Altogether now - they shine for you and me, for liberty. Fernando

They both came with a decent reputation from their homeland and were part of a 'golden generation' of players, that didn't include them!

Both looking to make a buck and name in the Premier League.

Nelson, full name Fernando Nelson Jesus Vieira Alves, came in 1996.

What a year, we were young, full of life and none of us prepared to die, and the Blues still had Barry Fry.

Never the biggest player on the pitch he was a step up than our other pint sized 1990s defenders Earl Barrett and Darius Kubicki.

He looked a bit lost in his first five games and even a bit scared but then something stirred inside him, he trimmed his bouffant and started to play out of his skin.

He played so well, in fact, the Portugese form sent Gary Charles on a spiral of destruction that ended with him doing 'a Paula Radcliffe' on a residential street and spending more time in court than Pete Doherty.

I can remember, one starry night, against Athletico Madrid at Villa Park he never put a foot wrong. But it was all to no avail because we still tragically lost.

Then, one fateful night he crossed the Rio Grande and John Gregory sold him.

The manager just could not keep his feeling in check and could not control his jealous fits over Fernando's hair and catchy Abba chant.

And without even 'a goodbye or leave ya' he was off.

Happily he won the league at Porto and saw out his days at the greatly named SC Rio Tinto where he is now old, grey and President.

Bouma, full name Wilfred Dirk Van Der Fart Van Gogh Bouma, took a little longer to settle in than our Fernando.

In fact for his first season he looked like a bouncer who had lost his job for punching one to many people and took up football to pay for an expensive habit of buying big coats.

Obviously overweight and forced to play alongside Ridgewell, he never looked a world beater but had one hell of a shot on him which he let everyone see every third game.

Then Mr O'Neill arrived and our big Dutch man played more often, stopped eating kippers, and made the position his own.

He even played in the Euro 2008 for the Dutch team that lit up the championships.

But after a family holiday windmill spotting his leg went one way and his ankle went the other and his season was over before it started.

It was a heartfelt ovation the crowd gave him as he was taken off in agony and I for one am over the moon that he will be at the club for a few more seasons.

If only Fernando had been given another contract instead of been the first mistake of Gregory's error strewn era. Oh Fernando.