The FA Cup run hadn’t lulled new boss Malcolm Crosby into a false sense of security – he knew only too well that the club’s league form had been a concern. He didn’t know for sure whether the FA Cup had masked, or indeed caused, some of the league travails, but the departure of Paul Bracewell and the impending exit of Paul Hardyman certainly left the squad in a weaker position than it had been when it ended the previous campaign.
With the new season just over five weeks away, Crosby was accelerating
his transfer plans, and on this day in 1992 he landed his first ever signing – John Colquhoun.
Colquhoun was an experienced forward, having plied his trade north of the border at Sterling Albion, Celtic and Hearts, and I remember him always being a player who stood out when watching highlights of games involving the Jambos.
He was a small yet strong forward, who could drive past defenders and cause them all sorts of bother, and he was someone Denis Smith had looked at ahead of the 1990-91 top flight season, but hadn’t been convinced enough to splash the cash at the time.
In hindsight, that may have been a mistake – Colin Pascoe had his injury worries and Smith turned to youngster Tony Cullen before attempting to fill the position with new signing Brian Mooney.
In the meantime, Colquhoun had signed for an English club – Millwall – after more than 250 games for Hearts. A 1 in 5 forward, he didn’t settle in London. The manager who signed him, Bruce Rioch, almost immediately left to take over at Bolton, and his replacement – a certain Mick McCarthy – didn’t seem to fancy him all that much. Crosby, however, did, and had tried unsuccessfully to get him in on loan around the March transfer deadline. Come the summer, he was available for transfer, and Crosby pounced, landing the forward for around £225,000. Almost all of the money we’d get from the tribunal for Bracewell. Not that I’m in any way bitter.
Upon signing, Colquhoun, who was a week away from his 29th birthday, said:
Two or three Scottish clubs made approaches but Sunderland came in. They are a big, ambitious club and I want to make a name for myself in England.
I think I can do that here and I’m delighted that everything has been sorted out. I had one or two injury problems last season, the first for five years, which was a bit disappointing.
My form was in and out and there was a change of management when Bruce Rioch left the club. This is a great chance for me to get back on the rails.
I played most of my career at Celtic and Hearts in a wide position but I am just as happy playing through the middle. It depends on where Sunderland want to use me but as long as I am going forward, I am happy.
Two of the players Smith had relied upon, having not signed Colquhoun two years prior – Pascoe and Mooney – were both being linked with transfers to Burnley, with Crosby keen to shake things up a bit.
I am keen to bring in a few experienced players. But that does not mean we are pushing other players out of the door.
They will get the same chance as everybody else. Nobody here is guaranteed a place. I want to create healthy competition.
One of those experienced players was Shaun Cunnington, the Grimsby Town captain. He’d scored against Sunderland the season before, and had a reputation as a quality attacking midfielder in the second tier. Grimsby boss Alan Buckley was on holiday, however, so negotiations were on hold over a move in the region of £650,000.
In addition to new personnel, Crosby was hoping to build a more tactically flexible team, and saw his first-ever signing as key to that.
I think John Colquhoun will be a big asset as he can play wide, up front and in behind the front two.
We will be looking at different systems during the pre-season as I believe there will be some games next season where we may have to change the way we play.
The 4-4-2 system last year did not work in away games. We could use the sweeper system or three in midfield with somebody behind the front two.
Colquhoun started the season in the team at right wing – making his first appearance in the season opener away at Swindon, which we lost 1-0 courtesy of a goal from player-manager Glenn Hoddle (still one of the best players I’ve ever seen in the flesh, by the way).
His home debut came a few days later, as we were beaten 3-2 by Huddersfield in the Coca Cola Cup, before returning to Roker the following Saturday to beat Tranmere by a goal, Skinny Shaun scoring on what was also his first league appearance in red and white at Roker.
However, unfortunately for Colquhoun and Crosby, the Scottish forward’s time at the club wasn’t at all memorable. He struggled in the second tier – just as he had done at Millwall, and while he had an injury or two as well, never quite looked like the answer. He made just 12 league starts and didn’t trouble the scoresheet before returning to Hearts at the end of the season.
I daresay if Malcolm Crosby could travel back in time he’d go back to this point and rethink his summer transfer business.
Not only did he spend the thick end of £1m on Colquhoun and Cunnington, who both struggled to make any noticeable impact at the club, but his other signing – a certain Mr Butcher – proved to be his successor!
