable, I know)

Brian O'Neil - was an odd one for me, he came from Germany(can't remember where) was never more than a squad player and then moved to Preston to become a key player in a play-off side there, bizarre!

Taribo West - another bizarre player for me, he was good but injury prone and signed for us despite coming with a ridiculous CV boasting both Milan sides...

Branko Strupar - Really talented player, a superstar in his home nation and remember him being regarded as the belgium beckham, had his own range of football boots, signed with an amazing record for the biggest club in belgium and spent his whole time injured, frustrating really!

Vas Borbokis - had to look this one up admitted, I was 8-9 when he was at Derby and I remember him, not sure why.. but there must be a reason.

Luciano Zavagno - I have fond memories of him to be honest, played a few games for us and I remember being ever present.

Recently though.. our premiership season entertained a one million pound by for a transparent central midfield player in 'big ben'ny feilhaber... Tito Villa who was like Rooney on acid, Mile Sterjovski who looked a tad overweight, yet tidy but ineffective, Hossam Ghaly who looked far too accomplished to be in ourside, he was playing passes that our team couldn't beyond to comprehend, Ruban Zadkovich was poor, really poor... Laurent Robert, looked a little like Sterjovski.. was excited for free kicks and that, but everything else was so ineffective. Prijovic signed from Parma youth team, very highly rated.. released 2 years later without a game played!

and under Clough we've kept imports down to an absolute bare minimum, Bueno being the last one, again, highly rated and recommended by a world cup winning coach, and showed unbelievable class at times but was soft as baby ***** and when it got cold, he froze up like a new born left in the snow!

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I remember Vas Borbokis getting elbowed in the face (and breaking his cheekbone) courtesy of Pierre Van Hooijdonk in the match where Horacio Carbonari scored a late winner against F*rest in the early 90's. He has a decent right-back, took a good free-kick but never really got going at Derby.

Fuertes was a bizarre one. Jim Smith said he was amazing in training, he looked good in the handful of matches he played but what a punch line!

I loved Branko Strupar. Again, when he played he looked awesome. I remember him coming on in a match against Everton and scoring a brace. He had a real eye for goal but, as you mentioned, hopelessly injury prone.

Likewise, I have fond memories of Luciano Zavagno. I remember watching him against Manchester Utd bust a gut to make a cross for Malcolm Christie to score. Not the sort of run you can imagine Gareth Roberts making, anyway!

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Harsh on a few there.

Mo Camara wasn't great but as soon as we brought Jay McEveley in for him we started shipping goals. He was a lot better than people gave him credit for. Also man-marked Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game for half-an-hour in the 1-0 win over Man Utd.

Fadiga was quality, Blessing Kaku was less so. Didn't Fadiga have a heart problem meaning he couldn't be made to run around too much? I remember hearing that but how the hell did he pass a medical??

Junior was mint, just always injured. Bit like Strupar but more blonde.

Waiting for the inevitable cries of Ravanelli even though he got 11 goals in the relegation season for us. Burdened by his immense wages really.

And Ambitious I will not have a word said against Tito. On his day, he was brilliant. Just think he struggled with the language and the game

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How about foreign import goes well team:

off the top of my head

Poom - best GK I have seen in a Derby shirt with honourable mention to Shilts

Laursen - RB - top player - 7/10 every week

Zavagno - LB - struggled with this slot but he was OK

Stimac - CB and Capt No explanation required

West - Great player, was the best player we had in most games I saw with him playing

Eranio - RM, pure class

Idiakez - CM easy pick

Asanovic - CM based on 1st season

Kinkladze - LM - inconsistent but when he was on song he was great

Baiano - I seem to remember we went after Baggio but got him, really tidy player

Wanchope - all legs and elbows but got the job done

No doubt I've missed a few - Loved Strupar but he was injured a lot - I liked Willems as well although he was painfully slow. On O.Neil he was Scottish so cannot really count him as an import - I liked him though, had a corporate day at a game against Blackburn once and presented him with the MOM awrd - well deserved on the day.

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Disagre with a few Bradway but it was very funny.. Top post.. Alot of them were toffee but cheap toffee, the expensive ones is where it hurt the most

1 Ian Feuer

2 Grenet

3 Zavagno

4 Claude Davis

5 Bjorn Otto Bragstad

6 Ducrocq

7 Solis

8 Feilhaber

9 Ravanelli

10 Mikkel Beck

11 Laurent Robert

That team cost us around $20mill in transfer fees and wages

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Junior was crocked after scoring at Forest, then never really recovered. He was out from that injury for a long time. I can't remember him really ever coming back from that?

He scored at the City Ground, that must deserve a place in some hall of fame? Good goal too.

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CM: Maricio Solis (CRI) - Arrived as carrying Paulo Wanchope's bags. Jim Smith misunderstood his broken english for 'I am just Paulo's mate' for 'I am a quality midfielder'.

Don't know how true this is but I was told that Smith was after Solis, but the deal was you had to take Wanchope as well, that's why QPR didn't sign them cos they was on trail there the month before Derby. His time was always going to be limited because of the 3 non-EU player rule.
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Don't know how true this is but I was told that Smith was after Solis, but the deal was you had to take Wanchope as well, that's why QPR didn't sign them cos they was on trail there the month before Derby. His time was always going to be limited because of the 3 non-EU player rule.

I thought Wanchope came because he had the hots for Solis's sister,

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