A sleeper at the airport, a wait at the gate and a broken fax as the transfer clock ticks

He did not want to wait for the officials to make up their minds. Instead, he took matters into his own hands, got into his car and drove 200 kilometers from Birmingham to London.

He believed he would only have to pose in the team shirt and sign. Thirteen years later, British television channels still rebroadcast the footage each year for entertainment.