Banana
11th June 2004, 20:58
The Club announced today that Andy Myers and Chris Hargreaves had both signed for the Bees for the next two years. Both were available free under the Bosman ruling.
Andy Myers
A 5'10" defender and a former England U21 International as well as a former premiership player for Chelsea (Apps: 74+10 Goals: 2) and Bradford (Apps: 22+3). His £800,000 move to Bradford and four-year deal at age 26 (signed just 24 hours after the Bantams discovered he was on the market) was rated as "expensive" (with hindsite of course) by a Bradford fan site (http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2001/his-transfers.html) until he was stuggling to get first-team action and ended up being loaned to Portsmouth in 2000. He is a natural left-footed player who played left-back for Chelsea and centre-back at Bradford.
Amusingly he was named as one of the Premiership Duffers Of The Season (http://www.soccerage.com/en/13/76112.html) for his part in a Bradford defence that leaked 70 (70!) goals in a season. More worryingly is the news that he picked up a back injury during Colchester's 2-0 defeat at QPR on December 28 last year, and did not feature in the first team for the remainder of the season (save for a unused substitute on the last game of the season). He became available as Colchester boss Phil Parkinson did not offer a new contract although Myers was invited back to Layer Road to prove his fitness during pre-season and a fine first-half of his season. The U's boss adding: "I've no doubt that if Andy comes back he will be fit, or if he goes somewhere else he will be a big player next year.
Maybe another indication of Myers's fighting spirit can be taken from an incident during Bradford's 6-1 walloping by Leeds when the match was interrupted by Myers and Bradford captain Stuart McCall exchanging blows before half-time, which left the Bradford captain "badly bruised" before a half-time kiss and make-up session.
It's obvious the Andy does or did have potential and is still rated by former Chelsea coach Graham Rix who was competing for Myers's signature to Layer Road where Rix is now manager.
Chris Hargreaves
Hargreaves (midfield) joins from Northampton(Apps: 146+7) having formerly been with Plymouth, Hereford, West Brom, Hull, Scarborough and Grimsby - never once commanding a fee. Northampton offered Hargreaves a pay-cut and a one-year deal for the second successive season which would have taken him to half the wages he was originally on at Northampton. Brentford were one of four teams competing for the Cobbler's Supporters' Player of the Year in 2002.
Hargreaves's last goal for the Cobblers was a header in the semi-final of the Division 3 play-offs against Mansfield.
Scott Fitzgerald
The two new signings were supplemented by the news that Fitzgerald has agreed a new one-year contract.
Andy Myers
A 5'10" defender and a former England U21 International as well as a former premiership player for Chelsea (Apps: 74+10 Goals: 2) and Bradford (Apps: 22+3). His £800,000 move to Bradford and four-year deal at age 26 (signed just 24 hours after the Bantams discovered he was on the market) was rated as "expensive" (with hindsite of course) by a Bradford fan site (http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2001/his-transfers.html) until he was stuggling to get first-team action and ended up being loaned to Portsmouth in 2000. He is a natural left-footed player who played left-back for Chelsea and centre-back at Bradford.
Amusingly he was named as one of the Premiership Duffers Of The Season (http://www.soccerage.com/en/13/76112.html) for his part in a Bradford defence that leaked 70 (70!) goals in a season. More worryingly is the news that he picked up a back injury during Colchester's 2-0 defeat at QPR on December 28 last year, and did not feature in the first team for the remainder of the season (save for a unused substitute on the last game of the season). He became available as Colchester boss Phil Parkinson did not offer a new contract although Myers was invited back to Layer Road to prove his fitness during pre-season and a fine first-half of his season. The U's boss adding: "I've no doubt that if Andy comes back he will be fit, or if he goes somewhere else he will be a big player next year.
Maybe another indication of Myers's fighting spirit can be taken from an incident during Bradford's 6-1 walloping by Leeds when the match was interrupted by Myers and Bradford captain Stuart McCall exchanging blows before half-time, which left the Bradford captain "badly bruised" before a half-time kiss and make-up session.
It's obvious the Andy does or did have potential and is still rated by former Chelsea coach Graham Rix who was competing for Myers's signature to Layer Road where Rix is now manager.
Chris Hargreaves
Hargreaves (midfield) joins from Northampton(Apps: 146+7) having formerly been with Plymouth, Hereford, West Brom, Hull, Scarborough and Grimsby - never once commanding a fee. Northampton offered Hargreaves a pay-cut and a one-year deal for the second successive season which would have taken him to half the wages he was originally on at Northampton. Brentford were one of four teams competing for the Cobbler's Supporters' Player of the Year in 2002.
Hargreaves's last goal for the Cobblers was a header in the semi-final of the Division 3 play-offs against Mansfield.
Scott Fitzgerald
The two new signings were supplemented by the news that Fitzgerald has agreed a new one-year contract.