10 Underwhelming Newcastle Signings Who Became Cult Heroes

2. James Perch

Never made to feel welcome by certain sections of the support, and castigated for error-strewn performances that dogged his first few months on Tyneside, utility man James Perch was deemed a flop from the word 'go'. Having signed from Nottingham Forest in a £1.5 million deal upon the club's promotion in 2010, the Toon Army were hardly enamoured by the capture of a player with zero top-flight experience.

Having set a record for becoming the first player to ever receive five bookings in his first five games in the Premier League, he followed that up with a sumptuous game-winning header in front of the Gallowgate End - typical of his catastrophic start at the club, it just happened to be the wrong net, exacerbating tensions around the ground. Perch's improvement at the club may not have read like a fairytale, as he never did nail down a regular starting berth at the club, and was returned to the Championship via Wigan Athletic for a cut-price fee of £750,000 after three years.

However, he certainly consolidated an important role in the squad, proving to be a valuable squad player for Alan Pardew, as he featured over 80 times for the club. Affectionately dubbed 'Perchinho' by adoring Geordie supporters, the former Nottingham Forest defender could leave Tyneside with his head held high last summer, having successfully silenced the thousands of discontent murmurs that had echoed his every touch upon his arrival.