The Bad: Bob Latchford
Bob Latchford arrived with the sort of CV that could make supporters forget to check how recently the best bits had happened. He had scored 68 league goals for Birmingham before moving to Everton, where another 106 followed, and won 12 England caps. When we signed him on a free transfer in July 1985, the attraction of adding that pedigree to our attack was obvious.
Unfortunately, his Lincoln career began with an injury on his debut and never really recovered. The hoped-for goals failed to materialise, with Latchford scoring twice in 15 appearances before moving to Newport, initially on loan, in January 1986. We had recruited a famous goalscorer, but saw little of the player who had built that reputation.
There is some mitigation: he was 34 when he arrived, the injury immediately put him on the back foot, and he joined a side heading towards relegation. It would be harsh to make him the sole representative of everything that went wrong that season. However, judged on what Lincoln received from the signing, the gap between expectation and return puts him firmly in this section.
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