But there have inevitably been signings in Posh history who have been huge disappointments and they are the ones we are remembering here with the help of our readers.
Posh fan and talkSPORT host Adrian Durham, nominated Luke James while others also picked on fairly recent signings Tom Nichols and Jack Baldwin, Others dared to mention the Posh ‘Holy Trinity’ of Craig Mackail-Smith, Aaron Mclean and George Boyd who predictably didn’t match their feats during Darren Ferguson’s first spell as Posh boss when they returned to the club.
Lee Tomlin’s patchy form when he returned last season was mentioned, but it would be Posh heresy to include any of the four superstars.
We have though included a manager who should have done much better.
5.
CARL GRIFFITHS. The Evening Telegraph was present on transfer deadline day in 1995 when Posh chairman Chris Turner told Posh manager Mick Halsall that a club record £225k for Portsmouth striker Griffiths was too much. The deal still went ahead, but Turner was soon proved right as usual. Griffiths was a Welsh under 21 international who scored 27 goals in one season for Shrewsbury which earned him a £500k move to Manchester City before a switch to Pompey. Griffiths, a fox-in-the-box, scored after just two minutes of his Posh debut against Walsall, but scored just one other Football League goal before moving on. Posh did recoup £50k of his free from Leyton Orient and after a spell in East London he joined Luton Town. Photo: Midlands
6.
HOWARD FORINTON. Posh captain Steve Castle was so impressed after watching Forinton play for Birmingham City Reserves he went to see owner Peter Boizot to implore him to sign the striker. The £250k Posh splashed out in 1999 made Forinton the costliest striker in the club’s history and initially it looked money well spent. Forinton scored seven goals in his first 10 appearances, including a spectacular volley in a 2-1 win at local rivals Lincoln City. But form and fitness deserted him and when Posh won promotion from the old Third Division with a play-off final win over Darlington later that season Forinton was nowhere to be seen. Torquay gave him another Football League chance, but he was soon bouncing around numerous non-league clubs.
7.
MARK WRIGHT. Here was a top-class defender for Southampton, Liverpool and England with a wealth of experience and knowledge to fall back on. He was the man Barry Fry chose to replace himself as Posh manager in 2005. He’d been sacked by Oxford four years earlier after allegations of inappropriate remarks towards a linesman, but he’d rehabilitated himself at Chester who he steered back into the Football League. Wright spoke a lot of sense and his work was decent with a limited set of players, but he was accused of making more inappropriate comments during a training session and Posh sacked him for gross misconduct. “The whole thing was a farce,” Wright grumbled, but he didn’t even turn up to his own disciplinary hearing. It was a horrible fall from grace.
8.
DANNY ROSE. There was great excitement when a Spurs player who had made his England Under 21 debut the previous June arrived on loan to help Posh get to grips with Championship football in 2009. Darren Ferguson’s close friendship with Rose’s agent helped facilitate the deal, but it turned out to be a rank disappointment. Rose was deployed at left-back and in central midfield, but rarely looked interested in helping out his temporary employers. Rose left when Ferguson was sacked after a 3-1 defeat at Newcastle and made his first-team debut for Spurs later that season. He’s now won 29 England caps.