Could it be anyone else? Undoubtedly one of the worst signings, and indeed one of the worst players, that there has been in the history of the Premier League, Boogers' transfer to West Ham was later excused by Redknapp with the manager saying: "At the time I had no money, my hands were tied and I had to take some gambles." This argument would probably hold up better if the striker's transfer from Sparta Rotterdam hadn't set the Hammers back £1 million, still a hefty fee in 1995 when Britain's biggest ever transfer was just £5 million. Redknapp decided on Boogers on the basis of nothing more than a video, an extraordinary way to part with such a large sum. In his second appearance he came off the bench against Man United. Within seconds he was sent off after a terrible waist high sliding tackle on Gary Neville. A four match ban followed, during which time Boogers went AWOL. Rumour has it he was living in a Dutch caravan park. He did actually play twice more, both heavy defeats, before being sent on loan back to Holland and eventually released. Still, his failure allowed Redknapp to move for more forwards in the next year: Dowie, Raducioiu and Futre. So, everything worked out for the best.
