FOOTBALL: DALGLISH'S `DISASTER' DEALS

BOUGHT

Des Hamilton (Bradford City) pounds 1.5m. Supposedly the next big thing, but Hamilton made just seven league starts last year and is still known as Des Who?

Jon Dahl Tomasson (Heerenveen) pounds 2.5m. Four goals in 35 matches is a poor return by any striker's standards, but even worse given that Dalglish used the Dane as the main man while Shearer was out.

Ian Rush (Leeds) Free. Dalglish's former strike partner at Liverpool, everybody except Dalglish appeared to know Rush was finished at the top level. Two goals in 14 games proved the point.

Andreas Andersson (Milan) pounds 3.6m. Another striker who seems to suffer a nosebleed in front of goal. Last Saturday's equaliser at Chelsea was only his third in 17 games for the club.

Gary Speed (Everton) pounds 5.5m. Dalglish, in need of goals from midfield, paid over the odds for the Welshman, who has yet to produce his best form.

Stephane Guivarc'h (Auzerre) pounds 3.5m. Written off without yet having pulled on a Newcastle shirt in anger. His perfomance in France's World Cup winning side has him marked out as another goal-shy forward in the recent Newcastle mould.

TOTAL BUYS: pounds 36.1m

SOLD

Lee Clark (Sunderland) pounds 2.5m. The self-confessed Newcastle nut had his best season ever after moving to rivals Sunderland. Proved that, given the chance, he is as good as the star names Dalglish brought in to replace him.

David Ginola (Tottenham) pounds 2.6m. Ginola's flair was lost on Dalglish, yet the Frenchman was able to redefine himself as the shining light in a poor Tottenham side.

Les Ferdinand (Tottenham) pounds 6m. Sold at the start of last season on the eve of Shearer's injury - the proven goalscorer was sorely missed.

Faustino Asprilla (Parma) pounds 6.1m. The eccentric Colombian was always unlikely to be Dalglish's kind of player. The pair's uneasy relationship lasted while Asprilla was wowing the Champions' League but quickly feel apart upon Newcastle's exit.

TOTAL SALES: pounds 26.35m

DALGLISH'S NEWCASTLE RECORD

1996-97 Premiership: Runners-up. FA Cup: Fourth round. Uefa Cup: Quarter- finals.

1997-98 Premiership: 13th. FA Cup: Runners-up. Coca-Cola Cup: Quarter- finals. Champions' League: Eliminated in Group stages.