This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.
Whilst Glasgow Rangers may still have been winning up until the season before they entered administration, their transfer dealings from around that time are likely to have contributed to their downfall, which eventually saw them drop down to the fourth tier of Scottish football.
James Beattie is a prime example of that. South of the border, the striker was prolific. He scored at least 10 goals in five separate Premier League seasons, managing 90 throughout his whole career in the English top flight, whilst he also scored 34 goals in 62 second-tier matches as well. By the time he moved to Ibrox, he was already 32 years of age but, given his experience, signing him for £1.62m looked to be a shrewd bit of business.
It is fair to say his spell in Scotland was a total disaster. Beattie would only manage to make it onto the pitch 10 times during the 2010/11 season, the one campaign he spent at the club, and his scoring record was abysmal – indeed, he did not find the net once and provided only a solitary assist. The ‘Gers may have won the league that season but Beattie did next to nothing to contribute to that success – in fact, he lasted just six months at Ibrox, joining Blackpool on loan in January 2011.
That summer, he left the club on a free transfer, meaning that the ‘Gers made a 100% loss from his paltry 10 matches. It was a truly terrible transfer which both Beattie and the 54-time Scottish champions will likely want to forget.
‘Gers fans, was Beattie one of the worst signings that the club has made in modern times? Let us know what you think by commenting below!